Priya

Back in the spring of '09 I decided to look for my own special Corvette. I decided there were a number of 'must have' features:

It had to be a 78 or 79 with pace car seats.
It had to be a 4 speed L82
It had to have glass t-tops
It had to have A/C, tilt and telescopic steering, PW and as many other options as I could get
It had to have a silver or oyster interior.

So 4 months later I found a pristine 60,000 original miles 79 with all of that and an oyster interior. Its brown so I knew when I bought it I'd want to change the colour. After driving it I decided I also wanted a 5 speed and to modify the motor to increase horsepower by 100. I've been debating about painting it hot pink or electric blue and I've ordered the 5 speed trans. I've also been thinking I would really have prefered a silver interior so I'm thinking of changing that too.

Now everytime I discuss it with my husband and debate what colour to paint it or mention the installation of the 5 speed or motor modifications he cringes and in an exasperted voice says "Why would you take a pristine all-original car and ruin it?". He says once I paint it hot pink its value decreases by $10,000 as no guy will ever buy it. I agree with him to a point but he says I should sell the car I have now, use the money I get from selling it, find a beat up $5000 non-original car needing paint and interior and modify that one to be my dream corvette.

Sounds good in theory but I spent $12000 on my present car, another $2000 putting factory original weatherstripping in it. The car is appraised at $15,000 and my husband says maybe I can get $14000 for it. I figure finding a $5000 78 or 79 with A/C, power options, glass t-roofs, L82, manual trans that has a good motor, suspension, steering and rear end may be difficult and if I do find it it is almost certainly going to be somewhere in the States while I'm in the middle of Saskatchewan. I figure it'll cost me about $2000 in hotels, air fair, food, cabs, etc. to look at it and then another $2000 to ship it home.

Does this sound like a feasible idea or should I keep my present 79 that has mint interior (most of which I can dye silver), rebuilt motor, sound suspension, steering, and rear end and change the colour on it, install the five speed and modify the motor? Do I "owe it" to the Corvette community to leave my pristine all original 79 as is even if it costs me more money to buy a fixer-upper and paint it hot-pink? Am I going to spend way more fixing up a $5000 79 than I've already got into my present car?

Paul L

Does this sound like a feasible idea or should I keep my present 79 that has mint interior (most of which I can dye silver), rebuilt motor, sound suspension, steering, and rear end and change the colour on it, install the five speed and modify the motor?

Keep it. Sounds like a nice car. Even better with scheduled upgrades.

I hope you realize that with initial cost, engine mods, transmission mods, interior mods, and new paint you will be so far upside down on the 1979 that you will never recover what you have put into that car. Just a thought.

As to "hot pink" .............. Do you sell Mary Kay?

Priya

LOL, no I don't sell Mary Kay and Mary Kay cars are a pastel (light) pink, not hot pink.

I didn't buy this car as an investment so no, I'm not intending to ever get my money out of it. I figure if it costs me 10 or 20,000 to have a highly personalized car that appeals to strictly me its worth it.

Paul L

OK, go for it with the current car. That transport cost across the border with PST, GST, and shipping alone will pay for your new paint job on the current 1979. Good luck!

Believe me I did the calculations on getting a C5 across the border. Not a pleasant financial exercise. It's an expensive game to play.

billcarson

it will cost him so much more if you are not happy.(does he not realize this?)

milo30

Yes, paint it pink and it will be hard to sell but are you trying to make it nice for someone else to buy or nice for you to enjoy? Reminds me of growing up. My parents always got a new car and the first thing they would do is take it down and have clear plastic seat covers with the nubs all over, put on so we wouldn't mess up the seats. All they did is make it miserable to ride in so someone else could buy it later and have it nice and comfortable.

A '79 is not that valuable nor will it probably be in the near future. If you have a good car now, then just paint it whichever color makes you happy. Electric blue would be easier to sell than pink though. Take it to a shop and tell them to stick the transmission in and be done.


The only people you owe anything too are you and your husband. Unless someone else is willing to pay for the car and allow you to drive it. Make yourself happy and enjoy the thing. There are plenty of the '79's out there for collectors to buy.

Priya

I plan on doing all the paint prep myself so a paint job probably won't cost much more than $1000. I also think by the time I get it across the border I'll have lost whatever financial advantage I had by buying a fixer-upper.

LOL, I'll have to tell him that.

Thanks for the advice, Milo30. I don't plan on ever selling this car, or at least not until I'm no longer able to drive so I don't really consider resale value to be a concern.

My parents were the same way, always wanting to keep stuff nice for the next person to buy. I figure a lot of people will buy a new $50,000 car and in 10 years they've lost $45000 in depreciation. I don't figure this is any worse of a financial decision.

80Baby

If you bought your present car to drive and not as an investment, then go for it. Make it what you want it to be. If you sell, then go and buy a "fixer upper", you'll spend more in the long run. Believe me, I know.

I purchased a real clunker of an '80 off of a guy on Vancouver Island. By the time I'm finished restoring the car, I will have spent approximately $30,000.00. What I'll have is the '80 vette that I want. I don't plan on selling it, it'll be passed down to one of my kids when that time comes so I'm not concerned trying to recoup my money. The car is for me and my driving pleasure.

fanmanbd

Don't want to sound philosophical but, life is short and if you bought your car for enjoyment, then turn it into what you want.

qwank

I say do it and make sure you post pictures when it's done. If you plan on keeping the car then why not?

jesse10886

The 79 is the least collectible corvette ever built. For the simple reason that more 79s were built than any other year to date. There were over 50,000 79's built an they Only had b/w 195-225hp. You can paint her pink with orange pokadots if it makes you happy an it won't hurt the collectibility of the car b/c this year of corvette just isnt collectible. That having been said great choice on a great year I love my 79! I like the idea of hot pink for a woman's c3. It makes the car stand out even more than they already do an who doesn't love corvettes and weman together!!

Priya

That's kind of what I was thinking, a $5000 Corvette is going to likely need all manner of mechanical as well as interior and paint.

Good point.

Will do.

Thanks for the support Jesse. I know the 79 may be the least collectible but for me I like it the best

Easy Mike

Sorry, but all you are going to get here is opinions. Everybody has one.

The only real solution is for you and husband to arrive at a mutual understanding and move on from there.

Priya

I did ask for opinions, so that's fine.

You're right though, I'll have to reach an agreement with my husband eventually.

LAddams

Fix up the car you have and like the way you want it?
Or end up spending twice as much to fix up someone elses basket case and give away the car you have for less than you have in it?
Doesnt sound like a hard choice to me. Have your husband keep the stock parts so if you get tired of it and he wants to return it to stock he can.

Priya

LAddams, that's my concern with this.

I was planning on keeping all the original components anyway. My husband says to put my current 79 up for sale and see if I can get near my money out of it and then at that time if I can't proceed with modifying it.

couperdecar

I agree with your husband.
I'm old enough to know that everyone says they're going to keep their car forever but things change. We have kids, we upsize our house, we divorce, hell - things just happen.

Sell your car for $15 G.
Buy a car in Edmonton http://alberta.kijiji.ca/c-cars-vehi...AdIdZ346457720

They want $5.5 G offer him $5G (or less)

You have $10 G left over.

Paint $5G
5spd $3G
incidentals $3G

Your total cost is $1000 for your dream car.

If the other car doesn't have an option and you have it on your present car, swap it out. (like glass T-tops).

Personnaly I'd expand my wish list from a 78-82. Really not much different in the interior.


And to the guys that say the '79 is the least collectable....

scottyp99

Here is something to think about. If you are capable of doing your own paint job for a grand, then if you ever decide to sell it, just paint it again. Done and done.


Scott

Priya

Of course its possible that the unexpected pops up and I might need to sell, but my husband and I are both 50 so we're a lot more stable in our lifestyles, more sure of what we're going to want down the road and kids are out of the question.

I dislike the exterior styling changes in 1980 so I wouldn't consider an 80-82.

Yes, I thought about that more and while the 79 is the most numerous of any year, I doubt it makes it the least collectable. The 78&79 were basically the same but there were in total a lot fewer of those made than there were 74-77 models (which were all basically the same except for convertibles and big blocks) or 80-82 models which were basically the same as well.

Priya

Yes, that works as long as I'm not in a hurry to sell it or have to sell because I need the money. If that's the case I probably won't have the time and/or money to repaint.