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Summer Fun: 1973 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible

This 1973 Corvette Convertible looks like a car that would make a pretty decent sort of weekend driver now that the weather is beginning to warm up. It needs some cosmetic work, but none of this would come under the heading of urgent. It is located in Collingwood, New Jersey, and is listed for sale here on eBay. At the time of writing, bidding has reached $10,400, but the reserve hasn’t been met.

The owner describes the Corvette as a barn find, but doesn’t elaborate on the details of this claim. The paint is a bit faded in places, and the front bumper has a crack in it. The saddle colored soft-top is present and looks to be in quite good condition. There are no photos of the underside of the car, and no information regarding the state of the frame, floors, or birdcage, but it does look quite promising at first glance.

The interior looks to be quite serviceable as it is, but there are a few items that will need to be attended to at some point in the future. I noticed that there are some seam separations beginning to show on the driver’s seat, and I’d probably fix these before they had a chance to get any worse. The original radio is gone and has been replaced with an aftermarket CD player. The shifter also isn’t original, but whether the new owner would choose to replace this would come down to their ultimate plans for the car. If this is a car where the intention is to just drive it and enjoy the ownership experience, there’s little that I’d change here.

Under the hood, you get a 350ci V8 and a 4-speed manual transmission. The owner is unsure whether or not this is a numbers-matching car, so that could be a bit of detective work that the new owner could undertake. I will say that while there are some non-original items under the hood, the engine bay and engine themselves look to be quite clean and tidy. The owner also says that the car runs and drives well.

Summer is on the way, and that opens up opportunities for a bit of top-down cruising in the convertible of your choice. I can definitely think of many cars that would be a lot worse than this Corvette for undertaking that sort of past-time. The owner gives the game away a bit on exactly what the reserve might be on the car, as right at the bottom of the ad we find the number 16,950.00. If this is the actual reserve, would you hand over your money for the Corvette?

Comments

  1. Avatar 71_LT1

    1973 was last year for a chrome bumper, and the only C3 with a fiberglass nose and a rear chrome bumper. It appears that it doesn’t need a boat load of money to make it super nice, and one can still drive and enjoy while doing the work. The two big options here as far as I’m concerned is the rag top and the 4 speed transmission. Good find, and good luck to the new owner.

    Like 7
    • Avatar 86_Vette_Convertible

      I remember when the 73’s came out with the plastic bumper on front. At that time I couldn’t decide if I liked them or not, still liked the rear-end. This one looks to be a buy-and-drive, while you fix the things that need attention.

      Like 4
  2. Avatar Redwagon

    I know the ’73s don’t get much love bc most don’t like the all plastic nose but I am a big fan of the 1 year styling. Alas I am not in favor this color combo. For whatever reason the buckskin colored seats and interior were very popular in this era and I have never been a fan.

    Like 2
  3. Avatar Big Len

    Aren’t these later model wheels? Shouldn’t this have the 3 piece Rally wheels?

    Like 4
    • Avatar R Soul

      You got me curious on that one Big Len, I looked it up and only 4 cars were ordered with cast aluminum wheels in 73.

      Like 1
    • Avatar Leo

      1976 was the first year for these wheels, they were supposed to be first available in 73 but had production problems!

      Like 2
    • Avatar Ron

      Those are the second generation of the aluminum wheels. They were originally satin finish with black centers and these polished ones were later.

      Like 1
  4. Avatar Pat L Member

    The wheels could also have come off a later model Corvette. I had a set of these on my ‘77.

    Like 1
  5. Avatar Ike Onick

    Quickest fix for the worn driver’s seat is to swap it over to the passenger side. That gives you a seat with less wear and buys you some time.

    Like 2
  6. Avatar Tirefriar

    Could’ve a nice buy but several small red flags… Seller has an eBay rating of ZERO, car is a barn find in Jersey and there’s absolutely no mention of whether car has rust, no undeside shots. Car looks to be photographed at the dealer who doesn’t appear to be a stranger to C3 or GM products in general so verifying ## wouldn’t require a lot of effort. It’s small bits of information like this that make me wonder what significant items have been left out of the picture. Definitely not a car I would buy site unseen

    Like 1
    • Avatar Ron

      Yeah, with no A/C the VIN stamp on the block is clear as day. If they have no lift the trans and read end are much harder to get the numbers off of. Zero excuse for the engine.

      Like 1
  7. Avatar Ron

    Gotta love the person that thought it was a good idea to cut the console to fit the reverse lock out lever.

    Like 1
    • Avatar Ike Onick

      Things were different back then. They were just cars before they became “investments”

      Like 0
  8. Avatar DayDreamBeliever

    Yet another funny eBay listing. One of the photos is so very blurry, why include it at all? And as Tirefriar says, the seller has been on eBay for four and a half years, yet no feedback?
    Only old reviews on “Dealer Rater” and they aren’t good. Better recent ones on another review site. Appears to be a used car dealer, more of a detail shop than set up for mechanical work at that location.

    As far as the reverse lockout lever…. LOL!

    Like 0
  9. Avatar PRA4SNW

    My ’70 was the exact color scheme, except the ’70 green wasn’t as bright.
    Makes me miss that car.

    Doesn’t look too bad, but frame and birdcage would have to be looked at.

    Like 1
  10. Avatar JoeNYWF64

    Can you access the trunk area with the top down? Maybe not,
    How hard could it have been for Chevy to put an openable trunk lid on the convertibles, at least?
    Interesting vents on rear deck – guessing they are there for astro ventilation non a/c vettes? I wonder if water can get inside in the wrong places from them.

    Like 0

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