Discussion
Values for C3s seem to vary wildly depending on year and who you ask. Pre '72s have always been more desirable with '68s and 69' commanding the most interest. However, with Claremont posting a '73 convertible for just shy of £40k, does this mean there's a shift in the market coming, or are the guys in Kent off their rockers?!
Really interested to hear your views...
ETA
Not allowed sorry.
Really interested to hear your views...
ETA
Not allowed sorry.
Edited by Big Al. on Tuesday 5th March 11:48
The classic market is going through a 'boom' at the moment with a number of classics being advertised way beyond where I think they should be. The latest craze is people trying to ask big money for Aston Martin DB6's on the basis that they 'look similar' to a DB5 and it's the value choice. Truth is they're rubbish and the whole thing is a con. The Countach market isn't much better either with people offering Anniversaries for mega money when they are easily the worst variant of the car, being the heaviest, the slowest and the ugliest.
Personally I think some are jumping on the bandwagon with some of the classic Corvettes in the U.K. as an educated buyer can, in many cases, buyer a better car in the U.S. and import it for less than anything being offered here with the added benefit of a wider variety of cars to choose from. Strangely it seems to be the same cars advertised all the time so nobody views them as a bargain....
Personally I think some are jumping on the bandwagon with some of the classic Corvettes in the U.K. as an educated buyer can, in many cases, buyer a better car in the U.S. and import it for less than anything being offered here with the added benefit of a wider variety of cars to choose from. Strangely it seems to be the same cars advertised all the time so nobody views them as a bargain....
C3's are all over the place re. value/asking prices. A '73 in some people eyes will never be as desirable as a '72 as it is a 'cross over' year with '72 front end and '74 back end. '74 was last year for big block so desirable for some. 74/75/76/77 etc are theoretically of less value as they were smogged-up and lower performance. In reality these are potentially the best value of any year and can be sourced at reasonable prices. Opposite end of C3 scale, '68s were first year offering with many design changes over the model year and as such are unique - some say that they suffered from poor quality control - probably correct but immaterial now as most will be restored in some way. '69 (like '68) had 'abbreviated' fender flares. 1970/71 is probably the most 'collectible'. C3 Vettes (any Vettes in fact) would always get better money than a Mustang - how times have changed! - some of the prices asked for ordinary coupes are unbelieveable!
mitch_ said:
The classic market is going through a 'boom' at the moment with a number of classics being advertised way beyond where I think they should be. The latest craze is people trying to ask big money for Aston Martin DB6's on the basis that they 'look similar' to a DB5 and it's the value choice. Truth is they're rubbish and the whole thing is a con. The Countach market isn't much better either with people offering Anniversaries for mega money when they are easily the worst variant of the car, being the heaviest, the slowest and the ugliest.
Personally I think some are jumping on the bandwagon with some of the classic Corvettes in the U.K. as an educated buyer can, in many cases, buyer a better car in the U.S. and import it for less than anything being offered here with the added benefit of a wider variety of cars to choose from. Strangely it seems to be the same cars advertised all the time so nobody views them as a bargain....
Some of my working week is currently spent at the Landmark Car Co. in Chiswick. We tend to specialise in £125k-£900k classics, and from the number of hours that I spend researching each week it appears that the market is currently split - Personally I think some are jumping on the bandwagon with some of the classic Corvettes in the U.K. as an educated buyer can, in many cases, buyer a better car in the U.S. and import it for less than anything being offered here with the added benefit of a wider variety of cars to choose from. Strangely it seems to be the same cars advertised all the time so nobody views them as a bargain....
UK market
International Market
Below £100k
Above £100k
Sought after 50s-70s models in exceptional condition are appealing to an international market, and are seeing a strong, but steady increase in value, with the odd spike.
Sub £100k (and 1980s, with the odd exception) are being overpriced in the UK on the basis of the over £100k cars increasing, and stagnating the market.
The UK market is waking up to the idea of owning a classic left hand drive car. Owners are realising that a lot of their miles are on Euro jaunts and LHD isn't a problem over here on an occasional use car (theoretically helping Vette sales).
The majority of private sale cars in the UK are currently overpriced, at all price levels (we haven't bought a single car privately in the UK for at least six months)
The international market is strong, but very model specific.
Where does that leave Vettes? Very few international collectors search for them, apart from first generation cars. Outside of Vette enthusuasts, C3s are unloved; I doubt any of the specialists would generally put their own money on the table to stock one unless it was cheap. Most will be on consignment with an optimistic return wanted by the owner and a commission on top.
As Mitch said, you are better off buying from the USA with a much wider choice and shipping back.
And if any one wants to have a look around the stock at Landmark, feel free to drop by.
Watch out in USA - it seems that supposedly rare and unique cars are finally being 'questioned' re. authenticity and being 'pulled' from auction if 'authenticity' is questionable. About time too - I guess a few high profile court cases have made many weary of sinking good money into cars with unimpeachable credentials!
As for sourcing cars from the 'States - if is a fairly 'run of the mill' American classic, then yes you could do well - something a little bit more specialist, like for example a C3 LT1, then no - the Yanks have long woken-up to things like this and it will be a fluke to buy at the right price. Over here in UK it will still a fluke getting at the right price - but the cars can be found over here - you just need to find them!
As for sourcing cars from the 'States - if is a fairly 'run of the mill' American classic, then yes you could do well - something a little bit more specialist, like for example a C3 LT1, then no - the Yanks have long woken-up to things like this and it will be a fluke to buy at the right price. Over here in UK it will still a fluke getting at the right price - but the cars can be found over here - you just need to find them!
With a C3 it depends what you want. Some C3s are worth hundreds of thousands (L88s) I don't follow them much or deal in them but iirc an L88 engine alone can add $200-300,000 to the value of a 1968 Vette. Granted they're about as rare as an XK-SS.....
It's also been my experience that in Europe VERY VERY few collectors will pay for or care about things such as originality or specific options that can have a HUGE swing on the value of a Corvette. Things like a JL8 equipped 69 Camaro Z28 (4 wheel discs) won't bring the $40,000 premium in Europe that they will in America. Also Americans won't pay up for a car that can be cloned without substantial documentation, got a Ram Air 4 GTO? Better have loads of paperwork proving its real if you want to see dollar one out of it. Same with high end Vettes, everything better be date coded and documented.
Meanwhile in Europe a clean nice condition car that's reasonably original will bring a good price and the typical European buyer doesn't seem too bothered if the carburetor has the correct date code on it, if its got a brand new Holley he's just as happy.
The early cars are worth the most, and with the early cars the right options can skyrocket their values. With American muscle cars, 1972 is unofficially the end of what are now the "big buck" cars due to a combination of emissions standards that were tightening faster than the technology of the time could cope with, the fuel crisis, safety standards and skyrocketing insurance premiums all combined to create the perfect storm which killed off muscle cars.
If you just want a cool old Vette to enjoy, get something from the mid-late 70s and have fun with it. These will never be high dollar collectibles; they made tons of them and they live in the shadows of the earlier cars. Want to go fast? It's very easy to bolt a high performance 350 into one for very modest cost. Parts are plentiful and the cars are still very commonly found.
$10-12k would still buy you a very nice and clean driver. Don't waste your money on a concours one or look at the car as an investment, its just a cool old car and the typical guy on the street won't know a 77 from a 68 L88.
It's also been my experience that in Europe VERY VERY few collectors will pay for or care about things such as originality or specific options that can have a HUGE swing on the value of a Corvette. Things like a JL8 equipped 69 Camaro Z28 (4 wheel discs) won't bring the $40,000 premium in Europe that they will in America. Also Americans won't pay up for a car that can be cloned without substantial documentation, got a Ram Air 4 GTO? Better have loads of paperwork proving its real if you want to see dollar one out of it. Same with high end Vettes, everything better be date coded and documented.
Meanwhile in Europe a clean nice condition car that's reasonably original will bring a good price and the typical European buyer doesn't seem too bothered if the carburetor has the correct date code on it, if its got a brand new Holley he's just as happy.
The early cars are worth the most, and with the early cars the right options can skyrocket their values. With American muscle cars, 1972 is unofficially the end of what are now the "big buck" cars due to a combination of emissions standards that were tightening faster than the technology of the time could cope with, the fuel crisis, safety standards and skyrocketing insurance premiums all combined to create the perfect storm which killed off muscle cars.
If you just want a cool old Vette to enjoy, get something from the mid-late 70s and have fun with it. These will never be high dollar collectibles; they made tons of them and they live in the shadows of the earlier cars. Want to go fast? It's very easy to bolt a high performance 350 into one for very modest cost. Parts are plentiful and the cars are still very commonly found.
$10-12k would still buy you a very nice and clean driver. Don't waste your money on a concours one or look at the car as an investment, its just a cool old car and the typical guy on the street won't know a 77 from a 68 L88.
Edited by Captain Cadillac on Wednesday 3rd April 06:30
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