Prospective owner - Paying too much?

I have the opportunity to buy my first vette, an 81 with 75K original miles. All original, no accidents, pretty good condition, runs and drives well. Owner has all service records and paperwork. Am I nuts to offer $7500 for this?



Your wisdom will not be wasted... NuclearBob

I see a corvette as a love. If the price is close to fair, then even if you give a little too much its worth it. (if you feel this is the car for you)

There are a lot of unknowns for us to make a call like that. Do you know the common problem areas to look for in these cars? How long have you been shopping for one? Do you have a good idea of what a $7500 vette should look like from that year? If you comfortable to spend $7500 on it with such knowlege then go ahead, the worst that can happen is the owner says no. You realize that it takes a lot of money to own a vette, Cause you will always feel that it needs this or needs that.... The hobby of owning a vette is in my opinion a very fun and rewarding hobby. I hope you can love it as much as I do.

NuclearBob said: ... Am I nuts to offer $7500 for this? ...

That's why we're here - WE'RE ALL NUTS about C3s...!!!

Hey Nuc,
I joined this web site, like you, months before I bought my first one it turned out that I bought mine from a C3VR member I must have looked at a hundred vettes and probably asked these guys about everyone of them. They always had info. since this is your first vette make sure you know what to look for. A Corvette is a completely different animal. what you may or may not know about regular cars does not necessarily apply here.
This site offers a check list for things to inspect when buying a vette. Also make sure you know the intricate differences between all the years. You dont want to rush into a purchase then discover you like '73 rear bumber or the flat window tunnelback of earlier C3's. You really must have someone who knows vettes go look at it for/with you.
ASK QUESTIONS. have an amount to spend on car then a seaprate amount for doing what has to be done(yes there will much to be done) but that is why you have to get a solid car structurally to start with.

I concur with tunnel.
I looked on and off for a couple years, then seriously for a couple of months. Whenever I found something I liked, I would come back with a buddy who has rebuilt many Vettes. He would know what to look for and advise me on the price. When we looked at my '82, I had two friends look it over top to bottom. When they said it was worth what the seller was asking for it, I offered him $1000 less. We comprised on $500 less. I knew ahead of time what it needed and about what it would cost to fix. Did we find everything that was not working? No. Am I still happy with the purchase? You bet.

Bottom line... Look and ask lots of questions.

All original is a great find if you want to keep it that way.So for that price it is an ok price. If you plan on beefing it up with aftermarket parts. Then you will be putting a lot of more money into it , depending on your pocketbook, that is a little high for wanting to do that. Keeping your first vette all orginal is the way to go, my opinion. Even though mine isn't

...
There are NOT MANY CORVETTES that run that can be purchased for under $5,000 ... So that is just about the lowest you will ever find one selling for...

Now you have to ask yourself if paying $2,500 more for a Corvette that both runs and looks pretty good is worth the extra money...

Honestly the breif discription you gave us of the car leads me to think the owner will tell you were to shove it...

just seems to me that you are low balling...I may be wrong BUT that is the impression I got

Bob

Thanks for all of the advice!
I've gone throught he checklist that was suggested on this site and I have an appointment with my regular wrench guy to do a complete mechanical inspection (engine, emission, etc..). $7500 is the sellers asking price, and I honestly thought it was too low for a car in this condition, so I have been looking for some hidden problem.

All of you have excellent perspectives, which is why I came here first!

Thanks!