Many times we see a claim that a car is all original, but closer inspection reveals that “original” is an abused word. For the sake of argument in this write-up, let’s set the definition as a car with nearly all the parts it left the factory with. Replacement tires, hoses, and belts can and should be, allowed. The 1971 Corvette we see here, for sale here on eBay out of Center Harbor, New Hampshire, has every appearance of meeting that high standard. However, do low mileage and impeccable condition justify the $42,000 buy it now prices on this otherwise low optioned Corvette?
The picture above is our first piece of evidence that this car is special. There aren’t many vintage Corvettes out there with just 23,966 miles. The story behind this one is that it was stored for many years in a car collection. Corvettes are grail cars for a lot of people. These folks usually keep their baby garaged, washed, waxed, and otherwise pampered throughout their time of ownership. I have seen Corvettes that have never passed over a wet road. While they aren’t the most numerous of Corvette owners, the meticulous are the folks to seek out when it is time to buy a used Corvette.
Our next piece of evidence is the Corvette Order Copy. The Order Copy is more commonly known as the tank sticker. It was affixed to the top of the fuel tank which was exposed on the chassis until the body was lowered onto the car. The Corvette buyer of the era could choose from a dizzying array of options. Having a customer order a car with specific options was far more common than today’s practice of just buying what is sitting on the lot or having a desired car transferred from another dealer. Dealers also made specific orders to get cars with desirable options on the lot. The Order Copy allowed workers to know what parts to install as the car went down the line. From what I can decipher, the car had a basic 270 horsepower engine, which was usually paired with the wide ratio four-speed in manual transmission equipped cars. I can also make out that it was equipped with Positraction (which was standard for that year), and raised white letter tires. Everything else is too faded to confidently read.
The tires we see on this passenger side view are modern replacements. Believe it or not, there are people that will pay big money for original tires. While they are unsafe to drive on, the National Corvette Restorers Society once took off points in judging if your tires were reproductions. Hopefully, common sense has prevailed since then. At any rate, the picture shows that the Mille Miglia Red paint still has a lot of shine to it. So much so that any potential buyer should look for both signs of deterioration to prove originality or evidence that a re-spray has been performed.
The interior looks immaculate as well. According to the Corvette Black Book, the pleats in the vinyl seats running fore and aft and the presence of the fiber optic light monitoring system indicate that this is an earlier production car. We can also see that the original AM-FM radio is still there. The good news on the tunes is that these can be gutted and fitted with modern internals that includes Bluetooth capability without changing the factory appearance. Of course, the floor mats are aftermarket replacements.
Under the hood sits the 270 horsepower version of the Chevrolet 350 cubic inch small block we previously mentioned. To boost the originality claims, the car still has the chromed ignition shielding that prevented that system from interfering with your music as you cruised down the road. When Corvette engines were modified, this stuff was usually the first to go. Otherwise, a quick look around the engine bay shows nothing out of place. Many of the underhood parts are date coded, and the books needed to better understand this system are sold by NCRS. If you are going to spend this kind of coin on a Corvette, they are a must-have.
So, is this Corvette a wise purchase at $42,000? If it passes an in-person inspection from an NCRS trained judge, then it probably is. If it is not the right price today, it will be the right one soon. There just aren’t that many original Corvettes in this condition left. Supply and demand at work.
The problem with low milage originals is their value is in their lack of use. So if your ok with $42k lump taking up space in your garage while your daily driver sits in a snow bank all winter then I say go for it. I personally would want to rack up the miles. I would take good care of it but there’s no way it would just sit around. I personally think for the most part cars make poor investments when you consider all the effort you have to put in to providing proper storage and preservation.
We have under 100 years on this Earth, 25 of it we will not drive.
Do you really want to waste another 10, 20 or 30 years, not driving the car in the garage?
Rather buy the photograph, if you not going to drive it.
My 40 year old, as new motorhome, Mustang and motorcycle, will outlive me, what was the point?
I’m with you, Mark! While I’d want a ‘Vette that looked to be in this condition if I were in the market, I would never buy a low-mile car and leave it sitting. Collectors will disagree, but to me a garage queen with 24K on the clock is essentially worthless.
Collectors are great, as are the marque enthusiasts who preserve shiny originals. My hat’s off to all of them. I just hope they’d wave when I drove by!
Cool car but I’m in love with the new ones which can be had for not much more.
Whole lotta red there!
Sorry, as a long time ’69 owner, that’s a lot of $$ for a base model small block, low miles or otherwise.
It’s a pretty nice Corvette and looks fairly original, but a few things have been changed, beyond the sellers claim of just the tires and battery. From a quick look I can see that it has an aftermarket master cylinder, might be missing the lower ignition shields, has the wrong shielding hardware, the wrong oil cap, and the wrong air cleaner wing nut. Seeing the car in person, would probably turn up a few more things.
This is about as basic a Corvette as you could order in 1971. According to the build sheet, the only options on the car are the PO2 full wheel covers, U69 AM/FM mono radio and PU9 white lettered F70x15 tires. I do think the red on red is a hard combination to beat, but for the asking price, I’d like a car with a few more options.
As an NCRS judge, I can tell the author that the NCRS doesn’t deduct for reproduction tires, just because they’re reproductions. Reproduction tires receive a slight point deduction, because the markings and dates on them, vary from the original tires. Reproduction parts only receive a deduction, if they differ from the OEM part in some way.
Good looking car, but the $$! Assuming the birdcage and frame are OK. Chrome bumper C3’s are nice, they look good IMO.
If I really wanted a good C3 I’d look for a clean body and interior. I’d get one of the replacement frames that take C4 suspension, get the engine and rearend of choice. Tremec 6 speed. You could build that IMO for less than this one and have a lot more fun with it. No it won’t pass NCRS standard but then again I don’t want a car like that. I want something I’m not afraid to drive, that’s what they’re for IMO. You want them to look nice but I want something I can drive.
I think only way an undesirable car can retain any value is by keeping the mileage as low as possible, hence by adding any mileage you are only going to lose money. A true classic will always gain value no matter what the mileage is.
I had a friend in the 90’s who daily driver in nice weather was 67 GTC Ferrari (wish I could have a daily driver like that) he paid about 20K for it in the 70’s.
No matter what the mileage the car still has value in the high six figures.
‘ undesirable car’ ?
Maybe undesirable is a little harsh, but if you ever drove a corvette with manual brakes, manual steering, and no A/C it,s not the best combination for anything but a trailer queen. You have to remember that in 71 everything was an option and the ad doesn’t call out or show any of the above.
Hi RayZ, I have owned my 1972 for 18 years now and it is a blast to drive, although it does have power steering and brakes. I have never driven a Stingray with out those options so I cant say. But I do not think the absence of those 2 items make them a trailer queen. Mine does have air, it has not worked since I bought it. Take care, Mike.
Seems Pricey….good luck to the new owner.Nice examples out there for half that price. Does low mileage command that much coin???
This car has power brakes and A/C, I can,t see if it has P/S
Sorry, no AC due to the two manual air levers on the center console. AC cars did not get those. I say this as a 72 BB owner for 29 years and NCRS judge. As for the wing nut I can’t see it well enough. For this kind of money I would be looking for original paint, interior, want some good under side shots before even going to look at it. Original exhaust still, shocks should be, etc. A car is original once so those that truly are have a unique place. They also serve to educate and help restore other cars. I have a 11.7K mile 1990 ZR-1 that gets driven a little but not near enough due to the mileage. Nice looking car but need more information to
My first Corvette was 14 years old and had only 10K on the clock. I sold it 8 years later with 43K on it and always had the sneaking suspicion I wasn’t driving it enough. I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment that they should be driven to be enjoyed. Don’t treat them like museum pieces. As low as the mileage is on this ‘Vette it’s still not in the museum-quality category.
BTW, I’ve had my second Corvette for a year and have put over 7,000 miles on it. And I only live 2.5 miles from work.
And yes it’s seen snow.
Ok, very nice car, but,,,as a non-Corvette guy, I never understood why such a price gap from that ’79 the other day, to a non-Corvette person, a C3 is a C3. Just because of the low mileage, is this car really worth that much more? I didn’t mean there was NO interest for these, it’s just today, someone buying a new Corvette I doubt would be interested in a vintage Corvette like this. I can’t tell you the last time I saw a vintage Corvette driving down the road, and when you do, it’s always a gray ( or no) hair. Do young people( that just happen to have $40g’s laying around) really like ( and buy) these vintage Corvettes? I’m asking, because for this price, I’m sure they’d rather buy a new one with all the modern gee-gaws.
Chrome bumpers at both ends make a BIG difference. So not all C3s are equal. Even as a lover of these cars, I would be looking for a convertible with big original engine for this kind of money.
Howard
You touch on a valid point. I belong to a Corvette club, Most of the members are 55 or older though we do have a few younger members. The cars range from a 54 C1 through a 2019 C7 ZR1. I have kids in their 30s, in talking with their friends most aren’t interested in Vettes. They are more interested in imports and SUVs. Most seem to live in apartments or townhouses with little to no garage space and few ever had the chance for a car maintenance class or know how to repair vehicles.
Older vehicles take maintenance which we all know and few of the younger individuals and oldest ones want to do that. It’s that middle group that can turn a wrench and want to do it.
I’m in my late 60’s and have an 86 because it’s one I can still work on. It’s not so loaded with computers that it takes $25K of test gear to tell you that you’ve run out of gas. I like turning a wrench, it feels good to do but no everyone wants to do that. Might be some of the reasons you see so few young drivers of Vettes. The other thing is so many of the most desirable ones are priced out of the average guys budget by flippers and guys with too much $$. When you price a new C7, even a low end one is $60-$75K and can easily run into 6 figures which is more than most will pay for a 2 seat playtoy (I call it that because it won’t fit most families),
That’s my opinion
It looks a heck of a lot like the Vette I sold, also in NH, except mine was a ’70 convertible that was very original. For reference, mine sold for $22K in 2015, so this would have to be in perfect shape (frame, birdcage) with an ownership trail and mileage verified to get anywhere near that asking price.
One thing that I notice is missing is the chrome spark plug shields. They probably got tossed at the first tuneup because every time I look at one of these, they’re missing. I should have pulled mine and sold them on E-Bay.
Having the tank sticker helps. Mine was in about the same condition.
Base 4 Speed car with no brakes, no A/C, no steering.
Yes low miles and great colors.
Does that add up to $42K in the Corvette world or any world for that matter?
Odd, considering the same year Trans Am had standard PS & PB & posi. In ’70 too. Formula did not, however, for the “frugal”.