1977 corvette 9034 miles
this car has all the options air/ p/windows/cruse control/rear defrost/orig tires/( no dry rot)butterscotch paint/ leather int/ inside is mint.have all paper work.window sticker on down.bought from owner that bought it new in 1977 driven less then 200 miles yr kept in climate control garage since 1977 still has frame paint on it 3 miner nicks in paint dont no if its a class 1 or class 2 help with value
Nice. But what is your question???
condition one is used for PERFECT show cars- this is a 2- even with the low miles, TIME takes its toll and rubber seals, bushings,and gas tanks all deteriorate- but a not restored, original Vette is rare- what a find! Value is based on 2 considerations (assuming this car looks and drives like new)- the good news: a low mileage car, original owner Vette should do well at an auction- some rich guys like these "survivors" better than a restored car- but not many- and that's the bad news: most rich guys will be lookin' for restored C2s- your C3 is not a very exciting car- HP was down for those years, and the styling is certainly exaggerated and not the most desirable of Vettes- so- what will determine the value? The fantastic condition or the mundane nature of the C3? depends on the buyer- you should Barrett Jackson the thing if you want to maximize the money- the more you drive it the less it will be worth- my guess, 20- 30,000 yankee dollars- with the right buyers in the room, one falls in love and the sky's the limit-
Sounds more like $27k to $30k to me.
Go to "VetteFacts.com that will give you all the production information you need on your car. The C-3 style is indeed a great looking and desirable car. I believe the HP rating was changed to RWHP with all the smog crap up and running, not the bench fly wheel HP as in past years. Two engines were available, a 180 RWHP and a 210 RWHP, all with a 350 engine and calibration. The main difference was the compression ratio of the engine. You can go to a professional detailer and have the car spiffed up to look showroom condition. Make sure there are no leaks in the gas lines, and have the fuel filters replaced. Keep it as original as possible. There are a lot of after market Corvette parts businesses that offer original equipment for the gaskets and rubber bushings to keep it original as possible. It is worth a lot of money kept factory fresh. C-3s are for the most part the most desirable. Have a professionally good restorer look at the paint chips and see if they can be fixed without repainting the car. You may spend a little more money, but you, if you want to sell it, get a lot more money as long as you keep the mileage down. Or enjoy a great machine, take it to car shows and show it off. If someone offers $40,000, take it.
Your Vette might fetch 40 grand- in a hundred years- I watched the Mecum auction 2 days ago- most cars (nice ones, too) struggled to reach 20 thousand and would settle somewhere between 20 and 30 (like I said)- they had 2 C3s- one was a low mileage Silver Anniversary (4000 miles) the other was a '71 427- the Silver Anniversary settled slightly above $20,000- and the 427, highly desirable, just broke 30- both owners let them go- the collector car market is saturated right now, and the buyers are saving their money for things that are REALLY rare and well restored- they don't want mass-produced cars cluttering up their garages- if they buy assembly line cars, they want something rare that only a few were made- just watch some car auctions- you don't have to believe me- after watching this show, I would downgrade the value of your car to $15,000
I agree with jamnblues on the values right now. I also re-read your lead in. If you still have original tires, I'd get them changed before driving it. The tires have a life span of 8 to 10 years. After that the core starts to deteriorate, and under driving conditions the tread may let go. I had a set of BFG on my Vette for 11 years and developed a vibration above 60 mph. I could not get it located until I finally put new tires on and the vibration was gone. The tire shop told me the tread was starting to let go. So be very careful out there. There are tire manufactures that make factory original looking tires if that's what you want to keep. Make sure all the brake lines are secure also. Not only wear weakens items on cars, inactivity will do it also. Change out all the heater hoses, flush out the radiator, and have the carburetor looked at for leaks. Oil changes in the transmission and rear end wouldn't be a bad prevention also. Check the rear end differential for possible leaks to be on the safe side. This can be done all at once or over time.
