As the average price of a new car flirts with $40,000, one must consider the alternatives. This 1967 Chevrolet Corvette in Franklin, Massachusetts rivals or exceeds the curb appeal of any $40,000 new car, and it’s likely to be worth *more* every day while as the new car’s value gradually descends to the price of a lawn tractor. The listing here on eBay leaves many questions unanswered. Does it run? When did it run last? Do the floorboards resemble Swiss cheese?
All potential buyers on the planet are invited to call the lonely seller for answers. Of course, such out-of-band communication is discouraged by eBay, but we do learn from the ALL CAPS listing that this Marina blue ‘Vette retains its numbers-matching 300 HP 327 cid V8 and a four-speed manual transmission. At least three bidders have driven the price above $37,000, presumably after a nice chat with the seller. Coming from the ownership of one person for 40 years, this fine-looking American sports car surely received some love and care, and has been nicely cleaned up for sale.
The upholstery is serviceable, though not perfect. For about $50 in parts, you could add heated seats while replacing the seat covers. This classic (once properly shaken out) will easily provide heat, defrost, and (for a modest investment) air conditioning. Add a stealth Bluetooth stereo and stick an iPhone to the windshield, and you’ve got a better navigation and entertainment system than costly and cumbersome factory units in today’s newest cars.
With a removable hardtop and a black convertible top, this Chevy is ready for any kind of weather. Add modern rubber and a road-trip to the weekend driving school of your choice, and you’ll outpace 95% of new-car drivers on the road today. ABS? Traction Control? Those are built-in; simply utilize your right foot and some common sense. Lane Departure Warnings? Keep your eyes on the road, doofus. Blind Spot Indicator? Tilt your side mirrors out slightly and utilize the autobahn-proven head check. This specimen of the final-year C2 Stingray needs a new owner to spend some time and money sprucing it up for the next chapter of its life. Would you give up Blind Spot Notification to drive this classic ‘Vette?
I love the write up involving the newer vehicle crap, making drivers dependent on everything to do it for you. Just like govt wants you to do today.
My wife bought a Lexus and she bragged about her new backup camera.
I said, that will make you stupid. Course she got mad.
Well, she scraped a tree stump. I said, well.
I asked her if she knew what these little things were sticking out both sides of the car were for? Shut up was the response.
Love is blind, Joe.
I say the backup cameras make lazy drivers. God gave you a head to swivel and eyes to see and ears to hear.
After 70+ years in the frozen north the neck doesn’t turn so easily. The backup cameras are fender savers.
Seven, that is 7 pictures of this car and two are identical. No pics of interior, engine, top off, etc. etc. Odd.
I can assure you that the floorboards don’t resemble Swiss cheese.
We used to have to actually drive our cars including actually looking in rear-view mirrors or God forbid actually turning ones head when backing up. No wonder we have so many accidents today.
If y’all can’t take a couple of extra seconds to check for traffic before changing lanes maybe slow down a little. IMHO
I will never own a car with all that beeping nonsense that makes it cost more to buy and then to repair. A back up camera? not a bad idea, but not a substitute for common sense. Driverless cars? Forget it. That idea has dumbass written all over it. Just my opinion.
Oh, and this car? Always love a C2.
Wife’s 2016 car has 60K miles, and an electronics glitch in the blind spot detection system. I have resisted having it looked at, $ to diagnose, $$ to have it fixed.
We are both weary of the car telling us about the malfunction each and every time we start it. Give me Analog!
My wife’s Escalade had problems with the blind spot detection system when the truck was fairly new. The system stopped working, and a dash msg said “Service Object Detection”. We live about 45 min from the Cadillac stealership, so she decided to wait a few weeks until it was convenient to go. A few days later, multiple warning messages began flashing for different systems. She shut the engine off to try a reboot, and it would not restart. Still under warranty, it was towed. It was diagnosed quickly. The blind spot module(s) were defective, and replaced under warranty. The tech told us it is a common problem, and the modules are part of a loop that controls the engine. If the loop is broken, the truck won’t run! BTW, if not for warranty, it would have cost about $2K to fix. Even when the system works as designed, it is often “unavailable” in bad weather or dirty conditions. GM uses the same technology on multiple models. I find it foolish that a defective “option” could render the truck inoperative.
While in the stealership, they also noticed the electronic front shock absorbers were defective. They wanted $2+K to replace them. I was told that the “system” was under warranty, BUT the shocks were not, as they are a “wear item”. I called GM, but there was no goodwill. I replaced them with aftermarket units for a suburban. Did the job myself in under an hour for $200. apparently this is also a common problem, and the shocks came with plug-in modules to simulate the electronic units. The truck actually rides smoother.
I actually have a ’66 Corvette 427 roadster, and I Love the pure simplicity.
My dream car is a ’67 327 manual trans. with rally wheels in Nassau Blue w/Blue interior. A/C would be nice, and I could go either way on factory side pipes. But the color, trans., and wheels are musts… Oh. And I want a coupe, not a roadster. This was thiiis close.