BY BRIAN BRENNANIn the Interim
ll of us are into cars and,
as such, must be vigilant
about forgeries. No mat-
ter how humble our prized
Corvette is to the outside
world, to each of us it means everything
and represents a significant outlay of time,
effort, cash, and, dare I say, pride. When it
comes time to “vet” your Vette you are still
a long way from owning it.
There are generally several ways we
get ourselves into trouble when it comes
to collector cars and it all stems from not
doing our homework; skipping or cutting
short the vetting process. Perform a care-
ful and critical examination of the car you
wish to buy, no shortcuts. Typically, the pro-
cess begins by making sure that the title is
free and clear of any liens and can be reg-
istered without issues. This is generally not
much of a problem. Should you purchase a
stolen car, while the police may allow you
to claim ignorance it is a sure bet that they
will alieve you of ownership and your pur-
chase funds will be a loss. Some of life’s les-
sons are expensive!
The next step is to make sure what you
are buying is what you think you are buy-
ing. If your lifelong dream Corvette is a
fuel-injected split-window, make sure it
really is a factory fuelie car and it really is a
1963? Sometimes the obvious isn’t. There
are many avenues for you to check the
legitimacy of the car. Start with verifying
paperwork and verifying serial numbers.
Corvettes are famous for numbers-
matching on a myriad of components that
will lead you to the authenticity of the car,
all followed by careful examination. A devi-
ous body shop can easily turn a ’64 into a
’63, from a 250hp four-barrel to a 360hpfuel-injected engine, from an auto to a four-
speed, and on and on.
In speaking with any number of Corvette
experts, such as restoration shops, the
NCRS or Corvette groups they can give
you a plethora of valid information. It’s
truly amazing how much good (and bad!)
information is available online. The bible ...
the Corvette Black Book is always worth its
purchase price.
When we find what appears to be the
Corvette of our dreams emotions, along
with desires, get in the way. Step back and
think about what you are getting into. Ask
yourself this question, “Is what I am about
to buy really what I am looking for?” The
stories go on and on about enthusiasts
who get caught up in the moment and buy
the desirable big-block ’67 Corvette only to
find out that it wasn’t an original big-block
car and its value is significantly less than
what you have paid for it.
Another problem area is buying a car
from a friend and taking it on face value
that the car is what is represented. Your
friend may also have been hoodwinked
and while what he is selling you isn’t what
is represented, he is in the dark as much
as you are. Oftentimes it pays dividends to
have a third party inspect the car before
purchase and allow that party to give you a
real assessment.
So where do you start? We mentioned
experts and we have always found to be
at the top of the list is Kevin Mackay of
Corvette Repair, Inc. (Valley Steam,
New York). His shop, while known for
impeccable restorations, also offers an
appraisal department, which can come in
handy if you are thinking of purchasing
and need input.In conversations as well as having read
oftentimes about Kevin, he has uttered
the following more than once.
It’s Kevin’s opinion that one should start
with the obvious ... the VIN tags and then
engine and transmission stamps. But be
careful about the VIN tags. The numbers
may “say” what you want to believe, but
how are the tags are mounted? Are they
the correct tags for this car or have they
been removed from another car? Once
you get past the obvious, the mechani-
cals, then it’s time to check the body. Here
you are looking for damage, quality of
repair, and any possible signs of some-
thing amiss. It’s always a good idea to get
the car up on a lift and check both the
frame and body further. Always ask the
seller if anything has been changed from
stock and does he (or she) have docu-
mentation to show what work was done
and where and by whom. Since there’s
the likelihood that you will not be buying
the car from the original owner, ask the
seller if he has any paperwork from the
previous seller and how far back can they
trace the car’s history.
Speaking of paperwork, I remembering
reading once on CorvetteBlogger.com,
one of my favorite daily reads, about a
fellow who purchased his dream car only
to find out that while the paperwork was
legit the car wasn’t. Talk about untangling
a mess.
This is by no means the definitive effort
one should put in before purchasing but
it is a sure bet that this car will represent
a lot of things to you and not the least
of which is a great sum of money. So, it
pays to vet your Vette ... remember, fore-
warned is forearmed. VETTEWhen buying ... vet and
Vette mean two different things
4 VETTE 19.