I am a newbie to this forum and looking to buy my first vette. The car I want is a 72 and I saw one recently on the Mecum Auction:

Stan,
Sounds like a cop out, but without actually seeing the car and doing a thorough inspection, putting a value on this car is difficult. I assume that $23,000 did not reach the reserve. The car looks great in the pictures but it could have bad spots in the paint or previous body damage, both greatly reducing the price of the car. A good paint job can start at $7000. I suspect if this car is "all there" as the real collectors say, it would easily fetch more than $30,000. It really boils down to what someone is willing to pay for it. There is a finite number of really good cars available and that will never change. Hope this helps.

Scott

Thanks Scott.  Sounds like for the right car I should expect to drop $30K.  I agree its hard to buy these things online.  When you buy from places like Mecum or barrett jackson do they guarnatee anything like the fact that the car was never hit or anything?

If you are still learning about these things and do not know about all the things that can come back to haunt you, you might think about this: Make a list of things  that you must have in the car. List things that are negotiable. If a car interests you contact someone on this site that is near the car and see if they are willing to take a look for you. There are quite a few members here that are experts and a few that are NCRS judges. On these cars, it is usually what you can't see that hurts. Frame and birdcage come to mind. If you miss problems in those areas you are in trouble. Most folks bidding on Barrett Jackson cars have checked out the car long before bidding( at least working class people).  Most of the real collector cars have been in someone's personal collection, therefore other collectors know the history of the car. I don't think Barrett Jackson would guarantee everything. I know in my home State, we have statutes that dictate what an auction house must disclose. It is up to the buyer to understand what the auctioneer is saying. Here in South Carolina, the auctioneer must announce problems wth the drive train and/or frame/unibody damage. I don't know how other States handle this.

Scott

I have to agree....$23K was most likely less then the reserve price judging from the looks of the car itself...

I have a 72 ..non original engine car and to be honest I would sell mine for 23K ONLY if I were in desperate need of the cash....  Of course I'm kind of sentimental about the car ! and yes it has a few faults none of which are in any way serious or expensive to correct...

Bob G

This advice is from someone who also is trying  to learn all about these cars and value's.

1st thing I did is just buy mag's, goggle "Corvettes for sale" and check out web sites, watch craigs list from Florida to Cal to Washington. Look at whats out there, with what options and what $ they want. There are way more Vettes in Phoenix than San Diego.

Then I read alot of the back pages of this site. There is a wealth of info on previous pages.

Buying a car from a state that doesnt use salt on the roads I think to be a positive.

The term "#'s matching" means different things to different people. Sometimes it means the carb matches the intake.
Sometimes it means the motor matches the car. Big difference.

Hope that helps.