I have been asked by family members what they should do with deceased husband's '73 454 coupe

[Karl S.]

I hope that I am posting this in the correct location. I am looking for opinions of this car and suggestions on how to direct the family on how to sell this car onto the proper next owner. I have been contacted by a friend of my wife who her father has passed away a few years ago and her mother is now in the process of cleaning up and clearing out some of his possessions. One of them being a 1973 Corvette coupe. Pretty much a "barn find" that we all see on those TV shows but don't think they really happen. They owned several Corvettes over the past and, from conversations with her, know he was passionate about cars, especially this particular Corvette. They (her now) are the original owners having purchased the car new back in 1973.
A little about myself. I have been a member of NCRS for over 20 yrs and have owned Corvettes most of my life. C2, 2-C3's, C4 & a C5. I sold my '66 years ago through a Driveline ad and am now down to only my '71 which I have owned for close to 30 yrs doing most of the restoration work myself. So I guess I have some general knowledge of Corvettes but by no means am an expert. I really don't need another Corvette and will most likely sell my '71 sometime in the next year or so as we are planning a move to a smaller house.
I have been in short email conversations with the widow through contact from the daughter (wife's friend). She is in the Pittsburg PA area, I'm in NC so there is a little distance between us. I have complete confidence that this is a legitimate car. Info is sometimes hard as she in into her 80's now and not that savvy with sending pics.
What I know about the car so far is somewhat limited. She does not know specific technical questions about the car. She did send me several pictures that I can determine originality and options that it has. I have attached a few of them. What I know so far is pretty amazing. I am trying to keep her info private out of respect for her. The last thing I want is someone banging on her door and low-balling offers taking advantage of her. This will ultimately be a family decision of theirs. I'm just trying to give them a little knowledge so they can make the right decision.
From conversations and pictures, I have surmised the following:
1973 coupe
454 LS4
4 sp
factory AC
914 silver metallic - matched trim tag
416 saddle leather interior - matches trim tag, in excellent condition
just under 12,000 miles believed to be true
always stored inside - currently in a barn under cover
original sales agreement paperwork plus some service docs through out the early years
last state inspection in 2006 and that is when it was parked & not driven since
AM / FM stereo radio
power windows
assuming pwr steering & brakes
I can't tell much else from the pics I currently have. The condition looks really good to excellent for a 52 year old unrestored car. Her son will be in town in the next week or so and I hope to get some more pics like under hood pics & the engine stamp pad. I do have a VIN picture that shows the "Z" confirming the 454. It is a late '73 build date. Inside the last 2000 built that year.
Just throwing this out for opinions of what they should do and approximate value, especially if it is as original as it appears. I know the '73's are not as valuable market wise as the earlier C3's but still I think this is somewhat of a special car. With it's known history, low mileage & high options it was hard for me to put a true value on it myself. There are not a whole lot of comparables out there in recent sales.
What do you all think? Ask me questions and I'll try my best to find an answer. Give me your opinion.
It may take me a little bit of time to respond since I've got a lot going on myself right now plus I am not really up to speed with the NCRS discussion boards. I'll try my best.

[Tom D.]

Sorry to hear that we've lost another member. Though this might take someone to assist her, I wonder if an auction like "Bring a Trailer" might help her to get the best price on the car. They offer a service to come out and professionally photograph the car and could assist in the write up on the car.
Several years ago I sold my 1995 ZR-1 in this manner at the recommendation of another NCRS member and I was quite pleased with the results.
Wishing her the best of luck and thank you for your kindness in helping her out.

[Karl S.]

Thanks for the suggestion, Tom. I did not know that about BAT. I just did go onto their site and viewed a couple of C3's and was impressed with the descriptions, photos and write up.
I did have a conversation with her about how to go about finding a buyer. Private party would yield a higher and more fair market sale price for the car. Dealers would offer less, obviously since they are in the business of making money, not collecting cars. They did have a '78 that the husband sold to a dealer about 5 yrs ago at what they thought was a fair price but a lot of work on his part to get that sale. That was Mershon's in Ohio. She is in no desperate need to sell. I think it has taken this much time since he passed to work up the guts to make a move on it.
I'm not sure if she is up to a private party coming to look at the car as she wouldn't know the answers to some of the questions that would be asked. She is into her 80's. Plus, with the car not in running condition right now due to its many years of storage there would be no test drive by an individual. A dealer would probably make an offer then send a company to flatbed it back to them. In any way the car, as it is right now, would need to be trailered, which isn't the end of the world.
I just looked through the latest Driveline and I only really spotted 3 dealers who are advertising looking for cars. Vince Conn, Corvette Mike & Greg Wyatt. I'm sure there are more. I do remember just in the recent past many "looking for old Corvette" ads. Hope that the recent economy hasn't taken that away.
As of right now I am just sending her educated opinions of the reality in selling the car. It will be a family decision. Unfortunately, that family is not in the immediate area to help her out. I may have some more info on the car and pictures once her son comes into town.

[Tim G.]

Kari, that is a great car and 1973 is a wonderful year. Whatever you do, please make sure the car gets in the hands of someone that knows how to get the car running and preserve it while not leaving any "fingerprints". Cars like that can end up on the wrong hands of someone who will erase much of the originality. I've always said it's harder to get a barn find running and keep it original than it is to restore it. I've seen people bring a car like that to someone and pay tens of thousands of dollars to do "repairs" and they destroy the originality of the car. I hope it ends up in good hands.

[Gary C.]

Karl,

FYI - Member's can advertise for free in the Driveline https://www.forums.ncrs.org/register...iveline-ad.php and on-line Classified Ads https://www.ncrs.org/classified/index.php

Gary
....

[Mark E.]

The owner is in her 80s and probably isn't inclined to manage the sales process and vet prospective buyers. So unless you or someone else will do this for her, getting as-is bids from dealers may be the best and safest option.

[Peter G.]

Karl,

I just sent you a message.
Please see your inbox.

Pete

[Duke W.]

An operable car that can be driven is going to be worth more than one that is inoperable, so the first thing to understand is what it will take to get it operable. That starts with understanding why it became inoperable in the first place. Did it have a mechanical problem that sidelined it or was it just parked and the battery died so it won't start? Maybe it only needs a fresh battery, oil/filter change, minor tuneup, and decent detailing job to be presentable and driveable. In the meantime check out the various car price guides like the NADA Classic and Collectible Car Guide. They're all online.

Given that it's an original owner car and if that odometer is really just under 12K and not 112K this car may be a diamond in the rough and have significant value even if not running. The first thing is to gather up any and all documentation that authenticates the history of the car and then try to get it cleaned up and running.

I wouldn't count on much from BaT. It's a good place to sell a primo car or even a low mileage original owner non-running car like this, but their descriptions are frankly quite STUPID, like "turbine style wheels" (for knockoff wheels) and "chrome bumpers" for... chrome bumpers, which are obvious in the photos. I've seen well crafted descriptions by knowledgeable owners hacked up into sophomoric nonsense by the morons that now run BaT. (The founders sold out years ago.) Someone with reasonable knowledge will need to monitor the auction and respond to the comments and questions.

Contact the nearest chapter chairman and see if he can find a nearby volunteer to do an initial checkout. The '73 is my favorite Shark given the monochrome front end, the Kamm tail with chrome rear bumpers, and a full dual exhaust with no catalyst make this engine very tunable for better performance despite the low compression to run on low octane unleaded fuel, and AC is a plus. If it were near me I'd be more than happy to check it out, review all available documentation, try to make a determination of what it would take to get it running and help the widow find a deserving new caretaker.

In the meantime go ahead and put an ad in The Driveline.

Duke

[Tim G.]

I agree, put an add on the NCRS site and Driveline, see what happens.

[Steven B.]

Agree with putting ad in Driveline for best prospective buyers and contact local NCRS Chapter. They can assist in proper way to get it running and driving and nondamaging detail. Good Luck! Steve

[Steve B.]

Agree 100% with Duke on this point. I've done this a couple of times while shopping remotely for a Corvette. Typically I've gotten a prompt call or email back with a contact who could potentially help. I've found it's relatively easy to talk someone into going to look at an old Corvette.

I've owned several unrestored C3's and cars like this require a good set of eyes on the car and paperwork to properly assess condition and potential value.

Like Duke, if I were closer as well I'd be happy to take a look myself.

Here's the contact page for the Pittsburgh NCRS: https://ncrspitt.com/contact-us

I'd also skip BaT on a car like this and try to sell privately.

Contact the nearest chapter chairman and see if he can find a nearby volunteer to do an initial checkout. The '73 is my favorite Shark given the monochrome front end, the Kamm tail with chrome rear bumpers, and a full dual exhaust with no catalyst make this engine very tunable for better performance despite the low compression to run on low octane unleaded fuel, and AC is a plus. If it were near me I'd be more than happy to check it out, review all available documentation, try to make a determination of what it would take to get it running and help the widow find a deserving new caretaker.

In the meantime go ahead and put an ad in The Driveline.

Duke