d
Hard to believe that a Corvette that appears whole and complete and is old enough to qualify as a vintage car could possibly be a four-figure vehicle. However, that is the case with this find, sent to us courtesy of ccrvtt. The ad appears here on craigslist, and the Vette is a 1975 model that comes in at an asking price of $10,500. It’s in Brownsburg, IN, if you care to check it out, or if you’re inclined to fill your pockets with bills and wander over to make an offer.
But you’re going to need to approach with caution. You don’t know if it drives, how it drives, or whether the miles claimed are actually 135,000, rather than 35,000. You can assume whatever you want, but that’s not going to affect things if this is a more worn-out car than what it appears to be. The ad is carefully non-specific, so you need to make a phone call and get the straight scoop. The ad lists the condition as “good,” but what’s the standard? And I for one am a bit nervous at the language, “It’s all there.” That’s usually seen in an ad with a disassembled project waiting to be put back whole. So is this a resto, a survivor, an older re-do that’s now a driver?
No matter what the case, this car, if factory equipped, will have a 350-CID V8 with performance potential as detailed here. Many might throw sand on your fire and call this a “malaise era” sportscar, but tune it right, and you’re gonna have some fun cruising this Corvette around as the fall leaves swirl and float out of your path. On the plus side, the Vette has a four-speed, never a bad thing for the boy racer that lurks in most of our imaginations. It is also equipped with AC, which very likely needs retrofitting to hold a coolant charge with modern refrigerant. Drive it a summer and see whether you ought to stretch your budget to that. At least it’s not black on black vinyl.
Let’s say you get an offer of $9,000 accepted and the car runs and drives. You might wish just a tiny bit that it was produced in one of the sexier color and interior combos than what I’m guessing is Classic White over Saddle, but if it’s got that old car smell and sound, you’re not going to regret a thing. As an entry point into the old-car hobby, this Corvette will give you a simple car to work on, with parts prices in the realm of what real people can afford.
At first blush, this appears to be a smokin’ deal, but the author brings up some very valid points. From the photos, it appears to be in relatively good shape cosmetically, but who knows what lurks behind that attractive facade? In my opinion, if someone is looking for mid-seventies Vette, and has no expectations of it being anything approaching quick, this thing definitely deserves a closer look. (One footnote: I do not agree with the author, I don’t find the color combination unattractive at all) My age does not justify my owning two Corvettes, but if I were 20 or 30 years younger, I would most definitely check it out.
I’ve had ever color of Corvette and the one that attracted the most attention was my white car with tan leather interior. Go figure.
Every color? That’s a lot of Corvettes.
I too think the color combo is really nice, I’d definitely recommend driving this vehicle, and checking its birdcage, because the purchase amount is quite reasonable, any major problems will put you upside down in a flash
And its a 4 Speed!!! What’s not to like? And 35k miles??
I would take that 35,000 miles with a whole shaker of salt.
Most will consider this the low tide of Corvette performance but it was still Chevrolet’s sports car. It, along with the Camaro and Firebird, carried that torch for the American consumer as others folded their hands. A good looking car that could be a good starting point for modification and enjoyment.
About 4k too much. There is NOTHING special about it.
Disagree. Nice color combination. 4-speed, and sensibly-priced. Due diligence required as always. This could be a no-drama weekend cruiser.
Nice ‘Vette. Definitely worth a look if I was in the market for one. As for “malaise” era, well maybe, but engines of this era are still far easier to tune for performance than the electronic stuff that came after it in 1981 or so…Even small changes (better exhaust/induction and a timing curve adjustment) make big differences in these year cars.
Nice ‘Vette. Definitely worth a look if I was in the market for one. As for “malaise” era, well maybe, but engines of this era are still far easier to tune for performance than the electronic stuff that came after it in 1981 or so…Even small changes (better exhaust/induction and a timing curve adjustment) make big differences in these year cars…
Yes, this is a good price if it is not rusty, can’t go wrong.
They go for around 4-5 thousand up here in decent shape.
My point exactly in my first comment.
I don’t know where “up here” is, but I live about 80 miles out of Phoenix, and 4 to 5 thousand will get you a beat up C-4 automatic with 180,000 miles and bald tires in this neck of the woods.