Good morning all. New member here considering the purchase of a '60 convertible, the price for which seems too good to be true based on the apparent condition perceived from the pictures. I am unfamiliar with Vettes; have always been a British car enthusiast since my first MG in the 60's and currently have an A and an XKE, but a dearth of specialist repair shops have me throwing in the towel and divesting. (I did have a '63 split rear window I bought in 73 with a 2 speed powerglide, but sold it 6 months later for no gain, the start of my "buy high, sell low" and make it up with volume modus operandi.

I had not given the Vette marque another thought until just now.when Google's algorithm just decided I should see this one. I was immediately smitten by the "route 66" styling with dual headlamps, two tone cove paint scheme, grab bar dash, etc. It looks "brand new".

BUT the PRICE seems too good to be true. At under $35K, it is less than half of the C-1s I see at Haggerty's, BAT, et al..

Though there don't seem to be many '60's available and it isn't included in the "most desirable" models coveted by collectors. Was there something inherently wrong with that year?

I've researched the typical areas of concern for the car, i.e., frame and "birdcage" rust, fiberglass damage, etc. I have contacted Vette Works and am awaiting an inspection quote. Any advice or suggestions anyone else to use or what to pay? What else could predicate a low price? There are no pics or mention of tops? 283 vs 327? Under the hood looks clean, but stock; no aluminum radiator, ignition upgrades, etc.

My ownership interest is purely social. Short top down runs to local "caffeine and cars" events and club gatherings What I don't want is a car that is difficult to start, drive or prone to overheating. My experience is limited to British and German gearboxes; is the Vette manual user friendly? Absent power steering, is maneuverability in parking lots a challenge? Chances are good I will not test drive this car; if the inspection results are acceptable I would buy it on that basis.

Thanks in advance for any advice, insights, experiences, etc.

Pete

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

Welcome to the forums. Maybe buying the car will help you sleep better? It's likely to have a Bourg Warner T-10 that was a good friendly transmission. I had 62 years back that I put a Chevy 396 BB in with no PS or Power brakes with no issues. It did have a heavy duty clutch with a close ratio Muncie 4 sp and blow proof bell housing, It made stop lights a challenge on the left leg at times, but it was a dream to drive. A good inspection should help make the decision.

 

Thanks for the reply.. I heard back from Vette Works; he believes at the price quoted for the car pictured, it is most likely a scam.

 

That could be true, be careful. I have nothing good to say about scammers. I see where GM is only allowing a person to buy one new Corvette a year to cut down on flipping cars. Some people need to find more productive hobbies. It's getting harder finding good old classic cars anymore so good luck. You could say you are looking for a good old classic to drive to the FBI office and see what kind of reaction you get.

 

Too good to be true, a pristine C1 for $28K, but I can' imagine how they could pull off the fraud. My intention was to dispatch and inspector so I suppose my damages would have been limited to his fee, though the "seller" might have required a deposit to hold the car until he got there. Over the last year 18 months I have bought 4 classics and none of them were as advertised so lesson learned. Some were minor like dings or dents not visible or disclosed in the photos or fluid leaks that require intensive R&R to correct. The most egregious were the electric windows on a 55 T-Bird that crashed and broke immediately after it was offloaded from the delivery truck - $2500 and counting at this writing. My two XKEs were bought as minor projects so no complaints other than the dearth of repair specialists for the tricky bits, which is what has me thinking about transitioning to a Vette that at least has more familiar engine, ignition and fuel delivery systems. Seems there are a fair amount available though I am shocked by the prices. Hopefully I can find one at a dealer who will take a Jag in trade!

 

A good clean 61 might be hard to find, they are out there. There were 2 61s I saw that were sold in Boise this year and they brought 112K and 114K so I'm sure they were cherry for that price. Any car that old would almost need be restored completely to keep operating with few leaks. And rust could be an issue depending on where it's been.