Hi Everyone,

I am an aspiring C3 owner, but confess to being almost completely ignorant when it comes to the mechanical side of things.

I've been in love with the C3 body style ever since I can remember and now that I'm an adult I feel like I'm closer to the dream of owning.

I've gone back to school and will be out in two years at which point I would like to finally buy my 'vette as a reward. So I want to spend these two years learning all that I can so I can be an informed buyer when the time comes.

I hope you all will be patient with me when I ask questions that seem obvious or just plain stupid and would welcome all and any advice as to any good books I should read regarding C3's or maybe a break down of the inner workings under the hood. I want to be well versed!

I'm in Houston so if there's any fellow Houstonians here who would be willing to show me around their car, that would be a great place to start!

Thanks and I look forward to getting to know ya'll!

Thornton

 

The only stupid question is the one not asked. There are many great people on this forum that know a whole lot about this generation Corvette. Hang around and learn so that when you're ready to buy your Vette - you're ready.

 

Many very helpful people on this forum, lots of info. Welcome..

 

Are you a chrome-bumper fan, or a rubber-bumper fan?

 

....or a 73 fan?

 

Chrome vs. Rubber:

I think I prefer the rubber, but totally respect the chrome!

 

Lots of info here, never be afraid to ask. You should shop around and compare prices, condition and options, and determine a budget. Be carefull at what you look at to buy, and you can always ask for opinions here before you buy. Good luck.

 

Start here. Each C3 model year is covered. It provides "beginner's" background which can be helpful.

 

My English teacher, when I was a senior in High School, used to say that all the time. Another one of her memorable quotes was "Good enough, isn't good enough!"

Words to live by!!! I pass this on to my kids all the time!!!!!

 

Welcome aboard Thornton.

 

Your 'strategy' for buying your car is wise beyond your years. Too many folks just rush out and buy what looks good to them...only to find they bought a rust bucket or something that they really didn't want.

Use these two years to go to all the car shows you can and to talk with all the C3 owners at those shows. Ask them why they bought that specific car and, also, what they would buy if they could buy another one. {Don't ask what they'd get instead of what they now have...that assumes they "made a mistake" buying the first one.} Within the answers to those two questions is the info you need. Just compile all that info from many owners and you will get a good idea of what is desireable and what is not.

Also, you need to decide UP FRONT what you want to do with that car. If you want to modify the engine and install a big stereo system, then don't spend extra money buying a car in 'original' condition. Just buy a nice car that has a good paint job and is already modified a bit. You will save money AND you won't lose more value when you further modify the car. But, if you want a 'factory original' vehicle to save for posterity and enjoy while you have it, buy one that has ALL the necessary components on it. It costs ridiculous money to purchase all of those "pulled off"/missing parts. Know what you want and accept nothing less. It might cost you more 'up front', but it will cost you much less in the end.

Good luck in your search! [and study hard...it's worth it]

 

Thanks for that. Good advice!

And I will definitely get that book to start.

How do I find about the car shows? Are there Corvette specific shows, or just "classic car" shows? I haven't been to one since I was a kid with my dad. He's not really in the loop anymore as regards Corvettes. (bought a bunch of horses and turned cowboy!)

I figure there's got to be some good shows in Houston though, right?

Thornton

 

The best one IMHO is Corvettes at Carlisle, PA. in August.
You can Google up car shows or Corvette shows for your area or anywhere else. Lots of shows for Corvettes.

 

Although not a Corvette specific car show, the Turkey Run Rod and Custom show in Daytona Beach, Florida held at the Speedway over the Thanksgiving weekend usually has a large number of Corvettes for sale in the car corral.

 

I'm sure there must be a 'ton' of car shows in the Houston area. Get on the internet and 'Google' "car shows Houston TX" and see what comes up. Usually there will be a couple of sites that list all of the upcoming car shows. You can have a lot of fun for FREE and learn what you want about C3's...all at the same time. And, they're usually on the weekends.

Good luck.

 

There may be some closer shows that have C-3s here. Just call the number and ask them. Or if they know of a show that does. It's a start.

If you already wrench on cars, that's good. If not, find a buddy that does and does good work and learn from him. You'll need these skills owning a C-3... and they always help down the road on other vehicles.

Good luck with your journey on the C-3 hunt, Thornton.

 

Best classic car show is Nifty 50ees up in Spring/Cypress every Saturday night beginning soon. Only classics are allowed to park in the designated area but the lot is huge so you can park and walk around and see everything under the sun from Model Ts to full on drag cars as long as they were born before 79. Lots of vettes show up and I plan on rolling up there a few times this year.
There are other shows as well all over town but since I live up near IAH I tend to go to the ones up north (driving a C3 on the interstates through downtown is scary with all the idiots on the road)

 

While I was in Houston, I went to a few and didn't see too many C3s. I want to get back down there, so perhaps Nifty 50ees would be the place to go, but they'll have to allow an 82.

 

They'll be somewhat lenient from what I've seen, as long as you don't roll up in a C4-6 and expect to park with the classics

 

i'd like to suggest you get a copy of the corvette black book also. since you are looking at C3s, you don't need to buy the brand new one (around $18.00). you can pick up one a year or 2 old or even older and cheaper (covering up to perhaps 2009 or so or even earlier) and it will be a lot cheaper. amazon is a good source as is that big auction site. it has all the features of each year of corvette with production numbers, options, RPO codes, etc, etc and it is a pocket sized publication so it is easy to drag around with you if you look at some C3s at a show. it will give you a really good idea what you can expect to find (color and option wise) in each year and it might just give you some information to make you decide on one year vs another based upon what was available that particular year.