First, pls. excuse my English as I am not a native speaker.
I will be moving to Southern California next year and want to buy a classic US car. By doing internet research I narrowed my search to a C1 Corvette.
The car will be used on a frequent basis and shall not be a "museum" car. I am of the opinion that a car is produced to be driven.
So, now to my question. Why is there such a big gap between private sellers of C1s and retail sellers?
By browsing through various sites I see offers for C1 Corvettes from as low as USD 9,000 (private sellers) to as high as USD 200k from retail sellers. These may be extremes, but generally private offers are only 1/3 of retail offers.
So I ask myself the question, why is that? Is the private seller the crook as the car he wants to sell is not even existing and the offer is a fraud? Or, is the retail seller trying to rip the buyers off?
What is a realstic price for a e.g. 1958 Corvette that will receive a car registration and can be driven right away? The car does not need to be original, so a new engine or new breaks are to me personally actually an advantage as I would assume that there are less problems with newer parts.
Depends on:
1. Options the car has
2. Rarity
3. Originality
4. Needing money or not
5. etc.....
Dealers offer convinence of having a selection in one place(usually) while individual sellers are offering only one (usually). There are good and bad in both cases.
The best advice I can give you is when you find a car that you are interested in is to have a reputable / knowlegible person inspect the car for / with you. This may or may not cost you anything upfront, but will be well worth it even if it is a good car!
Thanks. I think i will use the services of automobileinspections.
According to their homepage they will not guarantee anything, but I am confident they have more car knowledge than I do.
I think the previous post was recommended a CORVETTE expert, not a general car inspector.
When it comes to old vettes, the price you pay will depend on the things he mentioned (like options, condition, etc).
One way to approach a potential purchase is to find a car you like, and put a post up on this forum asking for local help. A Corvette enthusiast will be a MUCH better choice than going to a generic auto inspector.
I think the previous post was recommended a CORVETTE expert, not a general car inspector.
When it comes to old vettes, the price you pay will depend on the things he mentioned (like options, condition, etc).
One way to approach a potential purchase is to find a car you like, and put a post up on this forum asking for local help. A Corvette enthusiast will be a MUCH better choice than going to a generic auto inspector.
Im a big camaro and chevelle, GTO, Early hot rod guy.Thats why im here finding out more on vettes (C2) before i buy,also to fine one. Welcome and good luck
First, pls. excuse my English as I am not a native speaker.
I will be moving to Southern California next year and want to buy a classic US car. By doing internet research I narrowed my search to a C1 Corvette.
The car will be used on a frequent basis and shall not be a "museum" car. I am of the opinion that a car is produced to be driven.
So, now to my question. Why is there such a big gap between private sellers of C1s and retail sellers?
By browsing through various sites I see offers for C1 Corvettes from as low as USD 9,000 (private sellers) to as high as USD 200k from retail sellers. These may be extremes, but generally private offers are only 1/3 of retail offers.
So I ask myself the question, why is that? Is the private seller the crook as the car he wants to sell is not even existing and the offer is a fraud? Or, is the retail seller trying to rip the buyers off?
What is a realstic price for a e.g. 1958 Corvette that will receive a car registration and can be driven right away? The car does not need to be original, so a new engine or new breaks are to me personally actually an advantage as I would assume that there are less problems with newer parts.
I would be thankful for any replies.
If a private seller is asking $9000, the car is junk or there is no real car and the seller is just trying to scam you.
Many retailers deal in restored, high end Vettes such as fuel injected or high horsepower models. In addition, they have a profit margin to maintain.
The prices for most Vettes are determined by the originality, options and condition. A 58 driver with a non original engine (NOM), no body modifications, and no serious rust, good mechanical condition and good driver quality paint should run between $35K to $60K depending on the overall condition.
Check this forum frequently as there are occasionally nice, reasonably priced Vettes listed in the for sale section. Don't get hung up on a particular model year. You mentioned 58, but there are a lot of 59 thru 62's out there.
And by all means, as stated previously, have it inspected by a Corvette specialist or enthusiast. There's a lot of good looking junk for sale!
Last edited by stingrayl76; 11-04-2009 at 04:35 PM.
I have bought dozens of cars over the years privately. I always said "you don't get a deal from a dealer". But times have changed. I spent two years looking for a corvette and I noticed most private sellers still think their car is worth what it was worth 5 years ago at the peak and refuse to sell for less. Dealers have to price their cars at what the market will bear or they will eventually become a museum. The best deals I found were at dealers and I bought mine from a dealer in May (tip: you don't have to pay the asking price). Now they were a pain to work with since it took them forever to get the title work and shipping arranged so that is something to consider. I still prefer to buy privately. I keep hearing "nothing is selling now" or "no one is buying now". I just sold my '69 Firebird and it sold in one week because it was priced correctly for today's market. So my advice is to do a lot of research and determine what car you want to buy and how much it is worth and don't change your price because of the seller. This forum is a great place to start your research.
Let us assume I do find the right car for an already renegotiated price from a dealer. Would u recommend to have a second opinion from a mechanic or an corvette enthusiast or would u trust the dealer?
Where I come from u do get from every dealer a min. one year guarantee on the car if u buy from a dealer. That is why a dealer prices cars most likely higher than private sellers do.
Very rare to find a dealer to give any more than a 'tail light warranty' (when the car leaves the lot) on something that old. It would be best to have a corvette enthusiant look at it for you! Forum members are very helpful. Best of luck to you!
Fred
The best advice I can give you is when you find a car that you are interested in is to have a reputable / knowlegible person inspect the car for / with you. This may or may not cost you anything upfront, but will be well worth it even if it is a good car!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stingray1967
One way to approach a potential purchase is to find a car you like, and put a post up on this forum asking for local help. A Corvette enthusiast will be a MUCH better choice than going to a generic auto inspector..
Quote:
Originally Posted by stingrayl76
And by all means, as stated previously, have it inspected by a Corvette specialist or enthusiast. There's a lot of good looking junk for sale!
Quote:
Originally Posted by 1fun37
It would be best to have a corvette enthusiant look at it for you! Forum members are very helpful. Best of luck to you!
Fred
Quote:
Originally Posted by duden78
Let us assume I do find the right car for an already renegotiated price from a dealer. Would u recommend to have a second opinion from a mechanic or an corvette enthusiast or would u trust the dealer?
Given your situation I would follow the suggestions in the previous posts, get it inspected by an expert or enthusiast. Never trust the dealer or private seller for that manner. Know what you're buying before you buy it.
Let us assume I do find the right car for an already renegotiated price from a dealer. Would u recommend to have a second opinion from a mechanic or an corvette enthusiast or would u trust the dealer?
Where I come from u do get from every dealer a min. one year guarantee on the car if u buy from a dealer. That is why a dealer prices cars most likely higher than private sellers do.
If you have to ask, you better get an expert. Do your homework in finding someone qualified, its the best " guarantee " money can buy-period
Corvette Store
Private sellers vs. retail sellers
Dealers have to price their cars at what the market will bear or they will eventually become a museum. The best deals I found were at dealers and I bought mine from a dealer in May (tip: you don't have to pay the asking price). Now they were a pain to work with since it took them forever to get the title work and shipping arranged so that is something to consider. I still prefer to buy privately. I keep hearing "nothing is selling now" or "no one is buying now". I just sold my '69 Firebird and it sold in one week because it was priced correctly for today's market. So my advice is to do a lot of research and determine what car you want to buy and how much it is worth and don't change your price because of the seller. This forum is a great place to start your research.
