Looking for a C2
Thread Starter
2nd Gear
Joined: Feb 2022
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Looking for a C2
New to the forum , I’m on the hunt for a ‘66 C2 coupe with minimal rust if any. Something near where I reside in N.California. I can use all the advise I can get on what to look out for. Matching numbers with some patina is my style.
Team Owner
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 82,175
Likes: 1,319
From: McKinney TX
St. Jude Donor '21-'22-'23-'24
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 368,297
Likes: 24,776
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '25
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
For advice on what to look for in a C2, the C1/C2 General section is the place to ask any questions. In fact, I am going to move this to that section and hope the very knowledgeable members there can help you out.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 6,003
Likes: 1,509
From: Prescott Arizona
Forged - Welcome to the Corvette Forum. It's going to help a great deal if you can expand on what you're looking for. Coupe, roadster, 4-speed, Auto Trans, particular colors, matching numbers of 'doesn't have to be', options, etc. I lived in Sonoma County for 36 years before relocating to Arizona and back in the 70's-90's you might find what you are looking for with just a drive across town but these days it's more likely a suitable candidate will be either a long drive away or a plane ride away. I've had two midyear Smallblock Coupes since the 80's, one was bought over near Albany, north of Oakland, the other was a local Santa Rosa purchase. Fast forward to two years ago and the 65 NOM 396 Roadster I bought was located up in Portland. And middle of last year, I bought a 66 NOM L72 Roadster that was located out in Florida. At least I didn't need a 'passport' to see the cars but you get my drift. On that note, along with providing more details on what you are searching for, Northern California is a large bit of Real Estate, it could help if you narrow that down by providing the town you live in, and put it into your Avatar listing.
Good luck.
Mike T - Prescott AZ
Good luck.
Mike T - Prescott AZ
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 31,785
Likes: 2,395
From: Middle TN by way of KY, OH, VA, IL, CA, FL, NY, SC, HI
Forged - Welcome to the Corvette Forum. It's going to help a great deal if you can expand on what you're looking for. Coupe, roadster, 4-speed, Auto Trans, particular colors, matching numbers of 'doesn't have to be', options, etc. I lived in Sonoma County for 36 years before relocating to Arizona and back in the 70's-90's you might find what you are looking for with just a drive across town but these days it's more likely a suitable candidate will be either a long drive away or a plane ride away. I've had two midyear Smallblock Coupes since the 80's, one was bought over near Albany, north of Oakland, the other was a local Santa Rosa purchase. Fast forward to two years ago and the 65 NOM 396 Roadster I bought was located up in Portland. And middle of last year, I bought a 66 NOM L72 Roadster that was located out in Florida. At least I didn't need a 'passport' to see the cars but you get my drift. On that note, along with providing more details on what you are searching for, Northern California is a large bit of Real Estate, it could help if you narrow that down by providing the town you live in, and put it into your Avatar listing.
Good luck.
Mike T - Prescott AZ
Good luck.
Mike T - Prescott AZ
Spend some time studying this forum: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ale-wanted-58/
Spend some time on Bring a Trailer to watch the market: https://bringatrailer.com
Know what you want and how much you want to spend. Know that being extremely particular means more money and more patience finding an exact car.
Know that buying the best car you can afford can and is often cheaper than buying a project. Paint jobs, rechroming, overhauling the engine, redoing the interior, rewiring, etc., can be very expensive.
Learn as much as you can about things that make or break these cars, like a bad frame or bad birdcage, how a NOM motor affects price, and spend some time looking into the costs of OEM or quality reproduction parts.
Get your head around being willing to pay a professional Corvette inspector to do a pre-purchase inspection. The best are not free but are far more affordable than a missed major problem, discrepancy, or misrepresentation (these are likely the most misrepresented cars out there). Having a father in laws buddy who likes old cars doesn't count as a pro Corvette inspector.
Good luck with your search and be patient. It took me about 18 months to find mine.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 14,948
Likes: 3,351
From: NYC NY
I agree with Easy Rhino. This is not a quick read but you might want to invest the time taking a look at this long running thread since 10/13/2014.
If nothing else it shows you how much the market has changed and the comments on some of the more popular posts are an education.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-for-sale.html
If nothing else it shows you how much the market has changed and the comments on some of the more popular posts are an education.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-for-sale.html
Last edited by 3JsVette; Feb 26, 2022 at 01:04 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 5,120
Likes: 1,612
From: Nor- Cal
Take this advice to heart. A lot of us "me included" spent a lot of time and Money learning about these cars.
In my case it had to be a 63 SWC . It was bad enough 35 years ago but nothing like today.
In my case it had to be a 63 SWC . It was bad enough 35 years ago but nothing like today.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 9,296
Likes: 1,531
From: Oviedo Florida
2024 C5 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2024 C2 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2023 C2 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2021 C2 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2016 C5 of Year Finalist
Be realistic with what you want to spend. The days of
40 thousand dollar, in perfect condition vettes has
long gone.
Good luck
40 thousand dollar, in perfect condition vettes has
long gone.
Good luck
Thread Starter
2nd Gear
Joined: Feb 2022
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Enjoy while you can.
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 18,226
Likes: 3,360
From: 10th District Court OHIO
Ohio Events Coordinator
2025 Corvette of the Year Winner - Unmodified
2024 C2 of the Year Winner - Unmodified
2023 C8 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 C2 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2019 C2 of Year Finalist (stock)
St. Jude Donor '14 thru '26