Hi, am new to Corvette Forum and I am about to pay off my Subaru, that means that I will have some extra money for a toy. Any way I have been told that by going with GM I can open my self up to a lot of very inexpensive performance options. I have really never owned an American car yet so this would be my first. I am looking for the best valued Corvette for performance, I would like and older beat up one so I have a good project on my hands. I have always owned cars that handle well and now I can't live with out it. I currently own a Subaru Impreza and a BMW 330Ci.

So here are my questions:

Is a C3 the Vette to go with for what I am looking for?

Is the C3 a performer when it comes to handling?

How much money and what kind of mods will it take me to get into the 4's (0-60) at the drag strip?

How reliable of car has your C3 been?

How easy is it to do work on a C3?

Any other comments are appricated as well.

Thanks!

 

My 77 C-3 runs and drives with a rotted frame. I have about 10k in it so far. And a new chassis that is on my garage wall.

 

Any c3 vette will perform the way you want it to if you put enough money and time into it. All the parts to accomplish what you wish are out there. As far as gm being cheaper it is partialy true due to the fact that chevrolet parts tend to be cheaper than those of the other big manufacturers. Cheaper yes, cheap NO.

Depending on which car (and its condition) you buy combined with your own ability, will greately denote how much effort and money your "dream car" will cost.

 

He is right. Its really on his wall
My 78 is great. I think they mnake great cars to fix up and just play with.

 

Along with that BMW emblem in your avatar, why don't you print their slogan "Overpriced, but still underpowered".

 

Now was that really nessary? It's called the Ultimate Driving Machine, drive one before you bash on it.

 

It wasn't REALLY necessary. I have driven one. But this IS Corvette Forum. I assume BMW has one too.

 

I have, I'll build a sweet C-3 for the same $.

 

Yes and I am a member, for one you are hijacking a thread, 2 what is wrong with me using another avatar? I have not bashed in any way on the Corvette so why you would you attack BMW right from the get go? At the moment BMW is my favorite car manufacturer, just like (I imagine) GM is yours. I have a BMW avatar on many different forums (Subaru, Acura, Ford, Mitsubishi, Audi, and now Corvette), and you are the first to just jump and attack it. So what does that tell me about the kind of person you are?

 

I have Bongs in my Avatar.

 

In order of your questions.....

Any newer one will be much faster and handle much better when you first get it. But, you can toy with C3s to no end... if you really want a project... C3!

To handle with new cars, you're going to need to modify the suspension. $2500 will get you a completely new, rockin' sweet front and rear setup... or the cheaper route is about $1200.

?

What exactly do you mean by reliable........



C3s are a lot of fun... they're beautiful cars, and you get a lot more looks than new vettes... there just aren't that many around. They're fun to work on and even more fun to drive (like you stole it )

 

LOL, I noticed that.

 

I think once you have a C3 built.. A BMW will no longer be you car manufacturer of choice. From experience, I can tell you that corvettes are an addiction. Personally, I think a C3 that is built up to atleast F-41 (HD Suspension) specs will not disappoint you in handling. As far as power goes, 0-60 in under 4 sec. is easy accomplishable. However, the project car that you get will most likely have drivetrain that is all tired out and in need of a rebuild. A rebuilt engine that is built right will cost more than your typical crate engine, but you can build it to suit your needs. Its kind of hard to say how much it will cost to get a car to go 0-60 under 4 secs., it really depends how you build your car. As far as reliability, my '73 DD has been very dependable. It rarely skips a beat. Keep in mind that it will cost extra $$$ for a dependable car and most projects are depened able to start out with. You'll also find that over the years that Bubba's ignorance is what causes almost all of your problems. The C3's are perhaps one of the easiest cars to work with but also can be the worst. It will be a love - hate relationship for the most part.

BTW
Lighten up.. I thought BK's joke was kind of funny.. Don't take things too personal.

 

He's a person who made a joke that you can't take?

 

Top Gear and there Corvette sucks stuff, was like realy wrong.
Ther Brits, and,, BMW, is like, well

 

I am still kinda getting my first impressions of this site and the people here. It came off like an attack on BMW. This is literally my first day on Corvette forum. I guess this is more of a tough love type of site.

*Edit* to those of you that have been giving me advice, thanks!

 

Would a LS swap be the best way to go or would it be more cost effective to keep the stock motor? I am still curious what the best comprise between power and cost in the LS line of motors. I am guessing the LS1 is but I am a total noob so I have no idea.

 

Check out sites like vbandp.com to get an idea of what you can do with the C3 suspension. I'm a little biased toward the LS engine swap but you can get plenty of performance out of the standard 350. Most if not all of the stock 350 engines are disappointing in HP numbers compared to today's standards (from ~72 up). You can get crate engines that have great HP for a reasonable price. LS motors are more expensive and require more work to adapt to a C3 but you get better fuel economy, computer control, and the elusive factor (IMHO).



Rick B.

 

I had no intention of hijacking your thread and as you can see, people responded to your original points in spite of my ruthless attack.
As for those other forums sporting your BMW avatar, I don't think those brands inspire the loyalty that Corvette inspires.

 

There are many positives to an LS1. It just depends on what your budget is like. You could get an LS1 w/ tranny for about $3 to $4k. Are you looking for all out performance or performance with decent gas mileage? With just an LS1, I doubt you'll get 0-60 in under 4 seconds. However, with that engine you'll get around 25 - 30 mpg and have a car that will probably do 12's in the 1/4 mile. So, if you are looking at getting that kind of performance which is not bad by the way then I would say go ahead and do it.

I am a little different on the other hand. I would like to build my own set up. That is where an LS1 probably wouldn't be good for me. Parts for them are like gold compared to the old fashioned small block. As far as which one will produce more power, its hard to say. Many think that small block is an old tired out design and the LS engines are far superior which is not true. There are a few on this forum who have over 500 HP out of a streetable small block.

If you have your heart set on the LS engine. The best compromise IMHO is to buy an LS6 or buy an '02 LS1 (which carries some of the LS6 parts). If you wanted to buy all new, it would cost you about $10k for a carbed LS2 and a kiesler 5spd.

If your looking at 0-60 under 4 sec., you might just want to be prepared to spend some $$$. It's kind of hard to give you a definite answer on performance without knowing a budget, your plans with the car, and the rest of your set up such as tranny, gears and etc.