71 T-Top

[Bwmurph]

Hello to all,

I'm a C-1 (I call 'em "solid axles") guy and usually hang out at that forum, but I'm currently looking at a C-3 (I call 'em "sharks") I saw on one of the on-line (Corvette Trade) sites. If you guys are as friendly and knowledgeable as the guys over there I hope someone can help me out.

My problem is I'm in the Phila. area and the car is in the San Diego area. Is anyone on the forum from that area who would feel comfortable taking a good look at this car and giving me their opinion of it (for a nominal fee, of course).
And, hopefully, not buying it for themselves !

Anyway, the car is a '71 T-Top, 350 CID/270 HP, supposedly matching #'s, but incorrect paint and/or interior. Sounds like a real nice car for maybe a little bit more $$$ than current values (although who knows what values are these days after watching something like the Barrett-Jackson auction's)

Any and all help/comments would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Bernie O.

 

[early shark]

Bernie:

I would ask this question over on the NCRS forum, there is a So California chapter with many nice members. Go to NCRS.org

 

[rainman]

I'm no expert but I'd be glad to look at the car for you. Where's the car? Send me an email.

 

[Bwmurph]

I'm no expert but I'd be glad to look at the car for you. Where's the car? Send me an email.

Rainman,

Thanks for the reply. The car's in Santee (northwest of San Diego, I think). I've replied to the ad at the on-line site that I'm interested, but have not heard back from him yet.

THing that's a little strange is this same car was for sale at right about this time last year and I inquired about it. I was, basically, negotiating with him via e-mail when something (financially) came up on my end and I had to back out of discussions with him.

1) I'm surprised the car is still for sale. If it's anything like what he's
representing it to be it's nice car that's maybe just a little over-priced.

2) I wonder if he's P.O.'d at me since we were getting down to the point of
making a deal when I had to back out. Didn't want to, but it was just one
of those things that had to be done.

If you want to e-mail me at bwmurph@aol.com I would like to have somebody look if it's not too far out of your way.

Thanks,

Bernie O.

 

[rainman]

Email sent.

 

[lnirenberg]

Rainman,

Thanks for the reply. The car's in Santee (northwest of San Diego, I think). I've replied to the ad at the on-line site that I'm interested, but have not heard back from him yet.

THing that's a little strange is this same car was for sale at right about this time last year and I inquired about it. I was, basically, negotiating with him via e-mail when something (financially) came up on my end and I had to back out of discussions with him.

1) I'm surprised the car is still for sale. If it's anything like what he's
representing it to be it's nice car that's maybe just a little over-priced.

2) I wonder if he's P.O.'d at me since we were getting down to the point of
making a deal when I had to back out. Didn't want to, but it was just one
of those things that had to be done.

If you want to e-mail me at bwmurph@aol.com I would like to have somebody look if it's not too far out of your way.

Thanks,

Bernie O.

As to my knowledge of cars, it is mostly theoretical--I know enough to be dangerous with enough failing body parts to decline an invitation to crawl underneath. As to negotiations, I have been in the real estate development business for blah blah blah years (I ran out of fingers and toes on that one) so I do a lot of negotiation in the course of my business. I see some trouble spots on this one. Firstly, major red flag if the car is still on the market after 1 year. 1 possibility is the car is overpriced which may mean that he is not a real seller and has priced his asset not to sell and just likes being a seller, or the car is not as advertised and is a POS and has driven away potential buyers by the van full. Many other possibilities but living in a limited season region of the country I find it rather implausable that a cherry vette located in San Diego would sit around for a year w/o a buyer. Other red flags include "matching numbers" w/ non original paint and/or interior--interesting combo. Rule of thumb is the cost of bringing it back to stock is a deduction from market value not a premium. I think the golden rule of acquisition is screaming here--let the buyer beware. Be patient, I know this is not always easy, but there are/will be a lot of sharks for sale a lot closer to home. For the $$$ you will spend to have it inspected and shipped you might be better off going to one of the number of reputable Vette dealers in southern Jersey and Penn. My $.02

 

[Bwmurph]

Hello Inirenberg,

Thanks for the reply. You bring up a lot of good points; some of them I've thought of, some of them I haven't.

I think the car is definitely at least a little over priced (although ANYONE with a Corvette or even a "clone" Mustang GT 500 thinks their car is worth beaucoup $$$ these days if they watch the Barrett-Jackson auctions) .

Problem is I DO like the paint/interior combo, even if it's non-original (black was NOT a '71 ext color); I have a blk/red '59 and I thought they'd look good together.

I'm in contact with a few people out that way that will, hopefully, get a good look at the car and give me an honest opinion of the value.

Thanks again for your interest in my "post" and putting some good ideas in my pea-brain.

Bernie O.

 

[lnirenberg]

It is an increasingly difficult challenge, but I try to use the one brain cell I have left wisely. I am rather partial to '71 coupes, as you might imagine. I specifically looked for a ’71 or ‘72 because I wanted a car that had chrome bumpers but could still be driven on a regular basis. The lower compression engines, in my humble opinion, make these sharks the 1st that can have both a #s matching engine and still be drivable on pump gas. With modest mods the performance can be raised to more than adequate levels. The key to a well struck deal is to never be afraid of walking from the table—the old they want to sell you the car more than you need to buy it, even though we both know this is not true! Good luck in your quest.

 

[Koop]

There are benefits to a Southern California car,

No salt, little rain, enough humidity to keep the car nice but not enough to make them rust buckets so I havn't seen many with rust on the subframe, the vacum lines hold up well in the climate, the roads are good here not to many potholes so the cars aren't beat to death from regular use. So Cal is an excellent place to buy a classic, the hot rod and classic car sub culture and climate makes the area a used car Mecca. Add up those possibilities and paying a higher price for an actual So Cal car may be worth your while.
You just have to ask yourself, in a huge market place like So Cal, why is that car still for sale? Maybe it was overprice a year ago and the market is catching up...Or maybe it's a POS there is alot of junk in this world for sale.

Without a doubt, the Sharks are running up in value.

My '69 ran just fine on pump gas when it had the stock 350/300.

Good luck

 

[Bwmurph]

Hello Again Inirenberg,

Yeah, I definitely want a chrome bumper car, and knock your socks HP is not a requirement either. I want my wife (who's not exactly a "gear-head") to be able to drive it.

And, I walked away from the car once before, and will again if I have to.

Thanks,

Bernie O.

 

[Bwmurph]

Hello Koop,

Thanks for your insights; SOCAL always been known as a great place to buy a car. Kinda tough for us East Coasters to get out there on a regular basis, though !

Seller says the car was on the market for too ong lsat year so he took it off. I'm hoping it's just because it's priced a little ( a lot ?) high for a non-original (paint & interior) car.

I've got a couple of guys who are supposed to go look at for me; guess I'll find out a little more when that happens.

I'll keep you informed.

Thanks,

Benrie O.