Looking at buying a 1972, but....

[C3Corvette]

Hi,

I have come across an ad for a 1972 Corvette. It is the year range we wanted with the metal bumpers and flat rear window - we thought at best we could find one with a flat window. The issue is it looks like it has been sitting in a garage for a while and is advertised as being "all there" but needs some "elbow grease". I am waiting to hear back about a few questions I had for him - engine type, mileage, is it running, what kind of elbow grease, etc. I am capable and willing to do the work my concern is that I have heard this too many times where cars are advertised as "all there" only to find out that meant mostly there, except for those hard to find and very expensive parts, lol. He is asking $9000 CAD. The car has been for sale for quite some time and I think was at one point asking over $10,000.

If I can confirm that it for the most part "all there" and even better yet in running condition, do you guys think the price is fair around the $8000-9000 CAD mark? I know it will at the very least need a paint job. A rough quote I had done on my Mustang at a local shop that uses Sikkens paint was around $8000 and I would assume a Corvette's body work would be a little more expensive so maybe around $10,000 for paint depending on what is required? I don't know, it is a really nice car and exactly what we wanted in terms of features, I just wonder what your thoughts are on the situation and pricing.

Thanks!

 

[Jeffer2013]

paging Ziggy, paging Ziggy

way out of my pay grade. Jeffy

 

[C3Corvette]

Just found out a few more things. I will have to call him this weekend, but they are stressing that ALL the parts are there, and it has a rebuilt engine (size still unknown) that is not in yet.

 

[nascar03]

Hi C3..
Is this car running/drivable?
If these cars are not familiar to you than I suggest you take this to a Corvette mechanic to have an
inspection done.. might be the best $100 you ever spent.
Actually an inspection is a good idea anyway, just to have an impartial eye check things out.
A Vette with a rusty frame or birdcage area would be a very bad thing to drag home.

$10K should get you a paint job of sorts.
A proper paint job including a full paint-strip and block-sand, body fit, etc can run $16+.

Keep in mind that a well cared for C3, even a chrome bumper car, can be had for $25K or less.
I understand that doing ‘some’ work yourself is very rewarding but if you start at $8K and add $10K for paint you
could still be $10K away from having a nice car that is probably worth $20K.

I’m not trying to discourage you by any means.. just adding up numbers to ensure you are aware.
A ‘numbers matching’ Corvette of the 1972 and earlier models can be worth something as well.
Not everyone worries about this but some do.

Good luck with your search.
Bring us more questions as you get closer to becoming a Corvette owner.
I feel you have the ‘bug’ bad....LOL
Graham

 

[Black 03 Z06]

Graham gave some great advice, the resto dollars can add up in a hurry. Just remember there are lots of these cars out there in various conditions. Do your homework, as you appear to be doing on this one, and armed with some knowledge get the best car you can afford.

Good luck with your search and welcome to the forum.

 

[taylorsk8]

Obviously depending on the condition.....Based on your description the price seems high. engine is out, needs full paint, parts are clearly not all on the car (if they are in fact all there). But all of this will come down to rust. If the frame or birdcage is rusty then it is too much for sure. I agree with Graham, the resto dollars may not be well spent. I would bet you could find an in great condition chrome bumper car for $18K - $ 22K which seems like you are willing to spend. Don't get discouraged, you can learn a lot by looking at these cars and not buying them. You will know more what to look for on the next one.

When you get the right one you'll be on cloud 9

T

 

[C3Corvette]

Thanks guys. This all lines up fairly well with what I was thinking. Based on the pictures and small amount of information that I do have I am thinking more like $5000+/-. Considering how long the car has been for sale for and the price hasn't decreased much I assume the guy is pretty firm on the price. I will find out more when I call him this weekend. I doubt we will even be able to go see it after the discussion but who knows. Maybe he isn't that firm on price it has just been a complete lack of interest in it.

The other thing that always concerns me about cars advertised like this is if it is all there and in decent shape worth somewhere in the $15,000-20,000 range, why not just finish it yourself? I wonder if mid-build did they run in to some kind of huge problem that is either not repairable or would be too expensive to fix that they are trying to make the next guy's problem.

At the end of the day we are just looking for a nice summer daily driver. Paint doesn't have to be (and preferably won't be) perfect, not concerned about numbers matching. Just moderate miles, structurally sound and decent overall shape. I think my biggest thing that makes me walk away from any older car is when you can see someone has been doing a lot of electrical work on it, especially if it is really obvious that it wasn't done right. I can do just about anything mechanical on a car, but my electrical knowledge is not great at all.

Anyway, thanks for all the great tips. I will search out some metal bumper corvettes for sale in Canada and their price for comparisons. To me this is like IKEA, the car requires some assembly and finishing work, so the price should reflect that, lol. If in the end we put in a year or two of time and work and it ends up being the same or more than just going and finding one that is already done, original or otherwise ready to drive there wasn't much point unless you have the time and money and want a project. In my experience the current owner rarely sees it that way, but no one has a gun to my head saying I have to buy it and he is entitled to his opinion.

 

[Black 03 Z06]

 

[nascar03]

Hi C3...
There are lots of Corvettes out there.. A big part of Corvette ownership is the ‘hunt’ for the right fit.
The local Corvette group can possibly assist you with locating the right car or at least pointing you to a trained specialist that can inspect a car for you.
If it is a hobby you are looking for than don’t forget these things always need work. Even if you find a smooth running, nicely finished solid car of this age, there will be something to do.

Happy hunting.
Graham

 

[turbozig]

As many have mentioned prior to me, the most important parts are the frame and birdcage. A decent restorable chrome bumper car is $18-25k. I am into mine for over $60k not including the thousand hours of my labour, and I started off with a beautiful rust free numbers matching 1970 LS5 for $30k. In my opinion, restore one only if you have tons of time and money, otherwise buy one fully restored. These cars are very different and difficult to work on, and not cheap. JMHO

 

[Rruuff Day]

Excellent advice Zig!

 

[Norm07]

I also agree with Zig. My 71 Convertible was numbers matching mostly complete. I paid a fair bit more than what C3Corvette is looking at, but I had looked for a long time, and I wasn't getting any younger. I found issues with my car that would never have been found, unless you were digging pretty deep into the car. In my case I have the time, and money??? Not really but I am resourceful. Just a suggestion....if you do not have the mechanical ability, the tools and the perseverance to finish the job, look for a nice restored car in the $25-$30k range that some other unfortunate sole has spent the time, work and money on and is looking to recover maybe 50 cents on the dollar he has actually spent on parts...labour is not even included. I am doing my complete frame off because I want to. Rebuilding the rear end, control arms, power steering components all myself. I am saving a considerable amount of money. I suspect the car you are looking at has some major structural issues, birdcage and or frame rot. I can say with confidence that any chrome bumper C3 without any frame or birdcage rust issues in that price range would be snapped up fast, especially in Ontario. The big thing, like others here with way more experience then myself have said...get it inspected by someone who knows these C3's. You could be looking at a 25k car, worth 20k that needs 10k in work.

 

[MuskokaMac]

Good advice, being the owner of two C3's, one of them a chrome bumper car, I would have to agree. Without a good foundation (frame) these cars are worth very little. Inspecting the frame and the birdcage is a MUST, if the frame is bad it can be fixed or replaced, but the birdcage is another story. As for the electrical, I found them to be very simple to fix, compared to todays vehicles. I also started out with solid rust free C3's and the dollars add up REALLY quickly, and that was doing it myself, if I had to get someone else to do it for me, then it would have been cheaper to just go out and buy a new car, seriously. If I had to do it again I'd buy someone else's dream (as long as the dream was done properly), and don't worry you'll still have a ton of s**t to fix.....lol. There are lots of these cars around, if it was me I wouldn't rush into anything, I'd keep my emotions in check, go into it with eye's wide open, don't assume anything and if the seller really wants to sell the car they should co-operate, and if they don't, walk away, there are plenty of these cars around. Good luck with your quest.

 

[C3Corvette]

Thanks, that is good to know about the electrical. That is the part that scares me most about cars of any age just because it is the one thing that I really can't do much work on. We were discussing it yesterday and the more we think about it with the information from here the worse idea it seems to be. I think this would make sense if we were in our next house in a country type setting where there is lots of garage space to throw it knowing full well it is going to be an expensive project and take a long time. Right now we only have two garage spots, and two outside spots (one of the two outside spots isn't really a "spot", but I am going to make it one and hope no one complains, haha) so the two summer and two winter cars. No room for a project right now.

It has been a crappy year for weather in Winnipeg so far this year. Snowing and cold still. It looks like that will take a turn by the end of this weekend and hopefully there are lots of people like me waiting for the weather to get just a bit nicer and bring their summer cars out. I think there will be lots to choose from shortly. I actually had to start and move my summer car last night to make way for appliance delivery in the garage. Couldn't go anywhere because there is only storage insurance but at least I know if starts and runs just as well as when it was put away.

Thanks again to everyone for the good tips and advice, we really appreciate it.

 

[Black 03 Z06]

Just don't give up the search, you never know what you might find when you least expect it. Good luck and stay in touch.

 

[Bo Doodley]

Hi,

I have come across an ad for a 1972 Corvette. It is the year range we wanted with the metal bumpers and flat rear window - we thought at best we could find one with a flat window. The issue is it looks like it has been sitting in a garage for a while and is advertised as being "all there" but needs some "elbow grease". I am waiting to hear back about a few questions I had for him - engine type, mileage, is it running, what kind of elbow grease, etc. I am capable and willing to do the work my concern is that I have heard this too many times where cars are advertised as "all there" only to find out that meant mostly there, except for those hard to find and very expensive parts, lol. He is asking $9000 CAD. The car has been for sale for quite some time and I think was at one point asking over $10,000.

If I can confirm that it for the most part "all there" and even better yet in running condition, do you guys think the price is fair around the $8000-9000 CAD mark? I know it will at the very least need a paint job. A rough quote I had done on my Mustang at a local shop that uses Sikkens paint was around $8000 and I would assume a Corvette's body work would be a little more expensive so maybe around $10,000 for paint depending on what is required? I don't know, it is a really nice car and exactly what we wanted in terms of features, I just wonder what your thoughts are on the situation and pricing.

Thanks!

Hi. I'm not sure what the attraction is with C3 series of Vette's. I purchased a '72 new with a 454ci / 270 hp and as far as driving was concerned, it was the most uninspiring Vette I had owned. For my $$, I would rather a used low-mileage C5 which was so much more enjoyable to drive. Just my 2 cents. But there seems to be some attraction to these '72's - not sure why - must be more than metal bumpers. Maybe you can educate me on the attraction to this car. Thanks. Bo

 

[nascar03]

Bo...!
I realize that you have owned a few Corvettes in the past.
I’ve owned my C3 for 36 years and driven it over 120K miles in that time..
Drag raced, track driven and auto-crossed for most of that time.
Attended concours, car shows, mini-cruises all over Western Canada, as well as trips to Vegas, California, etc.
I would not give this car up for anything.!, so much fun.
I also have a C5 in the garage and love it as well.
Both cars have about the same HP and performance but are FUN in different ways.
I suspect if a midstyle or late model makes it’s way into my garage those will also have their special aspects to Corvetting.
It is often a tough decision when I go out to the garage to decided which one to take out today..
i’m A lucky man to have the choice.
It’s all good...

Graham

 

[Bo Doodley]

Bo...!
I realize that you have owned a few Corvettes in the past.
I’ve owned my C3 for 36 years and driven it over 120K miles in that time..
Drag raced, track driven and auto-crossed for most of that time.
Attended concours, car shows, mini-cruises all over Western Canada, as well as trips to Vegas, California, etc.
I would not give this car up for anything.!, so much fun.
I also have a C5 in the garage and love it as well.
Both cars have about the same HP and performance but are FUN in different ways.
I suspect if a midstyle or late model makes it’s way into my garage those will also have their special aspects to Corvetting.
It is often a tough decision when I go out to the garage to decided which one to take out today..
i’m A lucky man to have the choice.
It’s all good...

Graham

Hi Graham. It's great that you have two Vettes that you enjoy so much. For me, the '72 just didn't do very much. It was a 454 and it was automatic - maybe that had something to do with it. Perhaps I was spoiled by the C2's that I had before the '72. If I could put two Vettes in my garage based on my experiences, there would be a C5 and a C2 ('65 to'67) small block. However while nothing will ever displace the C2 as a favourite, I am hoping and expecting my new C7 will displace the C5. All the best and enjoy your two cars. Bo

 

[Paul C7 to C8]

IMO the debate over C3's or C5's is part of the car culture... Vert or coupe and so on. I personally like the 68-72's, and if I were to come across a decent one I may pull the trigger. I have not owned one but have driven a couple...Do they drive great? - passable. Great performance? - not really. Do they have looks? I think so. To me, whatever can put a smile on ones face, and its within their means, I say go for it and have fun!

 

[Rruuff Day]

Hi. I'm not sure what the attraction is with C3 series of Vette's. I purchased a '72 new with a 454ci / 270 hp and as far as driving was concerned, it was the most uninspiring Vette I had owned. For my $$, I would rather a used low-mileage C5 which was so much more enjoyable to drive. Just my 2 cents. But there seems to be some attraction to these '72's - not sure why - must be more than metal bumpers. Maybe you can educate me on the attraction to this car. Thanks. Bo

Personally I love the look of both the C2 and the C3... face it... Iike the look of Corvettes period. I have driven C3'sbefore and while certainly not the experienceof driving a C6 or C7, it still puts a smile on my face. And of course there are ways to dress up the C3 a bit if you want to turn a few extra heads.....