ryan22

I know 4 speeds are definitely more popular= more demand=higher value/price vs automatics.

Question is how much does being an automatic decrease the value of a C1/C2 if all other things are equal between 2 cars ?

A dealer with a 61 for sale told me recently the 2 speed automatic in the car is "not very fun to drive".

Here's an excerpt from a review of a C1 powerglide written in the Jan. 1970 Car & Driver magazine;
"When we jumped out of the fuel-injected bombshell into the basic Powerglide Corvette, we expected quite a comedown in performance; we were amazed at how little difference there was. Sixty in 8.8 seconds and the quarter-mile in 16.8 is, after all, not waiting around. Doing this by merely stepping down and holding on offers its own peculiar pleasure, as the solid V8 bites into higher and higher speeds with its distinctive hard, metallic wail. As a comfortable cross-country tourer, the Powerglide Corvette offers a high pleasure quotient."

I'm interested to hear your opinions, esp those who've driven automatics which don't seem to get much respect.

climbabout

I can speak from experience as we have both a powerglide and a 4 speed car - both 64's. The 2 cars could not be more different to drive in my experience - I am absolutely not calling the powerglide bad - just different. Granted, the PG car has the base 250hp motor while the 4SP is an L76 solid lifter. Neither is a rocket off the line, the 4SP of course takes more effort to drive around town but the PG is nice and relaxing to drive and there are times when I prefer that experience over shifting. Plus the PG can be driven by my wife. Any PG car that you look at will have the milder versions of any motors offered in that particular year. Personally, I prefer some high RPM shifts for pure enjoyment and excitement, so I drive the 4SP most of the time. When I'm in the mood for a docile relaxing drive, we take the PG. If I had to give you a guess as to value, I'd say a PG car would be on average 10% or so less than the equivalent 4SP - all other things being equal. Bottom line is get what you like and enjoy and don't worry what others think.
Tim

DZAUTO

I SHOULD keep my opinions to myself------------------but I won't on this issue.
I know that a lot of people (yes, and some of you are on here) own a Corvette strictly for the status symbol. They could give a flip less about the performance features of a Corvette.
Personally, I am not capeable of comprehending owning a Corvette with an automatic tranny. I view that in the same perspective as two boys having sex, it's just wrong! Frequently, some people use the excuse of their age as the reason for having an auto tranny and that they're just too old and too tired to mess with shifting anymore. OK, fine, then probably a Corvette is not the car for them to be driving. In 3 more days, I'll be 69. I own, and DRIVE a REALLY primative 4sp Corvette (56). And sometimes (translate every chance I get) I abuse the dog poopy out of it. I view the Corvette as a performance car, borderline hotrod, not a granny grocery getter. After the 56 was introduced, it was primarily promoted as a performance sports car. Then when the 57 got all the goodies, it became America's kickass factory hotrod. That's what I saw then---------------that's what I see today. The guys that drove them then were down to earth performance lovers. Today, not so much. Today, it's "Look at me, I own a high dollar Corvette, and I spend XYZ dollars every chance I get just so that I can demonstrate my socio-economic status". That doesn't impress me. Yes, it's nice to be independantly wealthy, I wish I were. But I pray to God that if I ever win the lottery, I will not allow myself to fall into that image.
So, to me, Corvettes with auto trannys are for sissys and girlie men.

Tom Parsons

jkuzzy

LOL...Tom, you crack me up.
I remember listening a few years back to a friend who wanted a 69 automatic small block convert. I told another friend about it who has another 69 that is a manual. He exact words were "Why bother?"
I think that sums it up for the difference in cost. They are just not as desirable which gives it the lower value. I think $3-5k is spot on.

cv67

If you got bad knees or arent a stick geek get the auto

You have to live with it on a day to day basis if you arent happy driving it then what its worth wont mean a darn thing to you.

Personally couldnt do a PG that would put me to sleep.
Cant fit in a C2 anyways so the point is moot.

toms silver 60

It appears there is a limited market for the old Corvettes, and when you saddle one with an automatic, it limits the market even more. As previously discussed, there is a niche market for some spouses and people with physical limitations.

Friend of mine used to semi-restore muscle cars and I asked him why he didn't finish up the cars. He said there is a pyramid of buyers out there starting out with a large base for the low price cars. As the price goes up, the number of potential buyers drastically drops off.

Good thing DZAUTO stays over here in "C1&C2" (yes, I know about the C word), he would precipitate some MAJOR posts in CFOT!

SkyDriver

I knew when I saw the title to this thread that there would be some bashing of those of us that have automatic transmissions going on and Tom (DZAUTO) didn't disappoint me. Since Tom is my personal hero on this site (I want to grow up to be like him someday) I will respect his opinion and views.

While I enjoy driving manual transmission equipped vehicles (I have a real M22 Muncie in my 1934 F**d coupe and a 5 speed in my '67 Mustang resto-mod), my '66 Corvette is what I drive everyday. Folks can wax on and on about the joys of shifting gears on their own, but I live in Southern California and after an hour or two of creep and go driving the joy fades and it just becomes tedious and tiresome.

That being said, the Powerglide IS NOT much fun to drive. Shortly after I bought my car I converted it to a 700R4 4-speed O/D transmission and it really changed the whole driving experience. Now I can enjoy real performance from the car while maintaining my "girlie man" status.

One other fact that applies to the original question of this thread. I agree that P/G equipped mid-years demand a slightly lower price than their stick shift counterparts, but since less than 10% of all mid-years came with autos their rarity prevents that difference from being too great. Those that want an automatic have to search that much harder. There is a butt for every seat.

midyearvette

im swapping out my tko 600 for an art carr 200 this spring....i just wanna try it!....then i will have three driveline combo's
im a straight line performance kind of guy and although i will miss downshifting, i can't wait to see what a 25oo stall converter will do...
as far as what one is worth over the other....these rides are worth whatever someone is willing to pay or what someone is ready to sell for
any pg vette is maybe a disappointment to drive for some folks over a manual, but these new automatics simply cannot be ignored
for the purists, i would say a 10% hit for the auto, but any stock auto c2 i have seen is usually a damn nice ride because it has not been beat up.....jmo.....

dahogan

WHAT ...SAY IT AINT SO

midyearvette

it's sumpin' to do!!......i can always switch back.....besides, i thought you wanted to try the tko in your sweet silver coupe??......

Fawndeuce

My '62 is a 300 PG, I didn't buy the car because of it, but I liked the car and it just happened to be a PG. My first choice would have been a four speed, but I was pleasantly surprised by how well the old girl gets down the road, and the kick when you hit the kickdown.
For me these old crocks are cruisers anyways, so it wasn't a make or break. My C6's on the other hand have had to be manuals, would not consider an auto.
All that being said, I think that the market has changed over the past few years. Time was when almost no one was really interested in a PG car, but now people are getting older, and with Barrett Jackson et al bringing allot of non-hardcore car guys and gals into the hobby, more people are looking for automatics.
I get allot more questions like "So how do you like driving it with the automatic?" than a few years back, changing times I think.

As for value, depends on the rest of the car I guess? PG cars are often also well optioned, if it's a nice desirable car 10% maybe? An oddball like a 427 PG, I dunno...



Paul

sub006

Tell it to Jim Hall and his Chaparrals.

Fawndeuce

Speaking as a girlie man sissy, glad to have Jim on board.



Paul

Dan Hampton

On average, at least $10K. If you are going to buy an PG car, it should have A/C. That, in my opinion, is the only rational way to buy one. One positive for the automatic car is that they are, on balance, less abused than their stick counterpart.

John McGraw

I have owned several automatic Corvettes through the years, and I liked them just as much as my 4 speed cars. The last "original" Corvette I owned was a 1960 powerglide car and I loved that car. It was a 1 owner car, and was an incredibly easy restoration, because as others have pointed out, PG cars just don't get abused quite as much. I ended up gravitating toward that car almost any time I wanted to run around town a do errands, as it was a fun car to drive and people on the street can't tell whether it has an automatic or manual. I sold the car after getting a Duntov award in Hershey back in 03, and I have regretted selling it ever since. I got $70K for the car in 03 and doubt that I would have gotten more than another couple of thousand if it had a 4 speed. That still ain't bad money for a 230hp powerglide car.

All of my current cars are restomods and every one of them are electronic overdive automatics. Even with an automatic, the cars can smoke the tires almost at will, so they sure ain't giving up any performance due to the automatic. I beat all my cars like rented mules, and they NEVER leave the drive without some tire smoke being generated before returning. I truly do not miss shifting, and doubt that I will ever build another manual car, but you never know!
Starting on a new project right now, and have not decided on a trans yet, but it will probably end up being a 4L80E with paddle shifters!

Regards, John McGraw

cv67

Hah, you get a pass there. DDing it too

Fwys, practically everywhere is bumper to bumper cant imagine dealing with a stick everyday around here.

700r is a good move

woodsdesign

My first corvette was a 69 turbo 400 vert. I spent a lot of money on the trans to make it shift. It was fun to drive. Ultimately, I sold it for a 4 speed. That was the last automatic Corvette I will ever have. Sports cars have to be a stick. JMO.

rustylugnuts

PG cars just don't get abused quite as much: I strongly disagree, there are more PG used in drag racing then & today compared to 4 speeds. Automatics are chosen for e.t. consistency and remove the challenge of a skilled driver & speed shifter. The sound alone of the manual trans dropping a few rpm’s when letting out the clutch and the slight delay in sound of the pipes when shifting gears is a symphony to the old school corvette enthusiast ears. It's sacrilegious to drive anything else.

In a nutshell I totally agree with everything Tom has stated.

rustylugnuts

John McGraw

Not Cast Iron Powerglides in C1 Corvettes! They are so different from later powerglides, that there is absolutely no parts interchangeability.



Regards, John McGraw

MaineDoc

My Corvette has the biggest, baddest engine offered that year with trip's and solid lifters. It also has a Powerglide. I really enjoy the car and think that conversion to a four speed would actually hurt the value of the thing. By the way, it's a beautiful Sportsman Red.