Hey Guys;
2 months ago I went through my second mid life crises (1'st was a Harley) and bought my first Vette. I did some area priceing research, checked available funds, then went shopping . I came home with a '77 coupe a few weeks later. What influenced my decision to buy this 77 was the lack of repair it needed, so it could spend more time on the road rather than up on jack stands. :D In face I drove it home over 100 miles. just grinning! It is a silver 77 L-48 coupe 34,000 orig mi. all #'s match W/ Air, tilt/telly, cruise, pwr windows, smoke grey deluxe interior (leather) AM/FM 8-track. The car is completely original, right down to the paint. All tags and stickers are still on it. The interior was dirty and faded from neglect, (EXCEPT THE SEATS) but no cracks or splits. The carpet was filthy and stained from a previously ignored water leak, but EVERYTHING IN THE CAR (except air) WORKS..right down to the clock. The fiberglass and bumpers are perfect, (never been hit) but the original paint has the usual fading in areas from age, and a few surface nicks here and there. The undercarriage has typical surface rust, but no major concerns. The car was owned by a mechanic and driven by his wife. He maintained it mechanicaly the past 20yrs enough to keep it on the road, but nothing astetic. His misconception was, it is better to keep it original, than to keep it looking good! The engine compartment needs cleaning big time, but there are no fluid leaks other than the valve cover. I have finished the process of dyeing the interior and installing new carpet. WOW !what a difference. Well worth the endless hours. The rear spring kit is next. Now if I can only firure out how to remove these rust stains from the silver grey seat belts!! anyway... I paid 10K for this car, down from the $11,500 they wanted. Before you slap me.. I have to admit I was a bit hasty.. and I wish I was a forum member before I forked over the $$. I would have been more informed. Even though, I am still grinning from ear to ear to this day, every time I look at her!!! Corevette Fever?? Caught it! :D :D :D Opinions? Observations? :D

 

NEVER ask that question !!

It's a matter if you like it or not. You tell someone how much you paid for the car, and EVERYONE will say "you got ripped off", or "I got a better deal", or even "why did you pay that much ??".

The real question is do you like it ?

If yes, then you paid just the right amount.

Go drive it, and enjoy.

 

ARE you happy with the purchase?? If yes...................Then you did NOT pay too much........Sounds like a reasonable deal for an Original car...Not great and Not bad......But if u are happy that is all that matters....................Life is too short

 

hey dont feel to bad i paid more for a 77, (but it has a 454, true duels no cats, and 3.70 rear end in it) this is not a number matching car but i know that it has all new parts. i just tell myself that the extra i paid was my bubba insurance, i know i got a good car, and i'm happy thats all that matters. a :lol:

 

Sounds about right.
Now forget you know how much you paid for the car, all you need to know is this...

If someone asks you how much you paid and they;
*Don't own a Vette, you say "A lot"
*Do own a Vette, you say, "I got a great deal"

Now go forth and burn up some dead dinosaurs!

 

Sounds like you got a pretty fair deal to me...Maybe slightly high, but nothing outrageous...

 

As others have said, NEVER ASK YOURSELF THAT QUESTION AGAIN. I know I paid too much for mine but it's mine. You now own a classic Corvette. Forget the $$$ and drive that bad boy.

 

Not only that, but never, and I mean never add up your repair receipts :yesnod:

 

I bought my NOM, nothing worked, everythings wore out '72 for $6000 and thought I got a good deal.

4 years later and $6000 later that one for $10K that was in great driving shape and in generally good condition looks cheap,....
:D

 

Sounds to me like you are quite happy with that car. Thats pretty much all that matters and the fact that its in fairly decent shape. Now just go drive ...... :) :flag

 

[QUOTE]ARE you happy with the purchase??
OH, HECK YEAH! :D All of you are correct... Ain't nothin cooler at any cost!!
Even my girlfriend can't make me grin for this long.. (don't tell her..I'll only deny it) ;) :cheers:

 

[QUOTE] Now just go drive
Can I take yours for a spin... including the passenger ;) :cheers:

 

As a con man once told me "It's not the dealThey Got. It's the deal They think They got!"

Don't second guess yourself.:)

 

Yeah -- it's sad.

Front suspension -- $500
Rear spring - $350
stereo - $300
broken t-top - $500
new engine $4500 and counting
new transmission - (next project) $2000 est.

Hey when all is said and done, I will have a 1980 with C4 suspension and transmission, a motor with more HP than a C5, and the looks of a C3 -- I'm happy, my wife is somewhat happy and the wallet is empty.

 

Well for a comparision I looked at a 77 last night. I couldn't see the numbers so I don't know if it's the L-48 that it should be or not. Repainted Blue over the original yellow,has a removable rear window (last issued 72), PS frozen, TACH didn't work, oil pressure gauge didn't work, drivers floor was collapsed-like someone stood up on it?? cloth seat covers, vise grip for window crank :lol: Motor had Edelbrock valve covers and air cleaner, the flex pipe from the exhaust manifold to the aircleaner was missing and blowing heavy smoke, probably more but by then I saw enough. Asking $6,000 I figured it was worth $2,500-$3,000 tops

 

I just paid a little more for an '80 with 40k miles and in similiar condition, except that the interior is almost perfect, and the previous owner did some suspension and engine upgrades. I figured I'd have at least this much into a $6000 vette by the time I got done. It's better to start with something that's pretty good to begin with.

 

Sounds like you got a fair deal to me. I paid more for my 68 without the #'s matching:rolleyes: The good thing about my car is the new front and rear suspension and the 450 hp moter. :reddevil Good luck with your shark.

 

Silvr77 - Hooray for another 77!

I have a 77 so you can compare with mine, but it sounds like you are in the ballpark to me. Mine is not no's matching technically, it has a rebuilt semi hi-perf engine with 11k on it. Part of the body has been repainted but no apparent damage, the paint is in avg. condition. Mostly original, 8 track too but one speaker does not work. Nice interior (my clock works too :)). Dual exhaust with headers. 72,000 miles.

I paid $6,500 down from $7,200 asking. I had to bleed the brakes right away and I knew it had a tranny leak. This was only the 2nd vette I looked at, but it seemed the right deal. I am still pretty happy with it. I did just have some work done, u joints, timing wheel, tranny leak fixed, header gaskets, some other stuff. I put about $1,600 into it already. I need to have the rear brakes done, its going to cost $700. So I am at about $8,100 right now. It runs very good though. If it had a nice paint job it would be a very sweet car.

But everyone is right - just ENJOY it! :chevy

Tom

 

No! Now go Drive it and enjoy it! :cool:

 

OK, somebody should say this, so it might as well be me! :) :) :)

Your car sounds like a really neat original car - was easily worth the 10k as a survivor or bowtie candidate....(for bowtie would have been eligible in 2002 when 25yrs old?) until you went and ruined it by dyeing the interior and replacing the original carpet!!!!! The former owner/mechanic was right at least for value as a collector it is more important to keep it original than good looking. Old cars are being restored every day but they aren't making any more original (25 yr old) cars.

So, fix it up, drive it, and enjoy it!! Get back to us in 2 years with your expenses - then we will tell you if you got a "good deal." MJ