65 Corvette Convertible

[Lorzey]

Hi. We are buying our first Corvette on Saturday and are a little gunshy. The car is beautiful- frame off restoration, matching numbers - engine rebuild with blueprint, all paperwork, receipts, and pictures. Any first time buyers questions to ask or advise would be much appriciated. Thanks!

 

[Yoda]

Lorzey ~ Welcome to The Corvette Action Center Community ~

It sounds like a fantastic Corvette. I would suggest that you get every piece of paper you can find on the car, every receipt and all.

Here is a very good thread about Owner and Car HISTORY it pretty much sums it up and why.

The big thing here is "Does it put that BIG on your face and make you feel 16 again" and you keep wanting to drive it down to the 7-Eleven just to get a Slurpy, or you just can't seem to keep your eyes off it... if it has gone this far then Welcome to our Obsession be sure to wave and enjoy the ride.

From the sounds of your "new MidYear" it has been brought back to pristine condition, if you know of a NCRS judge or active member they would be a very good person to check it out first.

Sometimes our heart knows best, just sometimes

Good Luck, we look forward to seeing some photo's.. and hearing about your first experience driving and ..

 

[Eric]

Welcome to the CAC Lorzey! Bud hit it - if it's been frame-off restored, it's probably in pretty darn good shape. Like he said, find an NCRS expert to go along with you, or even someone from a local club who owns a similar car and is knowledgable.

The other thing Bud said about the car giving you that feeling couldn't be more than true. If you feel apprehensive, there is probably a reason but if it feels good then do it.

Best of Luck! Of course, we expect pictures as soon as you get it.

 

[Lorzey]

65 Corvette COnvertible

Hi and thanks so much for responding to my message. We are still in the market for that perfect car.

We took the car to a certified appraiser and it barely appraised at a 3 on the numbers scale and for 30K. The engine compartment was really shoddy for being a blueprinted rebuild. Then we took the car to a Corvette Pro shop and they said "No way - maybe 25K". So we took the car back.

The frame off restoration found a rust area and they cut it out and replaced it - and the undercarriage was covered with oil. Otherwise the paint was beautiful. But no sale. Too many stories and not a good feeling.

We are still in the market for that perfect car and really appreciate you responding to our add. Thank you everyone! We are now more informed buyers and any car that we consider will go to both a Corvette Pro shop and an appraiser. Its worth $100.00 lost to an appraisal fee than 5-10K lost to a bad sale


THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Tom Bryant]

Sorry to hear that the car didn't hold up to the hype. But we would all be more sorry if you got stuck with a rolling basketcase with new paint. You were very smart to get it looked at by a knowledgable individual. Misrepresented Corvettes are a fact of life in the Corvette market but there are a lot of really nice ones out there for 30 grand. Ones that you won't have to do much, if anything, to. Have you checked the inventories of reputable dealers like Corvette Mike? If you find a major problem after the sale you will have a better chance of getting it corrected than from a private owner. Good luck on your search.

Tom

 

[J.T. Marlin]

http://www.proteam-corvette.com/cars/288Q.htm

 

[Bo Dillingham]

Perfect '65

Though I admire you purists who are after perfection, I have to offer a little consolation to the rest of us who just have a car. I have a '65 Stingray convertable that I am saving for my nephew (long story) and it is a beater. The frame is very rusty, the engine needs a total rebuild, and the body has visible cracks and scratches. Most of the emblems are missing.
I intend to do a "Body off" this winter, but at the present time, it still attracts a lot of attention wherever I go. When people tell me how much they love my car, I usually say, "Thanks, but it needs a lot of work". They typically go on to tell me that they don't care; they think it has character, and they like it even more than the "Show car kind".
I firmly hope that the "Character" doesn't go away when I fix it up.
If you can't afford, or can't find, perfection, then get an old 'vette and bask in the character. Like myself, they're old, but they're still fun.

 

[Guy]

Bo

It's never "just a car" . I said that here about my 82 and was corrected. My 82 is an NCRS Top Flight, but I'd love to have a mid-year some day that may not even come close to NCRS standards. Yeah, I want a mid-year (or older) that's "just a car" :cool

-Guy