Are Midyear Values Color Sensitive?

[Patrick T.]

Today, someone gave me a copy of an article published in a Corvette Magazine published by GM, don't know the name, which was entitled "Classic Criteria". It contained a "desirability chart" for early cars, straight axles, and midyears, and ranked them by year according to their desirability.

Besides the year, it stated that color is another consideration and value is very "color sensitive". Red/red fetched the biggest price, followed by black/black. Red, black and white have historically been the three best selling colors for Corvettes.

I remember in Hemmings under "Corvettes Wanted" there was a collector who was looking to buy big block '65 to '67's, and any color except,(this and that).

I know what colors I like and and had this same preference when buying a midyear last summer. There were two colors which were definitely out. Do most serious buyers and collectors have this preference? Just curious. Patrick

[Robert C.]

Re: Are Midyear Values Color Sensitive?

Patrick. YES, color is BIG! red/red, blue/blue, black/black, black/red,silver/red, black/blue, yellow/black, red/saddle. If someone offered me a green car, I'd pass. there are popular colors for each year Corvette, and some un-popular ones.


Texas Chapter NCRS

[Bill Clupper]

Re: Are Midyear Values Color Sensitive?

Some dealers I've had candid conversations with say green and yellow are much more difficult to "move" thsn other colors. Red and Black will bring a premium

[grr]

Re: Are Midyear Values Color Sensitive?

Patrick, I have a Goodwood Green 67 coupe w/ white stinger. But I wish I had a Tuxedo black coupe w/white or red stinger. But my favorite 67 color is Silver pearl w/blk stinger hood. I'll never get another Red corvette, it seem to attract the attention of Radars for some reason.

Then again my wife says she likes the green and so do others. I honestly bought the care for the L-71 but couldn't find one in those colors I really wanted in the price range I was looking because I had planned on a restoration car. In no way would I change to another color than original on a mid-year corvette. grr#33570

[Lou Lapham aka Kool 66]

Re: Are Midyear Values Color Sensitive?

Patrick-When i was looking in 94 for a replacement for my Nassau Blue/Black roadster there were two colors that i would not buy.Mossport Green and Sunfire Yellow!I ended up with a Ermine White/Black roadster.In retrospect i am glad i passed on the Rally Red/Black roadster at the same show.Although certain colors seem to bring a premium,for personal use buy what you like,don't worry about Resale Red,as the dealers call it.A quality Midyear in a stock color will bring a good price down the road.I would worry more about powerglides and 3 speeds vs 4 speeds than Red versus Green. Lou

[Patrick T.]

Resale Red....

Lou, interesting observation. When I was at Carlisle last summer to buy a '67 roadster, there were about 30 '67s for sale. I knew exactly what I wanted, but what you want and what you get are always not the same.

Within an hour, I had it narrowed down to 3 cars, and one of them was resale red. I know this is a hot color, but I've owned 4 red Corvettes, including my '99 C-5, which is torch red, and this color was off my list. The next one was a Marina Blue/Black roadster. I really like this color, but there are just so many of them! Finally I chose the nicest car of all three, a Sunfire Yellow/Black roadster, BUT, I wanted air conditioning, and if one of these 3 had air, that would have been the one I bought, no matter what the color. Patrick

[Lou Lapham aka Kool 66]

Re:"You can't always get what you want".......

Patrick-Like the Rolling Stones song goes"You can't always get what you want but if you try sometimes you get what you need"....Funny during my quest air was not on the list but i ended up with a air roadster! Lou

[OlGeezer]

Re: Are Midyear Values Color Sensitive?

Very interesting question. When I first shopped for a Corvette, in '68, the hot '67 color was Goodwood Green. In fact, the first used car that I seriously looked at was GG, with a white interior that was so new that it still had the clear plastic from the factory. But the guy wanted $3400, which was beyond my budget.

On a similar note -- then, coupes were preferable to convertibles. Remember, these were still just used cars. The convertibles had terrible "cowl shake," and often leaked badly. Also, as a used car, the SB was preferable to a BB, because it ran more smoothly and was less subject to overheating.

Back to color. I had a buddy then who had a '66 Mosport Green 427/425 coupe, with a '67 cold-air hood. I did NOT buy it from him, when he wanted a newer car in about '69 or '70, solely because of the color. I'm still kicking myself on that one.

Lately, I've had a hard time buying used late-model Corvette drivers, because of the poor color selection on the used-car market. I'm tired of red, white, and silver; my spouse detests black. I had a '91 yellow/blk/blk conv that was fun, and a Polo Green '94 conv that was nice. Just bought a '00 Mag Red/tan conv that I'm already tired of -- again because it's just another red car.

Just shows that the market is fickle.

Geezer

[Robert C.]

Re: Are Midyear Values Color Sensitive?

A note about Dealers. At Corvette World in Dallas , Terry Malone's favorite color is yellow. He swears by them. He usually repaints the green ones yellow.If you want to get rid of a yellow Corvette,look up Terry !


Texas Chapter NCRS

[Dave Henderson (#32416)]

Re: Are Midyear Values Color Sensitive?

Yeah, resale is nice but colors are a matter of personal taste and the owner will enjoy a car more in a color they prefer. I found Red/Red to be a striking combination even though Red/Black was always my favorite for years. Any car in Marina Blue is striking to me also, and this weekend I saw a 66 SB roadster in Mossport Green which was one beautiful car. I truly believe condition of paint is more important than color. If you scan the color list there aren't any hideous colors to be found, some are more dated now than others but each look good in the right condition. Also, to have a color reflecting the period has nostalgic value, which is why Monaco Orange is such a winner with 68 to 72 cars. If you see a car that you want that looks beatiful to you then thats the one you should have. Of course, you may have to compromise and select one you like which passes the wife/significant other's taste test also.

Can any of the learned folks viewing comment on the availability of lacquer paint? I live in California where it is a banned substance. Also, contact info for a top quality body on/body off fiberglass and paint or total restoration expert for hire would be of great use to me. For discretion, please feel free to email.

Dave Henderson