guitarangel

looking to buy a 1980 corvette, everything about it is in good shape and it has about 85000 miles on it, with lots of engine mods, a dyno showed it has a 300 horses, and the asking price is 7500, does that sound fair? also, there is one problem, the passenger side window wont go up..the current owner says he just hasnt had time to fix it or get it fixed. how much would it cost to get the window fixed, oh yeah and the clock doesnt work. sorry to ramble a bit but i want to make sure about some things like is the price reasonable etc etc. thanks for any help, also, does anyone know of a corvette club in the binghamton ny area? thanks :)

Chris Fowler

First, welcome! :cheers:

$7,500 is a fair price for an '80 in good condition. Be sure to check the frame for rust or cracks.

How are the paint job and the interior. If either is rough, you'll need to account for that in the price.

300 horses on an 80 is pretty good on the Dyno. I'm guessing it's a chassis dyno, which puts the engine horsepower closer to 350. Stock is 195 or 235 depending on if it's an L-48 or an L-82.

finding any C3 with a working clock is somewhat rare. :D It will cost under $100 to put a new one in if you're willing to do the work yourself.

I'm not sure about the window. Is it power windows or manual?

The_Dude

Sounds like very common corvette problems. $7500 may be fair, if everything else is in good to excellent shape. You should have a mechanic put it up on a rack and have a look before purchasing. A rusty frame can be a very expensive problem. I don't think it would be that expensive to fix the window.

guitarangel

the windows are power and the interior was just redone in black leather (white exterior, repainted in 93) its all numbers matching and seller says it has "true duals" and an "off road exhaust without cats" will this car pass emissions? what does that really mean? thanks for the help and another thing is he said because he had it sitting all winter the tires would need to come off and that i would have to sand the rotors or something like that to remove rust? does that sound normal or ok?



[Modified by guitarangel, 8:08 PM 2/5/2002]

Alwyn678

Sounds like a great deal to me...Window just probably needs to realligned...Clock some Wd-40 should get it working........What are the mods to the engine??? better run those numbers....and make sure they are planning..I do not know the emissions laws in NY.....But I doubt it would pass without cats

Frankenvette

Check your emissions law before you purchase. If the car is missing the emissions parts and you need them, it gets very expensive. I know of someone here in NC that paid about $1,500 to get all the parts to pass an emissions test. Some states only go back so far. In NC, they only require a test for the past 25 years.

My brother has an all original 80 that he got while living in Albany, NY. I used to live outside Scranton and drive up to the hospital in Binghamton regularly. Too cold for my blood! Good luck on your potential purchase.

Regards,

Jim

R. Bruno

I am in CA but am from NY originally and believe emissions laws are similar. I am sure you cannot pass emissions without cats and the true duals may be problematic. Also, if the air pump or whatever the 1980 under hood emissions are called, (help me out guys!), are missing, you are looking at considerable expense. Be careful, take it too a mechanic who also does smog for a look.