gbarrett

I was called last night to look at a 1974 vette. The owner died 7 or 8 years ago and all of his belongings have been tied up in probate. Finally that is all settled and the son is going through the dad's stuff. In the garage were two C3 corvettes. One of them had been promised to a nephew when he was very young, before the man's passing, so it's gone. Also in the garage was a 1974 C3, T-top, with both sets of tops, glass and painted. The son doesn't know anything about cars and corvette doesn't start so he wants it out now. I got him down to $2000 because he is in a major hurry to get the house rented or sold.

The body is in pretty good shape. Paint is peeling of the rear bumper cover and the front bumper cover is history. Interior is in decent shape, the door panels have come loose but they are still there and not cracked. No tears in the seats.

My wife is on the fence with another vette. My C4 is ready to be painted and reassembled. My question is this: How bad does a C3 need to be so that it's not worth $2000? (This question is for her)

my 76 ray

I would say if the birdcage or frame is rusted out it's not worth 2K.

74 LS4-454

Well if its been in the garage for that amount of time, you probably will have surface rust on the frame if that. I would be really surprised if there was any bird cage rust. For 2k, you can have a nice 74, shouldn't be a big problem to get it running again, once you go through everything and change the fluids.
What color is it, what engine, auto or 4spd??? Tell us more....

Mike Ward

No '74 came with mirrored tops, but that's a nice freebie. Post some pics and give us more details. If not structurally sounds, it might still be worth 2K in parts.

Easy Mike

Can't help. Obviously, your definition of How Bad and your wife's definition of How Bad are not the same.

Consider you may not win this one.

PRNDL

This answer is for your wife: It would have to be stripped of virtually all accessory type parts and the frame would have to be so badly rusted it would turn to dust at your touch. Otherwise you could get your $2000 back by parting it out.

Stewart's74

Based on your description the 2k price is good. If there's no rust, you could have a deal on your hands.. if its a Big Block, even more of a deal..
Worst case, you'll be able to get your money back if you part it out..

Best of luck convincing he wife.

Stu

vettebuyer6369

How does the seller feel about you negotiating him down to a rock bottom number "because he is in a major hurry to get the house rented or sold" and then didn't close the deal?

gbarrett

I took my wife to look at it. I bought it. That was all it took. The seller is cool with the price, he was just happy to get it out of the garage so they can finish the house. Snowbirds start heading back in the fall and if the house isn't ready when the tourists get here, he will have to wait another year. One week's rent on that house is more than the sale price of the car.

The car definitely isn't perfect, but the frame is solid and the body is in good shape. I do need to find the front bumper cover or whatever was on this particular year. The interior is in decent shape except that it smells 40 years old. Wheels and tires look brand new. A couple of small rust areas in the normal areas, but nothing I can't handle over time. My wife decided she wants it for a daily driver around the island so the expectations aren't too high. She likes to ride around topless (the car not her, well not all the time) so it will be a fun ride.

We'll have his and hers corvettes.

gcusmano74

Will it run? If so, it sounds like a screaming good deal for you.
I was able to buy a front bumper cover for my 74 from the local Chevy dealer some years ago. For some reason, they wanted the serial number of the car before they would order it in for me. It's a 73-74 only part.

vairxpert

What about the prior 32 years when it wasn't in storage?

I bet if I picked 10 random C3s off Craigslist, 5 of them would have serious hidden rust issues.

gcusmano74

Probably 8 out of 10.

gbarrett

For me, this will be a fun car. It's cream colored with black interior. It has the 270 hp engine with auto tranny. My wife has already laid claim to it. Once I get my vette put back together in a few weeks, I'll start the fun on this one. I've purchased a lot of old cars and trucks and fixed them up over the years and none of them was done as an investment - they were for my enjoyment. I'm sure I'll find hidden issues, but nothing that can't be repaired or replaced.

SuperBuickGuy

Pictures please

Mid-Years Forever!

gbarrett

My daughter took this pic of the car. She and her mother are "discussing" who gets to drive it.

Arkyvette

Sure looks like a deal to me. Nice!

daanbc

Please check the date on those tires! You said the car was sitting for a long time, then you said the tires look new. They may have been new back in 1990, But once a tire reaches 4-7 years the rubber dries. Please do not let your wife drive with old tires. They may look good, but they will also blowout at any decent speed.

SuperBuickGuy

I've decided that you suck...

nice car though

I paid 2500 for this (and I still don't think I got a bad deal)

which looks like my avatar now...

Camivette

gbarret
That car looks familiar. Where did you pick it up from?