The13Bats

The thread with the rusty yellow 69
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1588698191
is what got me thinking and posting this,

I have seen a lot negative posts when subjects like "daily driving" buying a project or rust pops up,
The basic consensus in that other thread was that poor yellow car is worthless junk even if it was free...
A bit of a paradox as I also see people get all upset when a c3 is left out all unloved to ruin, I see people discouraging parting out c3's,

So here are my questions and it doesn't really matter if you like NCRS or modded, did you buy your c3 restored as in showroom floor good to go OR did you buy a project that needed lots of work to be "good to go" and did you pay a shop to fix up your car or did you do it yourself?

I want to wait for some replies before I go further....

betrlatethannevr

I read that thread also and think that even though that car has issues, it is still a c3 and is worth something to the right person. I personally wouldn't take it on because I'm not that mechanical. But know there is a guy who could. I bought my car ready to drive kinda by luck I guess, but it was the best one I could find.

PUNISHER VETTE

This thread sucks. All C3's suck. Life Sucks

That is all

427BATMOBILE

With rust in the same spot as the yellow one.

Don Rickles

Both

The13Bats

Well yeah...
But you could have said a few words to help scare newbies away from their dream car....


And I will toss in another question,

How many people bought and or built their c3 as a labor of love to make a car dream come true with little to no regard of resale value.

bj1k

All of my cars are major projects. Wouldn't have it any other way . I'm sure you've heard the saying " If you want it done right , do it yourself " . But I always start with something worth doing.

Brack c

Bought mine (82) , 13 years ago , from a guy that pulled it out of his barn with animals sleeping in it here n there ( or it looked like it ) . It was tagged & inspected and he drove it occasionally . it was an 80,000 car , a 10 foot paint job ( once I washed , buffed & waxed ) and I bought it for a weekend car . It was year I wanted & paid 5K for it ( was asking 7K , thought I was getting deal ) ..well long story short , rebuilt motor in first year , drove it regular fir next 10 years and now its been down for almost 2 getting repainted & getting complete new interior . Bottom line you buy what you can afford to do . Me , I love building cars ...3 '70 chevelles , 2 camaros & now this ..... I can build in stages but not fork out the total costvst once . With my cost of car , New engine , New paint , New interior & misc items , I have around 20K in it & I have enjoyed building it . To each their own but I would rather build mine like I want than buy someone else's idea ...
Just my .02

Richard454

I bought mine (in 1980) as "Turn Key" and have since turned it into a project....

Brack c

Resale ??? What's that ....
I built mine for me , My custom touches , My mods ....I'll never get out of it what s in it ...not worried about that ...it's mine to have fun & enjoy .
Like we've talked about before Bats , I've probably have 2K just in my trim work .... Some don't like , downright hate . But I'm cool with it , it's not money wasted , it's what I envisioned so it's all good . When I'm gone , My Kids can enjoy it ..or sale it

mtnance

Personally I don't there is such a thing as "turn key", at least for any length of time. ANY classic car is going to have regular maintenance and upkeep depending on driving habits, environmental concerns, and part availability.

blk79nj

I purchased my car turn key, needing nothing but maintenance. I got it from a reputable dealer here in South Jersey. It had a couple of issues (one head light didn't come up and speedo cable broke) that he fixed right away no questions asked. Did I over pay for it? Some may think so, but I think based on my experience with the car I don't think I did.

Would I have liked to have a project? Sure if I had the space , tools, and time. But I don't, so getting one that was complete was a compromise that has worked out for me.

With that said... I read the other post. That rusty car is NOT worthless. You mean to tell me that if somebody GAVE that to you, you wouldn't take it?

I normally stick to threads that have to do with fixing problems, or making things better. I avoid threads where people are asking for values, or should they or should they not buy something. Mainly because, they are almost always told to NOT buy the car or that "I" wouldn't pay that much for that. I think these types of responses discourages people from entering the corvette HOBBY. Because if I had asked about my car before I got purchased it, I would probably have been told the price is too high, and if I listened, there is chance I wouldn't have it now.

Value is in the eye of the beholder. Sometimes there is sentimental value. Value also depends on the state you live in. For example, my'79 may be worth more in NJ (no inspection) vs California where it has to pass a smog test.

Now, I also see negative comments about '79's from time to time. They made too many, underpowered, bumper cars are better, blah, blah. I graduated High School in '83. When somebody says Corvette, in my mind they looked like like a 78-82 with the large back widow, so that is was I purchased.

Sorry for the rant,

Vince

BTW... IDGAFF about resale value because it's not for sale.

tokim

I wouldn't have the same attachment/appreciation if I bought a "turn key" car.
It is a hobby for me.
I work on/buy my hobby cars for my personal enjoyment/fulfillment.
I do understand why other people buy "turn key" cars..lack of space/tools/ability/motivation/know how/etc., and to each their own.

Scottd

13Bats: I think you will agree with me when I say there are 3 types of Corvette owners on this forum. If people disagree with my post...well, its the internet and I dont give a fawk about your opinion.

1) the rich guys who have enough money to buy turn key, restored or otherwise perfect specimens. Changing oil/swapping motors is a major weekend project for these guys. a) I say this because Im jealous of their wealth and b) the rich guys who have so much free time and money that they can spend every minute working on their cars. Again, Im jealous. But at least they either realize their mechanical limits or they contribute to the site with their knowledge.

2) the moderately well off who buy cars and send them off to specialty shops to get worked on. These guys tend to debate oil changes, argue over what oil to use, and quote from online articles and wiki sources. In their defense, they keep a good lot of specialty mechanics employed. They also seem to be the guys who try out all the 'snake oil' products and report back to the rest of us. Again, Im jealous. My biggest complaint with these guys is the fact that they like to claim they know the ins and outs of their cars, but they are just regurgitating what their mechanic told them. However, in their defense, these are the guys who dump tons of cash into a car and tell us what works and what doesnt.

3) The average middle class guy who has to decide between a weekend vacation with his wife or new tires for his vette. These guys seem to have most of the shade tree tricks and know where the best deals on everything are. They buy the 'average condition' driver variety cars and really run them like they are mean to be run.
Pros: immense knowledge, easily share information, great to share a beer with. Cons: responsible for most of the 'Bubba' modifications we see, when they are done with their cars and sell them , the cars are usually just about destroyed.

Oh, then there is that Canadian guy Mike Who's sole purpose in life is to **** on everyones elses dreams.

Gents: I offer this post in jest. This forum is a wealth of knowledge and I appreciate everyone who has helped me out a hundred times over.

Mike Ward: Thanks for keeping it real and telling it like it is.

76CSRvette

I got my vette 15 years after they had overhauled it and painted it and redid interior and let it sit for 14 years under a non water resistant cover it. It took me and my mechanic neighbor a couple days to get it started we drowned the motor with oil turned crank by hand once we fire it up just started tracking every leak one by one hose by hose gasket by gasket then we did brakes just did enough to get it running and stopping and then like 2 years later got a raddy leak and thats when all hell broke loose. I should of just change it out my self but a guy i met talked about his dads shop 305 motor spanking big blocks blah blah blah And the while im at it stuff just started popping up four years later 3 radiators later 4 fan set ups and 2 head jobs and 3 engine rebuilds and tons of money later i got my car so far so good now i just been changing or repairing the little problems that have been popping from time to time. But i haven't tried looking for problems like birdcage rust because im barely gonna start tearing into it as i plan on doing bodywork but still learning Or atleast getting the ***** to tackle especially now that i have aim for my car special thanks to Willcox for that. So far i got the radiator,engine,tranny, ujoints rearend gaskets, brakes,wheels and tires i got the gauges working. On the to do list is full suspension, steering, interior upgrades, and body work. Which i plan to do on my own with the help of cf friends and family and my logic behind is that for 1000 bucks of body work I'll have a good car to show for it but nothing else. Those 1000 will buy me a good air compressor and power tools and knowledge the most priceless of all for my future projects this has been by far the most time consuming money pit i have ever had but i don't care how long it takes me i have to finish this project if i ever feel i can't handle it i will hand it to my baby brother to tackle it for me but im not there yet and dont plan on selling it

LS4 PILOT

I bought my car well over 25 years ago. It was complete and running and the paint was new fairly new .

I have done a lot of work over the years to maintain it .......rebuilt most of the components . . ....just left them stock . But , it was needing a mechanical refurbish and I didn't have the money , so I drove it and fixed a few items as I went along so I wouldn't get bored and disinterested from not driving.

Now I'm old as chit .....so I bought my Camaro near mint restored .



I have no regrets either way. If I get another corvette ., it will be perfect as I can find.

Let somebody else fix all the headaches.

ddawson

Turn key, then customize to my liking.

doorgunner

I wanted it in '68.......
I bought it in '13/raccoons and all.....
it is a basketcase like me.....
but I enjoy every minute of doing everything backwards and twice....
rebuilding a trailing arm is a major victory....
removing the Bubba front and rear "bumper fiberglass" is going to be a "trip".....
wouldn't have it any other way......

marshal135

Hello Forum,
Above poster got it right and I am in category 3.
I raised the yuts and did some serious horsetrading to
get into my 68. I was all in when I bought mine.
I consider myself blessed to have the one car let alone a fleet.
Who am I to judge others regarding how they have been blessed.
I was 3 months shy of my 50th B-Day when I pulled the trigger.
I purchased a driver quality survivor.
My reasons were the following.
1. My idea of restored and sellers varied greatly I learned early on in the hunt.
2. By the 4-5th owner cars many local vehicles I looked at were pretty bubatized. period mods etc....
3. I was not in category 1 or 2 in above post.
4. I did not want to be paranoid to drive her.
5. Barn find cars were not on fire in 2011 like today. My car sat for 14 yrs. It was an orig 78,000 mie car. it has 83,000 today.
She may not be a blue ribbon winner at the fair but I sure get allot of wide eyed folks approval via thumbs pointed vertically in the air or a nodd of approval. These folks are enthusiasts not "car crazy" but will stop and talk to a classic car owner at fill ups. It keeps them connected to a passion they retain but for some reason may not be classic car owners. I had a ........ in HS story.
With an orig. car you can replace as needed. I drive mine every chance I get. I would be sick if some one keyed her but I'm not afraid to take my wife out and park and have dinner.
I'm not nor will I ever probably be in a position to to do an NCRS
quality 100 pt resto. Nor if I was I would not have any surplus to by a driver c3 as now the resto is too nice to drive or get wet.
That's my story and I'm stickin to it.
Thee Marshal

20mercury

First any cars as old as C3's are gonna need something no matter what condition you acquire them in. I think it is fun to have the challenge of learning how to do stuff, much of what I have learned is off this forum, so thanks to all! I also take pride that I have a very short list of things that I have had to pay somebody else to do. I think if all you did was change oil or pay somebody to do everything, then you would miss out on a big part of the Corvette fun experience, but that is just me. Buying a C3 already fully restored would not interest me at all; I would say somebody else already got to have all of the fun with it, Ha! But do whatever makes you happy, life is indeed too short to do otherwise!