I'm not very knowledgeable with these cars and I was hoping you guys could help me out a little bit. What do you think of this car? What do you think of the asking price? Are there any things I should look for when inspecting the car? What will most likely need repairing, etc... Thanks!
http://www.lobsterdevil.com/corvette

 

Wow it looks like a survivor!
Oil pressure is good too

It seems to me the preice is a bit high, but I'm not sure...

 

My own personal opinion is that $13k is real high for a '76 L-48 car in a pretty undesirable color. Even though this is a real low mileage car, there are bound to be many problems from lack of use. The car is 25 years old, so it's been driven less than 1000 miles per year. Since you admit to being unfamiliar with C3's, there are many areas that will have suffered from lack of use. Brakes, seals, etc will likely be bad, and there are many other problem areas that are specific to C3's.

That said, I'm in the Raleigh area and would be willing to check it out for you if you get serious about buying it.

Shannon

 

Car looks nice, but $13,250 for a '76 L48? I think that's a bit high. I believe on the price curve, the 75 or 76 are lowest. In terms of 21,000 original miles and what to look for, I'd definately check out (or have checked out) the trailing arms and suspension components to make sure they have 21,000 miles worth of wear and not 121,000. It says it was garage kept for the last ten years, so that means it was something else for 15 years before that. Check the frame for rust.

 

I will join the consensus that the price is high, but the owner knows that because he has lowered the asking. He will have to find and uninformed buyer or come down to earth. However, with the amount of pictures posted, especially the ones showing problem areas, the seller seems to be pretty straight forward. Low miles can be good, but extremely low miles can be trouble. It also has a very weak color. Like said before, many items become suspect on very low mileage cars. The following are things that MAY need to be done in the near future, once the car gets regular use. I would count on having to do the calipers (unless it already has the SS), all rubber brake and fuel lines, valve cover gaskets and all radiator and heater hoses. The A/C hoses get brittle and will no longer hold the high pressure and could go when it gets hot and the pressure is up. The universal joints could be dry and need replacing, as well as the gaskets in the rear pumpkin and the pinion seal. The clutch may need to be replaced because the pressure plate surface may "glaze". These are all the items that I replaced on a 6 year old 8000 mile car I purchased way back when. More items may come up with use. I really don't think I would pay more than high $8K to low $9K. If you really like the car, and don't mind working through the low usage problems, buy it and paint it a color that you like (that matches the brown interior) and enjoy!

 

Price is nearly 2x high. I'll admit I didn't read the details - assuming the brakes, bushings, etc., are all original, then it will need significant investment to become truly road-worthy. N.C. is a high-humidity area. There will be corrosion in the brakes. Was the stock exhaust made of SS in '76? I don't know. It was in '81. If not, it's surely rusted. The paint color is a big yawn. Unless you're dying to have a beige '76, I'd pass. I can't imagine an informed Corvette person paying more than $7k for that car... $8k, absolute tops. It's just an L-48, not an L-82. And you'll be putting another $2K or $3k into for brakes and all the rubber parts before it'll be safe to drive.

Just my $.02.

 

Just one more question to ask:

Carpet behind the seats appears to be a different shade from carpet in front.
Is that just the way the picture came out? Is that the way 76s are supposed to be? Has carpet been changed?

Looks like a restoration candidate to me. That would be lotsa $$ and time. MJ

 

How much money were you initially wanting to spend? When I was looking for my 69 a couple of months ago, that was the price range for restored base engine chrome sharks (68-73) that I was looking at! I paid less than that for my big block car which IMO is much more desirable!! I'd agree with others in that you will have to spend money on it no matter if it has sat and not been driven or if that is 120k miles instead of 20k. Plus there is some body and paint work to be done. I would say $7k max if you really want a base engine mid-70s car. IMO, I would keep looking if I were you! Low mileage on an old car is really not a good thing as far as the mechanics are concerned. If you really want it, check and verify its history with the previous owners and have someone locally check the chassis and other things to see if the mileage is legit. See if you can find out where the car came from or if it originated in NC. That was one of the main selling points on the one I bought because it originated in CA and then came directly into NC from there. Another caution is that a few years ago we had Hurricane Fran pass through here and flooded alot of the eastern part of NC and those cars are turning up everywhere so have someone check for evidence of dirt and mud in the pass kick panel vent and other areas where it would be difficult to clean out! If you want someone locally to look at it, I would take Shannon up on his offer since he has thoroughly restored his car and knows what to look for. Good luck in your search and let us know when you find one. :cheers:

 

I pretty much agree with what has been said above regarding condition/price. The only other goofey things I noticed are:

Idle Speed: Is 1500 a bit high for a water temp of nearly 200 F? Fast idle stuck or is the air on?

Front Bumper: Are those wrinkles normal for a rubber-bumpered C3?

Hood: Is it just me or does the hood seem to be a lighter shade than the upper surround? Maybe just the lighting.

Good Luck.

 

Thanks for the help guys! I actually like the color, because it isn't very common. The other stuff had me a little more concerned and my suspicions on the price seem to be validated as well. Thanks again!

 

Looks to me to be worth around 10,000-10,500.

 

With trick cam, some nice heads, good flowing exhaust, who cares what color the car is? The car appears to be in great shape, but like the others said, 76 is not really a choice year collector wise. If you're just into owning a 'vette and having a blast and don't care about chrome bumpers, then it's great. I love my '78. I would see if the owner would lower the price to 10 for ya.
-Steve