I am 18 years old, I have had a nissan 350z and an infiniti g35 that I have paid for myself by working in a hardware store everyday for the past 4 years, so please do not call me out on my age and say that my parents paid for my car. I decided that I want something that has more power to get more satisfaction outta pushing down the pedal so I decided to look into american muscle. I am not very knowladgable on theese types of cars and would love to learn more, I am looking to get a C3 Corvette Stingray, I think they are naturally beautiful cars and I can't wait to own one, I am selling my dubbed out 2003 Infiniti g35 coupe for $19,000 and looking to buy a car with that money and have some left over to put into the engine. If anyone has any advice whatsoever about what year to get or anything to look out for I'd really appreciate it, I am very confused right now but starting to learn alot. Are the 68's the only ones that had T-Tops?
Thanks alot guys.

 

All 1968-1982 coupes have the T-Tops. Good luck with your search!

 

Well first off I do not know who would give that kind of money for a 2003 Infiniti, but I could not even point one out to ya. There are alot of good people on here that can answer your specific questions when the time comes and you got money in your hand. Good luck.

 

No need to be overly sensitive that people will call you out about buying your own cars,
While I would like to know how you earned enough at 18 at a hardware store to pay your home or apt rent, your food bills, insurance and heath care, entertainment costs, costs of living etc then have enough to trick out your car...that is your business.
Fact is I don't care how little or how big your folks helped you, I think it's nice when parents can help their kids out.

68-82 all had T-tops unless they were convertibles,
You will get the best buys in the 74-82 range...and 19K will buy you a lot of vette in this economy...go look at different years see what appeals to your taste.

Welcome to the world of C3 vettes!

 

stretch for a 68 or 69 if your bank account allows, after that a 70-72

 

Thanks to everyone for their responses, @the13bats, I am used to going on 350z and g35 forums where if you are under 30 people just bitch about how you are too young to be driving such a nice car and stuff. Whatever, but I do not pay for all that, I am going to Stevenson University in Maryland, My parents are paying for half of that and I took a loan for the other half, really looking forward to getting my corvette. The stingray is one of the most beautiful cars there is.

 

You seem like you do but always remember to appreciate all your folks do for you...without them you would not have it this nice.

I have no clue what your car is worth but if you can get 10-15k you can score a sweet c3,

I have less than 10K in mine...it's in my profile....

 

My advice would be to buy a '71-73 coupe that does not have a rust problem (frame and birdcage), has a decent paint job, and needs to have engine work done. Don't spend a premium for a completely 'stock' car when you will be replacing the engine, anyway. Check out all the accessories and features in the car: lights, steering, power accessories, A/C, etc. to verify all works as expected. Then, make your best deal. You should be able to find a car that matches the above description for $10-12K and still have money left to do the engine and some "clean up" work.

 

Damn, I'm loving this economy haha, when you're buying and too young for the economy to affect you in a major way it's not a bad thing, not yet at least. But my car is all tricked out so I' think I could get a good 17-19k out of it. Only 50,000 miles, I am just not in love with the g35 and I miss being in love with my car, I am really liking what I have looked into on the corvette. I havnt decided what color, always had white cars, looking for something a little more flashy.

 

I think you need to try and drive one of these cars first if you have not unless you are truly in love with these corvettes. They are not naturally performance handling cars at all. The cars you are used are far superior in handling and it will take lots of cash and work to get a C3 to that level.

I would not buy a C3 unless I already had a daily driver and a designated area to store this car and work on it. You will be spending lots of time working on it doing repairs and upgrades and you need a nice covered area to do so where the car can SIT for weeks, months or (in my case) years.

If you have the money, get a car with chrome bumpers front and back. The coupes had a trick feature where the rear window pops out in those years. Moreover, those years had more big block motors and more options for high power small blocks. 74 and later cars really got hit by the oil crisis back then and as a result the power suffered tremendously.

The beauty of these cars to me is working on them. I bought a 74 because i plan on replacing the motor anyway. The small block Chevy is the most hot rodded and modifiable engine out there. And there are more than enough vendors to find almost every part you need for a c3. It is an awesome hobby. just know what you want and do some homework.

 

Yeah that is exactly what I'm looking for, havnt found any like that around my area though, All the ones im finding are in decent condition, around 60,000 miles for around $7k-$9k, looking to spend a little more and get a car in slightly better condition.

 

It's always good to see another college student here on the forum. I'm studying up at Millersville University of PA.

Will this be a daily driver or a project/show car?

If it will be a driver, then the 80-82 model years have a more luxurious interior than the earlier years

the 68-72 will be the most expensive to buy, but many here prefer that body style over the later years.

19k will get you a very good vette, especially the later years and leave you cash to rework your engine for more power if you want.

PS, I may be a little biased by my 80

 

Well said, I totally understand where you are coming from and this is not a decision that I am jumping into, I understand what I am taking on right now and know that it will be a completly different care then I'm used to, I am ready for the change and think this is a great way to learn about cars, and american autmobile history.

 

Hey man what kind of corvette do you drive? This car is gonna be a daily driver but I would still rather get the 68-72, I don't like the look of the rear window on the later versions. I am still looking at all individual years to see what my favorite would be.

 

I have owned several years including 2 81's I liked them...my first vette at 17/18 was a 72 BB convertible,

So when I used the car as a daily driver I liked the 81's a lot then as time passed and I got older ( 45 now ) the sports car heart and soul of the early vettes kept crying out to me,

In general I felt that the 68-73 were more race/sports cars and then the 80-82's were more "drivers" than runners,
the 74-79 wee somewhere in the middle ground getting more "driver" and less "sports" the newer they got.

Also toss into the mix I dig custom, stock is boring to me so I am a block sheep there,

But since I bought my 69 I realized that while in factory form the 78-82's might be more comfy and refined and the early cars more racy ALL these creatures are corvettes and all have that soul and heart that wants to start beating...I have seen some sweet modded 74-82 cars that ran like a vette should and some early cars made a bit more driver friendly......purist dreams...well, no...but fun?....priceless.

 

I am looking to get a model that looks very jagged if you know what I mean, I don't want any rounded off parts like the rear window in the later models, I want the 2 humps in the front of the car to go up and be as defined as possible, I basically want it to look like a badass american muscle car, based on that, what year would you go for?

 

I have a black 80 with a black interior.






the 68-72 are also beautiful cars. With the t-tops and rear window out it's almost like being in a convertible with a large roll bar.

Whatever year you do end up with, you will definitely fall in love with it. These old cars have more soul than some new cars do.

Then I would go with 72 at the newest.
I look at it like this, the 68-72 feel more like a thug, lots of power and brawn
the 80-82 are more like a mafia don, power lurking behind a layer of sophistication and refinement.

 

80-82=Power ? ...I couldn't resist...but your car is wicked sweet!




I went for a 69 convertible and will install my Mako front clip on it...but my tastes are not shared by many....

 

MKO,

Congrats on your maturity for an 18 yr. old. Yes, C3's are beautiful. However, you should really know what you are getting yourself into here w a DD C3:

1. These cars are now +/- 40 yrs. old!!
2. You will NEVER find a dependable, reliable 68-72 DD for $8-9k.
3. They use premium fuel and most average < 15 mpg.
4. They are AWFUL in the snow. You remember the snow?
5. Close to 50% (including mine) do not have A/C.

C3's are fun cars, but you can't expect a 40 yr. old car to compare to your G35. I am local. PM me if you want to talk more about this or if you want me to look out for a car for you. Rickman

 

WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO POWER!! That's 190 HP, 280 ft/lb torque of road burning power you're looking at!





All in good fun. I know what ya mean 190 hp stock isn't much for America's Sports Car. Thanks for the compliment. It's stock except I've got chrome on the front grill slats now.
I'm looking forward to seeing your 69 when it's finished.

MkoShrk, what's your major if ya don't mind? I'm in the Computer Science major.