Looking at 74 Vette

[magoo]

I have an oportunity to buy a nice 74 cp. It is brown with beige interior. L48 4 spd., A/C, P/S, P/B manual windows, nice original paint, and nice leather interior. It appears very well kept. The underhood is clean and very original. It is a matching number, 36000 mile car. I believe 2 owner. It drives perfect and is very tight. The clock is the only thing that does not work, and both bumpers are cracked though the paint on them is good. Two new bumpers come with it. The standard question is how much is it worth. I think I can have it for 12k. Originally I thought that was very reasonable, but after researching Ebay I'm not as sure. Any thoughts from any of you would be greatly appreciated

 

[waterboy1976]

Something like a 74 is going to be hard to compare to any 74 on Ebay. I would say a nice original 36K mile 74 on Ebay would end up in the $9K to 10K range. So dont get to excited by that. Color may have something to do with it, brown with beige isnt the most popular color however a very nice look though. I would say if you could pop it in the 10K range or so then it would be a good deal. Hows the birdcage and such? Frame rot? Tires? Brakes? You say the bumpers need replaced although included with the car. Are you going to repaint the whole car? or just blend the bumpers in as best as you can? That is some monney right there to do it right. Any pics? Good luck...

 

[magoo]

Thanks for the reply Waterboy. This car seems to be rust free and has about the nicest unrestored frame I've ever seen. The bumpers come with the car and I would not spend the money to paint the whole car. I originally hoped I could have the bumpers painted and then put them on, but from reading other posts it doesn't sound like that works. The brakes and tires are fine on a nice set of rally wheels. I don't have any pics of it but it is a really nice car. I just thought a nice rubber bumper C-3 would bring 15k or so. I myself really like them. I may prefer another color, and my preference is a set of GM sidepipes. Again thanks for the reply. I'd love to hear some more thoughts. Sorry it took me so long to reply but life has been a bit crazy lately.

Mike

 

[Tepot]

Thanks for the reply Waterboy. This car seems to be rust free and has about the nicest unrestored frame I've ever seen. The bumpers come with the car and I would not spend the money to paint the whole car. I originally hoped I could have the bumpers painted and then put them on, but from reading other posts it doesn't sound like that works. The brakes and tires are fine on a nice set of rally wheels. I don't have any pics of it but it is a really nice car. I just thought a nice rubber bumper C-3 would bring 15k or so. I myself really like them. I may prefer another color, and my preference is a set of GM sidepipes. Again thanks for the reply. I'd love to hear some more thoughts. Sorry it took me so long to reply but life has been a bit crazy lately.

Mike

HI, I have a 74 coupe L48 , 4 Speed. I got mine for 10K in Canada. You can usualy get them cheaper in the US. It will cost you a bit to have those 2 bumpers painted to match your car. If I were you I wouldn't spend more than 10 K for your car. For example mine looked Awesome when I baught it but had to put 3K on it already. I've Put 4 new tires, 4 new calipers because my car was stored for over 15 years and the calipers started to leak and did put brand new rear diffenrential cover and rear shock etc ... So the car comes to 13 K now. So if you start already a 12 , your car could cost you close to 15K when your done fixing all the little stuff that comes up.

So if you got to paint and install those new bumper it's probably gonna cost you a bit. I would try get it for close to 10 K.

Also be aware. If you like to keep that car as original as possible. Make sure that the rear bumper he has for you comes in 2 piece. The 1974 Corvette was the only year that the rear bumper came in 2 piece. They sell new bumpers now in 1 piece for those cars with the fake line division on them just so it looks like a 2 piece bumper so if you want to keep it original make sure it's a 2 piece rear bumper he is providing with the deal. Also the floors on the 74 are made of fiberglass so it's another thing that you won't have to worry about rust on that car.

Other than that. I think the 74 is a really nice car and I really love mine. You will love that car

Good luck

 

[zachh]

Usually, the value of something depends on who likes it. On ebay, someone may not like it, so they wont bid, thus making the value low. I hope Im making sense. It depends on what you feel you should pay for it. Personally, I believe, from how ya explained it that it should be worth 11- 13k. Thats jest me. If you fall in love with the car get it, if not, let it go and another one will come along.
Good Luck
zachh

 

[magoo]

I really appreciate your replies. They all make sense to me and are being very helpful in making my decision. I am also considering that it is the last year without cats and I thought C-3s were jumping in price pretty fast. I must decide on my offer by Saturday so any other opinions are welcome. Thanks

Mike

 

[huk_finn]

I think 10 g is caps. At 12-15 grand , you might get lucky and still find a big block c3

 

[KANE]

I really appreciate your replies. They all make sense to me and are being very helpful in making my decision. I am also considering that it is the last year without cats and I thought C-3s were jumping in price pretty fast. I must decide on my offer by Saturday so any other opinions are welcome. Thanks

Mike

Keep us posted!

 

[74bigblock]

I paid 12.8 for my '74 454 in similar condition.

 

[JJS]

Well, how did you do?

 

[vett boy]

The key word you used was "nice".Good luck. Steve

 

[magoo]

I offered 11k over a week ago. Have not received a reply. I expect to see the guy tomorrow, (fri). I think I am going to go 12 if it is still available. Cars this nice take a long time to find around here and I could spend $1000 very fast just running around to look at junk in the tri state area. I'll keep ya posted, thanks for your input.... Mike

 

[brusso]

I paid 12.8 for my '74 454 in similar condition.

Big difference from an L48. I could see paying 12ish for that. Also, as mentioned earlier, being the last year of no cats is a plus. No worries of "can I get away with removing the cat in my state?" crap. I owned a 75 and got away with not having cats/A.I.R. pump/EGR valve and such. That's only because the inspector was too lazy to visually check for there presence and appearence of fuctioning. Because of age, the car wasn't tested for emmissions but all of the original equipment had to appear to be working.

 

[Johan]

... I originally hoped I could have the bumpers painted and then put them on, but from reading other posts it doesn't sound like that works. ...

I painted mine off the car, worked fine.

 

[magoo]

Well I know it has been a long time. I picked up the 74 last night and so far am not dissappointed at all. It drives great. I did go 12k but I think I am OK. It was a case where I was really the only one it was offered to and I do like it. It doesn't seem to need anything except some personalizing and detailing. I want to check all the fluids, timing, points, plugs, etc. Tires are great. No sign of anything leaking. Original stereo sounds great. It does have power windows also which I forgot about, and a rear window defogger operated by the big black rocker switch by driver's right knee. New bumpers came with it and they are the fiber glass ones with the invoice for $800. The bumpers on it are actually usable for at least the rest of this season, and if I do a nice enough repair maybe longer. Thanks everyone for all the input.
Mike

 

[JJS]

Congrats. Everything works, it drives nice, and nothing is leaking. Sounds to me like you got a really good car for the money. -John

 

[farmer]

how about some pics?

 

[magoo]

I sure like that blue 74 farmer. I'll try some pics soon. I really don't know how to put them on yet. Better learn soon. So far the more I check out on this 74 the better it looks.
Thanks,
Mike

 

[farmer]

Good for you. It's kinda like Christmas for us big kids. Anyhow I am a computer idiot so I understand the inability to post pictures, but if you get around to it we'll enjoy it here. Thanks, Ben

 

[yarb]

I have an oportunity to buy a nice 74 cp. It is brown with beige interior. L48 4 spd., A/C, P/S, P/B manual windows, nice original paint, and nice leather interior. It appears very well kept. The underhood is clean and very original. It is a matching number, 36000 mile car. I believe 2 owner. It drives perfect and is very tight. The clock is the only thing that does not work, and both bumpers are cracked though the paint on them is good. Two new bumpers come with it. The standard question is how much is it worth. I think I can have it for 12k. Originally I thought that was very reasonable, but after researching Ebay I'm not as sure. Any thoughts from any of you would be greatly appreciated

With older corvettes its all about condition No hit, low mile original (#matching) cars will always bring the upper end of what that year is worth. Do your homework and be sure the car is what it is advertised as. If you are a novice with corvettes call a local club and see if you can get some advice. Be careful however If it is a nice piece you could get it bought out from under you. Make sure the replacement bumpers are original material and design. NOTHING DEVALUES A CORVETTE FaSTER THAN NON ORIGINAL STYLE PARTS. If they are fiberglass accept them but sell then later and get the correct part. Finally dont put too much emphasis on ebay prices. Many of those cars do not sell because the reserve in not met. Often, buyer beware. There are many corvette scams on ebay. Dont count on ebay to police themselves. I've seen so called # matching big blocks for under 15k. Not on this planet and not in this lifetime.Good luck 12k for an early C3 is not a bad deal. Offer less You never know Yarb