I am about to go purchase a 1979 c3 Corvette this weekend and I was just wondering if it was a good deal. I have been looking around for quite a while now and this has been the best for my price range. I drove it and it drives great and everything is nice. Is 9000 a reasonable price? It has 50k miles on it.

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2dsp...8#.Uz1qe1drmOw
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=148e...8#.Uz1qlVdrmOw
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2lxt...8#.Uz1qsldrmOw
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2lxt...8#.Uz1qsldrmOw
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=5d2bn8&s=8#.Uz1q2FdrmOw
http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=2090...8#.Uz1q41drmOw

 

Just by the pics I think it's well worth it. It looks really clean and straight.
Get something in the best shape you can afford as it's real easy to end up in way over your head trying to fix something up that had a cheap price. If it's as nice as it looks in the pics, it's a good deal.
Good luck with it.

 

Everything including the engine and trans is relatively cheap to replace or fix! You big money is paint and body work. If the paint is good with no cracking in the bumpers and the bonding strips can't be seen, it's a good buy!
Your other concerns would be matching numbers motor. That will affect value down the road.

 

Price is a bit high, as it sits...but that is the 'asking' price. Find out what kind of condition the frame is in, or ask for some photos of the undercarriage. Seeing it in person is best; or ask someone in that area on this Forum to go look it over for you.

Also ask when the tires were purchased. If they are over 8 years old, you will need to purchase new tires for it [to be safe on the highway]...and that will cost about $500.

If the tires are less than 3 years old, make an offer of $7000; if they are old, offer $6500. Those are reasonable starting points and should not upset the seller. Work from there. That car would only be worth $9K if there is no significant rust damage in the frame/birdcage, the mechanical systems are all in good condition, the tires are relatively new, and the paint has nothing but minor chips/nicks on it.

 

Seems I've seen that one around the forum before, nice looking car. My advice would be to have the car looked at by someone knowledgeable in C3's - or a trusted mechanic who knows these cars well. If that's not available to you, try the NCRS website to see if a chapter is close by. Those guys would surely be able to go over the car for you and give you an unbiased, educated appraisal. money well spent before you cut the cheque. Good luck in your search.

 

I think it looks good for the price…right around what I paid for my 78 Silver Anniversary that was all original. As 7T1vette said, tires are a biggie. That set me back about $750 that I was not expecting.

 

Sounds okay to me. How does it sound to you?

Only you can answer that. Do you want this 79 for $9K?

Good luck.

 

Any proof that it has 50K on it or 150K or 250K ?

I can see in the last pic where the sun hits the fender that it was probably a scuff and paint. Ask if he painted it himself or if it was a Maaco job. Get someone who knows C3's to look at it and take special note of the paint job, could start to peel or crack if it wasn't done right and it's 9 grand to get a good paint job on a C3.

Lots of things to look for, C3 bodies don't rust but everything else does. Take a good look underneath and see what condition the parts and frame are in. If everything is covered surface rust and some places are really rusty then it's like putting lipstick on a pig. If the undercarriage looks clean with some new parts then your getting somewhere.

Basically when buying a C3 you want to buy one you can't afford, that way the owner has sunk thousands of dollars into fixing it up and he gets no real return on his investment.

When I was looking for a C3 I went to a dealer that sold only Corvettes, I looked at all the a few and all I could see was rust under them. The owner came out and said I look like a "car guy" and he said he had nothing there for me out of 15 or C3's. Really nice of him to do that.

He pointed to one red C3 and he said "see that one, Ive sold it 3 times, guys buy it for 10 grand, find out it's pile of garbage and bring it back to me. I tell them you bought it fair and square and after some loud yelling at me I offer to buy it back for 5 grand and they take it"

Bottom line, take someone who knows C3's with you or you will be back here asking if knock in the motor could just be the not the right gas or a broken rod.

I am happy you came here first, most buy a pile of junk then come here

 

That paint job better come with a .........(witheld due to forum decore).

 

I never expected this many responses! Thanks so much from everyone. I have driven this car and it runs great and everything works. The paint is in very nice shape except on the rear spoiler there is some spidering. 9000 is the final price. I worked him down from 10500 and I think that is reasonable. I looked under it and it is very clean. A garage kept car and I didn't see any rust. I have looked up the vin and it was a non export car but it has a Km speedometer on it. The current owner is the 3rd owner who bought it from a guy in Canada and that's why it has that. While searching the vin I found the previous owner's post trying to sell it a few years back fro 15,600 with a little less than the miles it has on it now so I feel like it's the right amount of miles on it.

CanadaGrant: Thank you very much!
hugie82: He says its numbers matching but I will definitely check for myself. The paint is in good shape, that is actually why I think this is my winner. All of the other ones weren't as nice as this and I definitely don't want to deal with paint.. Thank you!
7T1vette: The tires are only a few months old. I have heard from many people how pricey they can be Thank you!
briankeery: C3's are a whole new territory. I actually sold my 67 Mustang to come to this. But thank you for the website and I will definitely have to get it looked at! Thank you!
Jartanyon: I have found a bunch of anniversary's around this price also. Thank you!
Easy Mike: Both very good questions haha. Thank you so much and I do believe it's worth that much. I just want it to actually be worth it. Don't want to be upside down if I ever do decide to part ways with it. Thank you!
MotorHead: Yea I've been reading a bunch on these forums and I gave in and made an account and I thought you all would give me good feedback, which you all have! Thank you so much. The only thing he painted was the hood like two days before I came and looked at it. He saw spidering and his son actually works at a car paint place and painted it for him and the color matching was very nice. But definitely has a few scufs.

 

If you buy it and want a mph speedo, mention it in the Canadian section and someone will be very glad to trade you for that kmh head.

 

Hagerty has a classic car valuation tool which could give you an idea of the car's worth:
http://www.hagerty.com/valuationtools/HVT/VehicleSearch

 

I agree wholeheartedly with everyone who said to get the car checked out by someone who is knowledgeable about C3s. At the very least, have the car checked out by a professional mechanic. There has been no mention of some of the most significant problems these cars have. The first is rust. While the bodies are plastic and immune to rust, the frames are not. Frame rust is a huge problem and very expensive to fix. Rear wheel bearings are also an issue. They should be repacked every 30-50,000 miles. Unfortunately it is a big job to do it, and very few mechanics are knowledgeable about the process, so it seldom gets done. After that most of the problems are the same as those on any other 70's Chevy.

Do you homework and buy the car with your head, not that other part of our anatomy that too often makes dumb decisions for us.

 

There's no way I'd give 9Gs for that car. Any '79 that I'd pay for needs to be much, much closer to stock condition for that much cash. Wrong fan, valve covers, intake manifold, air-cleaner & duct work and a rubber fuel line (recipe for a huge fire) and plastic fuel filter (what's in the gas tank?) are just a few of the items that are killing this car not to mention the flat black engine compartment treatment. The hood support was also painted when the rest of the car was.

Maybe someone can correct me but is the interior color combo correct?

My first Corvette was a '79 and I wish I had back so I'm not a rubber bumper hater. However, there are plenty of '79s out there to give 9 grand for this one. At best, the very best, if there are no unforeseen issues this is a $7,000 car.

Oh yea, I know quite a lot about giving too much for a Corvette. See my avatar.

 

The car also has rusty looking headers, an MSD 6 series spark box and an aftermarket looking distributor.

It's a hotrod. Which is probably why it was fun to drive.

 

Also missing the a.c. components.

 

If it was a non export car it came with a MPH speedometer. The 2nd owner in Canada likely changed it to KM speedometer. The 50,000 on it was after this change. It might have had 1000 miles and bought in Canada 6 months after it was new or it might have been 30 years old with 100,000 when it went to Canada and had the speedometer changed out. No way of knowing so mileage is of zero concern. All corvettes are garage kept. All corvettes are driven during nice weather only. It is all about how nice the car is and the value to you. Do not buy this thinking you will not be upside down when you sell it. If your looking for an investment buy gold.

 

So True. Rubber Bumper Vettes are for fun not an investment they only made about 90 jillion of them.

J/K only about 300,000 of them

 

I completely understand about the mileage. I would love a chrome bumper vette but simply can't afford it at this moment in my life. It's going to be a daily driver that I take very good care of just like my 67 Mustang. A/C isn't a problem for me. I didn't have it originally and now I have t-tops to allow more air flow also! So I'm taking it isn't the best buy from what everyone is saying. Does anyone happen to know a c3 near northeastern NC or Southeastern VA? This car is still an option though, trying to look aside from the cool factor. Thank you all for the replies!

 

Yup mines for sale Greensboro, NC White 78 with Vortec heads, New everything. PM me if interested. $9k