If you are wanting to sell your Corvette, there are a few things that you should keep in mind. Classic Corvette buyers are typically pretty specific about a number of things and they aren’t the kind to let it slide. Selling a Corvette, be it to classic Corvette dealers or a private buyer, is not like selling a regular car. The market that you are looking at is going to be a lot smaller. You can’t just post on Facebook, “I want to sell my Corvette. Any takers?” and expect to get very many serious responses.
- Do the Research
The first thing you want to make sure that you do is your homework. You have to know what the fair market value of your Corvette is. Classic Corvette dealers might be helpful but they are going to want a deal so your best bet is to look it up for yourself. If your car is more than 20 years old, you might want to look up the information in Sports Car Market magazines. They have a price guide in there as well Corvette Market magazines. If you are apart of a Corvette club, you could ask around there but make sure you do your own research as well. - Get the Car Evaluated
You need to get an appraisal from a classic car expert. This is more than taking it to classic Corvette dealers and seeing what they think it’s worth. It’s more than looking it up online. All of these ideas are good in order to get a general idea but getting an appraisal from an expert will give you a much better idea of how much you are probably going to get from your car. Ask about your Corvette club to find a classic car expert or appraiser. - Fix Up the Car
Even if your Corvette is in pretty fair condition, you’ll want to spruce her up a little before you try and sell. Cleaning out trash from the inside and washing and waxing the outside will make the car a lot more attractive to classic Corvette dealers and private buyers. Vacuum the car and had a subtle air freshener is a good idea but it’s even better to take the car to an actual detailing service. Everything that is a small repair should be done now. Things like torn windshield wipers, low fluids, burned out tail lights etc. are all easy fixes. - Take Good Pictures
Sharp photos in a well lit area are best. Take new photos and don’t use pictures from when you had the car freshly painted a decade ago. When buyers see the car, if they are disappointed they are more likely to walk away. It’s actually recommended to take detailed pictures of any rust, damage or anything broken. It’s better that there are no surprises when a buyer shows up to look at the car. - Choose Where to Sell
You could sell your car at an auction house, privately or with a consignment classic Corvette dealer. If your Corvette is incredibly rare and valuable, you might get a better price at a collector’s car auction. However, using an auction comes with stipulations. You have to hand over the title before the auction and sign a contract. This means that you won’t be able to sell through somewhere else is something shows up during that time.
A consignment dealer may be able to place your car with collector cars. People don’t look at these cars unless they have money. Of course, you’ll need to pay a large commission to the dealer.
Your other option is to sell online. However, there are plenty of online scammers on there waiting to take advantage. Even so, there are some great sites like Ebay that allow you auction the car but still have the possibility of taking the car down if you sell it elsewhere before the auction is over.
Then of course, you have the regular auto sales sites. The results here may be mixed because people looking for an everyday car on there are not going to be looking to drop money on a Corvette.
Overall, make sure this is what you really want to do. You don’t want to sell the car, watch it drive off and then regret it all.