My First Post-A little long
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
My First Post-A little long
Hey everybody!! I am a brand new forum member so I want to introduce myself !! My name is Johnny and I am from Kentucky. I have been driving C-3 Corvette's since I was 16. My first car after getting my driver's license was a brand new 1976 red Corvette with a black and white interior bought off the showroom floor by my parents. It was an L-48 and I loved it dearly. Three years later my late father asked me if I would like to order another 'Vette. Of course I said yes!! We then ordered a yellow 1979 from the old St. Louis plant. We took delivery on May 10, 1979. I chose yellow after looking at the Corvette brochure at our car dealer and saw it was the centerfold in the 1979 version. I'm not sure if it will ever help the value but it turns out that yellow is the most rare color in a '79. Of course there were more '79s made than any other year !! The car has an Oyster interior and it is the standard L-48.(I wanted the L-82 but our car dealer (a good friend of my dad) talked me out of it ha,ha ). It was to have a buckskin interior but after 7 months of waiting, our dealer called and said the factory was out of buckskin. It would be another 3 months until that would be available.He said if we would go with Oyster we could get it in about 30 days. At 19 I didn't want to wait any more so I ended up with Oyster. I have kept this car ever since. Sadly, the '76 was wrecked by the fellow that we sold it to when a big Delta 88 skidded on ice and wiped it out. (For about 2 months while we sold the '76 I had 2 'Vettes to drive- what a rush for a 19 year old kid!!) I have kept the '79 all these years and it is about 98% original with original paint. I have all the original paperwork, owner's manual, service invoices, original insurance papers, license plates, dealers key chain the keys were on when purchased ... even my father's cancelled check from the day he bought it!!! Last winter I spent some snow days at home and I went through all of my cancelled checks since May of '79 and pulled out all checks related to anything done to this car (I know... my wife thinks I'm crazy too!!). I have put together a pretty good archive of info on the car all in chronolgical order. This is mostly due to reading on this forum "How the more paperwork you have the better". Today, the old girl is kept under cover in a temperature controlled garage. About once every six months or so I get her out, pop the T-tops and take my understanding wife out for a cruise (she loves the car too!!) I always like to meet another C-3 and wave and 9 out of 10 times they wave back. (When I was 16 I couldn't figure out why others in C-3's were waving at me at first and suddenly I had one of those a-ha moments!!) To me, even after all these years the C-3 is still the most beautiful body style ever made and I love my old car. It still is a head turner... maybe as much now that it's old as the fact it is a 'Vette!! As a P.S to this long read I 'll tell you a sad story... when he was a kid my parents gave my older brother a new 1967 'Vette covertible/hardtop combo with the 427 engine and the knock-off spinner wheels in Corvette white with a blue stinger hood... four yearslater he traded it in on a new LeMans so he could have "more room" and has regretted it ever since. Possibly a $50,000-$150,000 car today!! That is probably one of the big reasons I kept mine!!! That and I love the design, the look and the gratitude I have for the blessing of my wonderful parents!! Thanks for reading all this... probably too much... especially from a newbie!! I wil try to post some pics of my car if anyone who would be interested!! I appreciate all of you on "The Forum" and maybe I can contribute a little info as time goes by!! THANKS -JOHNNY
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 5,485
Likes: 7
From: Peekskill NY
Wow! Great intro! There's not that many original owners anymore, and with all that documentation. Wish I had had parents like yours!
We love pics! Especially for those with the same year. Welcome to the forum!
Glenn
We love pics! Especially for those with the same year. Welcome to the forum!
Glenn
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 144
Likes: 0
From: Camp Hill PA
Welcome to the forum. I'd hardly call you a newbie. As a guy who just turned 40 and finally got his first Corvette (thanks to my wife who started the shopping for me), I'd say your a "vette"ren. Great story. I'm sure you have a wealth of knowledge to contribute to guys like me (who just 4 months ago couldn't tell you the difference between a C2, C3, etc.). But we do agree, we love the look of the classic C3 body style. Welcome again and yes - post pictures.
Rick
Rick
Race Director
Joined: May 2008
Posts: 17,140
Likes: 3
From: Houston (NW of) Texas
Wow! So you are the guy driving the brand new Vette in High School while I was fixing up my '68 Mustang! 
Oh well, my '68 wasn't too shabby of a first car ... and I wish I still had it. Cool story. Welcome and we look forward to the pics. Love the 
Oh well, my '68 wasn't too shabby of a first car ... and I wish I still had it. Cool story. Welcome and we look forward to the pics. Love the
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
