Hi , having just been through the process of sourcing ,buying and shipping a 72 from the US to the UK I would say to definately choose a shipper on reccomendation , I went from an ad and on what I was promised by the shipper, it eventually arrived , weeks later than promised, a bit abused and neglected scratched and chipped and with four RPO2’s dumped on the new vinyl passenger seat. That said, it arrived, intact , but it arrived .a long frustrating wait to get it registered but done now and all forgotten.bought sight unseen but only because I had faith in the vendor as he and his son had body off restored 13 different vettes over the years and was president of a corvette club. I was looking specifically for an older restoration that had been used and tested since, something I could tinker with ,and gradually improve over time.I was able to look through the club archives and see the restoration through monthly newsletters over a 2 year period. This gave me the confidence that the car had been done right. you say pictures dont tell the whole story and two peoples ideas of condition can differ widely.
the paint job looked great in pictures but in fact it has over the six years since completion “sunk” showing previous repairs and flaws , the car was not stripped to gelcoat as it should have been, it is still very good and a good driver quality job. I have flatted and mopped it and corrected a lot of the paint, still a work in progress. I was previously a car painter so am fussy, the car was possibly “mint “ to the vendor and he possibly never even saw the things I see in the paint.
mechanically I am more than thrilled with the car with a warmed rebuilt 4 bolt motor , all the drivetrain rebuilt or replaced on a restored and frame shop tweeked to factory specs chassis. the car has 4k on it since completion so still pretty much looks like new under the hood , and underneath . The interior is very good with new seat covers door cards carpetsand dash, there are other bits that I can improve with time but evrything works, all vaccuum system including astro ventilation, new brake, fuel lines, rotors, rebuilt calipers, exhaust, wheels, tyres, fuel tank and lines. Etc etc. This car ended up landed here with all charges paid for a tad over 26 k. probably about what it is worth over here, may even make a thousand or two I dont know. the prices being asked on the continent are way higher than in the uk, whether they actually sell them at those prices I dont know either.
the point of my journey wasnt to make money but merely to get a good car at sensible money, its also feels a lot more special to me because of the fact I found it , I bought it and I got it shipped here, it arrived and I am happy when many were telling me it was too risky and that I was crazy , my bank, point blank refused to send the money as it was for a car I hadnt seen from a bloke I hadnt met in a country I hadnt been to.
to be honest, I dont think I would do it again, I just struck lucky with my vendor , I thinkI would get Gavin at Emc , or scot at CK to probably help find me something as you then have the benefit of his experience in what is good or bad and back up and advice going forward together with supply of parts and skilled workshop facilities.
I am lucky also to have two very experienced vette enthusiasts (who know my car inside out as they built it ) on the end of a call or email to help and advise me on any ongoing issues.
good luck with your search , I dont regret one bit, going the route I took to find my car
