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Pace Car or Silver Anni HELP!

cesully

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 28, 2003
Messages
125
Location
Marietta, GA
Corvette
1978 L82 Pace Car
To all you C3 experts I need your advice. Deciding b/w a 78 Pace car and what I have now, a 78 Silver anniversary...

I can only afford 1, what is the best value and investment long term...

My car - 1978 S/A 4-speed:) L82 61K miles
needs paint $$$
wheels need to be refinished (aluminum) $$
no power windows, customer ordered it this way, build sheet verifies this also
no power door locks, rare combo????
stereo w/ only 2 spkers up front
complete history
build sheet
smog equipment intact
no mods, numbers match
drives and runs excellent!!

Thinking of purchasing 78 Pace car - AUTOMATIC:( 54k miles
have only seen pics looks excellent condition
no smog equipment
don't think it has any paper work
requires no repairs, no paint (maybe needs tires)
will be looking at this car next week

I want a C3 that will hold or even go up in value, however this would be a car I keep for the long term. My biggest concern is the 4-spd or automatic- hate to give up that 4-spd unless the PC is a better investment.

Assuming the P/C is in exceptional orig condition should I stay with what I've got or sell it and buy the limited edition 78 Pace Car?

PS- the P/C would be about what I have invested in the S/A, poss. a $ wash.

Your input and experience would be greatly appreciated regarding the 1978 Corvette.

thanks for you oppinions/suggestions...

Sully
 
If you are looking for an investment, try the stock market ;) If you have more fun driving a 4spd, then keep it! You should enjoy the vette now. There is no telling what'll happen tomorrow!
 
A 78PC in the same condition as your 78SA (stock, all numbers matching, with all history and documentation etc) would cost considerably more than the SA. I guess what I am trying to say is that the PC you're looking at most likely isn't in as good of collector/investment condition as the car you're looking at since you say the $$ would be a wash. (plus or minus needing paint)

Also, the L-82 4 speed combo is fairly rare in the 78's which ups the desireability of your SA a little more (and of course there's the fun factor while driving it - and you can't put a price on that :) ).

A general rule of thumb for investments (not just cars) is that the best investment is the one you already have (and have already put the time and equity into).

Yes it's true, a PC is worth more money than a SA if they are both in exactly the same condition - but take a look at the Corvette Price Guide and the Black Book and look at the % of appreciation over the last 1, 5 and 10 years. I'm pretty sure you'll see that they're both going up at the same rate - and if your SA is worth the same as the PC you're looking at, they'll both continue climbing at the same rate. But if the SA is in better overall condition than the PC to start with, I think the SA will end up on top.

But don't get me wrong - I love the PC's; only car and color scheme I have wanted since I was 3 - and for me that's more important than any investment consideration!

Semper Fidelis,
Culprit
 
I do not think the PC will go up in value much, at least not as a long term investment. Unless the thing was in an oxygen tent all these years, keep what you have. But I am biased :L

I like the PC, but it was more marketing hype (than value or performance) that made it popular.
 
I would think the pace car would be worth more now and even more in the future??

JMO
 
As the mileage goes up, the collectibility goes down. There are a lot of Pace Cars with very, very low miles. Silver Anniversarys, too. Seems 78 was the year people started "saving" Vettes. This is what collectors will pay the most for. If the Pace Car is an L48, and being an automatic, I would keep the SA L82/4 speed. More desireable combination. Sounds like you know that Vette pretty good and feel confident in it. And only seeing pictures of the Pace Car, wait til you see it in person. I've looked at a lot of very low mileage Vettes that didn't look that good in person. Camera only shows what the photographer wants to show. Good luck.
Mike
 
thanks gents, a lot of good info... the P/C is indeed an L82, but you're right about the difference b/w looking at a car in person and pictures- pictures can be very forgiving.

I will miss a 4-spd, however the s/a needs a new paint job, I'm very picky when it comes to the car's apparence and it seems by the pics I received that the P/C's paint is excellent. With over 50k miles on each car i doubt that they can be "truely" collectors items but, who wants to just stick these cars in a garage and let them sit- I like to drive them.

Best thing to do is look at it and then decide, at least I will be able to tell if it's a keeper.

thanks much,

Sully
 
I think Kenny and I met you at a BBQ at Len's...?

I have a 78SA and I keep it for me to enjoy, not for investment futures, and I drive it every chance I get. Mileage on mine is well over 200k fun, reliable miles. Mine was originally an L48/auto. We rebuilt a GM crate engine this past winter and she is a screamer now, still with the original tranny.
I am terrible at driving a stick :eek: so I prefer the automatic.

Overall, between the PC and the SA, the only difference between them is cosmetic: paint and spoiler package.
The two you are comparing, your SA L82/4speed and the PC L82/auto, I feel the SA would be more collectible than the auto because of the 4speed. Check out the PC, but keep in mind the work you've done to make your SA reliable and safe and think about what it would take to bring the PC to the same reliable and safe condition.

Let us know what you decide after you see the PC!
Heidi
 
I sure do remember you Heidi. Big hello to you and Kenny. i've been keeping up with the challenges you've have lately with your SA. I think if I'm not mistaken you've got about everything buttoned up with your Vette. Good luck and enjoy!

you may not have known but I sold that SA I brought over to the BBQ and mist it too much that I found another one very similar and in real good condition.

It will need a paint job that'll cost roughtly $5k. I found the PC and it's in real good shape and needs virtually nothing as far as talking to the owner and seeing the pics.

So I will look at it and decide- 1 draw-back is that it is an auto. However I love pwr windows, doors, the better seats, glass t-tops etc.

I'll let you know what I find out.

Sully
 
cesully said:
...you may not have known but I sold that SA I brought over to the BBQ...
I didn't know you'd sold that 78. Glad you bought another one! We have finally gotten our 78 up and running, she has so much more power now, she's scary. I chirped the tires the other day...and the road was dry! :eek

I recall your wife and children from that BBQ, too. Bring a hello home for them! :w

I do have to agree, the power options are nice. Myself, I prefer the automatic since I don't drive a stick very well. Take the PC for a drive and see how you like it. How much do you really like shifting, anyway?
Heidi
 
cesully said:
I'm a shifty kind of guy...
Hmmm, thats funny. I had that thought too, when I met you.
Heidi ;)

You may want to weigh the options very carefully against your enjoyment of manually shifting...if that is what you enjoy about driving a sportscar, I fear you may not be happy with the auto, even if it does have power everything else.
 
If you decide to go the Pace Car route - you could always check out the Keisler 5 speed manual overdrive tranny. It bolts in and they sell the pedal kits and hydraulic clutch actuator to convert the auto to a stick with no permanent mods to the car. Downside is that it's not cheap - by the time you're done it'll cost almost as much as that paint job you mentioned. But it's just another option thats out there.
www.keislerauto.com/gm/corvette.html

Semper Fidelis,
Culprit
 

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