I've been a long time reader here and now decided to start posting. I've been looking at getting a 76 - 80 for around 10k. It would be a daily driver I don't drive but around town and to school. How many people here use theirs for their daily driver? And how much should I expect to spend on it after I buy it to get it dependable?

Thanks.

 

I have a 1980 as a DD. when I first got it, it had not been driven very often. in the first month and a half I had to have rear end replaced, new trailing arms/bearings put on, and a new leaf spring on the rear. also a new windshield wiper motor, and a new water pump. since then she has not given me any problems. And all the repairs were done at my convenience, she has never failed to get me where i was going.

Mike.

 

You always try to get the best bang for the buck, that said, ounce you are happy with your purchase, safety issues first, then necessary items, then comes the cosmetics and the $$$ will flow. But she is your mistress and you are willing to pamper her in the lifestyle she deserves.

Now what is your question, oh ya DD: no mine is just driven in summer months, on clear dry days, stored over the winter. That is what she likes, so that is what she gets.

All this said and done, you will have repair bills come up, you are looking at a vehicle that`s 30-34 years young.

If you don`t know what to look for, rust etc, find someone in your area that knows vettes, if not you may end up spending more money and down time then anticipated.


Rod

 

FWIW: check with your insurance agent on the cost of using a C3 as a daily driver.

 

A couple months ago I picked up an '81 to use as a daily driver. Since I am not a mechanic, it has been a real challenge. I had a friend who is a Corvette nut look it over and he felt it was a good purchase since it was priced well under $10k, so I made to plunge. I have to say, it has been fun so far. Not the expense, mind you, but just learning about it, working on it a little myself, and enjoying the ride.

Fun ain't always easy. The first thing I had to do was just as was suggested above, safety first. The wipers and headlights didn't work, nor did the horn. In SC, without a requirement for annual inspections, these things get by sometimes. Especially on hotrodded rides. The lights have been a real PITA, since they are an electrical conversion and I don't know what brand, etc. After $600 of work (some rebonding and electrical) they still aren't right (winking).

I had some carb issues, (the engine is all custom), tranny issues, and plenty of eletrical gremlins. As for nice by not required things, I have plenty of tho$e as well. A/C is out (until I figure out how to correctly wire the BeCool fans that are in it), some interior stuff, etc.

Mind you, I am not whining, because I knew I would have issues when I got the car, afterall it's 30 years old. Luckily, when I purchased the car, I budgeted myself a sum over what I paid for toward repairs. That was the key to avoiding getting beaten by my wife. So far, but even my estimates seem to have been low. So be sure and generously budget yourself for repairs while you shop, even if it looks like a great car. Antiques always need work!

Best of luck while shopping, hope you find a real gem!

-J

 

Double post.

 

Thanks for all the replies, I know a few Corvette nuts that could help me pick out the right one and me and my dad are pretty mechanical. I think i'll just take my time and not rush into anything.

Thanks again.

 

Good reading here. My copy is getting a little dated, but the info is essentially still relevant. Covers all C3 model years.



Worth the cost of a copy.

Good hunting.

 

U can buy my 78 PC for $10K with the bugs worked out; do the cosmetics later if you want and when you want.

 

Good point, but to some degree, it depends on what you buy and what you want for insurance. If I got a newer C3 to drive every day (I have thought about it, or a newer C4), I would try to get one cheap enough that if I lost the car, it wouldn't send me to the poor house, then I would only get liability insurance. I'm pretty sure that would result in a palatable insurance payment, although I would be taking the risk for fire, theft, or accident that was my fault.

The bigger problem is that all C3s are at least 28 years old now, so traditional insurance companies consider them essentially worthless. You can get a "stated value" policy that will cover comprehensive, but if the car is destroyed, you might not get much back from the insurer. Collector car insurance will be cheap, and cover comprehensive, but don't allow daily driving.

There are also some special challenges to using a 30 year old car as your daily driver. Ideally, you would have a newer back-up. Good luck!

 

i bought my 80 in January 2007 & i have been driving it all year round ever since.

put new tires , shocks & brakes on her & its all original , even the clock works fine.

Limo-tinted the back window & self installed a 500W tunes, custom Studio-Lab woofs.tweets

other than riding my bikes , i just don't want to drive anything else ...lol
Pete
(Toronto, Canada)

 

While not my daily driver, i drive it all year round, rain and snow.

Keep it safe, check the usual stuff, parts are $, nothing is simple on a 30 -35 year old car.

 

I use mine as a DD, 40 miles a day. It was conciderably less than $10K. For $10K, I would expect a car that didnt need any fixing at all other than maybe a tune up to be a reliable daily driver

 

Best investment I've made.

 

I drive my vette as a daily driver 50 miles a day to school and back. It is the only car out of four that I own that runs so I do not have many choices Believe me when you pull up to your school in a vette you'll be driving it everyday since then

 

Thanks for all the replies, i'm not worried so much as to the cosmetics as I am to the mechanical issues. What would you look for before buying one? A test ride is a must but what else would indicate a future problem?

 

Rust. Rust is a death sentance for these cars. Cost to repair is often more than the car is worth unless it's something rare. A little bit of visible rust often means a whole lot you cant's see. Do a search for "Birdcage Rust" and "frame rust." Thgats the biggest hidden issue. There are lots of threads on what else to look for too. Good luck in your search

 

Headlights are pretty high on the list of possible failure. The vacuum operated system is bound to fail every now and then, leaving you in the dark after a visit to the local bar because they won't pop up. On my car, a valve spring broke in the engine, luckily without damaging anything. Then one day, I couldn't operate the inside door handle. There is lot's of stuff that may break if used as a DD. But on the other hand, the previous owner of my 69 drove it (believe it or not) for 15'000 miles within 2 years over German Autobahns without any major problem.

So my conclusion is, it's possible if you want to do it. It will never be perfectly reliable but it's simple mechanical nature makes it also relatively easy to fix whatever part will die on you.

 

I have 250k on my 81 DD 180k I put on myself and I can truly say they ARE NOT a good DD unless YOU are a very capable mechanic and painter and electrician, I am all of this, so if I am driving down the road and everything goes dead I am able to pull over and fix it and continue on my way. Unless you are VERY capable I would recommend you avoid using a c3 as a daily driver. I have seen headlight switches fail bad connections on wipers when needed most, power windows switches fail, coils burn out etc.. all this while on the fly.

 

I have a '69 since April 2006 and have added 80K miles to as a DD. Since I am an engineer, I've become a mechanic. Get to know the car before you take it on any long trips. Replace anything that is worn and 'could' go wrong. In my case, it did go wrong.