thevettekid17

I'm a senior in high school and was planning on buying a C2 body as an investment with graduation money, and I was curious as to knowing if there are any significant differences in the overall car from 1964 to '66? If so, which do you think is the best bet. Finally does anyone know where I could find said car in the Oklahoma/Missouri area? Thanks in advance.

my58

Just an opinion,

But DO NOT purchase a car looking at it as an investment. Purchase it to enjoy but never plan on it as an investment. In the long run you will probably spend more on it then you will ever make.

The best part of owning and in my opinion the most valuable part of this type of vehicle is the enjoyment you will get from Working, driving and meeting others whom love em.

I know at your age it is sometimes hard to take advice from others, but one of the best parts of this forum is learning from others hard earned experience.

Best of luck and congratulations on your graduation.

Nowhere Man

Just cosmetic things. For one 63-64 front fenders have two horizontal nonfunctional slots, in 1963 on the hood are fake hood grills, but in 64 the depressions in the hood for the grills were left there, but with no grills. Also 63 had the split in the back window for coupes. In 63-64 they had the same front grills. In 65-66 the front fenders had 3 vertical nonfunctional slots. In 66 on the hood hade the “Corvette Sing Ray” emblem. From 63-65 on the door post on coupes they had vents, in 64-65 they were functional on the drivers side only. In 65 the grill was different also 66-67 front grills were the same. Also the gas caps were different each year. In 1967 the front fenders had 5 vertical functional slots/

Corbrastang

Nowhere man has covered the cosmetics, but there are some other differences that you will want to be aware of, such as
*63-64 drum brakes-65-67 disc brakes(some early 65 vettes had drum brakes as a money saving option)
*65-67 frame has slots in the rear for the rear sidepipe mount. the 63-64 does not b/c they were not an option yet.
*65-67 frame has an indentation in the front crossmember that came about with the advent of the big block to allow for clearance of the dampner. The 63-64 does not have this indentation and if you wish to add a big block you will have to make alterations to the frame.
*65-67 vettes generally have more value than the 64 model

I don't want to be rude, but what kind of money are you looking to spend? If you want something you can drive then you are most likely going to need to spend around $22,000. However, if you buy a 22,000 vette then you will most likely end up dumping at least another 8,000 into it by the time you graduate from college. If you want an original engine vette then you will need to spend closer to 30-40,000. I have to agree that if you are looking at this from an investment point of view to put the money elsewhere. If you want an affordable car to drive that can be a lot of fun then buy a sixties mustang-i will probably get yelled at for that one, but the mustang is easy to work on, the parts are inexpensive due to the number of mustangs that were produced, and the aftermarket products are abundant. The fastbacks have shown the most increase in value over the past ten years. Convertibles are fairly inexpensive. You can easily buy a really nice fastback or convertible for under 20,000. If you search on ebay often you will be able to find a shelby clone for around 20,000 that somebody most likely invested closer to 30,000. I know mustangs have nothing to do with this post-sorry.

Nowhere Man

but I think you chould stay with GM cars find a nice 67-69 Carmaro or Chevelle, or something. Don't let people say you are young don't buy an old car get you down. I am 20 and doing a full frame off resto on a 66 Chevelle SS.

kellsdad

thevettekid17 -
Please forgive me for throwing another bucket of water on your plans, but I have two sons and I can't help myself. You mentioned buying a body, not a car. If you really mean to buy just a body to keep your initial cost down, you need to know that you could find it very difficult to title and register your car when it becomes one. If you don't buy an original Corvette frame and VIN to go with your body, you'll likely have to register the car as something other than a mid-60s Corvette. That may significantly reduce the value of the finished car.

One last bucket of water - Rebuilding an old car typically costs at least twice as much and takes three times as long as the original, well planned estimate.

thevettekid17

Wow, thats alot of information really fast. When I mentioned this would be an investment, I meant I would be keeping it for a very long time. I've had a thing for Vettes since i was little, and keeping one to make money seems kinda pointless to me. These things were meant to drive! Now that kellsdad pointed it out, I'm thinking I would like a to find a fairly good conditioned frame and body. Does anyone have any idea what just that might cost, and where I might find one in my area?

Nowhere Man

you could spend at least 15K on up to by a project car. and the cheaper you buy it the more money you speend on it to restore it. even if you most of the work. this is a long shot for your point of view but are you a NCRS member yet. if not join go to local club meatings talk too people they might have leads on were to find a car for sale, or look at big newspapers from your area, or reads heamings. and look at 68-72 Corvettes too. the start up cost are less, and you get a chrome bumper Corvette.

heycorey

I've got a '64 Corvette sitting in my driveway that I've had for about five years now. It was my daily driver for over three years. Now it's just for fun. It's not numbers-matching, but I wanted a car to drive the heck out of, not worry about scratching everytime I take it out for a spin. I paid $22K for it and though it ran fine when I bought it, I've put another $10K in it.

I had wanted a mid-year corvette since I was a little kid (I'm a 40Something now). I'm not an expert, but I did do quite a bit of research before I bought mine. Advice-wise, you're already doing the smart thing by joining a forum like this and asking lots of questions (that's why I'm here). Also, check out what's out there at EbayMotors and CollectorCarTraderOnline.com (that's how I found my Vette - and a '69 Charger). Don't just assume you have to buy something local to you're area. You have to be more careful, but the possibilities expand as you expand your search area.

You'd probably be better off saving your money for a year or two till you can come up enough $$$ to buy a drive-able car than to buy just a frame/body. It would likely take you just as long (and cost more) to save up to buy parts for a "project" car than it would to just save some money to buy a running car. As CobraStang mentioned, I couldn't find a reasonably nice car when I was looking for under $20K (and he IS an expert). But if you're really set on a mid-year, then waiting a bit longer (while you save $$$) might be your best bet.

Bluestripe67

TheVettekid17,
If you find something of interest, please get an expert to go over the car with you. It will be the best money spent. The mid-years have weak spots that can bleed you of all you money. Keep asking questions here on the forum, everyone is willing to share information. Don't forget, you need a covered place to work on them and tools...part of the bigger picture. Congrats and welcome to the forum...enjoy! Dennis

Corbrastang

If you want a frame and body with VIN tags and all in one piece you are going to pay around 12,000-18,000. I know this seems odd since you can buy a NOM car for around 22 that is in driveable condition, but it's the truth. I just sold a mid year Corvette without a VIN for 5,000 and it was just a body with the front clip off the car and no interior at all.

toddalin

'64's have the nicest interiors and best looking gauges of the bunch. (But that's just my opinion.)

ctjackster

well, there are ways to buy a C2, and have an APPRECIATING asset (as opposed to a DEPRECIATING asset like my 02 Avalanche and 04 Envoy) where the appreciation outweighs your aggregate outlay into the car after purchase - but your upfront cost is higher - and that is to buy a C2 that someone else has already restored.

Case in point - a 65 that was purchased in '95 for $19,000, that owner then put $30,000 into the car in 96-98, mostly for a body off restoration and repaint back to original trim tag color, he then sold the car for much less than his all in ($49,000) number, car then sold again to a Dentist for a little more than what Mr. Restorer got for it but still much less than $49K, then sold again for just what Mr. Dentist paid for it. To me.

To be sure, I have put maybe a total of $3000 into the car, no labor costs yet, but my resale value has more than kept pace. I would have been seriously upside down if I had been the one to pay for the body off resto, as is almost always the case.

Point being you can almost never recoup your total costs for bringing a rough car or even a driver through a body off restoration, even if that's what you told your wife But there is pleasure in bringing one back, I am sure. However, you CAN let someone else take the hit for doing so, by buying a C2 that has already been restored. That's the best and financially-wisest thing to do, but the initial entry cost is higher. You still need to be handy and able to work on the car, case in point, the 65 that was the subject of my story just peed the floor in my garage (dark, oil pee) and it's gonna need some attention

But that's part of the fun for some of us, me too in a sick kinda way

thevettekid17

ok, so i think i've narrowed it down to a '66 coupe, and im not really worried about if the numbers are matching. can anyone give me a rough estimate at what im looking at paying? oh, and i also dont really care if its the original motor, i plan on eventually putting a 427 in it . thanks for all the help and info.

Corbrastang

Are you still just looking for a body with VIN tags. You can always add a chassis later. For a body with tags in decent shape you will pay around 8-12

thevettekid17

what exactly are the tags on the body for? i was under the assumption that the engine and frame #s are used to match the two together, do the body tags do the same?

Nowhere Man

there are the vin numbers and a trim tag that should all match too

thevettekid17

can anyone give me an idea about what im might be paying for a '66 body and frame, without matching numbers?

Seaside63

Be smart and buy the most complete, running car you can afford. You can get a bank loan on a running, registered car. Much better to put your $10,000 down and make payments on a better car than pay-as-you-go for parts and services.

If you're not concerned about matching numbers, you can find a great driving 63-67 Sting Ray for between $20,000 and $30,000

I know it's a big range but there are a lot of variables.

The reason to get a complete running car is that parts chasing can take you years and easily cost more than your original outlay.

And there are tons of tiny parts that will drive you nuts if you don't have them.

Besides all that... a running complete car can be driven and enjoyed. You don't want to wait till you're 30 before you can drive the car.

Also, you are less likely to have registration problems if you get a complete running car.

Although a numbers-matching drivetrain may not be crucial, look for original items like the correct seats, the correct steering wheel and dash guages, working headlights, horns, all kinds of stuff that you wouldn't believe how bad some people screw up on a car.

All these things will drive you nuts trying to correct.

If you look on Ebay, you'll see some very interesting cars that you can get for under $25,000 all together and running.

Fiberglass flairs and wierd spoilers can be corrected a lot easier than most other items. Correct fiberglass panels are easier to get now than ever before and are realitively easy to replace. Much easier than repairing a swiss-cheese frame.

Bumpers are another thing that are getting crazy prices lately. Try to get good bumpers, even though they may need rechroming.

65nassau

If you buy on EBAY, DO NOT fall for the scams we all know about. That's where you wire several thousand right away and pay the rest when you pick up your car later. (Problem is - there IS - and never was - a car to buy!)

Pick up Chevy/Corvette trader magazine at the newstand for 3 bucks. Find an NCRS chapter in your area. (NCRS stands for National Corvette Restoration Society). Watch EBAY, but not too seriously even experienced buyers can get burned there. Learn how to check a frame for rust. And hang around here for a while. Don't Rush!! Take an experienced corvette person with you when you buy.

Good Luck!