Would It Be Worth It?

[jiangtao]

A friend of mine the other day told me about someone in town that had a '77 blue vette for sale.It needs a front end {fenders,bumper hood} and some interior work.He is asking $1500 for it.The engine is fine as far as I know,but I haven't looked at it yet.How much would I probably be looking at to getting it looking good again?Is it worth it?Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

[78SilvAnniv]

The determining factor relative to cost will be how much of the work can you do yourself? If you have to shop it out, it will cost considerably more.

I feel that one of the most expensive things to fix on older vettes is anything having to do with cosmetics. In the case of this blue '77 you have two cosmetic issues...interior and body/paint.

You can look/call around and see how much interior pieces cost and how much replacement front clips go for, and a paint job will run you anywhere from 3k to 8k depending on quality. This will give you a base for what you can expect to spend after purchase.
One saving grace would be if the drivetrain was in excellent condition.
Heidi

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

If you're asking is it worth it from a cost point of view, the answer is no. It's extremely rare to see a car that can be restored for less money than just going out an buying an identical car that's already been restored. The idea is to let somebody else take the loss on this one.

 

[Bob Chadwick]

These year cars have limited value. In good to perfect shape they go between $7,500 and $12,500. Your will have more than that into it in just parts.

From experience, the major interior pieces average about $300 (some more, some less), the seats will cost about $400 - 500 to recover the pair, etc.

This car appears to be one to part out.

 

[bfoster301]

I have quickly learned that being a new corvette owner is similar to bidding at an auction. You didn't bid too much if it's something that you absolutely love and have to own. Before I bought my SA, I looked at everything I'd have to do for the vehicle to get it on the road that way I wanted it. I did my research, put together my budget (which is now totally blown) and bought the car. Even though I've spent more on the car that what I originally anticipated to be where I am with the restoration, would I do it again? Without a doubt! The more I've worked on this car, the more I appreciate what I've got and what I've done. Will I ever be able to sell it for what I've put into it (excluding labor). No Way! But then again, I have no intentions on selling it. Do whatever work you can, listen and learn from the experts, shop around for the work you need to farm out and be patient. I'm two weeks away from getting my 78 back on the road and I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

 

[Robin7TFour]

my 02, if you're up for a challenge. wanting to have something to create. and don't want a big initial cost . i say do it.
heck my car was a bargain compared to some. a challenge? heck yes! would i do it again....of course

 

[drags1998]

IMHO, NOOOOOO!!!!!!!!! sorry but I would'nt do it!!!!!:L

 

[MrGibbly]

I don't know your circumstances but... Most people I've talked to here and "in real life" that have a C3 have a couple of things in common. They ended up buying the first one they looked at (may have looked at others too before buying it, however) and they would do it all over again!

 

[Evolution1980]

I'd say 2 Thumbs Down

Ask yourself this...can you afford $1500? Yes? Ok...
Can you afford $5,000? Yes? OK...
Can you afford $10,000? Ehhh...maaaaybe. OK...

Can you afford $9000? Yes. Ok...

Go out and find yourself the best vette you can find for $9000 and be done with it. But know that you'll end up dropping an extra $1000 in within the first 18 months.

If you bought the $1500 car and dropped $7500-$8000 into it right off the bat, you likely still wouldn't have as a nice car as the one you could have purchased outright for $9000.

The other problem with buying a $1500 vette is that it's going to spend more time in the garage than it will on the street. If you can't go out and immediately enjoy it, then why buy it? Unless you are a gearhead and enjoy rebuilding cars, then OK. But 95% of us here are drivers. I would hate to have dropped money (any amount!) on a vette and not be able to go out and enjoy it. Maybe after 3-5 years you'll finally be to the point where it's close to what you had in mind. But why wait 3-5 years? Buy as much as you can now. The sum of a vette's parts cost more than the whole.

 

[Bender]

Angel Fire is being gay and wont even let me link it...

HighLight and put in URL Box, AngelFire sucks.

Looks great, got it cheap.. Cost 10k so far to repair still costing me money.. Its cheaper if you can get one mint for like 14k then to repair it. You forget everyone thinks corvette owners are rich so they charge like 100 bucks for a visor for this car.

 

[Jack]

Yep ... buy it and ... PART IT OUT! You can make some $ if you have the time & inclination ... then take those $ and do as others suggest ... buy the best driver you can afford.
JACK:gap