Any Corvette fans out there?

[dennis thompson]

I have been looking at a few old Corvettes with the hope of buying one. I'd like to get a C3 (1968-1982) . I had been looking at one for a week or two,was pretty excited about it and I brought it to my mechanic on Friday and he found too many things wrong with it so I didn't buy it, I felt like a kid who got coal in his stocking at Christmas. I''ve looked at a couple with luggage racks on the back,one thing i'll never understand is why Chevy would offer ,and why any buyer would purchase , a luggage rack for a Corvette?
:confused:

[Stephen Cherry]

I like them. When I bought my car, 10 years ago, I test drove a corvette (about year 2000), and it's performance was phenomenal. I would consider the later corvettes also (maybe around year 1998).

As far as the older cars go, unless it's has a special engine, it may not be economical unless you can do most of the work yourself. Like a lot of things, if you start to look, good deals will pop up. And you need to educate yourself a little to learn to recognize a good deal when you find it.

[dennis thompson]

I like them. When I bought my car, 10 years ago, I test drove a corvette (about year 2000), and it's performance was phenomenal. I would consider the later corvettes also (maybe around year 1998).

As far as the older cars go, unless it's has a special engine, it may not be economical unless you can do most of the work yourself. Like a lot of things, if you start to look, good deals will pop up. And you need to educate yourself a little to learn to recognize a good deal when you find it.
Stephan, You're certainly right about educating myself, the one I took to the mechanic needed new stainless steel brake lines throughout ($700), front & rear engine seals, ($500-600), real axel seals ($575), tune up ($350). One of the mechanics I called for an estimate said buying a Corvette of that age, it was a 1981, I should not be surprised to spend $5000 in repairs. He did promise not to mention that to my wife!

[Tim Boger]

I have been looking at a few old Corvettes with the hope of buying one. I'd like to get a C3 (1968-1982) . I had been looking at one for a week or two,was pretty excited about it and I brought it to my mechanic on Friday and he found too many things wrong with it so I didn't buy it, I felt like a kid who got coal in his stocking at Christmas. I''ve looked at a couple with luggage racks on the back,one thing i'll never understand is why Chevy would offer ,and why any buyer would purchase , a luggage rack for a Corvette?
:confused:

Hey Dennis,

The wife and I bought a 1996 Coupe in 2002, it had 36K on it and we paid $17,500 ....... today it have 76K and we've had very few issues with it thus far. Polo Green with a Tan interior.

It has been a great weekend driver.

Tim

[Stephen Cherry]

Hey Dennis,

The wife and I bought a 1996 Coupe in 2002, it had 36K on it and we paid $17,500 Tim

I like these cars very much. By this time, GM had the fuel control worked out, and the handling is fantastic. They are really better than the old cars in every way that I can think of.

Cars from around 1974 and into the 80's had fuel systems that never really worked well, even when new. Very complex array of vacuum hoses. It would be a nightmare to try to troubleshoot this sort of thing 40 years later. In my opinion, polution control and carburators never really went together very well.

[Steve Barksdale]

266451

The T-tops go behind the seats so the luggage goes on, well, the luggage rack.

The mid-70's C-3's have a smaller 350 engine and go pretty cheap. Some people call them entry level Corvettes. They're still a lot of fun even if they are kind of slow. It's a hobby so expect to drive down the road just tossing out money!

[Michael Dedon]

I have been looking at a few old Corvettes with the hope of buying one. I'd like to get a C3 (1968-1982) . I had been looking at one for a week or two,was pretty excited about it and I brought it to my mechanic on Friday and he found too many things wrong with it so I didn't buy it, I felt like a kid who got coal in his stocking at Christmas. I''ve looked at a couple with luggage racks on the back,one thing i'll never understand is why Chevy would offer ,and why any buyer would purchase , a luggage rack for a Corvette?
:confused:

Dennis, If you're looking at a C3, the '82 is a Crossfire Injection system (throttle body). It's somewhat restrictive but mostly reliable. If you're looking to add performance it's not the way to go. The 68-81 are regular old 350 carbureted small block Chevys. Any back yard mechanic can do wonders with them. Not much HP or torque in the stock 75-81years but a good base to work from. Get a good Corvette guy to check it out. Most Chevy guys don't know what to look for on a Corvette. My wife and I spent 20+ years in NCRS and local Corvette clubs etc. I had a '75 and yes it had rust in the rear suspension where most people don't know to look. I know the older years (57-90) better than the newer ones if you have any specific questions.

[Rick Potter]

The best year is 1983:D,

[ray hampton]

Do any of the Vette owners watch " Route 66 " ?

[dennis thompson]

The best year is 1983:D,

I take you're not a Corvette fan?

[Rick Potter]

Au contraire Dennis, I'm actually quite fond of them, and I think the C3 has the most distinctive styling of all the more recent models. I've had a couple and my little bro has three right now, including an '82, 02, and 05. I do have to say though, My '78 drove like a truck compared to my 85 C4.

Seriously though, most things on a C3 can be easily fixed using parts from your corner auto parts store...........except for that pesky rear end area. Sliding splines, the posi, and the brakes can all be very expensive to repair, and are pretty common. I put over $1000, not counting brakes in a perfect '78 that just had a slight clunk in the rear end. That was last century pricing.

Taking it to your mechanic is your best insurance before buying.

Rick P
PS: Make sure the headlight doors work properly.

[ray hampton]

Au contraire Dennis, I'm actually quite fond of them, and I think the C3 has the most distinctive styling of all the more recent models. I've had a couple and my little bro has three right now, including an '82, 02, and 05. I do have to say though, My '78 drove like a truck compared to my 85 C4.

Seriously though, most things on a C3 can be easily fixed using parts from your corner auto parts store...........except for that pesky rear end area. Sliding splines, the posi, and the brakes can all be very expensive to repair, and are pretty common. I put over $1000, not counting brakes in a perfect '78 that just had a slight clunk in the rear end. That was last century pricing.

Taking it to your mechanic is your best insurance before buying.

Rick P
PS: Make sure the headlight doors work properly.

excuse me but what truck are you thinking about when you say that it drove like a truck

[bob svoboda]

96 coupe with Targa top. Had 38k when we bought it in 2004 for 16.5k. Had a 3k repair bill in 2007 (paid by extended warrantee) and works like a champ now with 80k on it. We are planning to do route 66 in September. Love the 'vette!!

[Bill Edwards(2)]

The only car I ever owned that I sold for more then I paid for it.

Looked a lot like this:

266581

[David G Baker]

In my late teens I fell in love with 1953 Corvette 6 cylinder. I couldn't come up with the money to buy it and am probably lucky that I couldn't. The '53 wasn't a high end vehicle and at that time in my life I took chances that the '53 couldn't have lived up to.

[dennis thompson]

In my late teens I fell in love with 1953 Corvette 6 cylinder. I couldn't come up with the money to buy it and am probably lucky that I couldn't. The '53 wasn't a high end vehicle and at that time in my life I took chances that the '53 couldn't have lived up to.
There was a 1953 Corvette offered for sale at an auction this month In Tenn. for $300,000! I don't know what it sold for but those are some pretty big numbers

[dennis thompson]

266628266627 Well after looking at several c3's, which all seemed to be money pits, I decided to go with a c4. It's a 1992 ,automatic, with 48,000 miles on it. Brought it to the mechanic who described it at "excellent". The only thing he said was that it might need shocks, they're original. Now to get the insurance & plates & go for a cruise!

[Rick Potter]

Ray,

Three things were a pain with the 78, which, as I mentioned was in great shape. First was the heat. The interior would get really hot, down by the footwells and the shifter area. Second, the car took bumps and railroad tracks pretty hard, a lot harder than my 85. Last and foremost for me, the clutch was overly stiff. We went to the beach on a hot day, and hit a lot of traffic coming home. We were in stop and go traffic for an hour or more, and the footwells baked our legs, and my leg was literally shaking from the clutch. That's when we decided to get the 85, which we enjoyed much more.

Dennis,

That car looks great. Vettes are like motorcycles, there seem to be a lot of really well cared for, low mileage ones, and if you look around long enough a beauty like yours will pop up. I don't know what insurance company you have, but mine (SF) has a category called American Classics. They give a real low rate for a Corvette that is over 10 years old, as long as it is not your regular driver, and you don't drive it too many miles.

Enjoy,
Rick Potter

[David Weaver]

There was a 1953 Corvette offered for sale at an auction this month In Tenn. for $300,000! I don't know what it sold for but those are some pretty big numbers

That's big time dollars, especially considering it shared a lot of its aspects back then with a pickup truck.

[dennis thompson]

Rick
Thanks for the insurance advice, I'll probably go with Grundy, but I plan to give my regular insurance guy a shot at it first.

[Michael Dedon]

Dennis, Excellent choice. I like the coupes also. Remember to wave at all the Vettes you see on the road. Have fun.

[Rick Potter]

I just remembered a little insurance snafu I had when I first got my 78 Vette. This was about 24 years ago. Before I bought it, I called my insurance man to see if Corvette insurance was going to be sky high. He gave me a quote which seemed reasonable, and I bought the car. A couple days later, the insurance man called me for a clarification. He asked if I was buying a Corvette or a Chevette. Naturally he had quoted me the Chevette price (think small Kia for you younger folks).

I told him it was a CORVETTE, and he said he would get back to me with the new quote. Believe me, I was sweating bullets until he called me with the new price, which wasn't bad considering what the car was. This is when I first found out about SF having special policies for older fancy cars. Whew.

Rick Potter

[dennis thompson]

I just remembered a little insurance snafu I had when I first got my 78 Vette. This was about 24 years ago. Before I bought it, I called my insurance man to see if Corvette insurance was going to be sky high. He gave me a quote which seemed reasonable, and I bought the car. A couple days later, the insurance man called me for a clarification. He asked if I was buying a Corvette or a Chevette. Naturally he had quoted me the Chevette price (think small Kia for you younger folks).

I told him it was a CORVETTE, and he said he would get back to me with the new quote. Believe me, I was sweating bullets until he called me with the new price, which wasn't bad considering what the car was. This is when I first found out about SF having special policies for older fancy cars. Whew.

Rick Potter
Well Rick if the insurance had proven to be too high, there would have been a simple solution.......just trade the Corvette for a Chevette!:eek:
I went with Grundy, my guy couldn't compete with an annual cost of $210

[Belinda Barfield]

Congrats, Dennis! I had a 96 Polo Green with tan interior that, after a year of wrangling, was determined to be a lemon and was replaced with a 97 by the dealer. The 97 was also green. The transmission went out at 1600 miles. At around 3600 miles a guy ran a traffic light and totaled it for me. I decided green was an unlucky color. Replaced that one with a 97 Ruby Red in July. The following February Ruby stranded me on the coldest night of the year when I was headed home from the gym, in shorts. Apparently she had a cracked distributor cap. I looked darn good in her sitting beside the road though! I miss my 'Vettes, and actually have the fever for one right now. I traded Ruby in on a Maxima though, and he's still running. I sold him four years ago and see him around town every now and then.