I currently own a C4 and I can't afford to add another car to the garage quite yet.

However my father is now interested in a C3. The idea is that he would pay for 3/4 of it now. While I would foot the bill for the other 1/4. He would enjoy it for a few years and when I was ready he'd "sell" it to me for another 1/4 of what he paid.

Anyways we're looking at a '77. It's been newly repainted, nice interior, 62,000 miles, new tires, clean and it very good shape. Asking $8,000

I was just wondering if this price sounds about right. Also what are a few things we should look for ourselves so we don't have to waste time and money taking it to a mechanic if we can catch something obvious before we get that far?

Thanks

 

Is it original and " numbers Matching"...Does it have appropriate documentaion?,,,,,How good was the paint job on the car? What options does the car have....It could very well b worth 8k....Have u loked at http://www.traderonline.com for comparison prices in ur area??

 

Hey Bradley,

I have a 77 myself. I'll tell you what I paid and what I got and you can compare. Make sure you are following all the C3 shopping tips that have been discussed on this forum ad infinitim.

I paid $6,500 for mine. He was asking $7,200 and I talked him down, here's the scoop and the P.S.:

- Car is NOT technically numbers matching, the engine is a rebuilt 350 hi-perf to an extent with 11,000 miles on it. It is the original block, but I don't have the rest of the engine parts. Other than that tho, everything is original.

- When I bought it the brake trouble light was on, the brakes needed to be bled (see the P.S), I noticed a small tranny leak as well.

- Mechanically it ran well, had no obvious major problems..heh heh heh

- Sound frame, great body as far as lines, interior in real good shape - much of which had been redone a few years ago. Original 8-track player in it, AC not working (PS) left speaker out. New carpet and seat covers.

- About 10,000 dollars worth of work put into the thing in the last 12 years or so (typical) including the engine rebuild, rear end rebuild, brakes, etc.

- Paint in avg to below avg condition. tires good.

I was able to talk him down for the brake trouble light and the tranny leak, plus I fudged and hemmed and hawed a lot - typical haggling. It has been my daily driver all summer. After I had the brakes bled they worked fine. I did have to have the door handle fixed when the handle locked up.

The car is sound, its fun to drive. But the timing slipped. So I had it adjusted. The VetteWrench told me my Holley 650 carb is a pain, to replace it and that was much of the problem. EEEEHHH - WRONG answer.

After the timing fix, it slipped again. I just brought it in to Vetteran Auto in Crystal Lake IL for the full checkup. -- Lets pause a second:

Before I tell you the "PS" about the checkup - I drove this for 3 months, even tho the timing was a bit off, its a very fun car. Remember, vettes always need work, but I feel I got my money's worth. So yes $6,500 for this was a fair price, and many have concurred.

Now here is the P.S. -- after my full diagnosis at Vetteran, I am now pumping $1,000 more into her this weekend in work, which is not all that needs to be done. This is what it needs:

- The mechanism (forgot the name) that keeps the timing mark still is broke. - replace

- Need new gasket on left header (already replaced the right)
- Need new plugs and wires (typical), but the guy put on the wrong ones at the tune up! arrgh
- New negative battery cable

enough of the piddly stuff - here is what this car really needs:

- Water pump bearing is going, new water pump
- AC complete overhaul, a grand to do it
- Rear brakes need new pads, resurfacing (set runout), new caliper lines, got some leaks - looking at about $600
- Tranny leak in the pan gasket,
- Coolant lines leaking
- all bushings need replacing
- lower ball joints need replacing
- sway bar and links need replacing
- play in wheel bearings needs fix
- steering gearbox and power assist both need complete rebuild looking at $600 or more
- differential needs rebuild, a grand
- needs a new paint job

thats all the stuff I found out AFTER. Now i am no mechanic, and the guy still says its a 6-7,000 vette and typical.

I say if you are paying $8,000 you better be getting maybe a numbers match car, and check ALL of the things I just listed to the best of your ability. Ask for records if he has them. From what I gather these are very typical issues with these cars.

A big issue with me is the paint. To get a vette painted right is big bucks. Had I realized the extent of it, I may have looked longer for a better vette, even if it was slower.

Hope this helps, and TAKE YOUR TIME!

Good luck

Tom

 

My first bit of advice is this: Make sure you want a C3. They are very different from C4's.

Your C4 will turn in good (for a performance car) mileage all day and night.
A C3 will not.

Your C4 will start every time. And run smoothly.
A C3 will not.

Your C4, when things do break, will cost a lot.
So will a C3, but in ways you've not imagined.

Your C4 is a fast car.
The typical C3 is not. C3's need some help to go fast (headers etc.)

Other than that, look for these items:

Crash damage: run your fingers under the lips of each fender. You should feel a real edge to the inner fender lip. If it feels bulky at all, the car's been repaired, most likely due to a wreck.

Frame damage: get on your hands and knees, and look at the frame section just in front of each rear wheel. The frame should be solid. Tap on it with a screwdriver. You should get a metallic sound. If real estate falls out, or if the screwdriver goes through, look elsewhere. This is an expensive fix (if done right)

Rear end: listen for noise as you drive the car. Most noises are just due to improper friction modifiers. But some noises are due to bad rear ends. Find someone who knows. Make an inspection part of the deal. Rear ends can be a thousand dollar proposition.

Steering: The car should steer smoothly from lock to lock. If it's erratic, you could have a bad control valve. This is not a big deal, maybe $300 for someone to fix. But be aware.

Brakes: Brake jobs are expensive for these cars. So make sure the pedal is firm and the car stops well. Again, find a reliable mechanic.

Trim bits and pieces: Make sure the emblems are there. This kind of crap will nickle and dime you to death. If it's not there, use it to your advantage when it comes time to negotiate.

Electrical issues: Start the car a few times. Make sure it turns over okay. Turn on the headlights. Do they raise? Do they light up? Do the interior lights work? Look for the gremlins. They're in there, you just have to find them. Does the cigarette lighter work?

I'm being picky and you should be too. Don't shell out top dollar for a C3, unless some idiot (such as myself) has piled a heap of his/her hard earned money into it. And don't get caught up in matching numbers. That's nice, but this isn't a 63 split window we're talking about. It's a late model C3.

Good luck! :yesnod:

 

I too own a 77. It is a great car to look at, as are all sharks in my opinion. Be sure to check the frame for rust. Pay close attention to the frame where the rear trailing arms attach. Also look at the rear tires. Do they angle in at the top? Have to owner jack the car up, and climb under it. Can you twist the rear half-shafts?

I paid $9500 for mine. I got REAL LUCKY. At the time I bought it, I did not know of this forum. I had to replace the front calipers, rotors, and pads... $500. The second time I drove the car, the passenger side muffler fell off. I "cobed" up muffler eliminators for very little $$. This spring I re-did the exhaust using Flowmaster mufflers, a new rear Y-pipe and a converter test pipe. Thats the only money I spent on it beside gas and oil.

I'm sure more people here can tell you what to look for. Good luck with your search.

See more photos of mine on my web site... http://www.geocities.com/skeels01/Vette.html

 

I got real lucky with the "nothing fancy"'77 - previous (second) owner had had a good bit of suspension and motor work done. I've had the tranny rebuilt and am still in it just under $9000.00.

My only warning is to try and ascertain if the car was ever "kid owned" (that’s not an age discrimination thing - I've seen 40 year olds who treated a car worst than many 18 year olds), raced, wrecked, or other wise abused. Many of these cars were driven hard.

Short of that warning - I think you'll really love a C-3 - but once your dad has fallen in love with it, might be a little difficult to get him outta the drivers seat.

 

One other thing that I think was missed above is the 77 has metal floor pans. Make sure you lift the carpet and check the metal I've seen wafer thin floor pans on 75,76,77,

 

Check out Juliet's site:
http://www.annapolis.net/members/jul...Buy&Price.html

It's got links to tech pages about inspecting the car and some links to pages where people are selling C3's, so you can get an idea about current prices.

 

Here is a link to a '77 on eBay now ...... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cg...item=596140955
:eek:

 

77 u will love it..but do ur shopping..i got my 1980L-82 for $3000,it needed work but numbers matched and only 52000 original miles..i knew very little about vets but have done all the work to this point my self at a small cost..500 for carpet,misc. parts,ect..i still need brakes and paint but the math adds up to a lot less for a matching# car that i know every thing about since im doing myself..put over 100 hours of self labour..if u really like the vette just barter a little and then the deal will sound right if no rust frame,lol..hope it works out let us all know...ohh yaa...if ur dads looking to adopt another kid..tell him im availible ;)


[Modified by 1980 razz, 7:31 PM 10/6/2001]