1976 Corvette - thoughts? (Page 1/4) RayOtton NOV 04, 12:48 PM Completely out of the blue I stumbled across a '76 Vette with 83K miles for sale locally with a price tag around $4500. Older gentleman has been given the word to unload it. I'm not much of a fan, don't love 'em, don't hate em', but the wife has always wanted a Sting Ray. It's a T-top coupe, w/auto. The list of replacement parts is extensive including modernized A/C. The body seems OK, the CarFax shows no accidents but it needs paint which is OK as it's a two tone metallic mauve. NADA and Hagerty's list it for anywhere from $9400 to $24000. Is this a good deal? What should I be looking for? Thanks. Thunderstruck GT NOV 04, 01:42 PM 180 horse And people pick on Fieros RayOtton NOV 04, 01:59 PM Yeah I read that on Wiki. Shocking! How hard would it be to squeeze a few more ponies out of it? Thunderstruck GT NOV 04, 02:16 PM IMO, if you can't buy it for under $3500.00 it's really not worth it. That era of Vettes are not only anemic, they are undesirable. Putting money into one to make it go faster is really throwing good money at bad. But if that is what you are after, try to find one without a drivetrain. Those can be found for $1500.00 and less. Just make sure the frame is good. They are notorious for frame rot. Again, and people pick on Fieros. RayOtton NOV 04, 02:46 PM Yeah, not going to be putting any engines in anything at this point. Those days are long gone. Thanks for the info on frame rot. I'll have to go back and check. Thunderstruck GT NOV 04, 02:53 PM quote Originally posted by RayOtton: Yeah, not going to be putting any engines in anything at this point. Those days are long gone. Thanks for the info on frame rot. I'll have to go back and check. There's a ton of room under the hood of those cars and no computers. Very easy to put a drivetrain in one. A hell of a lot easier than doing a Fiero. RayOtton NOV 04, 03:33 PM Thanks for the encouragement but after replacing the 4.6 in my '98 F-150 I'm done. At 64 it's time to listen to mother nature. But I can't argue that it would be easier than just about ANYTHING on a Fiero. Fiero84Freak NOV 04, 04:09 PM As a Corvette owner (C5) that particular era of the C3 is pretty undesireable. It's also not very utilitarian for what it is. The rear window is fixed so rear trunk accessibility is very nil. The hatch didn't come about until very, very late in C3 production. The anemic engine is also fairly undesireable. While there are ways to upgrade, by the time you factor in cost of the car and engine components you probably could have just bought a more powerful Corvette. C4 territory with an L98 should be easily obtainable. If you're wanting it just to enter the "Corvette Club" any good C3 will get you in. Especially if you're intending it to be a driver. Thunderstruck GT NOV 05, 09:30 AM quote Originally posted by RayOtton: Completely out of the blue I stumbled across a '76 Vette with 83K miles for sale locally with a price tag around $4500. NADA and Hagerty's list it for anywhere from $9400 to $24000. LOL, I just caught this. Those cars haven't been worth that kind of money since they were new. FriendGregory NOV 05, 12:39 PM Buy it, use it for a year, and sell it. You should not lose much on the transactions and you will have been able to see how owning a Vette from the era was like. Do not spend a dime on it except gas, insurance, and maintenance. I do not think you will get any returns on the money. As a driver of a 4 door 64 Fairlane, not a popular model, I have to recognize that any money spent on the car is simply for my pleasure and is not invested.