is it worth it

[hanger49]

fatherlarry, could you help me,I was looking at a 1965 coupe,it is a very nice vette looks real good and drives good,frame is good,now the down side,car has a nom engine,I didn't get any numbers since we are only talking at this time,but he has been very up front so far,anyway,it is a nom paint,int. no power stearing,brakes,no air,was hit on left rear,repair looks good in all the photos,and it has rally wheels on it which I don't think were a put on that year,has a hurst shifter,and he said that it is alittle sloppy,hum,but before I drive a few hunded miles and take up a day,I was wanting a few opinions on this thanks Hanger

[FinWolf]

Welcome. I will put my 2 cents in. It depends on what you want the car for. A driver or a show car. that is what you will need to let larry know. good luck with it car if you get it.

[fatherlarry]

Hi Hanger49,

Sorry for the delay. A '65 and '66 small block with all matching numbers, air conditioning, side pipes and excellent paint, being sold at retail, from specialty dealers, are going for around $39-$40K that i have seen on the net at some used corvette dealers This would be a car that is a good ground up restoration.expect to pay a little more for an original , well kept, garage queen...(VERY RARE).

The picture below is a good example of a car worth around $37-$40K. in this year of 2003 Just lets say you bought one that needed the interior re-done, needs paint stripping and repaint, engine needs to be rebuild, undercarraige needs to be sandblasted and refinished, bushings, bearings and balljoints, springs etc replaced. Then there is hardware for the engine, radiator and whatever other accessories you need to finish it off right. You're talking at least $20-$25K or more, depending on the restorer. Figure 35-40% less if you are skilled enough to do the work yourself, or 25-30% if you subcontract it out. Basically, you have to bring a professional with you to tell you how much this car would be to restore, and deduct $ from the asking price. There are a lot of people trying to get top dollar retail for an unrestored C2. Then you still have to put more money into it to restore it. I feal that the C2's are starting to leave the market value scene and are going on to a collectible level, The ones that collectors are going to look for will have matching numbers and be all original. The C2 is now starting to stabilize in price because of the new technology of the C5 and better performance, top end speed and styling. Don't get me wrong, the C2 is a very stylish Vette, but there comes a point with collectibles when they get priced out of the market and only the Jay Lenos can afford them. Personally, I feel that with the technology and engineering marvels of today, the C2 is becoming a museum piece and not practical as a daily driver.
It's hard to put a price on C2.