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I'll start by saying I've never had a corvette before, never even a car just trucks (in construction)
A bit long of a story but an old friend had an accident with his c7 last summer and is in a bad financial spot and can't pay to fix it, so he's offering me what I think is a pretty good deal. its a 2016 2Lt Stingray with 50k on it for $15k. Claims all that they said is needed is front bumper, headlight and driver fender. Only thing that broke in the accident was control arm when it was towed to shop they fixed it and now it's just left with the body work. I've never done body work, so it scares me a bit what Im getting myself into.. and anything else that might not be totally noticeable until I start tearing into it that I'd have to look out for.
What do you all think about it? Im thinking I could just buy the parts and have it wrapped so it will color match.
Oh also - the steering wheel airbag.
Last edited by GregPickles; Aug 25, 2025 at 04:10 PM.
I had a minor accident. Scratched the front and cracked the fender. I was able to remove both, not that big a deal if you are handy with tools. I fixed the cracked wheel well. Took the parts to a good custom paint shop, they matched the paint. Good as new now.
Well I figured intro since this is my introduction post - and as well as I'm seeking advice from maybe any generation of corvette owners could chime in that have bought a damaged one before
What do you all think about it? Im thinking I could just buy the parts and have it wrapped so it will color match.
Oh also - the steering wheel airbag.
There are a lot of independent insurance adjusters out there. I would have one take a look at it and see what they think it will cost to repair it.
Depending on what the rest of the car looks like, I would determine if I wanted the same color in a new or used part. If it is a new or very nice used part, you may only have to have a qualified shop blend the paint to the old parts. That would probably save you some money.
If your friend had the suspension repaired at a shop, chances are that Carfax was alerted about the accident so you will have an accident history on the car which will hurt its resale value. A full body wrap will cost more than getting the new parts painted. A fender, bumper, & headlight can easily be changed out by a body shop, but is there more concealed damage? Is the frame or suspension parts tweaked? If you plan to do the work yourself, know what you may be getting yourself into
There's more to this story. Somebody is bullshitting somebody or he is in a world of hurt financially. Don't see why he wouldn't repair it and sell it.
If those are the only parts it needs, good used parts would be around $2k and it would take at best two hours to install them. Probably cost $1k-$1.5k to paint them if they're off the car.
Steering wheel airbag is plug and play after replacing the clock spring
I'd double check the suspension. Inner and or outer tie rods may need replacing. Hard to break a control arm without screwing those up. Possible....but unusual.
Radiator support bracket usually gets bent if the bumper and fender are screwed up.
As for what to worry about....the wheel house as mentioned elsewhere. Not complex but time consuming and you have to have patience to get it lined up. There are ways to use the old adhesive as the guide so the new part goes in exactly the same way as the old one.
Pics would go a loooooooooooooooooooooooooong way towards helping.
I had a minor accident. Scratched the front and cracked the fender. I was able to remove both, not that big a deal if you are handy with tools. I fixed the cracked wheel well. Took the parts to a good custom paint shop, they matched the paint. Good as new now.
Lots of good advice on this forum from those who have "been there - done that" with regard to Corvette repairs. I would just add that you should expect the unexpected. There might be something else that will need to be fixed once you begin on this journey.
Looked on CarGurus and it looks like it would have an asking price roughly in the mid-30s once it's fixed, so maybe a retail sale in the low 30s. If the car is as described it looks like there's a decent chance you don't get hurt in the deal.
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Looking for advice on purchasing C7
