TwinTurboGuy

Hi All

I am new to the forums

I am interested in the C3 Stingray Vettes. I am preparing myself for purchasing one once my insurance pays me for an accident.
Some moron hit my Stealth R/T TT while it was parked! repairing that slowly atm.


first off, value is the key concern. I am trying to purchase a vette for pleasure to drive and to be an investment. I want to bring it back near to show room quality.

I am currently looking into a 1974 Stingray Vette L48 recently repainted with brilliant blue full paint job. 64k original miles replaced motor with 350 crate w/10k miles on it. so engine was replaced at 54k i assume.
4speed manual T-Tops New interior, new dual exhaust
the owner can provide me with the original 350 as well.

It looks like its close to a cream puff status. Minor tlc is needed.
runs/drives excellent..

Don't want say the price or the link because I think i got an amazing deal on my hands lol. hope you all can respect that. (only be able to show u a pic tho)

What is a vette like this worth?
Yes under the hood the manifolds are little ugly but i will be redoing that. If it sound/clean/no rust value?


then there will be bunch other questions regarding engines/etc

Thanks
J

birdsmith

#'s 1&2 priorities are to check for rusty frame/ birdcage. You can get a small view at the birdcage by pulling one of the kick panels in the interior. If you see perforation in there there's a good chance it's bad or worse elsewhere. Huge deal to fix. Also, get underneath and take a good look at the entire frame. Surface rust is common and almost inescapable but what you absolutely don't want is perforation. either one of these, take your money elsewhere unless the car is sub- $5k. The next biggies are rear wheel bearings. if you can jack up the rear of the car and grab the wheels at 12 and 6 O'Clock and get much more than 1/8" of looseness that's another $500+ just in parts. If you get past those 3 items without any 'finds', the rest of it is pretty much as any other used car would be with the exception of the glass body. BTW that spoiler doesn't belong on a '74...

Manuel Azevedo

Car looks fine in pictures. But just about any C3 or any car for that matter are poor investments so I would not consider buying any car as an investment! Yes get the original engine as a Vette with a NOM is way down on value for the most part. As to it's value you won't say what the asking price is! Hey we don't know where the car is and nobody is going to buy the car from under you!!!! I don't believe there is any body on this forum that would do that even if they did know where the car was! I think that was a rude comment from somebody wanting info. Now if you think this is some kind of "smoking deal" then our opinion doesn't matter, just buy the car if that's what you want!!!

TwinTurboGuy

what does the spoiler belong to? how much does the spoiler/crate engine effect value?
and if it passes all those test.. what think it worth?

and meaning by investment.. I won't drive it like way too much a year+will have good insurance for it.
mostly sometimes to work/carshows.

thx

Also i had no intention of being rude.. who knows whose out there. Any one can seem honest on the forum. people are people, i dont expect anymore from people.. I had ton of people rip me off on other forums for services i provided/hazing etc.. So i got to be careful. I am new here anyways. When i am reallly reallly close to having all the money together i will post it up so i have 1-5day time interval to pick it up. or at least ill post up what the guys price is

80Baby

Like Manuel says, if you like it, buy it. But a couple of things popped up when reading your post. You say the car has 64k original miles, but the engine was replaced at 54k? I'm always skeptical about older cars with "low miles", especially Corvettes. The '74 odometer only reads up to 99,999.9 then it resets to zero. Could be that the car actually has 164,000k. Ya just never know...

After you look underneath at the frame you might want to inspect the suspension bushings and maybe even the body mount shims and bushings too.

TwinTurboGuy

yeah ill def check all that stuff thanks. but how would you collect records of it. i never used carfax on an older car then 93. So it should work the same even if car is from 74? because that would be the only way to check if its legit right and the miles are correct.

Paul L

CarFax will not work with a 13-digit VIN as in 1974. It works post-1981.

TwinTurboGuy

ah so any suggestions? so the car will have to be recorded in 1981 and so on?
whats the next step to figure out what the miles are.

brent319

I think you have made up your mind on the car so I won't go on too much....
If it passes the tests above, you like the car, and it is a good deal.. then go for it and have fun.
I was just concerned about the "investment" part. It is not (currently) a very collectible year and any non-matching parts seem to diminish that quality. Neither is mine, but I love the car and plan to enjoy it. Just because a car is not that "collectible" does not mean it is not a great car or that it won't bring you pleasure. I just don't see it in the traditional investment sense. Like spend x and get y when you sell it. That could happen, but by the time you fix even smaller things, it is NOT a guarantee. I am sure you could have fun with the car for many years and when you sell it, even if you only break even, then you have had a lot of "free" fun.
Don't want to talk anyone out of buying a cool car like that, but I just wanted to make sure you were going into it with the right frame of mind so you don't get discouraged later.
Good luck!
-brent

MakoShark72

A 74 with a non factory paint job and a crate motor....?? Forget the investment in $$ and consider it an "investment in fun"!!! You will spend on it way more money than you think and will get out of it way less than you spent (hence a sorry "investment" LOL!!)!!

Since you have been warned, if you like it, BUY IT!!! Best of luck!

markids77

There will be no Carfax listed for this car it is too old. The best way to determine whether the car has approximately the miles shown is to have a knowledgeable individual look at the car in person and "judge" whether the wear shown on the car is "appropriate" for the mileage claimed. This is an inexact science at best. I understand you have had some negative experiences on other forums, but I have found that this particular community is largely good folk who simply like these cars and who like to share their enthusiasm with others. Yes there are some azzhats here just like anywhere. They are best ignored.

If you are serious about the purchase of this car I recommend you obtain the services of an individual who is intimately familiar with these cars. There are "expert" appraisers who charge nominal fees to inspect, local Corvette specialty shops who do inspections for a fee, and there are even members here with lots of experience who can help with appraisals, fee to be negotiated. The fact that it is no longer original paint, no longer has the original engine and is wearing an aftermarket spoiler all negatively impact its value as a "collector" car. They probably increase its desireability as a "driver". I would not even attempt to value it without a close personal inspection to determine exactly how nice it is.

vettebuyer6369

The spoiler wont hurt the value, it looks like the Pace Car style people started putting on everything in 1979. The value hits on this car are the very wrong paint and the NOM. That's without inspecting the body for prior body damage closely and examining the frame for rust.

I don't know what you are paying, but an awful lot of people (often first-time buyers) think they are getting "great deals" on cars that have half the market value they think they do. Be cautious. '74 coupes aren't huge money even when everything is right.

Nothing wrong with buying an entry-level car like this, but don't throw money away. Be armed with knowledge and slow down, Grasshopper.

TwinTurboGuy

so say its not rusted and its legit.
just new paint/new dropped in motor.
and everything else is good.

what is it roughly worth if then. He still has original engine.

thanks for your input

markids77

Its value is largely what someone is willing to pay for it. It is not a premium grade car, and not a premium year or configuration. I think it is worth more than $1000, but less than $10,000. Any more precise advice requres laying eyes on, or at minimum a phone conversation with the current owner, and detailed high resolution photos of the car from all angles... above, inside and underneath. Somebody who knows more than you do NEEDS to SEE the car to assign a value with any certainty. Comprende????

TwinTurboGuy

yeah i just wanted some rough idea.
I think if i can restore it a bit more and fix all the kinks It can probably fetch 9-15k depends.

I appreciate all your answers..

dochorsepower

A good source of background knowledge is reading a lot of the postings in this forum. Check out other sales, problems people ask about, you can get a lot of free education here.
Good Luck, Bill

7t3shark

Probably the only '74 that might appreciate in value is a big block roadster and all original at that.

I notice that it was an A/C car but not now. That could be expensive to restore depending on what's left.

Like the others have said, if you like it and it seems reasonable, get it. Just be aware that an almost 40 year old car is a money pit. The good news is that you can get just about every part on the car for a price in the aftermarket.

Let us know how you make out.

TwinTurboGuy

Next thing is i would like to know what kind of horsepower this setup gets roughly.

GM 5.7L 350 Goodwrench crate engine
Holley 650 Vacuum secondaries type of carb
electric choke with edelbrock performer intake
Cam specs are unknown.

Yeah i do my own work so thanks for your concerns. tons of things i replaced/restored on my Stealth TT that has more electronics and **** that you can even imagine.. youll **** bricks... its like owning a Nissan GTR basically.. but its 20 years old lol!

qwank

I wouldn't pay more then $6500 for that car. A smoking deal to me would be less then 5000. And if you're looking for an investment, I would look elsewhere, and by elsewhere I mean '68-'70 with a high horsepower motor.

vettebuyer6369

This is what I was getting at. Wrong paint/motor, '74 coupe... $15k? Only if the buyer had time to cut the wrist band off before the hospital comes for him.

9 is off the charts too much.

The qualifier is there's always another newbie buyer who has no clue about the market and listens to people who say originality doesnt matter... then they pay $10k for a car like that and wonder why they cant give it away for 6 a year later. It's possible to get lucky but do you want to count on it? Careful...

Do you know how much paint costs?