Would You Own a Crash-Damaged Corvette?
Can a crash-damaged Corvette ever be repaired as good as new?
The bonds owners form with their Corvettes are stronger than with most cars. That’s one of the many reasons it seems to hurt way more when something bad happens.
Corvette Forum member sam1976 got in a minor accident recently after losing control of his Corvette in the rain. He struck a city bus, and damaged the left side of his C7 convertible.
While the damage looks repairable, it’s normal to wonder if the car will ever be “right” again. According to some, even the best quality repairs can’t compare to factory fit and finish. Others believe that minor to moderate damage can be repaired and make the car look and drive as good as new.
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There’s a few reasons people may believe the former. When your car is built in a factory, all new parts are assembled from the ground up into a complete car. As a result, any repair is a compromise — new and used parts, as well as partially damaged parts, must be fitted together for the repair. Taking the entire car apart and starting over simply wouldn’t be feasible. Plus, there’s too many variables involved. Even the best body repairman does not spend all day assembling near-identical Corvettes.
That variability in quality means that you must try extra hard to find a good-quality shop you can trust. Ask local car enthusiasts who they go to, find the best shop, and look at examples of their work if you can. While every Corvette leaves the factory more or less the same, there is a lot of variability in the quality of work body shops perform.
However, if you do your due diligence, you should be fine. We hope that sam1976 gets his car back as good as new soon!
