Looking for a C3. Thread suspended by OP

[James Vette]

Deleted. Decided to hold back on the car.

 

[sublimemike]

Gateway sell a lot of cars...maybe worth checking out their reviews

 

[Roscobbc]

Gateway (as Mike says) seem to advertise (and supposedly sell?) quite a few cars. Can't say I been over-impressed by the apparent standands of some of their cheaper cars.........and the prices of some of their 'higher-end' cars..........

 

[Corvetteville]

1977 Chevrolet Corvette - PHY855

Blue 1977 Chevrolet Corvette powered by a 350 CI V8 engine with a Automatic transmission (855-PHY). Gateway Classic Cars has 3811 Classics For Sale in our 20 Indoor Showrooms Nationwide.

www.gatewayclassiccars.com

Video on website. I know the exhaust tips suck. Excited to see where this goes. I did ask for more photos of bad birdcage areas. It's exactly what I want it even has chrome mirrors instead of painted!

If you take the sale price & add on shipping, taxes & registration, I reckon it's in the region of £14k+. The exchange rate isn't that good at the moment. The car is in Philadelphia with the dreaded snow & salt. You can see it on the video.
For a couple of grand more you can buy a Florida car personally selected by the vendor & presented to a proper standard. Soon when lockdown ends, you'll be able to visit him & inspect one yourself. I'm referring to one of our members whose been importing Corvettes for years. I bought a car from him I & am very happy with it. I'm sure he will identify himself when he reads this. Not sure if I'm allowed.

 

[Chuffer]

Damn ! You just pipped me to it as I was typing Corvetteville I was about to tell James about the likely all in cost with current exchange making it a £9321 .00 car . It would be very interesting to see how much rust there is in the frame , A lot I would guess ! Not withstanding the damaged areas of the bodywork , the paintwork looks crap with what looks like lots of orange peel and micro blistering .
James , are you really serious or just ` flying kites ` ? If you are serious you would be well advised to look at cars in the UK where you can tyre kick to hearts content and see for yourself just what you are getting into .

 

[Emc]

Gateway are consignment sellers

 

[Corvetteville]

Gateway are consignment sellers

This is THE man to see!

 

[Dazaa]

Gateway are indeed consignment sellers which means they sell on behalf of the owner and the buyer has absolutely no recourse if the car is not as described, google them, they seem to have a habit of over grading cars.

The car you posted is a dog, awful paintjob, look at the overspray on the exhausts, it's a 5k dollar car MAX. See all those cracks in the pass rear fender? thats just hours and hours of fibreglass work, pass door lines are too big, all the emblems are tatty, price up a new set, underhood wiring is a total mess look at all those crimp connectors around the alternator. My estimate is you'll need to throw another 5-10 grand at this car to make it decent and that is assuming you can find a deal on a paint job which could end up being 5-10k alone.

 

[kentvette]

James, you say your are excited about buying a Corvette. But if you are, in fact, serious, then you need to talk to, and go and see Gavin at EMC. From all I've heard recently, "lockdown" over there is not an excuse! Talk to Gavin and stop looking at cheap cars in the US that will end up costing 3 or 4 times what you pay for them!

 

[Rich]

Steve (kentvette) has a point. James, you need to look in the UK and not rely on potentially misleading information from the USA or you will probably run into severe difficulties. I used to move cars at Southampton docks, and trust me, I have seen some real wrecks come in, and not just Corvettes. It simply is too much of a risk. So let's cut to the chase and start with a conversation with Gavin at EMC. It won't do any harm and will probably assist you in the search.

 

[James Vette]

Damn ! You just pipped me to it as I was typing Corvetteville I was about to tell James about the likely all in cost with current exchange making it a £9321 .00 car . It would be very interesting to see how much rust there is in the frame , A lot I would guess ! Not withstanding the damaged areas of the bodywork , the paintwork looks crap with what looks like lots of orange peel and micro blistering .
James , are you really serious or just ` flying kites ` ? If you are serious you would be well advised to look at cars in the UK where you can tyre kick to hearts content and see for yourself just what you are getting into .

Very serious about buying one.

 

[Chuffer]

In which case follow the advice being offered by so many members on the forum . As the Covid restrictions on our movements gradually ease , get out there and start looking at cars on offer in the flesh . That is the only way forward for a genuinely serious purchaser . Set your realistic top budget also make sure you have sufficient additional disposable income for the inevitable expenditure a classic car that is around 40 to 50 years old will need . It is pretty obvious from your posts that you have little personal experience of C3`s , just dreams of ownership so my advice is get to as many regional CCCUK meets as possible and chat to guys about their cars and experiences . We all have tales to tell and many are fraught with problems now hopefully overcome . Try to get a ride in one or two and ideally have a drive if you can . You may well find a 40+ year old left hooker is not for you after all . Finally - DO NOT buy the first one you see ! If you eventually find one you like the look of , post as much info as you can and I am sure everyone will try to help you out and save you from a costly mistake.

 

[James Vette]

In which case follow the advice being offered by so many members on the forum . As the Covid restrictions on our movements gradually ease , get out there and start looking at cars on offer in the flesh . That is the only way forward for a genuinely serious purchaser . Set your realistic top budget also make sure you have sufficient additional disposable income for the inevitable expenditure a classic car that is around 40 to 50 years old will need . It is pretty obvious from your posts that you have little personal experience of C3`s , just dreams of ownership so my advice is get to as many regional CCCUK meets as possible and chat to guys about their cars and experiences . We all have tales to tell and many are fraught with problems now hopefully overcome . Try to get a ride in one or two and ideally have a drive if you can . You may well find a 40+ year old left hooker is not for you after all . Finally - DO NOT buy the first one you see ! If you eventually find one you like the look of , post as much info as you can and I am sure everyone will try to help you out and save you from a costly mistake.

I went to one last year but there were only C5's but it was very fun anyway.

 

[Chuffer]

James - It my understanding that there are more C3 owners in the club than any other model , so it shouldn`t be too difficult to go to a club event and find several there.