In 1973 I worked with a guy that was looking to buy a Corvette. I checked the ads in the local paper on a regular basis. One day I saw an ad for a "1967 Fastback Chevrolet. (you know where this is going) Out of curiosity we called and went to see it after work. It was a 67 coupe big block. Her son was killed in Nam, and it had been in the garage since 71. My friend got the car for $5000. He washed it, waxed it, replaced the carpet and sold it for $8000. You know what happened to the value of that car shortly thereafter. I could have killed him and myself.

I have a story, but first I have missed out on:
1965 - 365HP maroon roadster-radio delete-side pipes-4:10 ring & pinion, 4 spd. I ordered this Vette at Draper Chevrolet in Saginaw, Mich., and did not take delivery.
1963 Fuelie, found in W.Va., all tires flat, dog tied to door handle, old lady said her son ran off with some girl to Texas, she was power of attorney, would take $2500.00. This was in 1974. Did not have the dough.
A 1960 ex strip car, original engine in the guy's garage, $750.00, in NC, year 1997. No interest at the time.
BEST STORY: My brother in law up in Pa., saw an ad in the paper for a 1967 Corvette, in 1986. It was in the sellers garage, in one of those under the house garages.
1967 BB roadster, side pipes, 2 tops. $7500.00. It would not start and he told the guy that if he could get it started, to call him. The guy called back that afternoon and said it is running fine, that he could come get it. My brother in law did not follow up.

Have enjoyed reading the stories.
Here is mine:
In 2002 there was an add in a california paper for the car I have been dreaming about for years (I live in Utah). It read someting like this, "1973 corvette, 454 engine, 4 speed, T-top. $5000". I started calling the friday morning and kept getting their answering machine. It was a business and could not understand why it was closed on an Friday so after the 4th or 5th call I left a message. Kept up the calling until Saturday about 1400 hrs when they answered. She proceded to talk to me about the car and I thought I had it. She said it was her fathers car and he had passed away and the car had sat for years until her husband got it running again. She asked me if she could put me on hold and when she came back explained I had been caller #2 and she just got off the phone with the guy that was going purchase it.
The rest of the story.
The husband had mentioned to his mother that they could not afford it and wanted to sell it. So the mother inlaw then put the add in the paper with the business phone number without telling anyone. Now the husband closed the office that Friday and went fishing(the day the add came out). In the mean time everyone and their dog called the phone number and filled up the answering machine. The wife received a call at home from a friend saying there must be something wrong with her business answering machine because it kept saying it was full. The wife went to the office on saturday to see what was wrong and the phone was ringing when she got there. She sold it to him and I rang in on the other line as #2.
Lessons learned: next time I would ask her to see if I had left a message before the first caller did.

Thats okay. I found one that had been stored for 20 years but that truly is another story.

Back in 83 I was going through a nasty divorce and decided to buy a 69 vette advertised in the local paper to refocus my mind. About two months after buying it, I drove past a side street with a parked vette that caught my eye. I turned around for a better look. It was another 69 with a metallic red paint. It had a 4-sale sign, so I got out for a closer look and it looked good. Chrome was very useable and the interior was in very good condition. It had an L-88 hood so I checked out the console build tag. Yep...427 425 HP, it was an original L-88. Under the hoiod everything was there, right and original. I was still suspicious, but the owner who was working in the garage came out and comfirmed it was indeed an original L-88. The asking price was $8500 but as bad as I wanted it there was no way I could swing it. If I hadn't bought the one I had, or maybe tried to work out a trade with cash I might have made a deal. Anyway, about 2 years later I saw this gold 69 L-88 at a local indoor car show. The new owner confirmed it was the same car I had seen as a red metallic Honda color. In fact, the fella who sold it was there also. He was a locally known car builder and street/strip racer. A couple years later I heard the now original gold L-88 was sold for $90K to a buyer in CA and sold again to a buyer in Japan. I talked to the fella who restored the car a few times after that earlier show. He was driving a tricked out C-3 roadster with an all aluminum engine. He said the L-88 belonged to a ministers son who was doing time on the farm. The fella selling it remembered the car and went looking for it. It was in his father's garage behind the house and after some negociation a deal was struck. That's the story I got anyway. Don't know what was paid for it, but a fresh coat of Honda red metallic went on for resale, so a profit was made. BTW, I didn't know much about vettes back then and am still no expert, but I knew to look for a radio and there was none. A couple months earlier and it might have been mine, but that's how it goes. It was in a small city about 60 miles north of NYC, NY.

back in '68 I was 16 and a guy down the street had a powder blue '61 for sale for $1800. I had $900 in the bank in my college fund. asked my Dad for a $900 loan. told me no. I was going to college. so I went to college and it took 30 yrs until I bought my '79. still think about that '61 though. it was beautiful.

12 years ago, marlboro maroon/black gut/black ragtop 71 Lt-1 350/350 4spd, perfect, $18,000. did not buy it because I couldn't deal with forking over 18g's for a vette when I was 19, needless to say I have 25k in my 80, and just blew 50 on a new c-5 ragtop. Should have bought an APPRECIATING vette instead of depreciating ones, live and learn.

Back in '72 my friend, who I grew up, with had a '63 split window, 327/300 4 speed, that he got new in '63 when we graduated H.S. and he wanted to sell it to me for $2,000, we both were getting out of the Army & needed money, so I could not afford it. Boy do I wish I had that car, by the way so does my friend

Well, I may not have missed out on it yet, I'm goin' to share with you guys because I sure as hope SOMEONE will rescue this car. All this happened less than 2 weeks ago. Driving to visit with my friend in Northern Virginia I notice a Vette on the side of the road, ugly as sin but its a white 1978. I mention it to him because I'm a nut and always talk about cars. He tells me its been sitting there since October or November. Woah. Tires weren't flat but according to my friend it hadn't moved at all during that time, and he drives past it 2x daily for work. Driving past going home....the window is down..."hey dude, has that window always been down?" He hadn't noticed but promised to keep track of the thing and let me know. It rained and SNOWED on St. Patty's Day, absurdest thing I've ever seen. Two days later I'm talking to my friend again, he brings up the Vette, "you know the day it snowed? yeah...the window was still down." I almost broke down and cried, hate seeing something of such potential beauty being so abused. Anyway, my parents are still owed a bit of money for my 75 and its repairs, so I didn't KNOW I had the funds to go buy it, and I didn't manage to get the time to get over there and ask about it. I told my dad that no matter what he has to go and at least TRY to get it for me, so we'll see.

If you're interested in a project 78 that will likely have to be towed home, new interior, new headlights and bumpers and repainted. Let me know I'll give you specific directions to where it sits as of last hearing. (I'll even call the friend and verify its still there).

Scot

Oh...the other one I missed out on, according to another friend...about 1 week after I got my 75 on the road I was talking to a Vette owner (C4) that goes to my church. "Why didn't you talk to me about it before you bought that car" "Because ted I am 19, my dad had a momentary lapse of sanity letting me buy this." "Oh, well...sorry to hear that, I've got a friend in Delaware who's got a restored 1971 Elkhart Green BB 4-spd car for $4500" I don't know if Ted was telling me the truth or not, but I like the Chrome Bumper cars a LOT more than my 75 with 81 bumpers. And BB power thru a 4-speed is a lot sexier than an L48 thru a TH Auto. BAH! I'm really not going to complain though, I was 19 and I got a Vette, I over paid and still am, but WOW!!!!

I didn't miss this one! I just picked up a White 77 T-Top, auto, air, that I have been walking my dog past in my nieghborhood. It had been sitting in a driveway under a car cover since I moved here 4 years ago and it never moved. I went up and rang the doorbell, and bought it from the 2nd owner for $2,000. (he's had it since 91) L48 engine was rebuilt 5K ago, and everything works on the car. I plan on redoing carpet, and re dyeing interior panels for now. This kind of makes up for the (2) hemi engines, and the 68 RT my father gave away to get out of his driveway years ago!

Hey Jim, I'll give you $2500 for it