Anyone know much about Corvettes (or know someone who does)?

[J T]

My father-in-law has a red 1988 Corvette that he is looking to sell. The crazy thing is that he hardly ever drove it, so it is in excellent shape and only has ~9000 miles on it. I'm thinking it would be fairly valuable because he never really drove it, but I don't know too much about car collectors. Anybody have any advice on selling classic cars?

[Hobie-wan]

Possibly useful.

http://jalopnik.com/5945857/ten-things- ... g-your-car
http://carbuying.jalopnik.com/ten-commo ... 1604175716
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2014/0 ... at-carmax/

[Ivo]

Incidentally, I really like the design of these Corvettes, and I think it is in part due to them being in Test Drive (the old computer game). I remember the speed dial in the dashboard was digital whereas the other cars you could pick were all the usual type.

[SirGawain]

You would probably do better going to some classic car forums and asking them. I definitely wouldn't go to a dealership to sell it. They would only look at face value and not from a real collector standpoint. It is old enough to be tagged an antique car and it should be sold as a collector piece. Im not big into Corvettes, but I do know some options and packages go for a lot more than others and that could be the difference in 10's of thousands of dollars. Between my step dad and my grandfather, they have like 6 collector cars. They bought them at car shows and sitting on the side of the road .

EDIT

Here is a link that could point you in the right direction price wise

http://www.autotraderclassics.com/find/ ... fined=true

[CRTGAMER]

Not really a vintage car, but still pretty cool. A slight chance might have a Rochester feedback carb, more likely to have fuel injection though. Keep that in mind for Smog Checks, a different less stringent test for carberator cars.

Is it running well? Maybe buy it yourself (family discount rate) and keep it as a weekend driver, gotta be a fun car to drive. I drive a Sequoya and my 62 hot rodded Impala. When I picked up an 83 Camaro for my son, wow what a difference in road hugging. That Corvette will be even better with its rear end independent axle shafts.

I'll keep an eye on this Thread for pictures (include the engine please) and questions you might have on the mechanical side of it.

[Luke]

Anybody have any advice on selling classic cars?

Spoke with my mechanic this morning.

1) Don't trust Kelly Blue Book. Corvettes are driven by demand.

2) Best bet is to find at least ten Craig's List ads with similar details, find the average, and there's your price.

3) Corvettes go for more during the Summer.


Hope that helps.

[marurun]

Have a mechanic look this thing over carefully. It it has only gone 9000 miles since 1988, there's a strong possibility the seals, belts, and hoses will have to be replaced due to the car not being driven enough often enough. If you don't use the car and keep those bits lubricated they can dry out and crack.

[CRTGAMER]

Have a mechanic look this thing over carefully. It it has only gone 9000 miles since 1988, there's a strong possibility the seals, belts, and hoses will have to be replaced due to the car not being driven enough often enough. If you don't use the car and keep those bits lubricated they can dry out and crack.

Have care with the mechanic, some might add on unnecessary maintenance.

Seals - Hard to inspect without disassemble, just look for any leaks.

Belts - Easy visual inspection, inspect for excess wear and cracks at the underside of the belts.

Radiator Engine/Heater Hoses - Squeeze each hose especially at the base where clamped. If soft spongy, might blow out.

Vacuum Hoses - Not as critical as the water hose, some might be brittle hard. If passes smog and no leaks, leave alone. A chance of breaking off nipples if you try to change out.

If selling or even keeping the vette, one area of neglect when washing and detailing a car is the engine compartment. A can of WD40 and a few shop grade paper towels does wonders. I would avoid steam cleaning the motor unless real gunked up due to risk of corrosion on the various electrical connections. Don't forget the trunk too if a convertible, a good cleaning.

[Anapan]

Just noticed this topic so I asked my dad - he's into Chevy muscle cars and does restorations, engine rebuilds, buys and sells cars body, and engine parts etc.
He says it's a bit rarer than other Corvettes from that era because most Corvette enthusiasts didn't like the style of that particular year - something about the front end and white wheels(?), however some people liked it a lot more. Being a 2 seater sports car that's bad on gas, you'll have to find the right buyer to get what it's really worth. That could take a while so advertise it everywhere - all the local vehicle Buy&Sell/classified papers, Craigslist, Ebay, etc.

It'd be a lot of fun to cruise in - you should take it for a spin & do some donuts!