"For sale" section thread missing

[Kenneth B.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

Take your time. There are a lot of sharks in the sea.

I can't count the number of times when I was 1970-72 National Team Leader I would get a call that went something like; "My friend said you know about Corvettes. I bought this Corvette and can you look at it. The seller said the numbers match." More often than not what happened after that was not pretty. Almost none of those people thought to contact anyone in the club, much less join, before they made that call. I used to get letters full of numbers from the car just purchased that went generally along those lines as well. The number of times there was a gem among the garbage was pretty small, but occasionally it happened. Better to be an informed buyer than to have regrets after the fact.

My first suggestion is to decide what you want to do with the car. Driver ... show car... a little of both. And buy accordingly.

I know I was not unique in those calls. All the NTLs of the time all got them. I am sure it still happens.

VERY VERY good advice. I like you got a lot of those calls because I lived in a small town & everyone knew I had old Corvettes, & even from people I told to get ahold of me BEFORE buying a Corvette. Once the horse is in your barn its usually too late. I never saw so many sad faces after I told them what they really bought & not what they thought they bought. Only one guy got his money back after I told him what his Corvette really was.

[Domenic T.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

Just a stupid question to any body:
How much revenue could NCRS make if we had the forsale/ auction? 10%? 5%?

DOM

[Gary C.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

Dom, objective is to re-cover costs. Gary....

[Reba W.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

Let me also welcome you to NCRS, Marc. One more word of advice: just because a car has received Top Flight or any other NCRS award does not mean that it should not be closely examined prior to purchase. Many cars are stripped of parts and things re-done after the fact. Getting a pre-purchase inspection usually is worth it every time. You will find your car if you are patient. It took me almost two years to find a 1972 with the options I wanted.

[Marc S.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

Let me also welcome you to NCRS, Marc. One more word of advice: just because a car has received Top Flight or any other NCRS award does not mean that it should not be closely examined prior to purchase. Many cars are stripped of parts and things re-done after the fact. Getting a pre-purchase inspection usually is worth it every time. You will find your car if you are patient. It took me almost two years to find a 1972 with the options I wanted.

Thanks for the welcome! You are absolutely right and I came across this once during my search. Awhile back I found a car at one of those consignment shops that had Top Flight awards but not recently. It was a number of years. In the pictures of this 1971 LT-1 there was no smog pump. When I questioned the company they asked the seller where it was and the reply was that the car never came with it. The current owner was not the person that had the top car flighted so obviously it was removed prior to him getting the car. I think what you suggest would more likely would happen in a situation I just described. I would hope that if a member here advertises on the online driveline and/or on the new online selling forum, they will advertise the car appropriately and will tell you what parts are missing since the car was judged if asked. But, you are right, one must carefully have the car looked at before any purchase.

[Terry M.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

Marc,
It sounds to me like you have your game plan pretty much in order.

Take Reba's advice to heart.

Also verify that the car has received the NCRS Award claimed for it. It is not unheard of for people to place an NCRS Top Flight ribbon on the dash, even though that particular car has never been judged by NCRS.

We are always happy to teach people the finer points of the year car they are interested in, but you will have to come to some kind of event to get that instruction. Chapter Tech Sessions, Judging Schools at any event level, attendance at a few events so you can see the cars being judged, and offer to Observer Judge (OJ) that will get you into the thick of it. Remember when NCRS Flight Judges a Corvette (the process that can lead to a Top Flight), we are not accessing the factory installed originality of those parts. We assess only how closely they resemble the factory installed components. The whole car may be made of NOS or reproduction components, but we don't deduct for them unless they deviate from the expected original components. We want the appearance of TFP – Typical Factory Production.

I would suggest YOU decide what you want to do with the car, and not let the car dictate what you do. It is your life, and you can do what you want with it, but I have found I am happier if I make the choices for ME. Maybe that is just me.

BTW: The Z06 is my Road Tour car. It just passed 46K in four Summers, has been to the East Coast three times and the West Coast twice (ont time the PCH from Portland to San Diego). It will be to the Gulf Coast next month, if all goes well. It is no big deal to make 800 to 1000 miles a day with it – although 1K in the East is a little more challenging with the lower speed limits and increased traffic in that part of the USA. There is no way I could do that with the LT1, so I don’t. I guess that is a case of the car dictating what I do – but I bought the newer one for that express purpose – and a fine job it does.

If you get to an NCRS Regional, look me up. I would love to have some coffee with you and talk. Don't worry about finding me. Almost anyone can point me out. Just look for the guy with the most hair.

[Marc S.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

Marc,
It sounds to me like you have your game plan pretty much in order.

Take Reba's advice to heart.

Also verify that the car has received the NCRS Award claimed for it. It is not unheard of for people to place an NCRS Top Flight ribbon on the dash, even though that particular car has never been judged by NCRS.

We are always happy to teach people the finer points of the year car they are interested in, but you will have to come to some kind of event to get that instruction. Chapter Tech Sessions, Judging Schools at any event level, attendance at a few events so you can see the cars being judged, and offer to Observer Judge (OJ) that will get you into the thick of it. Remember when NCRS Flight Judges a Corvette (the process that can lead to a Top Flight), we are not accessing the factory installed originality of those parts. We assess only how closely they resemble the factory installed components. The whole car may be made of NOS or reproduction components, but we don't deduct for them unless they deviate from the expected original components. We want the appearance of TFP – Typical Factory Production.

I would suggest YOU decide what you want to do with the car, and not let the car dictate what you do. It is your life, and you can do what you want with it, but I have found I am happier if I make the choices for ME. Maybe that is just me.

BTW: The Z06 is my Road Tour car. It just passed 46K in four Summers, has been to the East Coast three times and the West Coast twice (ont time the PCH from Portland to San Diego). It will be to the Gulf Coast next month, if all goes well. It is no big deal to make 800 to 1000 miles a day with it – although 1K in the East is a little more challenging with the lower speed limits and increased traffic in that part of the USA. There is no way I could do that with the LT1, so I don’t. I guess that is a case of the car dictating what I do – but I bought the newer one for that express purpose – and a fine job it does. If you get to an NCRS Regional, look me up. I would love to have some coffee with you and talk. Don't worry about finding me. Almost anyone can point me out. Just look for the guy with the most hair.

Yes, I am going to need to attend an event and searched where my local chapter is located. I will definitely look into it. I never heard of the ribbon switcheroo trick before. Got to add that one to my list. Thanks. I hear you loud and clear on how I should not let the car dictate what I should do. Good point. As for originality awards, those I know are for Bloomington Gold Survivor. I think there has to be a certain percentage of original parts and original paint that must be on the car to receive such an award. That is entire different league than NCRS cars. I am okay with a car that has correct reproduction parts. As for my 2008 Z06 that I sold (and I do miss it) I really got frustrated when cruising the beach in it and couldn't put down the top. I felt like I was stuck in an Apollo capsule with no way to get out. I would have been okay with removable roof panels but it doesn't even have that. So I went to a convertible and loving it. Yes I know about that new 427 but no way am I going to take the depreciation hit on that car. I am so happy with the 2008 I found. It has everything in it. Black is a real pain to keep clean though. But it is my favorite color corvette. I know black does not come on a 1971 but that is okay. I do know for a fact if I do find this 1971 it is not one I will be driving for miles on end. Whether it is a flighted car or not. I want it to look nice, be as reliable as possible, and make me happy. My garage has been ready for one for a very long time but haven't found the right one. I have come very close a couple of times but it just hasn't happened yet. I will certainly look you up if I attend a regional event. I will look for the guy with a mullet. LOL! Thank you for the invitation!

[Terry M.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

Yes, I am going to need to attend an event and searched where my local chapter is located. I will definitely look into it. I never heard of the ribbon switcheroo trick before. Got to add that one to my list. Thanks. I hear you loud and clear on how I should not let the car dictate what I should do. Good point. As for originality awards, those I know are for Bloomington Gold Survivor. And NCRS Bowtie/Crossed Flags. I think there has to be a certain percentage of original parts and original paint that must be on the car to receive such an award. That is entire different league than NCRS cars. I am okay with a car that has correct reproduction parts. As for my 2008 Z06 that I sold (and I do miss it) I really got frustrated when cruising the beach in it and couldn't put down the top. I felt like I was stuck in an Apollo capsule with no way to get out. I would have been okay with removable roof panels but it doesn't even have that. So I went to a convertible and loving it. Yes I know about that new 427 but no way am I going to take the depreciation hit on that car. I am so happy with the 2008 I found. It has everything in it. Black is a real pain to keep clean though. But it is my favorite color corvette. I know black does not come on a 1971 but that is okay. Well actually there were some 1972s made in black at the factory (probably less than 10), and one recently received the Bowtie Award. I have seen one 1971 tripple black convertible that was in the hands of the original owner in the mid-1990s. He had a whole bunch of documentation and the car was stunning back then. I do know for a fact if I do find this 1971 it is not one I will be driving for miles on end. Whether it is a flighted car or not. I want it to look nice, be as reliable as possible, and make me happy. My garage has been ready for one for a very long time but haven't found the right one. I have come very close a couple of times but it just hasn't happened yet. I will certainly look you up if I attend a regional event. I will look for the guy with a mullet. LOL! Thank you for the invitation!

There I added my comments in bold. Looking for those original black cars will be a search like for Moby Dick, but they are out there.

[Marc S.]

Re: "For sale" section thread missing

There I added my comments in bold. Looking for those original black cars will be a search like for Moby Dick, but they are out there.

See I told you I was a flea here. LOL! Looks like I got a lot of learning to do here. Thank you for my first lesson.