newbie needs help!!!!

[mike carr]

i have been looking for a C2 coupe for a while now, without much luck, and i decided the best place to see a whole lot of cars for sale is at bloomington gold.

i have never owned a vette before, and have never been to bloomington, so i am going up there blind.

any tips for me so i dont get robbed? i dont want to get ripped off, is there someone up there that can help me find a good car? i am not a complete idiot, but i dont know enough about these cars to drop 35K+ on a 40 year old car without having someone who is very knowledgable checking things out for me.

i know what i want to buy, so i wont be looking at every single car up there, just 63-67 coupes, preferably black with a red interior, small block, 4 speed.
car should be very nice for what i am willing to pay.

any help is greatly appreciated. my email is miky2001@yahoo.com

thanks,

mike

[Mike Cobine]

Re: newbie needs help!!!!

You have mail.

[Jim T.]

Re: newbie needs help!!!!

Several C2 coupes for sale in the NCRS Driveline from NCRS members.

[Jack H.]

Advice:

(1) Go to Bloomington and have fun, but LOSE your wallet and/or any other financially contractual instrument (like a pen and your hands)!

(2) Join NCRS and then join and get active in your local chapter, WITHOUT owning a Corvette.

(3) As hard as it may be, LOCK your extra cash that's buring a hole in your pocket to spend on a Corvette away (bank or stock market) and do NOTHING for at least ONE YEAR.

(4) Attend at least one judging meet (Chapter, Regional, National) and the upcomming NCRS National is in Windsor, Ontario shortly to understand the big picture of the various alternatives in Corvette ownership (make a concours show car, make a 'reasonably' original car you can drive & enjoy, make 'fun' Corvette that's modified quite a bit from factory original and drive/show it, Etc.)

(5) Through your participation in your local NCRS chapter, get to know the guys in your back yard who have Corvettes and ask 'pretty please' to go for rides with 'em/drive 'em so you begin to understand the pro's and con's of the various years of Corvettes as well as their option configurations.

(6) Now, (at least one year later) make a resonable educated decision as to your target Corvettte to purchase and own.

(7) Use the contacts you've developed through NCRS to help you find and evaluate the car of your dreams BEFORE you plunk down the cash and go on the title!!!!

[Patrick H.]

Sterling Suggestions

Excellent Advice, Jack. In fact I usually suggest the same. Sit back, determine exactly what you want, then start to take a lot of time to find what you want.

Unfortunately, do you know the odds of him actually following this advice? In my experience, slim to none. He's "hot and bothered" with "Corvette Fever" and nothing short of a Corvette in his garage will cure that.

Of course, once he finds out what he really has once he drags it home will pretty much cure that "Corvette Fever" too.

No offense intended to the gentleman posting the question, just my own observations from my time in the hobby.

BTW, all 3 of my cars were obtained from local sources. Not that I haven't seen nice ones elsewhere or at Bloomington or Carlisle, but through connections one can often find Corvettes just as nice as at the shows. I was just talking with a patient this morning who knows of three (3) 1965 396 cars in the area sitting hidden in garages. (Calm down, Jack. )

Patrick

[Mike Cobine]

Re: Sterling Suggestions

Very true, both Jack and Patrick. He'll find me, I'll keep him safe, and odds are he will go home with cash in his pocket, close to the same he came with. (The gate, t-shirts, books, a trip to visit Eric, and so on will take a chunk.) The first thing I do is send everyone like Mike to my web site that lets you sit back, think about what you really want to do, and then get it in perspective.

Like in Mike's case, he wants a black midyear coupe. He lives in Texas. That spells O-V-E-N to most of us. So as I asked him, the most probable thing will be adition of vintage air or such. That kind of negates the need of a Top Flight car.

And he is aware that there are various needs. I think the Corvette fever is under some control although we all knows what happens when you actually reach out and touch one, and how it can seduce you into buying that red one when you wanted black, or into buying that convertible when you wanted a coupe, or into that C3 when you wanted a C1, and so on.

Worse than any woman.

[Patrick H.]

"Worse than any woman."

Mike,

Oh how true.

Don't think I was immune either. I knew exactly what I wanted after years of attending Bloomington, Carlisle, etc. and testing cars as well as inspecting them. It just so happens that my exact dream car is the first one I ever looked at and drove once I later decided it was time to buy. And I've owned it 10 years now. Once I heard about it, then saw it, I knew I would buy it even though the price was a little higher than it should have been. The Fever got me, and I stopped looking after the first one.

Where is your web site?

Patrick

[mike carr]

Re: "Worse than any woman."

well thanks for all the advice guys!!! i have been looking for a while now, i have checked out several cars, driven most of them, and didnt get all excited.

i was tempted once, but restrained myself, went home and thought about it. decided i could get a better deal.

i sure was tempted though!!! i think i will be able to restrain myself, i workwd hard for my money, and i dont want to waste it.

i have read a bunch of books, and have been watching these cars selling and not selling on ebay, calling people, making offers, and watching people drop the price drastically.

i have a pretty fair idea what a car should look, drive and the condition it should be in for a given price. i admit i dont know vettes inside out, and hopefully an expert will be looing out for me.

i am going up there with the intention of having a great time, keeping my eyes and ears open, and my mouth shut.

if i see a car i like, and the price seems ok, i will have an expert check it out for me, and maybe then i will consider buying it.

hahahaha, at least thats my intention, i admit i want a vette in my garage so bad, i have the FEVER!!!!

Again, i want to thank all of you guys.

mike

[Mike Cobine]

See, he can do it.

The hard part is when you are opening that door and climbing in, and when the key turns and the engine rumbles to life. That slight vibration up the back side.

Heck it is that vibration that does it. Everyone that was ever in my '66 when the engine fired would open their eyes about the same speed as the smile spread.

Solid motor mounts, solid body mounts, and a solid seat tend to transmit that vibration right up the spine.

It ain't no street car.

[Mike Cobine]

Re: "Worse than any woman."

It needs some updating, as prices have started climbing again, but the basic idea are still there. And it is just a guide. It isn't the answer book. It doesn't tell what numbers should match or what they should be. There are hundreds of books that do that. It doesn't tell you how to determine an original from a non-stock. Again, lots of books.

It is intended to guide you to look at what you want in a car, what there is out there, and figure out where you want to go.

Not every car out there is NCRS. And not everyone really needs a Top Flight car. But a lot of time and money are wasted if a person on one side buys a car on the other, thinking it is the answer to what they want.

If they want to work for Top Flight, they should start with a car that can take them there usually. The idea of buying a '75 station wagon custom and trying to get it ready for Top Flight is nuts. But for some, that may be just the challenge they are after.

Likewise, there is no need to buy a Top Flight original engine 300 hp 4 speed if the guy wants to drop a 400 small block in it and a 700R4 and go bracket racing.

Talking with Mike, it sounds like he knows what he wants. And that is the biggest step. Too many "want a Corvtte" or "want an old Corvette" and know absolutely nothing else about it.




Guide to Buying Older Corvettes

[Patrick H.]

Re: "Worse than any woman."

Mike,

Nice, informative page.

As an FYI, the only thing you "might" add is some information on original unrestored cars. You might think of them as a niche similar to restored cars, but in some ways unique unto themselves. Should a buyer find a Corvette 20 years old or more still with its original paint job in good condition or better, with the rest of the car also very presentable, they might want to think twice about using that one to tub out and apply that bass-boat metal flake paint job. Just a thought.

Patrick

[Mike Cobine]

Re: "Worse than any woman."

Thaks, Patrick.

That is something I mention to people but I never thought about putting it on the page. I try to stress that there is something special about the car that survived all those years of customizing, racing, hot rodding, crashing, and restoring that most have had.

And if they managed to survive, they deserve to keep surviving, not be chopped up or redone or messed around with.

The page would be a good place to include that.

[Patrick H.]

Re: "Worse than any woman."

Mike,

You're welcome.

Drove my 1972 coupe home last night. First time it's been out of storage since October. She goes for a Bowtie award in one month, and I have a soft spot for original, unrestored cars. It's survived 60,150 miles and 32 years relatively untouched.

Patrick