Some blame safety bumpers while others say it was catalytic converters but there's no definitive reason as to why 1968-1974 third generation Corvettes are worth more than 1975-1982 models. And then there's a sliding scale within 1968-1974 "C3's"; the older the C3 the more valuable it is. Corvette experts say you're throwing your money away on a '75-'82 "C3" unless you have your sights set on a 1978 Corvette in full 25th Anniversary regalia. And then it better have next to no miles on it. I mention this because this lopsided value scale is the only reason that I can think of as to why this beat to death 454 V-8 powered 1974 Corvette with only 8,000 miles on it has an asking price of $10,000.
On paper a 1974 "454" Corvette with only 8,000 miles on it for $10,000 would have me rifling through my kitchen drawer for my check book. Well, I'm best to hold on to my leisure suit and disco pants - like most things in life if it seems too good to be true it usually is. This bad boy isn't so much rough around the edges as it is literally jagged making it's asking price seem not so much like a bargain but all the money in the world. Darn. I have no idea what happened to the front end here but I venture to guess it was stuck in a garage and ended up having items "stored" on it. How else to explain that gouge on the right headlight door, the multitude of scratches, no they will not buff out, and the horrible crack in the top of the driver's side fender. Ouch. Sure looks like something was dropped on it and because their bodies are made of fiberglass, Corvettes don't dent - they literally break.
The hood not closed is also a reason for concern - might be nothing as these clamshell hoods sit like this after the release is pulled but would it have killed the photographer to close it? Also, seeing that the hood of this car was used probably as some sort of makeshift table or shelf, if it's warped, that was one expensive table. Maybe the latch is broken. Who knows.
Old Corvettes are hard to sell because they're polarizing even amongst fans of old cars; as many people hate them as love them. Car people either don't appreciate them or they don't care for "Corvette people" who often times tend to be fans of Corvettes and could care less about other old cars. These cars had an image problem when they were new and to some degree even after all these years they still do; who do the owners of these cars think they are? You should see how some people treat my wife and I on the road whenever we take ours out; we wave at them mouthing, "we're not assholes. Really. We're not." They're expensive to own too. Especially to have body work done or repairs made to their deceptively complex independent rear suspensions.
Oh, what did I say about body work? That crack in the driver's fender was bad enough - this here made me laugh out loud. I mean, seriously. Wow. The ad claims this happened from a tire blowing out (what?) and repairing it would be inexpensive. Good luck even finding a body shop today that would take this on let alone do a good job fixing whatever the hell happened here. If there's any good news it's that all Corvettes are "catalog cars" meaning you can get most anything you need online. Yes, even rear clips.
Still, it's a 1974 Corvette with a 454 so it's worth at least something. In condition at least approaching my worn but still very pretty 1977 Corvette, it might fetch upwards of $10,000 but in this shape, I don't know what amount of money to offer the owner that wouldn't be insulting. And if it looks this bad in photos you know it's going to look even worse in person.
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