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C3 Questions

Bwmurph

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 24, 2003
Messages
395
Location
Conway, SC
Corvette
'59 Blk/Red, '12 Crystal Red GS
Hi all,

I'm a C1 owner who is seriously considering becoming a C-3 owner as well. I have a car in miind that I looked at a couple of years ago and actually had an NCRS / appraiser look at the car and he basically liked.

However, I htought I was ask here about othe questions to ask befoer I "pull the trigger" on the deal.

What I know so far: Car is a '71 Coupe with 350/270 motor, AC (working great I'm told), PS, PB, TH300 auto. Odometer does NOT work and was told it is about a US$ 500 fix; radio does NOT work as well (may have himi fix this as I HAVE to have tunes). Car has incorrect ext/int color combo, but that doesn't bother me.

I also re3ad in current CE magazine about frame and 'birdcage" rust (very timely article for me !), but have been assured that this is not a problem.

My questions: What other areas can be problems on this car ? Anything particular about this year thats good and/or bad ? Is odo fix really that difficult ?

Any and all help would be appreciated,

thanks,

Bernie O.
 
Bernie
call me - the cell number I have for you no longer seems to work. did you change numbers?
you know the number, or if you lost it email me
 
...AC (working great I'm told)...

You will want to check the AC before writing the check.

...TH300 auto...
Turbo-Hydramatic 400 is correct for '71. If the car is running a TH350, the transmission has been swapped.

...Odometer does NOT work and was told it is about a US$ 500 fix...
A common problem with C3s. The fix is not particularly expensive, but does make a PITA. The dash has to be pulled to get to the speedometer.

...radio does NOT work as well (may have himi fix this as I HAVE to have tunes)....
Difficult to diagnose. Could be something simple; could be major (replacement of a 36 year old radio). You might want to ask the seller why the unit is not working.

...What other areas can be problems on this car?...
This will help. Good reading here.

C3BuyersGuide.jpg


...Anyting particular about this year thats good and/or bad?...
There was a strike at St. Louis during the beginning of the '71 production run. Strike ran from about mid-September, 1970 to about the end of November. The work stoppage can cause wrinkles with casting, engine assembly, and time build dates at first glance.

:)
 
6880 Mike,

Thanks for the reply. I'll definitley check the A/C; my mistake, it IS a TH400 (is this a good trans ?); I've heard form several people that the odo thing is common; I've asked about the radio and am waiting for his reply; looks like a nice book to have, I assume I can pick one up form most vendors?; I'll have to ask if its and early or late car.

Thanks for your help; much appreciated,

Bernie O.
 
Barry,

Cell phone is the same (610-513-8363), but I just got back from Brazil. I was able to call out on it and was supposed to be able to receive calls, but......

Anway this is the same car I was looking at back in '05. Still the same owner, but now he wants more money (????); I'll e-mail you.

Bernie O.
 
Anway this is the same car I was looking at back in '05. Still the same owner, but now he wants more money (????); I'll e-mail you.
So should the price have gone up because the car appreciated? Or should the price have gone down since it still didn't sell after two years? :confused :L
 
....it IS a TH400 (is this a good trans ?)...

The TH-400 is a good transmission.

...looks like a nice book to have, I assume I can pick one up form most vendors?...

It's an excellent source. Makes good comparisons between model years and lots of information concerning what to look for when buying a C3. All the vendors have the book. I've seen them on eBay; the big book chains carry them too.

...I'll have to ask if its and early or late car....

The numbers and date codes will tell you that.

Good luck with the buy.

:)
 
EVO 1980,

'bout the only thing I can say to that is: I've had a property in FLA that we've been trying to sell for over a year now and we've DROPPED the price several times (luckily, we were able to get it rented, so I'm taking it off the market).

The other thing is, two years ago I was serious enough about it to pay an NCRS Judge / Appraiser to go look at it. Now his ad says "INSPECTED BY NCRS JUDGE !!!" Not that that is neither here nor there.

Bernie O.
 
Hi all,

I'm a C1 owner who is seriously considering becoming a C-3 owner as well. I have a car in miind that I looked at a couple of years ago and actually had an NCRS / appraiser look at the car and he basically liked.

However, I htought I was ask here about othe questions to ask befoer I "pull the trigger" on the deal.

What I know so far: Car is a '71 Coupe with 350/270 motor, AC (working great I'm told), PS, PB, TH300 auto. Odometer does NOT work and was told it is about a US$ 500 fix; radio does NOT work as well (may have himi fix this as I HAVE to have tunes). Car has incorrect ext/int color combo, but that doesn't bother me.

I also re3ad in current CE magazine about frame and 'birdcage" rust (very timely article for me !), but have been assured that this is not a problem.

My questions: What other areas can be problems on this car ? Anything particular about this year thats good and/or bad ? Is odo fix really that difficult ?

Any and all help would be appreciated,

thanks,

Bernie O.

Bernie- are you looking for a driver (fun car) or a restoration project (investment)?

For a driver- as long as the cost of repairs is less than the cost of the vehicle (plus repair) relative to market value... you'll be okay.

If you want a safe margin, add a 2/3rds increase on top of all repair estimates.

Then again- if you really want the car... then money isn't an issue.

Good luck- in any case, do what ever makes you the happiest.
 
Zgator,

Yeah - I'll wish myself "Good Luck with that" !
 
Dark Shark,

What I'm looking for is a nice driver (auto, a/c, pb, ps, etc...) that the wife can (occasionally) drive and hopefully will appreciate a little bit as long as I (or the wife) don't wrap it around a telephone pole.

Money is not THAT much of an issue ---- I don't want to "steal" the car, but I'd prefer not to overpay either.

"MARKET VALUE" --- Just what is that: I subsrcibe to ALL the Corvette mags and one has this car gaining 15% last year and then another has it losing several points - so I'm more confused than ever about what "Market value" is; don't really care I guess. As far as I'm concerned it's somewhere between what your willing to pay for it or what he's willing to sell it for. Even the guy I paid to inspect wouldn't really give me a price but rather a "range". "Market Value" is something for the guys at Barrett-Jackson to destroy, I think.

Just my $0.02 about that (got into a litttle rant there, didn't I)

ANd you're right - "do what makes you happy" and then, don't look back.

Thanks,

Bernie O.
 
Market value is what someone is willing to pay for a particular car. If the car has been for sale for 2 years and it hasn't sold then it would appear it is priced above the market.
 
... "Market Value" is something for the guys at Barrett-Jackson to destroy, I think...

:L

Well put.

I look at market value as "comps" sold in the last 6 months. I'd follow up with guys who had cars listed in your local paper, Corvette Trader, Auta Buy, Deals on Wheels, and feedback from members. See what they sold them for.
 
..."MARKET VALUE" --- Just what is that: I subsrcibe to ALL the Corvette mags and one has this car gaining 15% last year and then another has it losing several points...

The annual price guide published by the Corvette magazines make interesting reading, but you can take them with a grain of salt. These cars sell all over the country for amounts less than in the guides. While providing something we can all argue about, the only real purpose of the price guides is to sell magazines. According to the most recent guide I saw, my '68 convertible, my 80 L-82 and my fiancee's '71 convertible are all worth less this year than they were last year.

:)
 
Red 70,

That's how I feel about it. I'll let you know how I make out; the negotiations are starting to heat up.

Thanks,

Bernie O.
 
Dark Shark,

Trying to do that, but it's tough with not that many being sold and different geographical locations, but I'm starting to get a pretty good idea.

Thanks again,

Bernie O.
 
6880,

Why the smiley face when our cars are going down in value ? Well......they are still Corvettes. And I'm not in it to speculate or make money; I just like driving them !!

HOWEVER------- One of my arguements when I was convincing my wife to let me go ahead with this deal was: "but honey, don't think of it as buying a "used" car, think of it as "diversifying our portfolio !"

But I know what you mean about the price guides - not quite worth the paper they are printed on, but can't really take it to the bank, so to speak.

Bernie O
 
Wishing you luck Bernie.

Post pictures when you can. I am starting to watch the C3 prices starting to rise.... slowly.
FYI Try seeing what the price is on www.nadaguides.com
I see the low to medium price being $13,281 - $25,281 for a 1971 350 coupe with factory air conditioning
 
I'm thinking of going in at $24 K and I'll fix (or pay to have fixed) the radio and see what happens.


Bernie O.
 

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