sydvicious12

Metal car have more value because Corvette body no rust, so Camaro, Mustang etc. in good condition is rare and more money to restore.

427SIXPACK

1. Mass produced
2. No muscle / no horses & cat infested
3. Less demand

stingrayiii67

Just my opinion,

But the 1968 thru 1972 is undervalued as this was the last of the race era C3's with chrome bumpers, which to most is the better looking of the C3 generation. Plus add in big blocks. Exciting years.

1973 is something special with the mix of chrome and non chrome bumpers. I feel this year is undervalued also.

1974 last year of the big block. I feel prices have jumped a lot for 1974's lately. Priced about right. (Personally I like 69 and 74 years the best.)

1975 last year of the convertible. Priced about right.

1976 - 1977 seem just a little undervalued, but not by much.

1978 - 1979 priced about right

1980 - 1982 prices have gone up from what I have been seeing. Maybe overpriced?

I think what a lot of what brings these cars prices down, is some of the horrible bubba work and bubba styling that they have done over the years. More rough looking vettes then nice ones kinda brings down the whole lot.

Just my two cents....

Chagjr

Current Wikipedia production numbers “542,741”

I would speculate that the love for C3s by the owners has led to a well maintained existence of the C3 Corvette stock. A lot of these Corvettes are in useable condition today based on care, maintenance, and restoration 41 to 55 years post production.

Between 1974 and 1981, on average, 40,000 C3s were produced each year. Lowest production was in 1970, under 20,000 (Wikipedia)

I can do an eBay search right now for C3 bumper cars (68-72) for sale. Over a 130 cars will be available, Most are in drivable condition.

I would also add, a lot of the original owners (now in their 60s and 70s) are relinquishing the stewardship of their vehicles putting more vehicles on the market keeping the prices steady. It gets harder to work on these vehicles after turning 60 years old.

Next, the continued production of the “Corvette”
C4, C5, C6, C7, C8.

that’s my .02 cents

Coronette

Hagerty has shown values largely flat on the 1969 Corvette for the past year (excluding L88 etc.).

Some very recent auctions of relatively stock chrome bumper cars on BAT haven’t been particularly spectacular.

I don’t think the C3 Corvette is perceived as an investment grade car. I have no explanation for this. Perhaps it is the so-called “malaise era” cars (automotive writers on the internet love to keep that phrase alive, and seem to apply it only to Corvettes) that create a negative halo effect. Even “clickbait” type of internet articles on “the best and worst Corvettes” point out the very limited run of the C2s as a reason for their popularity, and then put down the C3 as an entire generation by citing the later low HP cars.

I wonder if this will be a chicken and egg situation…because of the fiberglass and the body curves, repainting a C3 is very expensive. That, alone, may make a restoration cost prohibitive. So, fewer restored examples will keep the prices low…

71 Vert LS1

My .02?
The trouble with C3 values is two fold. First people are aging out of them. Then the possible younger buyers they might buy/drive and like a C3 of what ever year but then they drive a late model hot rod like a Camaro, Mustang or Challenger. No question the late model hot rod wins out.
Again just my .02.

loup68

For you "youngsters", the C-3's always seemed to have a low value that really was not fair to the whole group. The 68's were the red headed step child and still are in value. It took decades for the C-3's to appreciate in value. I know because I have owned a 68 coupe for 51 years now and watched it first hand and could never really figure it out. A Corvette is not just another car! Lou.

Eliredandblack

When anyone starts a discussion about Vintage Corvette Values, I wonder why they ever bought one. How many “Hobbies “ really turn out to be profitable? For years, my buddies and I collected coins during our high school, a decent savings account would have yielded a better return, but this was a hobby that we enjoyed. Maybe the rich guys who buy and sell super cars make money, but they are the exception.

427SIXPACK

I collected mint condition old beer cans as a kid to somewhere in the area over 10,000 cans. Some now bring in the $500 to $15,000 + ea. range.
Others only $10 to $500 but still an amazing iinvestment return !! Here are only a few ................

Coronette

I didn’t buy my car as an investment…I have the Franklin Mint and Hummel collectibles for that! (Just kidding)

It is an interesting question, especially relative to C2 values. Maybe it is largely a function of a very long production cycle, with many more unit #s.

Mr D.

Very true and if you are lucky enough to find a local shop that will do the work it's a wallet drainer.

67:72

What, no Beanie Babies or Chevron Cars? You missed the boats on those!

Mark G

Even in the late 70's and early 80's when the Corvette collecting hobby took off in earnest, and enterprising gentlemen started digging through barn finds, restoring & flipping Muscle Cars and C1-C2's, those guys wouldn't touch C3's, not even 68-72's. UNLESS ...and somewhat begrudgingly, if they were the high hp chrome bumper cars and in real good shape. They even knew back then rubber bumper C3's weren't going to be considered 'classics' like the earlier car were. With the exception of the Pace Cars, which...I guess didn't work out. I worked for a guy out of H/S who was on the early edge of finding rare corvettes, and restoring rare Corvettes ..and GM muscle cars of the 60's. I participated in driving across states and extracting barn finds, or garage finds, cleaning them up, or restoring, and selling to collectors & enthusiasts.

I was just reading an article in a vintage Vette 1987 magazine the other day which pretty much stated that rubber bumper cars made great drivers and probably wouldn't have much collector value. So it's not a new thing.

And when the C4 came out, collectors just shook their heads. They knew by the sterile shape they weren't going to become collector cars either (in the way C1-2's were). They make nice drivers too though.

Jebbysan

The rubber baby buggy bumper Vette's hold the same market value as they always did......about 1/2 of a base model 327/350 chrome bumper car......it seems like it has always been that way......and I doubt that will ever change.
Although the rubber baby bumper Vette's are an awesome platform to modify to go fast.......it was a crummy era of add on smog equipment......besides the Trans Am or Can Am......literally nothing in this era brings any money...Z/28's have gone up but cars were so bad that the Z was gone for two years.....Mustangs were a joke of an automobile......Mopars were bloated slow and "Lean Burn"......nobody remembers this time as nostalgic in an automotive sense.......and Vintage stuff relies on nostalgia and rose colored glasses....the years of 75-82 have zero Nostalgic value to most......and that is the reason why Late C3's are where they are......

Jebby

69L88

Although it’s true fiberglass doesn’t rust, birdcage rust and frame rust are major areas of concern in these cars, greatly affecting values.

Mark G

Caprices & G-bodies, man! LOL. They've gone way up in value. Those were some of the best cars of the era. Not muscle or great handling, but many were 2-drs, great looking, extremely comfortable, plentiful, and customizable.

Just talk to non Corvette car guys a bit. C3's with their fiberglass bodies and unique rear suspension design, and the fact there aren't that many running around, and being 2-passenger, are kind of an enigma to yer common steel-body car guy. I think one could safely say, at least with many people I've talked with, the uninitiated just isn't sure what to make of a C3. Whereas a Camaro/Firebird, it's more conventional, practical and easier to change fenders/doors or weld on panels. At least "Mentally" they are considered normal cars and easier to work on. Whereas fiberglass to many sounds like a more expensive or labor-intensive process. And I think that's why there is a lot of popularity of with those steel0-body cars. And pickups the same way.

Compare to like a Trans Am. They looked great and drove great. You get as many if not more thumbs up in a decked-out Gen2 Trans Am, esp with the chicks. C3's it's kind of like, "Hey, wow, nice car." Trans Am it's like, "Hey, can you give me a ride!"

So for those reasons, a lot of would-be buyers aren't clammoring for C3's and it helps keep the values afforable. And that's great for us. If they were $50k for 'decent' but not 'great' cars, a lot of us owners would be priced out. So...stop complaining! I don't want my car to go way up in value. LOL

HOOAH

I think you about covered it my friend.

walleyfisher

Besides the amount of Corvettes produced between '74 and '82, I think the main reson for lower resale prices today is that they fall between the era of performence (hi HP) and refiment of todays cars.
My '74 coupe parks right next to my '67 L68 roadster, and except for the body and engine, I do not see a $100,000 difference
I love my '74 but when I purchased it it was not because I wanted a rubber bumber C3, it was one I could afford.

Corvette-ZL1

There is an easy and logical explanation for this. The economy was booming and people were cashing in on overinflated stock market gains (investors were overpaying for many of those too). More money creates more demand, ACROSS THE BOARD. Period. More demand, higher prices. Same thing happened before the crash of '29. Stock market booming, economy roaring, plenty of money to go around.... blah blah

Finding an answer to why certain classic cars are worth more than others is like trying to figure out why the market favors some stocks (even for trash companies) over others. Maybe it's hype. I do not understand why the C3 (especially the 68-72 chrome bumper years) are so under appreciated. They sold like hotcakes, they were top performers in their day, they were/are (arguably) drop-dead gorgeous (I think they are), and uniquely positioned as America's Sports Car.

People say its because they made a ton of them, but that's also true for the Camaros (RS, SS, RS-SS), Firebirds (Formulas and Trans AMs), Challengers, etc etc which ALL tend to be more desirable and fetch more dollars. It's really a source of frustration when I think about it.

I've been saying this since last year. Putting aside inflation for a moment, everything has been overpriced and over a relatively short period of time. We're seeing the reversal/correction now, and we will continue to see it over the next few quarters, and possibly years - where prices will return to normal (with inflation factored in)

This is an excellent thread, and I've heard some good explanations. Some are silly, IMO, but many I agree with.

panther-19

I purposely searched for my Corvette before buying regardless of value...I own most likely the least valuable one ever in Corvette history...1975 L48 car.... it does have a manual trans originally a 4-spd car but I destroyed the value that item provided by swapping in a WC T-5. So it goes!