I am in need of an opinion on whether this seems like a deal or not. If this is in the wrong part of the forum, mods please move as desired. If I missed a blatanlty obbvious section where this was suposed to be, feel free to lay me across the hood of a Pinto and smack me.

I am looking at a first car, am a new(er) driver, and have the opportunity to pick up a 1978 Coupe (subject to full mechanical checkout first of course). in no partuicular order, here is the low-down...

1978 25th Anniversary Corvette, T-Tops (mirrored, non-original) supplied
Was the L82 option but (somewhere along the way, current owner unable to tell me why..) the L82 engine was removed and a replacement 350 from an unknown truck was fitted in in it's place. Sounds the same as far as engines go but that means nothing. No stats or specs on it yet.
3-speed auto tranny of course, fully functional
Has the following issues - a/c non functionaing due to different engine and disonnected system - driver's sdie inside door lock button non-functional, locks from outside easily enough (won't be locked out with keys inside!!! BONUS!!!) - e-brake non-functional, uses 'park' in meantime - speedo needle has a good .5 inch quiver when at speed (loose cable / cabling defect / loose nedle) - gas gauge non-functional - one headlight bulb non-functional (outer right bulb, works on hi-beam not on low... double filament bulb or wiring problem?) - dash has been removed for install of Alpine tape deck and not completely secured again - fan system blows next to nothing in air (how bad is this?!? is it going to be D&&& expensive?)aforementioned engine is a rebuilt with 94500KM on it.
Paint - yellow with the black pin-striping, *very* nice shape for the vehicle, only a couple small blemishes, needs a carwash though.
Interior - tan, leather seats in good shape, covered with seat covers for everyday use to keep them that way (I checked the seats, all good there), rest of interior in good shape tho needs a good vacuuming, also has about a half-foot length of carpet on rear-left that has come unglued at the top, should be easy to fix up... (correct if wrong?) also is mising speaker grille on left floor speaker, but has a 6-speaker setup so not all bad
Power windows - work fine, tho the right has a good 2" drop when first activated...
Has new all-seasons on it, brakes have just been finished, and feels solid and quick when driving it in city and highway and the engine is in good shape. Belts and tubes are 90% crack and blemish free, and the vaccuum system looks to be in awesome shape, lights have no problem operating.

Considering the owner (private deal) is asking $7500 Canadian for it, and it's been in BC for 5 years now, can anyone update me as to how good a deal this is? What theoretical repairs will run for cost and how much I should barter this down by? Other corvettes in this area are in slightly better shape and have the original engines, but run about 1800$ to 5000$ more. Not having a/c and the original engine will not make a difference to me as long as the engine works mechanically. The speedo is accurate enough to live with, and fine for me. E-brake - I can live with it as long as Park works. The repairs that would be done straight off would be the fan system and the gas gauge.

Thanking in advance for responses...

TheAnomaly

|QUOTE|TheAnomaly said: I am in need of an opinion on whether this seems like a deal or not. If this is in the wrong part of the forum, mods please move as desired. If I missed a blatanlty obbvious section where this was suposed to be, feel free to lay me across the hood of a Pinto and smack me.

I am looking at a first car, am a new(er) driver, and have the opportunity to pick up a 1978 Coupe (subject to full mechanical checkout first of course). in no partuicular order, here is the low-down...

1978 25th Anniversary Corvette, T-Tops (mirrored, non-original) supplied
Was the L82 option but (somewhere along the way, current owner unable to tell me why..) the L82 engine was removed and a replacement 350 from an unknown truck was fitted in in it's place. Sounds the same as far as engines go but that means nothing. No stats or specs on it yet.
3-speed auto tranny of course, fully functional
Has the following issues - a/c non functionaing due to different engine and disonnected system - driver's sdie inside door lock button non-functional, locks from outside easily enough (won't be locked out with keys inside!!! BONUS!!!) - e-brake non-functional, uses 'park' in meantime - speedo needle has a good .5 inch quiver when at speed (loose cable / cabling defect / loose nedle) - gas gauge non-functional - one headlight bulb non-functional (outer right bulb, works on hi-beam not on low... double filament bulb or wiring problem?) - dash has been removed for install of Alpine tape deck and not completely secured again - fan system blows next to nothing in air (how bad is this?!? is it going to be D&&& expensive?)aforementioned engine is a rebuilt with 94500KM on it.
Paint - yellow with the black pin-striping, *very* nice shape for the vehicle, only a couple small blemishes, needs a carwash though.
Interior - tan, leather seats in good shape, covered with seat covers for everyday use to keep them that way (I checked the seats, all good there), rest of interior in good shape tho needs a good vacuuming, also has about a half-foot length of carpet on rear-left that has come unglued at the top, should be easy to fix up... (correct if wrong?) also is mising speaker grille on left floor speaker, but has a 6-speaker setup so not all bad
Power windows - work fine, tho the right has a good 2" drop when first activated...
Has new all-seasons on it, brakes have just been finished, and feels solid and quick when driving it in city and highway and the engine is in good shape. Belts and tubes are 90% crack and blemish free, and the vaccuum system looks to be in awesome shape, lights have no problem operating.

Considering the owner (private deal) is asking $7500 Canadian for it, and it's been in BC for 5 years now, can anyone update me as to how good a deal this is? What theoretical repairs will run for cost and how much I should barter this down by? Other corvettes in this area are in slightly better shape and have the original engines, but run about 1800$ to 5000$ more. Not having a/c and the original engine will not make a difference to me as long as the engine works mechanically. The speedo is accurate enough to live with, and fine for me. E-brake - I can live with it as long as Park works. The repairs that would be done straight off would be the fan system and the gas gauge.

Thanking in advance for responses...

TheAnomaly|/QUOTE|

Not being able to see the car, makes it hard to evaluate. The problems you mentioned, can be repaired or replaced. But, they will be expensive. I am sure that if you look for a while longer, you will find a better car, maybe even numbers matching, with lower mileage, for about the same price. I'm not sure how much $7500 canadian is. Somewhere around maybe $6500? you didn't say if it had been wrecked or not. Also don't forget about frame rust, windshield rust, trailing arm rust, etc,etc.

It is also fairly high mileage. Of course, I'm kinda prejudiced, since mine only has 13500 miles on it.

Good luck.
There are a lot of good ones out there, you just have to find them....

yeah - the mechanic is waving red flags in my face cause he hates to work on them and they cost 60 an hour in labour to do (until i learn, but that will be a while). he also read em the riot act on theft likelihood and the need for transportation over a vette and it's glitz. i have already taken that into account, but yes high repairs cost are something i am not huge about but will sacrifice in order to have the vette.

yes... 7500$ canadian works out to about 6-6500$ us dollar. checked the engine compartment, and windshield/t-roof areas and no rust visible. latches are rust free, tho are aged (hopefully not painted over... heh). yes mileage is high, but it's a 78... and yours is awesome mileage for the vehicle... i'm jealous... there are a not a whole lot i've found locally for 7-9000 canadian (6-8000 american) but i'm looking hard... i could suffer what it has, but a better one for the money is always more desireable.

we'll see i guess... i apologize for my long-windedness and thx for the well wishing - i'm hoping i won't have to fore-go the idea of a c3 vette and have to drop to a late 80's firebird

Just my .02 cents....sounds like a money pit to me. Save a little extra money and search a little more. I think that you can do better. Good luck in your venture for a vette!
STW Sarge

I have to agree with Sarge. I know it will be tough, but keep looking. Something better WILL turn up. And even after you've decided on the car of your dreams, signed the papers, and drivien it home - an even better one will turn up. Count on it...!!!

It's not often you're going to get this quality of advice from total strangers, but I definitely think it is advice well spent if you take it.

You already know the cost of repairs for Vettes. We all do! Now, why, if this is your first one, would you settle for one that doesn't have the original motor, has problems with the speedo, door locks, etc.

If you really want a Vette, brother, take your time and find the RIGHT one. They're not going to disappear off the face of the earth, and you WILL find one you can afford, especially if you save for a while longer. This guy is trying to sell this car on the Vette name alone, regardless of condition and quality. I for one would not purchase unless you could talk him down to a reasonable price that allows you to take the balance of your budget and immediately effect the repairs needed. (But remember, the obvious repairs are not always the most expensive.)

Ultimately it is your call on this matter. If you buy it...welcome to the club! If you don't...we'll welcome you as an owner later.

Hang in and hang tight to your principles. Don't let overzealousness rule your decision in this purchase.

no it's not often i get this quality of advice on forums, and the response has been much appreciated - the mech. inspection has been put on hold until i can get down to examine 3 others on the corvette specialties lot (more money by about 1.5 grand, but oroginal equipment, no cut out engines) and see there. if i could talk him down, i may, but i have to admit that my long-time admiration of the c3 body style coupled with my realization that i could finally afford to buy one did play a role in a little overzealousness. i have reined myself in a bit now.

thx to norm too for the other list of vette sites including the price estimater-thingy-mabob. i'll keep the forum posted as the search proceeds!

Cheers, and thanks again!

Mike

|QUOTE|TheAnomaly said: no it's not often i get this quality of advice on forums, and the response has been much appreciated - the mech. inspection has been put on hold until i can get down to examine 3 others on the corvette specialties lot (more money by about 1.5 grand, but oroginal equipment, no cut out engines) and see there. if i could talk him down, i may, but i have to admit that my long-time admiration of the c3 body style coupled with my realization that i could finally afford to buy one did play a role in a little overzealousness. i have reined myself in a bit now.

thx to norm too for the other list of vette sites including the price estimater-thingy-mabob. i'll keep the forum posted as the search proceeds!

Cheers, and thanks again!

Mike|/QUOTE|

Mike,
You might try the classifieds in your local newspaper. There are some in the St Louis Post, every day. Call the people up, and go look at them.

One thing for sure, don't get in a big hurry.....

|UPDATED|9/19/2002 8:10:41 PM|/UPDATED|

I think you might be a bit high on the price also. Have you looked around on the internet or at least gone to Hemmings.com or any of the major sites that handle Vettes both private and through dealers? Plane fairs are fairly cheap to go look at a car when you compare it against the expense of a MAJOR repair. There are a lot of nice cars out there, take your time. The right one for you is available. With over 1200 members of this registry, you stand a good chance of finding one who will take a look at a car for you before you out fly to see it yourself. I bought my car off the internet and have been thrilled with it.
Here is a trick I read about somewhere for checking for rust. Take a nice white towel with you and put it on the ground half under and half not under the door hinges and open and close the door a few times, making sure you close it fairly hard at lease once. Look on the towel for any rust that falls out. If you see any, it is probably a good reason to go look at another car.
Good luck with your search.

Glenn,

That is a nice tip for finding rust. I never thought of it. Sounds like it would work great though.