Bplajer

I have an opportunity to purchase a 1963 convertible from a second owner who blew the original engine, It now has a 350 with the original Muncie 4-speed. The body and frame are in good condition. I have no idea what a fair price is as I have never owned a Corvette. Of course I would love to own this one

Nowhere Man

Well condition of exterior paint, trim, chrome and interior is key. To have a car painted is around 10-30k depending on location and work need. Interior is anther 5k. So you get the idea but without pictures I would say mid 50's to low 60's

ChrisBlair

1 to 1 million dollars, more or less

can we see some photos maybe?

OC-1

No hit body is highly desirable. runs and drives and requires no work gets a higher price. An engine is one element of the car if all else is original that's a win. Actually, original engine cars used to mean they were less likely to be abused. Now original engine means something else to a portion of the market. Mostly a bargaining chip.
Low horsepower 3:36 gears best chance for a car that wasn;t abused. These cars were cut, pieced and modified in unimaginable ways, be sure what you are looking at is one car.

Bluestripe67

Welcome to the CF. Since you are very new to the marque, I suggest you have the car surveyed by a C-2 experienced person, not a general automotive person. Contact a local Vette club for searching such a person. There are couple well qualified CF member who can do this. You could be buying someone else problem and not know it....it has happened to many people. Rust in critical areas of the chassis frame is one, the body frame, aka, the birdcage is another. One or the other can turn a sweet deal into your financial deep pit. There is a number of Corvette vendors who sell everything needed, but it's not cheap. If you are mechanically experienced or willing to learn and have the tools and place, you can do most required work. Get a couple of books on C-2 Vettes and learn before you make a commitment. Dennis

65hihp

$40,000 to $60,000 depending on a dozen different factors.. What is the 2nd owner asking for the car? And, where is it located?

This is a great time of year to buy a convertible, and absolutely the wrong time of year to sell one.
And, the market has softened a lot through this year, so, you are in the driver's seat.

SEVNT6

These are Hagerty's numbers on a base '63 Roadster, to give you an idea...

#3 good condition..$62,300.
#4 fair..$47,300.

MarvBarrish

I paid $37K for my non running, second owner, low horse, 3 speed, 63 project car a little over a year ago. Marv

3JsVette

Every answer is just a guess. Without pictures a bigger guess. Even with a NOM is it dressed to look like the original? I agree with a professional inspection also. There are lots of areas of concern. Money well spent. Avoid a financial mistake. Pay a fair price.

BADBIRDCAGE

$40,000 to $60,000? WHY? Seriously, WHY?

That’s just the market?

R66

If there is hidden rust or other damage, that $40K to $60K could easily drop to $20K if the car has bad birdcage. Thus, the employment of an appraiser is worth a few hundred as it could save thousands.

Rick Gower

Ask the seller for a his asking price and start there. If he declines to price it I would move on.

MikeFloyd

You need to start at the good condition price and deduct the cost of everything that needs to be done. But at the end of the day the cost is what you and the seller can agree on; then you have to decide if it's worth that amount.

Bplajer

These are the only pictures I have and I have not seen the car in person yet. However, I would be buying it from an indirect family member, so I trust what history they have provided. He purchased it in 1967 from a local guy who passed away. he added 4.11 gears then blew the original engine. Replaced the rear gears with 3.75 and replaced the engine with a 350/350 in 1969. Original color was blue. This Marlboro red paid was done in 1978' and its been garage kept. no power steering or power brakes. We haven't talked price because he is still coming to terms with selling. We both discussed having it appraised when he is ready. I was trying to get an idea to see if it's a reality for me or not.

Factoid

A couple of points to ponder:

1. The 1963 convertible is the least desirable of the desirable C2 Corvettes. Drum brakes and many first year only parts/configurations that make it less desirable. That said, many uninformed sellers try to capitalize on the high desirability of the 1963 split-window coupe when pricing their 1963 convertible. Don’t let this seller play that game, they are in very different territory.
2. Your intended use is critical in analyzing this car. The repaint and non-matching engine make it a target as a driver. If that is your goal, you like the red, it is mechanically sound and safe to drive then it may be a candidate. Assuming this is true, I wouldn’t pay over $45k.

Good luck and let us know what you decide!

Dougs63

I'm currently restoring an original black/red 340 horse 63 convertible. Just my opinion, the 63 convertible may be the rarest of the C2's in restored condition. You have all the 63-only parts with the huge 63 tax of a split window and no upside on resell value like the SWC. Way too many 63-only parts on the car to even begin listing. I always have thought that many were parted out to restore SWC's in the 80's and 90's. Don't see many at the Corvette shows I've attended over the past 30 years.

Railroadman

Doug I had not thought of it that way but you have a good point. Parts is parts and with the demand for nice coupes, convertibles could be viewed as a source. (I had a 340 at one time but sold it long ago, hopefully somebody is giving it a good home.) Good luck with the restoration.

OP - as many have said, there are so many variables in both the condition of the car and desire of the buyer, hard to put a firm number out there. Good advice posted above: "Ask the seller for his asking price, and start there".

BlackbirdZ07

Low to mid $40K's.

ifitgoesfast

Any reason you really want that one and not another C2? You have to remove emotion from it and know what you want so you can buy accordingly what it’s worth to you. I was looking for a black 1965-66 Coupe and fell in love with a bright metallic blue ‘64 convertible original 365 hp and bought it right there. I still want a black coupe.

Figure your budget and narrow your list to what you want and use Hagerty’s for valuation. Keep it objective.

Or maybe it is all about emotion but price.

Rob_64-365

I'd have to say it's best to see what price point it's at, which it sounds like you don't really know that yet... Once you do know the price, then start adding up costs for all the stuff you'll need to do to it, to make it a good reliable driver. Now consider 3 things.

1. What's the cost to get you to that point.
2. What a 63 convertible, NOM car is worth.
3. What can you buy already sorted for the $$ of question #1.

I'd say 99.9% of the time, you're smarter to chose option #3, and start enjoying the car on day 1 of puchasing the vehicle, not 2 or 3 years later, after sorting out all of the issues (and expense) that comes with cars that have sat for a while, which are very hard to predict. Even with inspections from the experts, there will be things over and above thier recommendations.