Hurray ! Finally... somebody with common sense !!!

 

Larry...
What makes you think you can you "out think" every gearhead on the planet ? As gearheads go... many think alike... and when a guy who has done his homework and built a car for strong long lasting performance... an educated buyer will recognize that... Who do you think is going to recognize that investment in time and parts to put it all together ? I say it is the guy that wants a modded car... a guy that has done his homework, and a guy that feels the best deal out there is finding a car with most of the custom work already done and paid for by somebody else...
An example... at the top end of the modded market... If you wanted a C-4 Lunati 421 Supernatural costing about $220k to build... a car that runs 8.50s at 160 mph... you could probably get it for well under $100K... How is your dollar for performance buck doing on that deal ?
Yes... it is a little bit dangerous buying modded cars... but if your patient... and you do your homework... you can get the mods for free... or close to it... timing is also crucial... so a bit of luck is involved sometimes... please don't be offended by my opinion... however... I have seen many cars come and go cheap... you just have to know what you want... what your looking at... and the guts to make a decision based on perception...
My last point... Some people miss out on my last point... and that is... the seller is very important to size up... perception of the seller plays very big when I buy a car...
I say buy all the car you can when it appears... otherwise somebody else will get it... cause free lunches get eaten first...

 

Good discussion...and a reminder that there are many legitimate different perspectives out there.

 

Dang it - I missed the memo on the gold chains.

Excellent thread - lots to think about.

 

Whats this about gold chains? I've never wore a gold chain, and I have lots of hair .. on the back of my head. Now I gotta go back and read this whole thread all over.

 

HEY!!! I resemble that remark!!!!

 

Hey 91ragtop, here's your pic. PM me and I'll tell you how to post them here.

 

Go shopping at autotrader.com, see what other cars like yours are being offered at. (do a nation wide search) That should get you a better idea. I drove 1100 miles (one way) to get my vert.

 

I wasn't concerned about buying a modded Vette when I bought mine, as long as it was properly documented and I was able to establish a comfortable rapport with the owner. This would have built confidence in the mods accomplished and the maintenance performed/condition of the Vette. One example...When I was searching for my Vette, I went to look at a triple black LT4 coupe. The asking price was on the low side. It looked great, very clean in and out. It started ran fine, sounded good had a modified exhaust. As I was checking out the Vette, I noticed it had expired registration. He said he hadn't had time to register it since he moved from CA to NV. First red flag. The owner talked about the mods, brought out his docs, on the mods, but the docs were not complete. Second red flag. I noticed he had receipts from several "Tuners" in CA who did work on the car. I had him drive me around first, then I took the wheel. It ran strong, but didn't feel 100%. Third red flag. I asked him if we could take it to get a smog check and that's when it was all over. He admitted after several lame excuses, that it wouldn't pass smog in CA or NV and he couldn't get it sorted out. Game over. This was a nice Vette with too many unknowns. This is what you run into at times when you look at modified Vettes or any other type of car. If the price is right and you have the time and resources to get the Vette sorted out this might be a good deal for someone, but in my case the smog issue was a deal breaker. Stock was just an easier purchase for me and the smog certificate was already available.

 

15-20K You have a beautiful car, don't sell it!

 

hey this is a great thread with some well thought out points of view! I have bought both well cared for stock and modded Vettes. The killer for me on modded cars is when they are put for sale because owner can't find a way to get car to run well after mods. Either bad combination of mods or incomplete and tuning issues. A well modded Vette will sell if owner does't try to recoup a large percentage of cost of mods. Just the way it seems to me after 30+ years of this fun

 

Actually, the one to get would be the one the guy's tired of tuning and not smart enough to make it right.

I'd love to find a forged all aluminum vette that can't pass emissions cause he thought bigger was better in cam selection.

Likewise, I ran into a guy with a forged Superrammed _vorteched_ 383 in his camaro and was only turning 14.9 at Bandimere (6600 ft MSL). My not yet tuned superrammed 383 with a crappy rearend and stock transmission was turning 13.75.

People seem to be more than willing to throw cubic dollars at something when all it really needs is tuning of what it already has.

 

I've actually tried that a couple of times. It only turns into a good bargain if you get all the information on what the former owner or owners has done in modifications and that seems to be very difficult to do. It tends to stretch the patience level when trying to figure out what has been done, that is'nt in any repair manual! It can be rewarding $$$$ when you suceed with a problem car. One time the only way to solve problem was put car back stock and sell mod parts

 

When I bought my Corvette I didn't know anything about them except for their apperance. I looked at the 68's and 69's and they were selling for a small fortune. I started looking at the C4's and realized they actually look better then the C3's.

I bought a stock 84 and have been restoring it for awhile now. Contrary to popular believe, the 84 will become the most coveted of all C4's because it was the first year of the C4 generation. Just my 2 cents.

 

I am going to agree with you there .. accept, The 86 will be even more valuable, as it was the first TPI, which was a big improvement over the CrossFire .. Not to knock the CrossFire, but I own an 86, so I'm slightly biased ..

Back in the late 60's, I owned a poor, virtually worthless Hemi/Cuda .. If I could only have that back today! But I always envied my buddy (mind you we were in high school) who had a 64 427 vert. .. We used to go out in his back yard, back in MPLS. .. There was a 1 or 2 mi. closed section of freeway that was never finished, concrete! It was our personal playground .. brings tears to my eyes when I realize now just how much fun we had when we were "Young" ..

"Happy New Year" !!!

 

I believe the 85 was also TPI.

 

I've been thinking of selling my '86E coupe. The wife is pregnant with twins. Anyway, its a two tone metallic beige top and metallic bronze, both tops "painted and smoke", ALL original except for the valve covers, tire and wheels "I have the originals even the goodyear gatorbacks", only 7,900 original miles on her, it has almost every option.....she's a creampuff, mint, cherry. Its a very well maintained "garage queen", it sat in my fathers garage for years and he only put 5800 miles on it and I'm the second owner. Maybe I should wait until the weather warms back up before I really try to sell her. Anyone know what it might be worth or where to find out? Anyone interested in buying a "cherry" C4 can PM me.

 

Keep it in the garage til the twins are ready for college! You'll kick yourself in the rear 18 years from now if you sell her!