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I’m piggybacking the thread on here earlier,”Not To Old”. I’d like to hear from us old timers 1945 or earlier up to 1960 at the latest about their vettes and their story with their vette(s). I’ll begin: I’m 63, my first vette was a brand new 2008 coupe I bought in 2007, Had it for 2 years when a divorce forced me to sale.
In 2012 I had a massive stroke, my whole right side was paralyzed, I swore then if I was able to recover I was going to buy another vette, 6 months later I flew to Dallas and bought 2008 auto(still had some coordination loss in my right arm/hand). Well in 2013 I was ready for a stick, bought a 2011 GS.
In 2014 I decided on a 2014 vert. Thought it was time for an auto, NOT!!! Between the tight seating and the sound of the automatic sliding in to gear I decided to go back to a manuel but in a big way. So I traded keys for a 2013 427. At this moment getting the motor built to 630 HP with Doug Rippie Motors. I’ve loved vettes since I saw my first 67 427 convertible vette with a Navy officer in it. The sound and speed of my vettes and the fun I have driving a vette keeps me young
I’m sure most of us speed freak seniors have plenty of go fast stories we could tell, but I digress. Ok old timers Lets hear about your vette(s) and why/how you got involved with them.
St. Jude Donor '05-'06-'07-'08-'09, '14-'15-'16-'17-'18
I'm 63 as well and like you, had always admired and wanted a Corvette since childhood. I tried to get one when I got my first job, but the insurance on it would have been more than the payment itself, so it had to wait.
Well, along came a wife and kids so I had to settle for Camaros and Firebirds up until my two daughters were grown and gone whereupon I bought my first Corvette about 11 years ago. It was a Torch Red 2002 coupe.
I sold that a few years later and just 3 years ago I got into a low-mileage '06 Victory Red coupe. Man, that's the best car I've ever had. It's got the paddle shifters which I use to go through the gears. I just had the Corsa Sport exhaust installed, and WOW.... does it sound great, especially when waiting to shift at around 3,000 rpm or higher.
I've been blessed with good health and look forward to many more years of driving that red car downstairs in my garage.
I will turn 70 in a few weeks and I got my first Vette a year and a half ago. It's a Torch Red 2012 GS. I, like some others, have admired these cars since they came out! School, marriage, divorce, kids, and all that always seemed to have a higher priority. My wife kept telling me to get one and finally decided I better do it before I got too old to enjoy it. It is a blast to drive and she has as much fun driving it as I do. It's an automatic and some on here will thumb their nose at that but my 70 year old knees love it!
We did the Corvette Caravan this past Summer and that was a hoot! Three lanes or I-65 full of Corvettes. No mods to the car except a M2W switch.
It's Winter here in central Ky but of it's sunny and dry, I'm out rolling. Love this forum and the information you all have provided for an old first timer.
I am about to turn 60 and have been enchanted with fast cars since my older brother bought a 1960 Falcon that somebody had put a 430 CI Lincoln motor in it.
My first car was a 1969 Boss 302 Mustang.
Second car was a 1971 Duster 340 that we ended up putting a 426 Wedge into.
The arrival of a family put me in Sedans for a couple of decades, but with the kids grown and the X's making somebody else miserable, I got back into a couple of SRT8's one a 300 and the other a Chally. Loved those cars.
I started getting the itch for a Vette. I looked at the C7's and C6's and just liked the lines of the C6 better. Found a fair deal on a 2011 GS Vert that just melted my heart. (I'm a rag top man) Now doing the mods...LIFE IS GOOD
so far just what I wanted to hear, its so cool to hear about others experiences with their vettes. My first car was a 56 Chevy Bel Air, 283 with column shifter. Of course we put a floor shifter in and I punched holes in the muffler for sound until I could afford a used set of headers/mufflers, that was in 1967, gas was.25-.30 cents a gallon.
I'm 62, and by accident, was "forced" to buy my 2006, z51, after my last motorcycle get-off. (Thank You Crazy Cager as we MC guys called them).
I had to get a car that would please me some, close to performance of high powered sport bikes. I drove a few early 1970's LT-1's vetts for dealers back in the day, and was always blown away with that type of performance. I did not give the vette much thought before hand, because I had a lot of muscle cars that feed my speed appetite quit well.
Then last year, I finally test drove a C6 and was hooked. Bought it that day and it's been my DD ever since.
Im 70 going on 45. I've had vettes since 1962,65,67 70. I was in a "vette set" club here in Ohio. Since we are close to Pa. line we had 50 members. We all decided to go to the Indy Nationals in 1970. Left town with 31 vettes in a row and got stopped at the Indy line by the cops because we did not have a parade permit. When my wife and were married in 1970 we both had vettes. Hard to go to diner when company comes over. After 2 kids,boys,karate,college,married,3 grandekids, retirement, i love my 09 coupe to death. That's why i said"thank god for the on ramps" to interstates. Anything to put a grin on the chin---this goes for my wife also. cant believe im having this much fun
I am 62, this is my 5th Corvette. My first one was a 1964 Roadster that I bought in the early 80's, had it for 3 or 4 years then got a 1974. Had it for a while and got into street rods until I bought a 98 C5 about 12 years ago, sold it and bought a 04, kept it until a guy in my Corvette Club bought it and got the 07. About as short of story as I can tell.
I recently turned 71 and bought my first vette when I was 17 and now I'm on my 25th vette from all of the first six generations including 20 converts and 5 coupes. I still get the same feeling when I drive one of mine today as I did when I got my first one as long as I don't look in the mirror.
I have posted this pic on here before that was taken in the spring of 1963 nearly 52 years ago of me at age 19 and 3 of my friends that still today have contact with. I'm the second one from the left and yes we and our girl friends sat on our vettes back then and never thought about it. We lived the actual real life "American Graffiti" times.
I'm 68 and was first introduced to the Corvette via the Route 66 series.....thought it was the coolest car in the world!!! Always wanted one, never could afford a new one or the insurance to drive either a used or a new!! In 2002, I bought a used C5 1999 vert...FINALLY! I owned a Vette....became heavily involved in the whole Vette world...joined the local club, joined the C5 section of this forum, became a member of the Museum, became a judge at the NCCC judged show at Carlisle....had a blast!! Bought a brand new 05 C6...took delivery at the Museum......by 2007, saw some economic handwriting on the wall ....sold out! Did not come back till 2014 when i bought a used 2012 GS....just sorry I missed the last 7 years!
I'm 64. My first Vette was a 79 L82 4-speed that I bought in the mid 80's. Family came along and I hardly drove it in the early 90's. My wife passed away in 2001. I put down a deposit on a 2003 Anniversary Edition Convertible. Pictures were out but I had never seen a car in person. Having never driven a C5, or even ridden in one, I thought I better learn to drive one like it was intended to be driven. So, I signed up for a 3-day corvette class at Bragg-Smith Advanced Driving school, now called Spring Mountain.
A corvette is not just a car, it's a life style...
Love the story's! I'm 66 and my first was a used 70LT1 vert with mechanical lifters that had to be adjusted all the time. Side exhaust and drove it from NY to KC Mo. to get married. I had a 5 yr old son that stayed in the back as there was no water fall back then on verts. Like the other's, family came and went around late 90'ies. Bought a 2000 vert use and had that until I traded in on my 12. It would be fun to sit around and have a few beers and tell our storys.
I guess I fit right in. I turned 67 a few days ago. I've wanted a vette since I was about 14 when my dad and I would peer in the windows at the Chevy dealer after hours when I would accompany him to his 2nd job. And since then I've stopped in many car lots to get a closer look and dream a little bit. But like most; family, military, and jobs delayed me a bit from realizing the dream but I finally bought my first one (11 GS pictured in my avitar) new in 2012 and have loved every moment in it.
R&L's C6... Great Picture! And really nice C1! I guess they were about $1200 back then.... And I have to ask, what is that on the head of the third person from the left?
I'll be 72 in March. Saw my first Corvette when I was about 12 years old, and swore I'd have one some day.
In 1969, I got to drive one of the very few 1967 L88 Corvettes ever produced, and never forgot the ride.
Then came marriage, some hard times, kids, houses, finally financial success, then college, etc., etc.
At the age of 69, I walked into a Chevy dealership, and ordered a brand new 2013 Grand Sport, in November of 2012.
In January of 2013, my dream was delivered.
I dropped $56k cash for my 'vette, and never looked back.
The snarky remarks by some of the younger folks that are so resentful of us older guys, doesn't bother me at all.
They will be my age some day, and hear the same remarks from the young folks of that time.
It's all good.
Life is good, and whether I keep my 'vette another year, or another 10 years, doesn't matter. The dream has been fulfilled!
Great Picture! And really nice C1! I guess they were about $1200 back then.... And I have to ask, what is that on the head of the third person from the left?
We used to be able to buy a nice 4 or 5 year old vette back then for in the $500 to $1,500 range.
My first one was a nice low mile 53 that I got for $500 and sold that one to get a 57 two top fuelie that ran $1,400. Sounds cheap now but that was a good chunk of change back then considering you could buy a similar age Chevy for less than $200.
That was my friend Tom standing to the right of me in the photo with an old fashioned real sponge that we used back in the 60's. The photo was taken in St Louis Park, Minnesota when we were around 18 and 19 years old. We had cleaned up the cars to go cruising from the West Lake Porky's drive-in down Lake Street to the East side Porky's drive-in in Minneapolis.
This is a web site that tracks the history of Lake Street in Minneapolis and details what it was like to cruise there back then:
Quote:
"1950s — Lake Street Cruising: The latter half of the 1950s was home to dragsters; kids would cruise Lake Street until 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. every day of the week in 400 horsepower muscle cars.
Porky’s Drive-In at 21st and Lake: The king of drive-ins. Specific guys had their own parking spaces on specific nights. This was the place for boys and girls to meet. The best lines were saved for the car hops. A police officer was stationed there.
Mr. Frank’s Drive-In, at Lake and Hiawatha: The drive-in for nerds, although it had better cokes than Porky’s.
Porky’s at Lake Calhoun: The hang-out for “snobs” and “high-rent girls”. Close by was Mac’s Millions (later Altman’s), where a guy would prep a girl for River Road (to see the submarine races) if he sensed that his date was ready for some physical activity.
Cost of gasoline: 29 cents a gallon. For $2.00 you could cruise Lake Street all night.
$1.00 birthday cake: $1.00 of gasoline poured on two blocks of Lake Street and lit."
67, will be 68 in march. when I came back from nam I bought a 69 Camaro brand new back in 68. when I got back into civilian life in 69 I bought a red 68 rag top vette. a year later I bought a green 69 rag top. then in 71 bought the best of the bunch, a blue 67 big block with 400 hp. then in 80 I bought a new 81 burgundy vette. then in 013 I bought my present nrbm base vette. end of story and today I wish I had kept the 67.
Wish I had some photos but sorry I don't. I just turned 73
First was a 1962 Black on Black coupe 4 speed, don't remember what I did with it unfortunately, then a whole host of 70's era go fasts of various brands. The in 1986 bought a 1970 LS5 coupe with 37K miles from a widow in Leisure World, absolutely turned out pristine, won many show trophy's with it. Then a few more fast street cars like a 1967 Shelby GT500 427 Side oiler, wish I had that back!!
Now about 6 months ago after having 4 back surgeries I found that old iron was not comfortable so lo and behold I decided on this
Found it in one week in Boulder City Nevada, drove there and brought it home, comfortable, fast and reliable, looks speak for themselves and I just freakin love it.
Probably go toes up before it does. Proud to own it yessiree
Peace
Bobby
We used to be able to buy a nice 4 or 5 year old vette back then for in the $500 to $1,500 range.
My first one was a nice low mile 53 that I got for $500 and sold that one to get a 57 two top fuelie that ran $1,400. Sounds cheap now but that was a good chunk of change back then considering you could buy a similar age Chevy for less than $200.
That was my friend Tom standing to the right of me in the photo with an old fashioned real sponge that we used back in the 60's. The photo was taken in St Louis Park, Minnesota when we were around 18 and 19 years old. We had cleaned up the cars to go cruising from the West Lake Porky's drive-in down Lake Street to the East side Porky's drive-in in Minneapolis.
This is a web site that tracks the history of Lake Street in Minneapolis and details what it was like to cruise there back then:
Quote:
"1950s — Lake Street Cruising: The latter half of the 1950s was home to dragsters; kids would cruise Lake Street until 3:00 or 4:00 a.m. every day of the week in 400 horsepower muscle cars.
Porky’s Drive-In at 21st and Lake: The king of drive-ins. Specific guys had their own parking spaces on specific nights. This was the place for boys and girls to meet. The best lines were saved for the car hops. A police officer was stationed there.
Mr. Frank’s Drive-In, at Lake and Hiawatha: The drive-in for nerds, although it had better cokes than Porky’s.
Porky’s at Lake Calhoun: The hang-out for “snobs” and “high-rent girls”. Close by was Mac’s Millions (later Altman’s), where a guy would prep a girl for River Road (to see the submarine races) if he sensed that his date was ready for some physical activity.
Cost of gasoline: 29 cents a gallon. For $2.00 you could cruise Lake Street all night.
$1.00 birthday cake: $1.00 of gasoline poured on two blocks of Lake Street and lit."
RJRSW, here's a garage I saw in Chanhassen's automoplex a few years ago.
01-30-2015, 03:00 PM
Old timers tell it like it is….long but cool
