pace1978

What do you believe is a fair offer for this car? I'm looking for a new project and considering taking a look at this one. I believe the asking price is high.

Hagerty, which I believe is inflated, values an L48 '76 at $5600-$8800 for a condition 4-3 car. Without having looked at it in person I'm leaning towards more of a 4.

Any input is appreciated.

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/cto/4454682363.html

Bagpype

The one thing I'm having a hard time digesting on this car is that crate motor. Why not just rebuild the original one? I'm sure it was just an expensive, dumbo move on his part but to me that greatly diminishes the value of that car.

jnealg

i dont think its far off. knock 1k off for the AC and maybe 500 for the alarm. you could prolly get it 7500-8 and it looks decent from the photos.
its a 76. I wouldnt worry about a crate motor exchange unless NCRS or other judging is in your radar.
If I were looking for one like this it would def get a visit.

qwank

that car looks clean, it's a fair starting price as long as the frame and bird cage check out good.

hardlanding

ill be asking more than that for my L-82 once it's done being painted...these things are way under priced...i see 80-90 mustangs and camaros going 5-7k everyday, hell the t/a's are pulling high teens

MalibuVLX

Looks pretty clean to me. What type of project are you looking for? Seems like it is about ready to drive and go? I would try to get closer to $7500ish. I don't think he is out of the ballpark, but as a seller, you can always go down, can't go up!!!

blue67ragtop

If it were mine I wouldn't let it go for much less than what he's asking. Maybe $8500, but certainly wouldn't give it away. If it isn't rusty the car looks nice.

Trae1976

Was thinking the same thing, looks like this one is well past the "project" stage.

pace1978

Finish what he started on the interior, suspension, wheels, tires, brakes. Nothing major, more tinkering than project.

Mashman

If the car was represented well in the ad, I would start out offering $7k, and try to get it for around $7,500. I wouldn't go over $8k.

Trae1976

croaker

What seams he had filled? I was thinking bumper seams and the pictures show them not filled.

zwede

Hopefully it means the seams between rear deck and quarters as well as front top surround and fenders. Factory used seam filler that doesn't hold up very long and you can then see lines in the paint. Best is to fiberglass the seams, but the ad doesn't say what the seams were filled with.

persuader

The owners price is not out of line although I would be at around 8k. But 4k? Its not my car and I feel insulted by that number.LOL

vettebuyer6369

I completely agree. These cars are creeping closer and closer to "classic" status and the prices will follow. A crate engine can only hurt the value significantly.

There's too many cars with the right motor selling cheaply these days to pay original motor dollars for an NOM.

This is what scared me. If the bumper seams were filled you could have a disaster on your hands. But, bumpers were replaced a few years ago.

You have to look at this one closely.

BBCorv70

I'd say it depends on which crowd is willing to pay more for the car, the purists or those wanting an old school hot rod. So far, the purists have been willing to pay more for original, unmolested, lower mileage cars, mainly the earlier years. When you get into the later years the performance dropped quite a bit, many more copies made in that time frame as well. Will those people who may be more interested in performance than originality be willing to accept low horsepower Corvettes? A bit like cars from the 20's and 30's, one camp restored them as new, the other turned them into hot rods. I appreciate both sides, original and NOMs. Speaking for myself, the NOM status matters most when the car is low mileage, original. Once the car has been extensively messed with, major components changed, engine torn down, who knows what's in there. For the later years, I'd prefer a motor with more horsepower than my Honda, more interested in how it drives. An original motor from the earlier years works for me mainly because they weren't smothered with pollution controls. The cars had no safety bumpers, etc.

It's all speculation where the market will go in the next 10+ years. You may be right though I'm not entirely convinced.

FireballXL5

I'm all about drivability and hot rod status... That's my preference... I found my 81 on auto trader for $8k... Paint is fair/ clean, interior has new carpets/seats, had a brand new 383 crate engine, new rebuilt th350 trans , new headers/exhaust duals, new rims/tires etc... PO showed me 13k in receipts for the major components done in the last two years, and he only drove it 254 miles in those two years...

It needed a few things to make it road worthy/safe like u-joints, rear wheel bearings , I rebuilt the trailing arms, and have been slowly fixing little things as I go.. Unfortunately the shop that rebuilt the th350 did a poor job, and I had to sink some $$ into adding a 700r4 to get overdrive.. But I still feel it was a GREAT find, and I'm very happy with it overall!

So, I'm one of those guys that wanted power, reliability, and drivability rather than stock components... And I was willing to pay what I did to get it... So, make sure you know what YOU want outta the car, and if it fits... But it and ENJOY it!

And yea, since owning it I always drive by used car lots and see what they're asking for misc other cars... And I'm happy I got what I did for my purchase price... I did see a 75 at a car lot , in haggard shape, original mostly but very run down... They wanted $16k lol. Inflation for the seller much? The one in your ad looks pretty nice, and if it truly has been in their family for that long, you can easily get a 'True history' of the cars lifetime and how it was taken care of...

Sunstroked

Looks like it sold. I guess a non original motor didn't hurt the sale too bad.
Fwiw, I'm in the camp of the hotrodder. Now if you have an original 69 big block convertible, then yes. Original would matter greatly. If you own a mid-late 70's vette, I firmly believe a fresh potent crate engine to be more desirable for the majority of potential buyers.