1968

 

Gee, I think I like '71 big blocks too!

 

It's a tie...'68 and '69!

 

The silver one..the green one is it's BIG brother....




Understand I think what you are searching for...go with the carburated manual transmission model...drop a 502 in it...and have a blast...

 

In a way the 75 with the worst HP of any year is best since you have the ideal platform for a modern driveline without having any misgivings about tossing the stock setup. Put in a modern fuel injected LS-1 or a crate engine of your choice along with an overdrive and you'll love the car. The best part is you'll probably still have less money into the car than buying just a decent driver from one of the more collectible years.

 

Easy answer any year from 70(Actually a 70 frame and block)to 82 Everyone loves what they have............. You have to love BB verts any year

 

Hey waidda minute here, every time someone posts the year they think is the best, I look in there profile and lo and behold they own the same year, sumpins up here

 

Hey, I an expert on my opinion,and IMHO..."Chrome gets you home". ..

 

Yes, this is true in my case.

My favorite C3 is a 69 convertible and that's why I spent 2 years looking for the one I have.

 

I love my '72 BB Vert, end of an era for chrome bumpers etc etc. I do like the original sidepipes on the 69's though.

 

Any LT-1 does it for me!!!

 

I love the 70-72 but went with a 74. Altough mine is a small block it is the last year for bb option, last year for dual exhaust and no cats, no bumperettes on the front or rear bumper. couple one year only things that make it unique like th split bumper and no emblem gas lid. Can open the hood and still see a motor and not a mess of hoses. Plus you can pick up even clean bb verts for a decent price

 

Okay here's my take--
1975 is the last year for the C3 vert so I exclude anything after 1975.
From a purist standpoint 1974 is the last year of true dual exhaust. So I personally then exclude anything after 1974. Also after 1974 there was only one engine choice-L48 350.

1972 and prior do not have the improved chassis mounts which reduced chatter and vibration. I have owned and driven my share of 72 and 71's and frankly they rode like covered wagons. They also lacked steel beams in the doors for impact protection and had those god awful vacuum operated wiper doors. 1970 is hard to come by.

If you are a purist then NCRS gigs you for using radial tires in 1968 to 1972 cars since radials were not introduced on corvettes until 1973.
Chrome bumper cars are in demand for aesthetics (read: $$) but I find merit in the design lines of a 73, 74 or 75.
1971 and up are the first cars designed for unleaded fuel without the suppossed possibility of exhaust valve wear. Naturally all verts carry a premium so any good C3 vert deal should be examined.
Finally then for price, engineering, aesthetics, safety, ease of maintenance, I would look for a 73 or 74. One final note: Have you ever kicked in a properly working Cold Ram Air Induction on a 73 or 74? Very impressive--even in a small block.

 

My 78 came with a L-82 4 speed,fast back window,A/C, 8 track,a real glove box,and a 24 gallon gas tank...I thought that was great stuff in 79 when I bought it...then last year,California stopped the rolling exemption for all vehicles newer than 75...that is when I decided to get even..so last September I bought a 69 502 with a 20 gallon gas tank,map pocket,no A/C that is smog exempt and gets 8 miles to the gallon...am I stupid,or what ???

Rich

 

I believe all C-3's are nice cars but after owning three C-3's all Coupes a 69',72' and 73' I always felt that the best looking C-3 was the 1973 Model year Coupe and it was definitely a better riding car then the 69' 427-435HP Coupe which was the hardest riding Corvette I ever owned and better riding than my 72' L48 Coupe until I changed out the metal body mounts to the rubber body mounts used on the 73' way back in the early 70's. Each one of these Vette's were low mileage Vettes when I purchased them 30-36 years ago. The 69' had 11,000 miles on it at purchase, the 72' had 20,000 miles and my 73' had 17,000 miles at purchase and only a little over 25,000 miles on it as of right now.

 

68...no 72.....no no 77 I still can't make up my mind.

I think they are all great it's all about what you want....or how many you want.

 

Get an 83 nice and rare

 

dumbest question on this forum

i'd say prepare for an onslaught of biased answers but its already here

 

Not really looking for biased answers. Just want to know the pros and cons for each year.

 

IMO For an investment, 68-72 is your best bet.
Steel bumpers have been climbing price wise, and the more power, LT-1 or BB the more money they bring.

I did look at a few all steel bumper C3's before I bought my current 73' but they were very rough for the money I was willing to spend.
So, having owned only one other Corvette in the early 80's...a 73'
I settled on another 73' as it brought back some great memories.

If I could have my dream Corvette it would be a 67 BB coupe....maybe someday .....