Cosmetics Important in Purchase of Pre-Owned Corvettes
Experts on pre-owned Corvette ownership recommend that pre-owned Corvettes be selected for purchase with a strong bias toward the "cosmetics" unless the purchaser can do hands-on cosmetic repair himself or herself.
In an article entitled "Corvette Buying 101" seven critical recommendations for buying a pre-owned Corvette are given. Consider them carefully:
Buy the best Corvette you can afford today, because the Corvette you buy today is the Corvette you’ll have to sell someday.
Buy cosmetics -- Buy paint and chrome, unless you have a shop and knowledge to control your costs.
Research -- Arm yourself with knowledge provided in the many Corvette publications (such as in some of our Blog links).
Don't trade off cosmetics for a numbers match drive-train -- It will always cost you more to restore (paint, trim, chrome, etc.) a Corvette needing restoration vs. putting the proper numbers motor back in your vehicle if that’s your venue. Numbers have become secondary to cosmetics and it’s about time.
Realize that Corvettes are old cars -- Whether it be any 5, 10, 20, 30 year old car, they are just old cars. They require more attention than that new Chevy or Ford sitting in your driveway, especially if you don’t take them for daily or weekly workouts. The best running and most reliable automobiles are those used on a regular basis.
The most important thing is to go out and have fun -- Drive your Corvette! Join a club. Go to Cruise-ins. Put your Corvette in local shows. Wave at other Corvette owners. Enjoy!
Buying your first Corvette is the beginning of a collection, and buying your second is never the end.
I'm interested in buying a Corvette for my husband's b'day. I can't afford much, but he deserves the best I can get because he is a great provider and awesome dad. The one I found is a white 1988 Corvette. The outside looks pretty good by my standards and I'm picky. The catch is that the back right corner above the lights had a scratch, and the current owner had it painted, and now the paint is brighter and whiter than the rest. Is that a big problem as far as value is concerned? Does it drop it's value? The space affected is about a foot in length.
It seems to us at Corvette Blog that the best remedy would be a repaint of the entire panel/fender. Paint needs to be blended. While a quality paint job might cost you, it should improve the overall value of the car. Given the otherwise excellent condition of the vehicle, an issue like this should not deter your interest in this car. Send us a digital photo after the purchase.