78 Pace Car

[RedShift]

I have a friend who has located a 78 Pace Car with about 3500 miles on it. The car has been garaged and looks new but has not been driven in years. Would this be a safe buy and about how much should he expect to pay? :confused

RedShift :cool

 

[BarryK]

how many years since it has been driven?

if it's quite a few years he should expect to have to put some service into it before trying to drive it.
He should check thru the steering and brakes especially as these are major safety items.
change out all fluids - motor oil & filter, brake fluid, tranny fluid & filter (if it's an auto trans), and coolant.
Check the carb as it may have gotten gummed up by sitting with gas in it for a number of years.
Check ALL fluid and vacuum and emission hoses for drying and cracks - replace any that he has any duobts about. I'd just automatically go thru and replace a few of them on principle such as the two fuel hoses from the frame hardlines to the fuel pump and at the back the two rubber hoses from the gas tank to the frame hardline. Also - the two rubber hoses from the frame transmission fluid cooler hardlines to the radiator (if it's an auto trans), plus the rubber brake lines. These fluid hoses deterioate from the inside so they may no longer be good but you can't always tell from looking at them - they swell up on the inside and won't let fluid thru them.
If the car has AC it most likely will need to be recharged.

If the car is in good condition and has been stored well inside than after all the above has been done there would be no reason that the car shouldn't be just fine.

Price can vary greatly depending on overall condition, options, if it comes with documention. etc but for a low milage good condition '78 Pace car figure in the range of $12k - $25k all depending on the variables just mentioned. A perfect condition car with optional L82 motor, lots of other options, and all the documentation will sell for about $25k - anything less than that on the car with options and condition will lower the selling value of course.

just my opinion and others may say differently

 

[RedShift]

Thanks Barry, not sure of all the details on the '78 but the price range seems resonable. He was not sure if this would be a collectors item and worth lots of $$$$. Sounds like this will involve lots of work to get back in driving condition. I guess a flatbed truck will be required. Appreciate the info...

George

 

[BarryK]

yep, any car that sits for a number of years without use needs to have everything gone thru before you try to drive it.
About the worst thing you can do to a car is let it sit without use.

about 6 weeks ago I bought a '78 L82 car with less than 9,500 miles but it sat and wasn't driven or touched for at least the last 2 years or so, maybe longer and I had to have it flatbedded to my house, and it needed so much clean-up from sitting outside for a couple of years I even had to pull the motor out and i had to have the carb completely rebuilt.
Hopefully it will be on the road in a few more days if I'm lucky

 

[firstgear]

the options on the pace car are key......

L-48.....least desirable
L-82.....most desirable
Automatic....least desirable (because there were 6502 total pace cars made, see next line)
Manual.......most desirable (because there were only like 190 built)

So if the car is a L-82 with 4 speed....and the miles you are quoting, then $25k give or take 1-2K either way.

L-48 Automatic is saved with the milage and would be around $18k give or take....again the documentation and the mileage play a huge factor in what the car will sell for.....

I just bought a Pace Car, L-82 with 4 speed, but it has 73k miles on it....runs good...drives good, but it has the wear and tear on it of a car with 73k miles...got it for $13.5k.....and I considered that a steal....but I will probably have to put $5k into it in terms of interior redone and sprucing up the motor compartment......tires and brakes.....good luck it is a fine car no matter what you get.......and it was Barry's fault that I bought the darn thing....he went and bought that L-82....and next thing I know I am getting the Pace car.....

ps...only bad thing is the car is not RED!!!

 

[Wegone]

Sounds like a nice find if the price right. Any specialty Vette will be desirable to collect.
Just for reference I bought a 77 with 30K miles that had been sitting since 82 got it home changed all fluids including gas and cleaned out the carb, put a battery in and it started right up..Did have to redo brakes, alt, water pump, and shocks and put new tires on. But it runs and drives good. Got a link to some pic on my home page.