joewill

you have to consider rust, past restorations, level of originality, condition, and does it need paint. this skews the price drastically. I would not even hire an inspector unless you can determine ahead of time if the asking price vs condition ( and the firmness of the asking price) is in the ball park of what these cars go for.
asking prices can be and usually are way off... especially dealers.
and these corvette valuation services are way out of date concerning an automatic transmission.. an increasing number of enthusiasts don't want and don't know how to shift gears. I think the hit is zero...
IMHO

GoatFarmer

I know it has been said before, but I will reiterate that cars are bad investments. This is coming from a guy who has 2 in the garage now that have appreciated in the last 5 years taking taxes, maintenance and insurance into consideration. In my opinion, the easiest way to enjoy a classic and not get burned on the resale is to find the best example of a desirable model/year/color/optioned car you can find and pay for it. I always end up stretching my budget to get there. Automatics typically are not the way to go as the pool of potential buyers is vastly limited compared to manual transmission cars.

1in1969

I agree with this completely Dennis and Patrick. What I have to watch for myself is that I have restored several cars and worked on some C2s (small things) in the past, have a good friend that has worked on few (owned a 67 coupe 327/300HP A/C car back in 90s) he did reconstruction of a 64 bird cage, so I have been around and worked on cars since I was 15. But, I've never had up close personal experience with a coupe (love those hips!!) So I have to watch the "I got this" mentality. It's the reason I've reached out to you guys.

1in1969

polo91, my 66 Chevelle was a born with 396 powerglide bench seat car. I had a powerglide in it for about 6yrs because I did alot of racing with it. Terrible for street driving, very tough, light weight transmission though. My Biscayne has a PG in it right now, (M20 getting ready to go in soon.) It is terrible to drive also. Leaving money for upgrades is a good suggestion, I want to drive it for sure. The whole point of this discussion is find out the pros and cons of what I want compared to what opportunities/options are before me.
Shawn

1in1969

sorry forgot to add
66 coupe

Zanny1

I, too, like automatic cars. Checked on a Glen Green coupe here in the Phoenix area last week. Car had PS, powerglide, PA, 300HP matching motor, Bolt on KO's, and an aftermarket AC system.
Good, but not great, body. Some poor fiberglass repair to the drivers front fender. Interior good if you like the green motif. Guy wants $62K. The car is worth $50K tops IMHO. But the coupe market is strong, so we shall see.
You have some great advice from the folks on this forum. I don't buy a car sight unseen, so that may be a problem for you. At a minimum, enlist the aid of a forum member that knows what to look for.
And beware of what some dealers will tell you. There are a few established dealers out there that recycle some very poor cars. Quick paint job and a few minor fixes.... car looks great and has a host of problems. Ask me how I know.
Good luck in your search.

1in1969

Thanks to all who have given their advice and shared their experiences. I will have to say that I am seeing the 50k# come up a few times. Honestly kinda what I was thinking, but will wait til I go see the car, but not for a couple weeks at least. State track meet this saturday, oldest. AAU basketball tournament next weekend, middle. That will give us time to apply wisdom to our opportunity. I will check back in.
thanks.
Shawn

Rob_64-365

I would say to buy & enjoy, and not lose a dime is a good investment compared to buying a new Corvette. Just see what a 2011 is worth compared to its sticker price.

If I were to look for a coupe, I would most likely think about a car as desirable as possible within my budget. That being said, there is nothing wrong with a 300hp engine, but I wouldnt buy an automatic. I would look for a 327-350 4 speed a/c car in a desireable color combo.
Take your time, good deals pop up on this site all the time, be patient, & absolutely get an inspection, because really fast, if you pick the wrong car & get frame and birdcage problems, you'll be 30k backwards.

1in1969

Agree completely, even if we (had to sell) broke even on purchase price but had to swallow tags, insurance would still be worth it to me.

1in1969

Still in communication with owner, will probably go for a inspection memorial weekend. Doesn't hurt to go look, I'm planning on at least gaining some knowledge from the experience.
thanks,
Shawn

SI67

If the '66 OP is looking at has its original carb (or a correct replacement), it'll be a Holley, not an AFB. A 3367, or if it's an A.I.R. car, a 3605.

The "boring" stamped steel valve covers can, of course, easily be swapped for used or repro finned aluminum covers. There are a lot of base-engine C2s sporting the aluminum valve covers.

But as you say, nothing wrong the the 300 HP engine. Good street manners, easy to live with.

SJW

I've owned two powerglide cars ('66 Impala SS ragtop, '67 Chevelle hardtop). Both were good cars with pitiful transmissions. Even a Turbo-350 would have transformed either of them. An M-20 would have been ideal.

The only PG car I regret having declined to buy was a beautiful silver/black, base engine SWC that was owned by friends. I passed on it around ten years ago, when it was asking (and sold for) $50k, which at that time was fair market value. I really did not want another PG car of any model, and at that time, the additional cost and labor to swap in a Muncie dampened my enthusiasm to the point that I passed on the opportunity. My calculus did not anticipate the massive spike in SWC prices that soon followed. If I could go back ten years...

Live well,

SJW

mrtexas

Powerglide saps the performance out of a C2. The performance is then like a Toyota Corolla. In case you don't know rust is a big problem
on these cars. Don't buy without an expert inspection: https://63c2verte.weebly.com/rustyframe.html

Rich Yanulis

First time I have ever heard this statement.
I could not agree more.......... an old corvette is WAY cheaper than a boat.

Regarding Corvettes as an investment.......
I bought my C2 in 2011. I paid about the same price as a brand new Corvette.
Today in 2021 my C2 is still worth about what I paid for it, but the 2011 Corvette has depreciated significantly.

GTOguy

Shawn, in my experience Powerglide Corvettes are less desirable than the stick cars. The huge upside is that Powerglide Corvettes are usually cream puffs that were not abused when new or driven. Stick cars were thrashed. So the integrity of an automatic car is usually better than a comparable stick car. That said, coupes are bringing more $$ than roadsters right now, at least where I am. I think 60k for a nice, honest driver coupe with an auto is right on the money. 50k would be better, but it's on the low side. If you want it, get it. 6 years ago when I was about your age I did the same thing with zero regrets since!