Kerouac

If you had it to do over again… If you knew what you know now…

What would you tell someone who is ready to buy a classic Corvette that you wish someone had told you back then?

sub006

Putting new '60's disc-brake Torq Thrust wheels on a drum-brake C2 would fit 7" wide rims and bigger tires inside stock fenders, instead of 6" offset rims and having to sand the inner lips.

rtruman

Cut that bar out of that back window ,look at the new 64 with a all new wide back window. Plus you can see better. While your at it add an extra tail lite .

wmf62

getting out of bed some mornings....

Bill

Bowtyeguy

Buy the best car you can now, you will be happy in 5 years

chevahaulic

Buying the dark blue / blue interior 63 coupe vs the white / black interior car. For sale side by side, choice for 6k or haggle. Blue car had a rebuilt balanced engine which tipped the scale. Next time I will go with color choice and spin some wrenches. Simple 80s mistake. Looking back fifty two hundred isn't bad in todays standards, but its still blue.

Frankie the Fink

Get some expert purchasing help !

I knew nothing about C1s when I bought my '61. I was lucky to have an honest seller with a solid, nearly all-original car for sale. Some people will spend more time reading a prospectus for a $5,000 mutual fund investment than spend a few hundred to safeguard a $50,000 car purchase. Always amazes me.

Plasticman

Picking up the phone (when Caller ID says it is Bill calling)............

Or maybe it was selling the 66 L79 Conv. for $2500 (in 1971)...........

And I wish I had kept either (or both) of my XKE roadsters (63 & 66).

Plasticman

Sonny71

Selling my '59 for $950 ..... of course that was 1967 -- and adding those extra taillights to my '67 ranks right up there

DansYellow66

Don't underestimate the possibility of a Covette boxed frame rusting extensively from the inside to the outside, even though it looks relatively good and solid on the outside. Unfortunately a trip to Redi-Strip revealed what internal rusting can do and led to replacement of the back half.

Steve59

selling my 54..........

DZAUTO

Buying all the 57 Airbox cars, 63 FI coupes, 65 FI coupes, 65 365hp coupes with air cond, 65 350hp coupes with air cond, 67 400hp coupes w/air cond cars that I could get my hands on back when all of them were 3-5yrs old. Then squirling them away until today and selling them for whatever I wanted.

woodsdesign

Corvettes are fiberglass so they don't rust. RIGHT ?

Making sure you check the Frame and Birdcage for rust on any Corvette.

Jhemp3

Reaching 67 years of age to own my first Corvette. Making up for lost time.
Jim

64roadster

Changing the color inside and out from Daytona Blue to Riverside Red. The red looks great but I really regret not staying Daytona Blue...

dahogan

I was 59, but its never too late.

Perhaps not a mistake, but the day I was told I passed the bar, a very rich friend asked me to handle his divorce. He took me to his garage and said these are yours if you do it. I was looking at 1960 silver XKE Jaguar convertible and a 1955 corvette. I declined.

AZDoug

Passing up buying Microsoft stock in 1986 because i needed the $1200 to paint my Corvette. I figured MS was flash in the pan after fusing with an MS-DOS computer once, the year before.

Doug

65hihp

You would tell him to handle his friend's divorce, or buy microsoft stock?
that won't be any help in making the right decision on buying a classic corvette...



my answer to the question is get someone with real life corvette knowledge to advise on the car in question before closing the deal (Just like Frankie said above).

Stan's Customs

If it isn't 100% the way you like it...don't go there. Fixin' it up isn't like anything you've ever done on steel bodied cars, regardless of how much experience you have.

It is unlikely than any amount of time and money you spend will bring the car up to your standards if you are very **** about fit, and finish....They just aren't very precise cars.

The exception to that would be to hire a professional that makes a living working on "Corvettes exclusively"...where cost is no issue, and one who is capable of making them better than they ever were when new.

..and there are no guarantees even then.

To summarize, reread sentence# 1...lol! It's a lot cheaper, with no headaches that way.


......

dahogan

you got me. Spending too much time in OT.

I don't have an answer. I followed the advice given here on the forum and bought the car of my dreams with no regrets.

Decide on the year, color and options you really want and settle for nothing less.

Be patient. It takes time to find the corvette of your dreams.

Get as much quality as you can afford.

Hire an expert to do the inspections. You want a rust free car and verification of what you are buying.

Find several good mechanics before you buy and try to meet as many other C2 owners as you can. Hopefully someone will come forward who you can call when you need some help.