cnv corvettes
#4
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Thanks for the replies....I've done some more research, and have heard good and bad...but mostly bad. I'm interested in a '69 monaco orange vert they have, and was wondering if anyone on the forum might live close by that would be willing to have a look at it for me...just so I know for sure what kind of shape the car is in. Thanks to all.
#5
i remember a thread on here about a guy who retired, may have had cancer or something, then bought his dream shark from them.....long story short the 'mint condition' car spent most of the summer getting torn down and rebuilt; one thing after another - there wasn't a lot of love for that place after that
#6
Le Mans Master
I've personally worked on a 58 that they sold to someone.
They had also charged the same party 2500 to repair defects the car had when they sold it.
When I got to work on it any repair they had done was shoddy at best.
Underside of car was so caked with mud(like it had been sitting in a sinkhole) I had to chisel it from the frame and crank pulley was filled with mud. When I pulled the kickpanels to run a new harness, I discovered there was no Birdcage.It was completely rusted away
I would go down there to look at it for you but from past dealings with them I doubt they will let me give the car a thurough inspection.
They had also charged the same party 2500 to repair defects the car had when they sold it.
When I got to work on it any repair they had done was shoddy at best.
Underside of car was so caked with mud(like it had been sitting in a sinkhole) I had to chisel it from the frame and crank pulley was filled with mud. When I pulled the kickpanels to run a new harness, I discovered there was no Birdcage.It was completely rusted away
I would go down there to look at it for you but from past dealings with them I doubt they will let me give the car a thurough inspection.
#7
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Too many horror stories from these guys over the years. Check the archives for more info. The bottom line is this; if you really want this car, either find someone trustworthy who can look it over with a fine tooth comb, contact the local NCRS chapter and see if one of the members would check it out, or hire a reputable company that does pre-purchase inspections and knows what to look for in C3's. FWIW, I had a pre-purchase inspection done on a '69 Z/28 that looked really good in the pictures and was located in Arizona (I'm in Washington state). The report was not good. Included with the report was a LOT of pictures of the "problem" areas as well as the "good" areas. It was money well spent.
#8
Safety Car
I stopped by there a couple times when I lived in Phoenix last summer. They do have some nice cars, but the good ones were VERY expensive. The junk was also expensive. Yes, I looked at their current ads before I went in and after looking at the cars I felt some of them were definitely misrepresented at least in terms of condition.
Here's my funny story: The first time I went there it was to check out a '69 convertible they had. Advertised as 350/350, yellow with black interior, factory AC, excellent condition. Asking price was about $28 or $29K as I remember. When I saw the car in person , it obviously needed a lot of work. It definitely needed a paint job, as the paint was a faded and cracking yellow that was very old. It wasn't even Daytona yellow. I started looking at numbers and codes and this is what I found: non-original motor and the car was originally black with tan interior. The asking price was certainly MUCH more than the car was worth, but GET THIS: Upon learning that the car was originally black, the salesman told me right then that they'd be asking an additional $2,000!! And in ads I saw later, they did indeed raise the price!
They have a very poor reputation locally as well. They buy their cars cheaply at auction by the truckload, so they're bound to get some cars with real problems. I'm not saying all their cars are bad, but expect to pay a very high price for anything decent. As always, do your homework and get someone to check it out. Try posting your request for an inspection over at arizonacorvetteenthusiasts.com. Good luck!
Here's my funny story: The first time I went there it was to check out a '69 convertible they had. Advertised as 350/350, yellow with black interior, factory AC, excellent condition. Asking price was about $28 or $29K as I remember. When I saw the car in person , it obviously needed a lot of work. It definitely needed a paint job, as the paint was a faded and cracking yellow that was very old. It wasn't even Daytona yellow. I started looking at numbers and codes and this is what I found: non-original motor and the car was originally black with tan interior. The asking price was certainly MUCH more than the car was worth, but GET THIS: Upon learning that the car was originally black, the salesman told me right then that they'd be asking an additional $2,000!! And in ads I saw later, they did indeed raise the price!
They have a very poor reputation locally as well. They buy their cars cheaply at auction by the truckload, so they're bound to get some cars with real problems. I'm not saying all their cars are bad, but expect to pay a very high price for anything decent. As always, do your homework and get someone to check it out. Try posting your request for an inspection over at arizonacorvetteenthusiasts.com. Good luck!
Last edited by BlackbirdZ07; 06-29-2007 at 12:13 AM.
#9
Race Director
Thanks for the replies....I've done some more research, and have heard good and bad...but mostly bad. I'm interested in a '69 monaco orange vert they have, and was wondering if anyone on the forum might live close by that would be willing to have a look at it for me...just so I know for sure what kind of shape the car is in. Thanks to all.
#10
Race Director
i remember a thread on here about a guy who retired, may have had cancer or something, then bought his dream shark from them.....long story short the 'mint condition' car spent most of the summer getting torn down and rebuilt; one thing after another - there wasn't a lot of love for that place after that
#11
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Thanks to everyone for all of the advice....I'm looking for my first vette, and want it to be a memorable experience.....but in a good way. I'm not going to take any chances....I just want to find a good car. Definitely not going to buy sight unseen. Thanks Joe for the offer to have a peek at that vert....sometime, somewhere I'll have to get you a box of cold ones. Let me know what you find out.
#12
One thing we all agree on, especially if this is your first Vette...get someone who knows what they are looking at to inspect it before you buy it. You don't have to buy a perfect car, but you should at least know what you're getting into.
#13
from what Ive seen in the ads/web site the cars didnt look bad, but I have seen enough honest responses that I feel a bit smarter just by being a member here.... I will own a vette again soon, until then Im getting my 68 rs conv out for the summer, might even clone it up a bit so I can bang a few gears...
#14
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A couple of forum members have gone to check the car out....one writes:
I went and looked at the 69 with the 350 and absolutely not a good one. This thing needs a lot of work and way over priced. I wouldn't even take it around the block. Things were falling off of it and motor sounded rough. There was a blue big block just restored and was nice but in my opinion everything their was over priced. My opinion is to keep an eye out and shop around a lot in order to get the right car that will keep its value. I wouldn't feel comfortable buying a car here.
The other rates the car a 5 out of 10 at best, no rust, needs paint etc. Definitely not how they described the car to me. Have heard a lot of horror stories since my last post as well. My search continues. Thanks to those who made the trip.
I went and looked at the 69 with the 350 and absolutely not a good one. This thing needs a lot of work and way over priced. I wouldn't even take it around the block. Things were falling off of it and motor sounded rough. There was a blue big block just restored and was nice but in my opinion everything their was over priced. My opinion is to keep an eye out and shop around a lot in order to get the right car that will keep its value. I wouldn't feel comfortable buying a car here.
The other rates the car a 5 out of 10 at best, no rust, needs paint etc. Definitely not how they described the car to me. Have heard a lot of horror stories since my last post as well. My search continues. Thanks to those who made the trip.
#16
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I never knew about their questionable reputation. From the pics all the cars look great but it looks like they modified the pictures. They look a little to saturated.
#18
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I personally sold them a shark about a year or so ago. Sold it with 115K plus miles on the original odometer and they knew it up front. After detailing and misc work, it showed up on their website with 90K miles or so. Go figure.
#19
Le Mans Master
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1374410
Here's a couple posts of dealers that seem OK.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1578765
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...olt+auto+sales
Last edited by Duke94; 07-01-2007 at 05:17 PM.
#20
Race Director
http://www.cnv-corvettes.com/Gallery/69orangecvrr.jpg
they must really good detailers, it looks good... BUT
they must really good detailers, it looks good... BUT