96 CE production numbers

05-31-06, 05:36 PM

Hey -

I'm new here. Unfortunately I no longer have a Corvette because my (recently) ex-fiance totalled it into a tree on Saturday night. Thankfully she was not seriously injured. I am building my case to present to the insurance company as to the value of the car. If anyone has past experience in this field, I'm open to any and all help. I've run NADA and KBB, and done some extensive searches as to what other comparable CEs are selling for. It's an LT4 CE with F45 suspension package, dual tops, and red interior. These are fairly hard to find! I'm going to take it in the shorts because it had 107K miles on it.

My specific question is this: where can I find the exact number of Collector's Editions made with a red interior? I thought there used to be a 96 CE registry online that had this information, but I can no longer find it. I have been referencing the Grand Sport registry, and it has very useful information, but it doesn't have the specific number I'm looking for.

Any help (and consolation through this painful time!) would be greatly appreciated. And YES, I know I shouldn't have been letting her drive my baby. On the bright side, now I get to buy another one!

Thanks! Neil

soggytaco · 05-31-06, 10:25 PM

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...96/96prod.html

I hope this helps but I don't think the Insurance Co. will give you any more money because it was a "rare" color combo. But its worth a shot.

Roadster Guy · 05-31-06, 11:35 PM

Sorry to read about your misfortune.

Earlier this year Corvette Magazine had their C4 market report, not sure which issue but I am sure another CAC member will fill us in on that. Anyway, it shows 96 prices and details coupes, convertibles, CE and LT4 values. They add something like $750 for an LT4 and I think a few thousand for a CE. This report could be a credible addition to your insurance presentation. It breaks out values for different vehicle conditions. Some of the other mags have these reports as well....one in particular had quite a detailed report....again hopefully another member can help as I am in a different location right now than my magazines.

I have the F-45 suspension. It was a failry expensive option and a good one. Not that many are out there (check the Corvette Black Book) and it was the newer generation system like the C5 got so it would add some value for the right buyer.

I was told by my insurance agent that in the event of an accident write off we would probably have to establish for the insurance company the car's value by using comparable market place values for similar Vettes bought and sold.
Good Luck
RG

06-01-06, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by soggytaco

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...96/96prod.html

I hope this helps but I don't think the Insurance Co. will give you any more money because it was a "rare" color combo. But its worth a shot.

Thanks very much!

LT4man · 06-01-06, 12:35 AM

I read once where someone tried to extrapolate the number of Torch Red interiors in Collector Editions. They came up with "300".

Not many, that's for sure. I have one, also.

SAVE THE WAVE!

Roadster Guy · 06-01-06, 08:37 AM

It was the "March" Issue of Corvette Magazine with the Market Place Report.
RG

Jeroenvgfn · 06-01-06, 09:12 AM

there was a site on the net with all info but that is recently gone offline
http://www.collectoreditionregistry.com/

but now the info is found on a mirrorsite.
http://www.wright.edu/~mathews.5/

this site gives all production info on 1996 corvettes not only CE

good luck

06-01-06, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeroenvgfn

there was a site on the net with all info but that is recently gone offline
http://www.collectoreditionregistry.com/

but now the info is found on a mirrorsite.
http://www.wright.edu/~mathews.5/

this site gives all production info on 1996 corvettes not only CE

good luck

This is exactly what I was looking for! I remember seeing it before on the old site ...

6 Shooter · 06-01-06, 01:38 PM

http://chevroletcorvette.free.fr/1996.htm

Hope it helps!

Later . . . . . .
6 Shooter

Ted Krempa · 06-01-06, 10:33 PM

Slick, in Calif, it is unlawful to use a Blue Book figure to settle. The company will need to give a basis for the settlement offer based on comparable vehicles in your market. They will find some vehicles so the debate then becomes a comparison of condition, yours vs. the comparables. The carrier cannot use 'computer models' - they will need to find actual cars for comparison. The magazine opinions will not carry much weight as they are 3-4 months post publication date and not market specific. The mileage will hurt your value. Any recent upgrades, repairs will help your case. You may want to contact Corvette Mike's in Anaheim or a local Corvette club in So Calif. Do a search on Auto Trader, kbb.com., Barrett Jackson, LA Times classified, etc. The CE is not that big of a deal in the market place (I own one so I have a dog in the fight - I bought mine because of mileage and condition, not $20.00 worth of GM badges, etc.) Nice concept, but at the end of the day, it's just another Corvette, not an Anniversary Edition. (wish I would have bought that funny blue convertible with the red stipes on the fender sitting so alone at Weseloh Chevy in Carlsbad, CA back in 96 - at the time, thought "what a dumb paint scheme..." if only I knew what I know now..anyway, I digress..

Contrary to some of the uneducated 'pundits' that often offer their uninformed opinions on this forum, the insurance carriers, especially in California, know their obligations and want nothing more than closing the claim. They get the salvage. You get to buy a new car. If you feel you are not getting a fair offer, contact the Calif Dept of Insurance. Don't know who your carrier is but depending on the outcome, you may find out that the 'low bidder' when it comes to premiums is not money well spent. (hopefully, you have a real claim rep to talk to, not a Gecko)

With that said, DISCLOSURE: I spent 30+ years in the insurance claim business - some auto - some casualty, but I left the business 2 years ago, and am doing something totally unrelated, so my 'free advice' is unbiased, but worth what it is, free..

Good luck in your claim

Ted

06-02-06, 03:08 AM

Thanks for taking the time to educate me, Ted. I am with Progressive, and so far, I've heard good things about them. They are calling me in the morning (Fri) with figures. Will I be able to negotiate with them if I don't think they are offering enough? Or is my only recourse to contact the Dept. of Insurance?

Neil

Ted Krempa · 06-02-06, 10:24 AM

sure you can negotiate. As I said, they need to have a basis for their figure. They may have found a comparable car. Also, if you are really far apart, the policy will have an 'appraisal' clause whereby you can have a binding process whre you get your appraiser and they get theirs and both submit findings to a third appraiser who makes a ruling on the value. Sometimes that process works for you, other times it does not

Just see what they have to offer, be objective and see if it works out for you. That mileage is not good though

06-02-06, 12:27 PM

NADA is not giving me very good information on the level that I can access it. KBB seems to be pretty accurate as to the market when it comes to the higher mileage cars, but not on the lower mileage cars. For example, it shows a difference of about $3000 on the same car with 51K miles vs. 108K miles. When you look at the market though, it seems to be way more than a $3000 increase for the lower mileage car. Is there a basic rule of thumb for how much 10K miles is worth? I'm sure it varies from car to car.

Also, when I mentioned some recent repairs and new tires on the phone to them, they said these were routine expenditures. How do I get compensation? I recently (3 months ago) spent about $2k on an axle problem and fixing a few nagging minor problems. I also spent $1200 on Eagle F1GSD3 tires 5 months ago. How do I get compensation for this?

Ted Krempa · 06-05-06, 09:18 PM

Slick, what happened on the settlement??

Ted

06-06-06, 12:46 PM

I made out pretty well. They put the value of the car at $15725. The LT-4 and the F45 suspension helped push the number up (as well as dual tops), and the mileage obviously pushed it down. I'm happy with it, since I basically stole the car 4 years ago from a guy who bought it after his wife had been driving it as a lease car all its life. He wanted to flip it quick and I got it for $15.5k! It was probably worth over $20k at the time. So needless to say, I'm fairly happy. I spoke to 2 Corvette specialty dealers to get an idea of what they would have listed it for. One said around $15k and the other about $12k (although I think he was a moron).

Thanks for everyone's help!

Neil