vaiable

Ok, so I have verbally committed to buying my first Corvette (a '79). It is not pristine, but runs well and fairly priced as such. I have a decent support network regarding most if not all aspects of repair and restoration. As it's going to be just a weekend driver I'm not stressed about how long any particular repair could take and am happy to take my time with it.

All of that said, I know I have a steep learning curve to get over and I'm a little bit out of my depth........then again, is there a better way to learn?

Anyway, most of the people here have had their 1st Vette, and as I'm feeling super nervous I thought I'd just throw it out there to see what advice is out there to calm my nerves and focus on the positives of owning one of these epic cars.

I've read the top 10 on here and others, but just thought I'd put out a personal plea. hehe

313hitman

I bought my car while i was deployed overseas so i had several friends look at it before pulling the trigger on it. They ignored everything i told them to check..thing i found out on mine after seeing it for the first time was the windshield was cracked, door windows (electric) didnt work, wipers didnt work, wiper fluid pump didnt work, defroster/ac/heat...you guessed it, didnt work. check everything you can so you dont smack yourself later. I wont complain much, I got a great body, engine, trans and frame.

2TONE82

FWIW, my first 82 ran well but was a high mileage 20/20 car...looked great from 20 feet at 20 miles an hour.

I had second thoughts while purchasing but she turned out to be a fun car and a great learning experience...as I fixed one thing, something down stream would break - turns out I learned so much about the car and individual systems owning this car; set me up perfectly when I could afford my current 82, a very low mileage all original car that I now know inside and out. Hope this helps with your jitters!

doorgunner

First-Corvette Jitters must be a normal thing....

I think I slept 2 hours the night before I bought the car......

then slept 2 hours that night when I brought it home!

It's all cool now, though.....after working on the front suspension all day I have no trouble sleeping.....LOL!

Haggisbash

The only thing that would give me the jitters is if it has not been checked carefully for rust!

dochorsepower

Good for you. This will be good therapy. Once you pick up basic auto repair skills these are like any other '70's Chevrolet. Fuel, spark, front end alignment, air conditioning, emissions . . . just like your father's '79 Chevy.
Now, pick up a wrench, you're burnin' daylight.

Easy Mike

I had no jitters/qualms/doubts whatsoever at the time I bought my first. I had already heard that voice in my head saying "This is the one."

doorgunner

I wish I had your nerves of steel my first day in combat....I wouldn't have defecated in my underwear.......but I manned up and didn't **** in my boots.

vaiable

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and advice.

I have been feeling a bit better and am beginning to feel confident that this is indeed "my" car. Still gotta wait a couple of days before I can pick it up, and will update you all when the time comes.

Thanks again!!

KIKIRIKI

I knew very little about fixing cars (never even done an oil change) before I bought mine about a year and a half ago. Fast forward to right now, and I'm dumping the ecu, rebuilding the carb, and putting in a new distributor. The nice thing about these cars is that usually only one thing breaks at a time, so it kind of eases you into learning about it nice n' easy

The other nice thing is, they are relatively simple cars to work on. Things may be a pain in the *** to get at from time to time, but there's little guess work to what might be the problem.

vaiable

I am the reincarnation of your year and a half ago self. lol. Couldn't have done this without a few mates who have promised to help me in the early days. That said, I'm sure in time the novelty will wear off for them and I'll be on my own to learn and do it all. Anyway, maybe another day or two and the adventure begins. Feeling excited!!

80Baby

No jitters here. I was 20 years old when I bought my first one. Went to the dealership; saw the new '80 in the showroom - brought it home. No time to get nervous. I bought my second about 6 years ago. The car was a wreck, but that's what I wanted and I couldn't wait to get it home. The only one that was nervous this time was my wife... and my wallet.