C3Hawk

Definitely a lot of good advice so far! A few things:

1) Like it has been said, read all you can. Paper is cheaper than metal and fiberglass.
2) Tell the seller you want to see pictures of the underside of the car. That alone will narrow the field.
3) Decide what your priorities are. With me, I was willing to do anything except paint the body or repair a rusted/bent frame. Like mentioned above, bring a friend. Measure axle to axle on each side.
4) Again about the frame, wear a mask and goggles and spend at least 20 mins under the car (be safe) with a flashlight banging on every part of that frame. ( I used a wrench wrapped in duct tape.)
5) These cars are definitely worth it! They are good for your soul.

Happy hunting!

Aquitard

Thanks Don I'll look. Any suggestions?

Aquitard

Thanks c3hawk,

You guys are all galvanizing my reason for joining this forum. Without this advice I probably would end up with a lemon.

doning

I'll get you titles soon but any buyer guides and restoration books are the best. Check out Amazon as they have a ton of Corvette books for sale.

Aquitard

Don that's great thanks.

63mako

http://www.usedcorvettesforsale.com/...ay-Coupe-61978

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-10-000-a.html

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ale-wanted-56/

Spend more than $6000 even if you have to wait and save up some more money. $6000 buys problems, put $4000 in it you could buy a lot nicer car than you will end up with for $10,000. $10,000 can buy a real nice car, not perfect. Watch the forum C3 for sale section.

Bad Bird

The best advice I can offer is "don't rush". It took me about 4 years to find the right Corvette for me. It may sound painful to wait that long, but it's not as painful as buying a lemon.

doning

What 63mako said was true! $6000.00 is going to buy you junk. Anything $10,000 and over your looking into a nice car. I bought my 1980 Corvette this past August for the sum of $10,500 and the car is show condition! 59,000 miles and the paint and interior is like brand new! I took it to my local Chevrolet dealer for inspection and I had every mechanic taking a peak at it. The head of their Corvette department wanted it. I'm sorry....not now!

TXTopgear

Lots of good advice given so far, I'll say find a car with problems you can comfortably fix and be patient looking until you find one that fits your skills and your budget well. I found a car with a great body, paint job and interior. The inspection by an expert made sure I wasn't making a mistake on the frame, bird cage, or other areas I didn't know how to check. Everything else he found I could fix myself. I didn't want a car that needed body or paint work as I have no experience in that area. The initial fixes were replacing the side pipes that leaked exhaust into the cabin and replacing the leaking radiator with an aluminum one. I'm putting in 3 point seat belts this weekend for improved safety.

He also said that I would find a dozen little things after driving the car for a week and he was right - side mirrors flopped down when driving, no power to the cigarette lighter to use a GPS, headlight aiming was way off, etc. All simple little things that give me satisfaction to fix and get me in the garage working on the car. I picked a 1970 C3 as they are so easy to work on. There are still some mystery to them for some problems but the forum has had an answer every time I couldn't figure out something myself.

Good luck in your search, hope to see your "New C3 Owner" post soon!

Aquitard

Alright goin to look at this on Monday.http://stlouis.craigslist.org/cto/4722085951.html
Anything specific to this year I should look for? Already found out the engine is "probably" original and its an auto. Thanks all.

garygnu

look for any leaky seals ,especially the rear end seals .look at the frame for rust holes ,and rip or repaired .check the around the wind shield frame for rust .check the body mounts ,and the suspension bushings .

63mako

Needs paint work + black = $8-10,000. Go in with eyes open.

blk79nj

It doesn't hurt to go look at it.

I would be willing to bet that the paint is toast based on the pictures being taken 25 feet away from the car and shadows running through it.

Aquitard

Thank you

Aquitard

My first thought on the paint as well but like you said just lookin.

doning

Just give it a good look-over! Take your time with it. If anything does not seem right to you....leave it. When driving listen for any strange sounds. Check everything to make sure everything is okay. Gauges, oil, interior, u-joints etc. Make a checklist ahead of time and bring it with you. It is always a good idea to look at a car with a cold engine. Most sellers will warm it up before a possible buyer shows up to hide a lot of issues! Drive it to it's full operating temperature. Like I said before, if something scares you about it...leave it! Good luck. Don.

doning

Well................how did it go?

Aquitard

Sorry 2 year old and 1 month old make it difficult to do things at night sometimes lol! It wasn't bad but I'm know there's better. It just had a lot of little things wrong. Headlights didn't come up, interior looked like it got wet (rust on steering wheel, vin, one seat had signs of water damage) there was fiberglass repair behind front passenger wheel, front valance cracked, and wheels had some rust. Paint wasnt as bad as I thought it would be but it did have some cracks and bubbles along the edges of the panels. Things that were different but don't necessary bother me...aftermarket stereo, something new on carb, looked like new intake manifold, pulleys, fan, fuel pump, and a cat back exhaust system (pretty loud). It ran and drove fine and the frame and suspension were actually solid and mostly rust free. It sad because I believe the guys dad was in trouble so it was left outside for an extended period and that's where most of the damage came from. In short I think he's asking too much thanks but no thanks. By the way thanks everyone because I knew exactly what to look for and where to look!

grumman41

Its been said about ten or fifteen times in the above post but just one more time.

Buy the VERY best car you can budget for. If you plan on spending 8,000 for the initial car and 5,000 next year, wait one year, do a very intense search and then purchase. It seems that you are asking questions and researching before purchase, this is a good sign.

I'm a decent mechanic and knew what to look for, I still missed a few things. I'm into my 71 for about 17k and it still needs paint a bunch more checks written. Even "pristine" cars have hidden rust and issues that cannot be seen without an invasive inspection.

Good luck with your search!
Kevin

Aquitard

Kevin,
Thanks I'll keep that in mind definetly not getting this 77. HBI pointed this one out earlier and the more I think about it the more I want to spend the extra dough but I having trouble convincing my wife to make the trip... http://stlouis.craigslist.org/cto/4742113771.html