1970 Ls6 Convertible

[yountto]

Joe, Youre a parts vendor too..i know i have enough stuff here myself to make 10 copos if i chose....the point is dated parts dont make a car... The reason 437 alternators and 499 distributors are thousands of dollars is because the undocumented cars get them to create a sense of "documentation" and originality....Ill take a canada paperwork driver COPO with a 350 engine over any undocumented "#s match" COPO ANY day of the week...

[Charley Lillard]

So I have a Friend with a Triple black RS M22 COPO that has orig drivetrain but no paperwork. He has known the car since new and it needs resto. You are saying you would take the 350 COPO over it because it has paperwork ? I think every individual car is different and has its own circumstances. I would take this Black RS COPO over almost any other COPO, with or without paperwork.

[camarojoe]

Yountto, I'm not saying i don't think paperwork is needed... hell, I'd take a car with a stack of original docs over one with none too... my point is just that cars that may not have all this stuff saved with it for 30+ years shouldn't just be considered "worthless" compared to cars with paper. I just helped my father sell a 69 X33 Z/28 that has never had a stitch of paperwork with it since he bought it in 1986. Does that mean its not a real Z? Should he have just let it rot away under the pine tree where it was sitting? By now I'm sure it would have been crushed and turned into a Subaru. My point is that even without paperwork, alot of cars still can be determined beyond a shadow of a doubt to be legit...at LEAST as easily as someone can tell if a buildsheet or POP is real...While paperwork may make them easier sells, there are many cars without documents that are real-deal cars, and shouldn't be considered "suspect". For the record, I know nothing about the LS6 in question, and am just speaking generally. Besides, as long as folks buy and restore these cars, you can sell em' 900.00 alternators and i can sell em' 600.00 license plate frames, and everyone is happy.

[Belair62]

When did you guys put this stuff on sale !!!

[yountto]

As Greg C stated earlier,whether you buy a car for enjoyment or investment you always have to think about down the road...I prefer to have factory paperwork because most people buying big $$ cars want it ,plus i can make my own undocumented car if i wanted and probably save 50k ...I wouldnt want to be in a situation where i rely on a "my friend bought it new,heres his phone #" to secure my 200k investment.You know your friend and know the car is real,but after a few more people buy it it becomes a 5 owner undocumented car that 2 friends once owned ....If i just wanted a car to use and enjoy then id take the car you speak of.....I have never seen a collection where the owner weeded out his factory paperwork cars to make room for the undocumented ones.... have you???

[Charley Lillard]

If I had a documented COPO Camaro and the owner wanted to work out a trade for his black one I would do it in a second.

Charley,

I think we can all agree that personal knowledge of a particular car might affect your view to buy or not. However what if you go to sell that car, to say someone that has no prior knowledge of it. Now I know you are well respected in the hobby, but I don't think someones' level of respect should be what we base purchases on...I would bet if you bought the car and then went to sell it, you would ask top dollar..Therefore someone paying top dollar should expect to get a "no excuses" car...No having to second guess, no explaining to others..No having to buy a "story"..instead they should pay top dollar based on the idea that the car validates itself. Im my opinion the only way today with the fraud out there is to buy a car with factory docs..I have never really spoken to Kevin S., but from what I understand he will only buy a car that has factory paper...is it because he only finds those cars interesting..doubtful..I would guess (Kevin please step in here.. that it is to protect his investments..I used to collect WWII US and German martial weapons, and the one thing that was always stressed by other collectors to me, (especially when starting out) was buy the gun..not the story. It is always better to buy a car with paperwork and documents then without..A documented car with unquestionable docs will always bring more money than a similar non-documented car regardless of "owner" history or who is sellling...

[Jeff H]

[ QUOTE ]
If I had a documented COPO Camaro and the owner wanted to work out a trade for his black one I would do it in a second.

[/ QUOTE ]

Same with the low mile original owner Z28 I mentioned. Each car has it's good points and bad points. And each car appeals to a specific type of person. So saying a certain documented car is worth more or less than an undocumented car is really just stating a personal opinion. The market will determine what a given car is worth and the associated risk in buying it. I prefer to have documents with a car, but if it's a very limited production car, you don't have much choice if you really want one.

[camarojoe]

[ QUOTE ]
I don't think someones' level of respect should be what we base purchases on...

[/ QUOTE ]

Personally, I'd rather buy a car based on my respect of the people who know the car and have owned it, than from someone I'm not sure I trust but has "alot of paperwork" with the car. Earlier, When you were inquiring about a camaro you had prior knowledge of, and felt the need to "go public" with the info, did you have paperwork to back up your claims? No, but you had the word of people you knew and trusted, who had owned, and were associated with the car...and based your judgement on that. I really don't see how that's any different than buying a car based on the respect and knowledge of the car's history from previous owners. I always have looked at paperwork as being an added "bonus" to a good car, but just as I've seen legit cars without papers, I've also seen alot of questionable cars that had stacks of it. I'm sure you have too. JMO.

[yountto]

"I prefer to have documents with a car, but if it's a very limited production car, you don't have much choice if you really want one."....................This is exactly the point.You are basically saying that since Ls6 ragtops are rare,go to any extreme to try and validate the undocumented ones...because you cant find many real ones?? To me a car is either documented or not,wheter its a 300k ls6 ragtop or 50k L78 camaro