Re: Somebody who can help me in the Los Altos / CA Hi Michael,
I don’t know if anyone’s offered suggestions via direct e-mail to you, so if not, here goes… (I can't help you in person, as I live on Long Island.)
Remember that a '99 Vette in today's market is also just a used car. Get the VIN from the seller and begin with an on-line Carfax report. Opt for the 30-day unlimited option for five extra dollars in case this particular vehicle doesn't pan out. If the info gleaned does not conflict with the owner's representations, next, contact a local Chevy dealer in the vicinity of the car and speak to the service manager. See if he'd be willing to perform a pre-purchase inspection on the car (for a fee, of course). If so, then, arrange to have the current owner bring the car to the dealer. Putting the car on a lift at the dealership, they can also look at the undercarriage for signs of damage and/or repair, and can closely check for leaks, suspension wear, etc. In addition, they can check the VIN on whatever computer system GM/Chevy uses to determine what services (routine maintenance, TSBs, recalls, repairs, etc.) were performed within the dealer network during the car's life (I am assuming that the entire network is available to the dealer, but am not certain). You can also ask who's performed maintenance on the car, and contact them, but keep in mind that a private shop's feedback might have a greater tendency to be slanted in the owner's favor.
Hope this is helpful.
Good luck, and let us know how it turns out!
Louis
PS - On a personal note, were you with Rob and some other members of your Chapter at the National? If so, we probably met at the hotel bar…
Louis,
I never gave you a reply on this one - sorry
Thanks, I did the car fax and our friend Jack Humphrey called the seller for me and convinced him that us Dutchies are nice guys!!
I bought the 99 and meanwhile she is on Dutch plates since beginning of Feb. Ride is great and I love the 6 speed and with the exception of the Corsa exhaust all stock. 100% documentation present from day 1, so I will keep her as a future top flight........Car is not driving much, she sits in our nice clubhouse all washed and polished.
On your personal note - yep I was there at the nationals with Rob, Sander, Rene', Nico, Jeroen and Eric.