I am awaiting delivery of a 1977 black on black L82 coupe that was in Mike’s secret vault. It’s got 1600 miles and is a NCRS 4 star Bow tie winner. Plenty of pics, but because of what I have read about Corvette Mike I was comfortable not seeing it in person. He also wants first crack at it should I decide to sell it.

Anybody care to share their experience with Corvette Mike?

 

Never bought a car from Corvette Mike but I did watch Geraldo open Al Capone's vault.

 

I bought, and still have, a 69 427 with side pipes I bought from Corvette Mike, sight unseen. The car was EXACTLY as described and I’m was very happy with the way they answered everything I asked, showed me any pic I needed to see.

That being said.

I KNEW exactly what I needed to see to be happy with the purchase. I have seen some cars on his site that were not exactly the way he was describing them. Particularly it was an LS6 that had bad paperwork. I knew the paperwork was no good just by looking at it but he was repping it as original. This was several years ago. I am willing to accept that MAYBE he didn’t know, as I am constantly surprised at how many people get fooled by bad trim tags and fake paperwork but he IS in the business and should make it a priority to know what is legit and what isn’t especially with something like an LS6.

I would buy from him again, but I also know what I need to see to make me happy and I’m not as afraid of mechanical issues as much as making sure it’s solid where it needs to be and the genuine article of whatever I’m buying and it’s advertised as.

No matter what, no matter who, you should be sure of what you are buying before you buy it. Common sense. If you don’t know, ask someone. Lots of help here if you ask.

 

don’t know him personally but heard he is pretty straight up . Why do so many people worry about “ paperwork “ it means absolutely nothing . Who cares how many owners , where it was bought, how many repairs were made, does it have original window sticker and dealer invoice. All those things are nice but mean absolutely nothing to me when purchasing any muscle car .. The one thing and only thing that matters is “THE CAR WILL SPEAK FOR ITSELF PERIOD “ end of story

 

Paper work means nothing to you, we all know that now, if paperwork isn't correct it could cause a great deal of hardship for some.
Paper work sure means a lot to the title folks, the cops when you get pulled over for speeding.

Why do we have a forum where people can express their opinions, some that are very obviously incorrect ? = no answer for this one.
Why do people worry about matching numbers ? = value (hopefully), makes them feel better.
Why do people want to stuff the largest tire under a car ? = want to look cool, I'm not talking about you honest track guys
Why do people buy a car sight unseen ? = stupid
Why do some members think they can take a piece of crap corvette and drive it at 150MPH = Dreaming
Why do people spend 10k on a motor = I don't know
Why do people get offended by my husbands smart *** replies to some on here ? = I suppose because it's a public forum
I could list hundreds of thousands of (WHY DO's )

Does my husband care about numbers matching = NO
Does he care about having a interesting car he can get in and drive across the country if he chooses = sure
Does her care & take pride in the work he does all by himself = Yes
Could he have rebuilt his carb instead of sending it to another forum member = most likely with some advice

I'm done

 

Car dose NOT speak for itself. It speaks for what someone made it say. Only way to know for sure if what it is now is what it left the factory as is real paperwork and trim tag. Yes you can tell fake paperwork from fake. My general thought on Corvette dealers is that most old time dealers wont lie to you but will not offer to tell you everything they know about the car unless you ask. They are in bussiness to sell Corvettes not judge the Corvette &tell you whats wrong with it like NCRS. I have found private owners will lie like a rug to sell.

 

For many people real paperwork is everything. Why? Because forgery with real cars is rampant.

If you are buying original, unrestored Survivor type cars, owner provenance is extremely important. GM documentation is extremely important and impacts price. At least for me and the people that look at these cars the way I do. Damage and repairs are a different issue. I look for all types of possible repairs, some that are disclosed to me (I like to see HOW the repair was done) and of course the damage that was not disclosed. While the car will “speak” for itself to a degree, many times you can not see everything it has to say immediately.

I see faked trim tags on THIS very forum fairly often. I can’t always say something because it’s considered interference in a sale. But if it comes up I will put my 2 cents in. And when I do see them I enter them into my database. It’s getting pretty big. When the cars come up again and anyone ASKS for info, I’ll tell them. So even if the fake tag makers get better, I’ll have the info saved. Same with fake paperwork. I keep info of everything now. Internet is a good thing in this regard.

Anyone can claim there 67/68/69 corvette is an original L88. Without something like good paperwork of some kind would you just take there word for it? There are plenty of talented car builders that could fake a decent build and it would be very accurate. I like to share what I know about these cars on this forum but there are a few things I and other experienced C3 affectionados don’t bring up because we don’t want people to use that info to build better fake cars. Not everything is in the Judges manuals.

Paperwork is not important to you. That’s fine. Some people simply do not care about it. Many do not care about originality. In many cases I don’t care about original cars. I like customs just as much. Paperwork and originality depends on WHAT I think I’m buying.

You asked and I quote “Why do so many people car about paperwork”. Hopefully this explained why. Regardless if you understand that or not, that is the reason. In your opinion it means absolutely nothing. That may be true for you but not everyone. It’s a fact that it can verify if a car came with side pipes in 1969 or not. If can verify if a car was built as an L88. Can paperwork be faked? Yes. Will it fool me? Unlikely, but not impossible. Then there’s restamped drivetrains. I’m sure I can be fooled with that. I’ve seen some great restamps. Easier for me to spot fake paper then a well done, well researched stamping.

 

Well, this is the car.

 

I looked it up on their website last night. That’s a really nice car. Enjoy it!

 

Thanks very much. I’m feeling very comfortable and excited about it, although it is quite a different experience from taking delivery of a new Vette.

 

$$$$ ? just curious, it's a really, nice non bumper car !

 

If anyone happens to watcch corvettes sell on BAT you would notice Corvette Mike sells quite a few on there. All that I remember seeing are top notch cars. It is fun to watch the darn peanut gallery be silenced as they generally have nothing to pick on when his vettes come up....

 

$54000.

1600 miles. L82

NCRS 4star Bowtie winner

 

Hard to enjoy, ( cool to have ) but it belongs in a museum ..........

 

Thanks for the compliment. I will split summer driving between this, my 2023 C8 hard top convertible, and my 2023 Cadillac Escalade V. There’s a hot rod for every use at my place.

 

I have had cars like this in the past. Everytime the odometer moved I saw dollar signs flying away so I rarely drove them. Makes me feel better about my recent 80 L82 55k original mile purchase for $16,500.I don't feel any remorse driving it.

 

I can certainly understand.

For me, I am happy with Corvette Mike and thrilled with the car. I will drive it a bit without remorse cuz you can’t take it with you.

 

That's all that matters. I finally figured that out. I wish I had my 96 GTS viper back....

 

Good attitude to have. You bought the car to enjoy.

One of my neighbors has a Ferrari that he loves driving around. He told me some of his Ferrari owning friends told him he’s causing the car to depreciate by driving it, and that it’ll be worth less as a relatively high mileage car when he goes to sell it. He said he doesn’t care; he bought his Ferrari to enjoy driving, not to stare at in his garage.

I love looking at Corvette Mike’s website, and the amazing cars he has. When I was looking last year, I called a local car collector (of many very expensive, Concours-level classic cars) for Corvette referrals, and he referred me to Corvette Mike. That referral, I think, means a lot.

I bought my car sight unseen last year, from someone who is very trusted in the automotive industry.. If you know what you want, and what you’re getting into, it’s perfectly acceptable to trust someone who is trustworthy.

Your car is gorgeous, Enjoy!

 

Now that I have had my car for 5 days, I can reiterate that the car is fantastic, and that Corvette Mike, and his sales guy Jeff Romm, are excellent.

Took the car to my dealer for a look see and their ace Corvette tech said he's never seen such a clean 77.