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To Buy or Not to Buy

Forum: C3 General Discussion

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To Buy or Not to Buy

Posted: 10/3/05 8:28amMessage 21 of 25
7
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Montreal, Canada
Joined: 8/6/2004
Posts: 533
Vette(s): Coupe 74 - 454 Drive it like you stole it!
Take a look inside the doors for rust.  See how much is there.
 
Also if you can, remove one seat and pull the big bolt of the seatbelt out to see how much rust is over there.  The seatbelt bolt goes through the floor pan. Just see how much rust has started to spread around.
 
Humidity trapped in the car could have done some nasty work at the firewall (inside) too.  This one would be much harder to take a look at.
 
Since the weatherstripping was shut and the car was probably left outside without a cover, rust should be your biggest concern here.  If you feel like changing the whole interior, you could get it done (with bargain shopping) for about 2000$, but rust.... who knows how much$$.
 
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To Buy or Not to Buy

Posted: 10/4/05 4:26amMessage 22 of 25
v
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Grand Blanc, MI - USA
Joined: 8/7/2002
Posts: 544
Vette(s): 1979, 350sb, as my kids affectionately call it "shit brown" Corvette purchased in 1996. 84,000+ miles. Not a show car, but I love her just the same.

Okay, here's my take on the situation...

We all know the C4's are dropping in price recently.  There are some real steals being offered to unload the all-wonderful and powerful 4th gen vette.

So that tells us that the earlier cars are increasing in value, and it's evident no matter where you look!  My question to you is, if you have a corvette you can drive, and it hasn't cost you a TON of money yet, why would you not wait 10 or 15 more years, still driving the vette, and make the big bucks on your 81, which would now be just as popular as the chrome bumpers?

Remember when you could find a second gen (C2) vette in the paper or the swapper for at least half of what people are paying for them now only about 5 years ago?  Hell, I kick myself in the A$& everyday now because when I bought the '79 I could have purchased a non-matching numbers '58 for the same price.  It wasn't a show queen, but I would have netted back at least twice to three times my initial investment by now, even with just a driver!  But, those coved sides just didn't do it for me as much as those sweet, sexy fender flares, and the sweeping, curvaceous rear did on that '79!

Comes right down to it...it's your decision to make and your choice to deal with.  6 of one and a half dozen of the other!  Are you going to be saying..."Gee, I wish I'd kept that '81!"...or..."Gee, I wish I'd bought that '69"?

Keep it and drive it or don't, it's like tossing a coin...you're probably going to see that no matter how many times you toss the coin, or ask the question, the results are pretty much going to be 50/50.

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To Buy or Not to Buy

Posted: 10/4/05 7:50amMessage 23 of 25
V
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DUNEDIN, FL - USA
Joined: 10/22/2004
Posts: 833
Vette(s): 1969 COUPE CORTEZ SILVER, BRIGHT BLUE INTERIOR 383 cu. in. 512 HP. Hooker headers w/ side pipes PS PS AC AM FM STEREO. 68,000.MILES C5 5oth Anniversary Coupe , auto.350hp

I`m not sure what an `81 goes for these days, but it seems like for a few thousand more  plus the sale of your 81 you could purchase a good driver in the chrome bumper years.

That `69 your looking at is going to be a project car costing plenty of $$$$$.

Good luck!

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To Buy or Not to Buy

Posted: 10/4/05 3:17pmMessage 24 of 25
R
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BINGHAMTON, NY - USA
Joined: 7/19/2003
Posts: 3825
Vette(s): ......
Unless you have a lot of GREEN just falling out of your pockets,and plenty of time and a place to work on it,I would walk away from this deal.Sounds like a lot of work to me,the list you have so far might just be the tip of the ICEBURG ,all that stuff you haven't checked yet,might be more than you want to do.It would be a real bummer to get part way through and give up  and sell it ,just to get it out of the garage,cause you couldn't stand to look at it anymore,can you say MONEYPITjust my $.02

C3VR Lifetime Member #93

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To Buy or Not to Buy

Posted: 10/4/05 4:34pmMessage 25 of 25
b
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Pasadena, MD - USA
Joined: 6/16/2004
Posts: 315
Vette(s): 72 Coupe L48 4 sp Air Tilt Leather

Yup, sounds like a bit o work ahead for that 69. I've got 16K just into parts and sub assembly refurbishments......no interior yet and no paint.

So, I would definitely say 10 K is a bit modest to fix r up.

depends on how much you can do your self. In car scale, that's double the cost and double the time you figure it will take...... my 2 cents.

Bruce
72 Coupe L48 4sp
Custom Blue/Silver/Pearl

(Click for a larger pic)

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