Question on a high mileage purchase

[rayfan]

I am looking at a70 vette. The mileage is the only thing stopping me. 235,000, but the car is in excellent mechanical condition. everything works great. Car has had a frame on resto over the last 5 years. Price is low 15,000.00. Has this car pretty much reached its lifes end or is there still alot left in her considering her excellent condition. It is my dream car, but Ido not want a nickle and dimer machine. Should I look for one with more reasonable mileage.

[fatherlarry]

Welcome aboard RayFan,

You hit a very warm feeling in me on the '70's. Mike Kotze is now restoring a 1969 427 with 3 dueces for someone. Numbers all match, but the car was previously taken apart by someone and parts put in boxes. Is is worth restoring? Most definitely. Mileage is not a factor on the Corvette, especially the '70's. What I like about the 70's are the flares on the quarters and fenders and the front grill change, also the side fender vents. My most favorite year in the C3's is the '70 T Top. Let me know a little bit more about the car, such as options, style (coupe or vert). If you are thinking of purchasing it, its not a bad move. I would prefer the LT1 in that year, being it is the first LT1, but no matter what it's still a 1970. If you know someone who is in the auto body business, and also has some mechanical experience on Corvettes, it would pay to bring him along to check the car out and give you a complete lowdown on the car. To restore one today is not that difficult, neither is it hard to locate parts, and a complete engine assembly is very affordable. When you bring the tech along with you, he can determine the amount of work it may need, and you can deduct that from the asking price of the car. I would also check an old car price guide to get a basic idea of what the car is going for in the condition it's in and the options it has. If money and time is an issue, then I would wait for something to come along that you don't need to do any work to. The most important thing to me would be the structural integrity of the frame, meaning rusted out areas. Well, good luck with your decision and let us know how you make out.:nod: :smoke:

[vincec5]

:cheers: Welcome aboard. Nice choice in Vettes. If you have any questions mechanically oriented, don't forget MKotze is on board. He's our tech person here and he really knows his stuff.

Glad to have you join us.:wavey:

[rayfan]

the vette is a plain 350/300 t-top 4 speed with factory air,ps,pb, am/fm cassette, Dealer installed factory side pipes (only metal covers have been replaced with fiberglass ones, is this an accepted practice) and is the weirdest factory color I have seen(Laguna gray) with black vinyl interior. Solid frame.Matching numbers. Engine has 2,000 on re-build. Painted 5 years ago. Only problem is that it would be purchased online. But have had numerous e-mails with owner and has all the reciepts and assures me the car is as described. My brother is a certified Mercedes mechanic and has dabbled with vettes. He said you would not believe how similar alot of the systems are.

[fatherlarry]

Laguna Gray was an exterior color option. Check out the site below. It will give you addtional 1970 production facts and options.

http://rowleycorvette.com/stats70.html

As far as buying online, I personally would never buy a Vette online, site unseen. I would rather spend the extra bucks and drive or fly down to see the car, if it sounds like something you really want. It sounds like a base model Vette and there are a lot of them around. Don't rush, take your time and enjoy the pursuit. The ball's in your court, and you have to make that decision yourself. You can always ask him to ship the car and split the cost one way with him. Let him give you a certain amount of time to take it to a shop to check out. If it's not all he said it was then you pay for shipping back. And, of course, get everything in writing. Better to lose a little, then to lose a lot. If he doesn't go for it, then you have to decide from there, if you want to take a chance. :smoke: Good luck and let us know.

[UtahZR1]

Welcome to the forum! You'll like it here. The '70 Corvette was a great year. Very nice looking. I didn't like the Laguna gray though. The 350/300 was a pretty good engine. It did have a slight overheating problem if you sat in traffic.

I tend to agree with fatherlarry. I too, would not trust such a large investment to an online purchase, without some kind of written agreement, in case you don't like the car. Not verbal :nono: What may seem good to the seller, may not be as high as your own standards. $15,000 is a lot of money. Well good luck.

[MKOTZE]

Hey rayfan, Are you on this part of the forum? Check your private messages. Did you make a decision about the vette yet?:chevy: MKOTZe