Hey guys,

I came across an older lady and her husband living on fixed income.
They have a 1981 Corvette non-crossfire, 350Ci.
Original 82,000 miles, paint is good minor touch-up (white).. wheels are aftermarket half way decent nothing chrome or cool. Oxblood interior (kinda trashed) engine sounds like a bigger cam was put it at some point. Sounds nice.. small leak from the fuel pump or maybe the charcoal canister... Shes not dumb, the car really isn't for sale I'm just another"offer - drive by so to speak".. Fuel pump may be bad as well... (the interior is not in horrible shape, just the seats are kinda ripped, some chunks of foam and leather are missing... carpet is dirty old and ripped in some pots, dash pad is ok but kinda cracked a bit... radio doesn't work, and I believe the door lock  mechanism is jammed or broken inside becasue the strike won't lease from inside or outside.
Power driver's seat, manual passanger, power windows, glass t-tops non power side mirrors non power locks.
You think 2 or 3K is fair market value?

Thanks,
-Louis

Without pics and a detailed view it's hard to say.  3k seems low to me.  Is the other one fishied yet???  How close are you??

3k seems very low to me. The drive train alone is worth that.

Scott

When I got my 81 in 2007 I paid 9Be Nice !! 500.00 for it .117,000 miles.  By your description mine was in much better shape except milage.  Interior was nice and everything worked.  If you can get it for 3 or 4, GRAB IT.  Be Nice to the elderly folks !!

Well...since the car really isn't for sale anyway, $2000 sounds like a good deal. All she can do is say NO....
[QUOTE]the seats are kinda ripped, some chunks of foam and leather are missing... carpet is dirty old and ripped in some pots, dash pad is ok but kinda cracked a bit... radio doesn't work, and I believe the door lock  mechanism is jammed or broken inside becasue the strike won't lease from inside or outside.[/QUOTE]

Just this makes me wonder how bad it really is...
Needs paint, and interior....that's $4000 for paint, and prolly $2000 for interior, not to mention any other issues, such as fuel pump.  Hmmmm......

I paid 13500 for my 81 and the credit union said it was worth 26K to them....go figure...   I still ended up swapping out the 350 with a 383, but is pretty clean.  3K does sound pretty low, but a lot of head room if so to fix-er-up sweet! 81Corvette2009-06-04 21:43:57

Yes, 2-3 is fair. When it has that many needs, I wouldn't want to go more than 3000 but people do (avg. 3-5000 out here). The money adds up fast when you're restoring. aceinthehole2009-06-05 10:19:18

Here is what I do to value a car.. work backwards. If automatic and in really good shape those models are selling for $ 10 k in todays market. Now deduct what you think interior work will cost you, what paint and body will cost you, and any other issues. Thats why I bet the lady will not take less than 5k if she is indeed smart. 

Count on finding a bunch of stuff when you get home that you didn't think about or missed.
Little things add up quick.
I think you're in the right range.