Newbie here!

So I tracked down a low mileage (35K miles) 1974 and 1 family owned (sister original owner and sold to brother, the current owner) C3 convertible with AC, PS, PB, L48 - 4-spd, blue exterior and silver interior, and matching hardtop. The problem is the car is 550 miles from me and I spoke to the owner and he assured me the car is in perfect running condition, brakes are good, and everything works. He mentioned that the tires are dried from the car being mostly parked in the garage, and the car is on its 2nd set of tires in its entire life. Owner told me to fly in, take the Greyhound, or drive with a friend to his location, look at the car and of course if I like it, buy it, take it to Big O Tires 4 blocks down the street for new tires and drive it home!!!

The thought of driving an unknown car 550 miles scared the hell out of me. Of course if I am brave enough to drive it back, I will check the coolant level, oil, etc.,.

WOULD YOU DO (DRIVE IT HOME) IT???

 

take the back roads, don't go over 40....

 

Only 550 miles?I would go for it.Grab your credit card,cellphone and drive during the daylight hours in good weather,of course after giving it a good visual checkout.A safer bet is to tow it on a borrowed or rented truck and trailer,and is likely the smarter way to go.Now get ready for the standard responses-from the daredevil types like me all the way to the purists that will insist on nothing less than a full top flite NCRS restoration before you dare drive it...

 

Drive it.... I drove my 80 over 100 miles... great trip... leap of faith... I had a great ride...
I would do it... Get AAA.. tow from where you break down if you have the premium package.. that was my backup plan.. mine had 76k miles

 

I flew out to California to buy a Mustang years ago. Found what I was after and drove it back to CT, alone... 550 miles doesn't seem that far if the car is in decent shape.

 

drove my 80 from Columbus,Ohio - Pittsburg,Pa - Toronto, Canada...

& that was January 30, 2007 (over 800 kilometers)

freeked out the previous owner, said it had never been smoked in or driven in rain or snow...i said that was going to change

did not behave myself , on the last part of the run lol

check it over carefully & bring yer VISA card

you only live once bud !

Pete.

 

I have owned and purchased many cars, and not once have I ever attempted to drive a car that I was unfamiliar with home. With that said, I would advise you to invest in a car shipper. Its not that expensive, and it will get the car door to door... with no problems or worries. Then you can become familiar with the car close to home.

I just recently sold a car to a man in Nova Scotia. Now, this car was in show condition and had not even been washed since its resto in 2005. He wanted to fly in and drive it home....some 900 - 1,100 miles. I explained to him that I had no doubt the car would make the trip, but, I also advised him that this is a 40 year old plus car and that any little thing that would happen / go wrong....he and the car would be stranded. I.E....What if, the windshield wiper motor were to go up and you were driving in the rain, or even if you had a flat...not being familiar with the car...what would you do??????? You can't just go to Pep-Boy's and get a new windshield wiper motor....and you don't know how to change the tire on this type of car. Its little things like this that gave me pause. In the end, he had it shipped "open". That alone disturbed me...But, it was no longer my pride and joy...but his...so, he could do whatever he damn well pleased.

Ship the car, you will be much happier with that decision.



Stay in tune....

 

When I bought my 56k mile (but 35 year old) car, I first test drove it and things seemed OK. It even had new (5 years old according to the date code) tires. Being 4000 miles from home, I didn't even consider driving it. When the car arrived by transporter late one day, I drove it into the garage. The next morning the garage smelled like burnt insulation. There was a short in the wiring and the battery was dead. Sure would have been fun out on the open road! After I replaced the engine wiring harness, the water pump started leaking. After that, the heater core. See where I'm going with this? You don't know what you don't know. With eyes glazed over and the seller's reassuring words ringing in your ears, off you go driving into the sunset......

 

When I bought my 81...I asked the owner to meet me half way(we lived 3.5 hrs apart). Told him if the car makes it half way, at least I know it's decent. Met him half way, then drove the car home. To me that is the best way...and the only way to be certain that the car can make the trip...yeah it might break down as soon as you leave the meat...but hey..things happen.

I would do it. If you make the trip you know you have a sound car...if you don't...you know have some work to do when you get home

 

If it runs well and you put the new tires on, go for it. A fly in and drive home is one of life's great experiences. I bought a 64 coupe in Key West, Fla. and drove home to Mass (about 1,500 miles) back in 2000 and had a blast. Also flew from Mass to Missouri and drove a C6 Z06 home 1,600 miles last September. Stopped at the Corvette Museum for a couple of days on the way home.

The worst thing that can happen is you break down and get it fixed. Line up some Corvette friends along the way to assist in the repairs should that occur. Life's too short to worry about the negatives. Go get it if you like it and drive it home

 

Just drove my 73 1500 miles. It was a little different because I got it from my father and he checked it out before I came up to make the trip. He also followed me back as he was coming to visit but still it was a cool trip. I definitely had some concerns and really considered shipping it. I'm actually glad I didn't. It gave me a lot of time to "bond" with my new toy.

 

Personally, I rent the car hauler from U-haul and trailer them home. (a 73 and 2 74's in my lifetime) 550 miles is not that horrible of a distance...you can do that in a day if you start early enough. I'd put the wear and tear on the suv/truck that you'd be hauling it with and save the stress on that 37 year old suspension. You can usually rent the car haulers one way and they aren't that expensive.

 

No, not on those tires. A blow out, even at low speed, could be a disaster, body damage, etc. Rent a trailer or find a local racer with a trailer, he would be glad to make some easy bucks.

Blue with silver leather!

 

I had a similar dilemma with my '70. Should I drive it 220miles or trail it? I called car transport places but dealing with these brokers is like dealing with kids so that was out. Then I looked into renting a car transport (trailer) from Uhaul but they are pretty bad scheduling equipment pick ups, especially in rural PA where I was picking it up. (btw....one way rental is MUCH cheaper) Then I got a lot of members recommending just driving the damn car back as they have done and so I did. Got home OK, no problems and the good thing is that when you get home, you will know about 50% of things that are wrong with the car. At first I drove under 50mph .... 2nd half of the trip I was going on average 65 and even hit 80 at one point. Your will either gain or lose confidence in the car. But those tires.....I don't know, mine were good to go.

Of course I would recommend towing coverage on your insurance AND AAA ..... since just one of the 2 may not cover the full distance. fyi...you need to become a member of AAA at least 7 days before you can use their towing services. Good luck!

 

Sure, go for it. Also consider the possibility of taking the bus home if the car in person does not measure up to your expectations.

 

I just drove back my 78 that had spongey brakes that was sitting for 4 years and had NEEVER been on a trip that long since the 80s it was 200 miles highway speeds the whole way. I made it fine every car is different.but ibwouls give her hell.

 

Make arrangements with the seller to have it checked over at Big O Tires or someplace else just to be sure the major mechanicals are OK. Then get the new tires and happy motoring.

What do you plan on doing for registration plates if you decide to buy?

 

Get it checked out by a shop for all the vital stuff: fluids, leaks, suspension, tire wear, etc. If all checks out, bring a small toolbox just in case

 

Go for it. Bring a regular camera, video camera, toolbox and credit card. When you make it home, we will be waiting here for the story/pictures/videos.

 

In a month I will be flying to Kansas City to pick up my 1980 and drive it back to Tipton, IN....about an 8 hour drive.