To begin, I would like anyone who reads this to know these 3 things.
1. I'm only 15.
2. I 100% understand that this is a radical car to start out with.
3. I only have around $7k to spend on the car itself.

So here is why I'm sure i want to purchase the corvette c3. My main motivation for this is my father, in his childhood he went through MANY muscle cars (Mustang Mach 1 with a 351 Cleveland for example) and in the process he learned a large amount about general automotive tech, so in my adolescence I'm gaining quite a large interest in cars, high performance ones that is, and me and him figured that I should get a car that i like, and that me and him can work on together (until i get my license that is). So as i browsed through TONS of relatively affordable performance cars online I kept finding my self back to the the c3. I love the fiberglass body, the 350 small block, and the relatively simple engine (compared to the highly complex ones of today).

So my question is.. What does it take to own these? I'm very willing to pay for the gas, and i REALLY want to do this. But I know muscle cars break all the time. So on a side-note, how often do you guys find your corvettes in need of great repair? Just any general knowledge on these cars would be GREATLY appreciated!

P.s. My dad never owned a corvette, so me and him are both rookies when it comes to corvettes.


THANKS FOR READING!

 

Young Grasshopper.....not a good car if it's your first and only car.....

Wise man say...he who only drive C3 wear out many shoes...

 

You speak wise words, older grasshopper.
But i honestly understand the circumstances, my father has gone over them many times... by the way, he calls me young grasshopper too

 

They can be daily drivers....and a GM 350 is a very reliable engine....
You CAN do it....and $7000 should buy you a nice starter kit.

It WILL take years to build.....and it WILL be a freaking blast (and a PITA!)

Let us know if you decide to buy...

 

Thanks for the opinion
but i will definately be keeping up to date with this site, but I'm most likely going to make a purchase later this summer.

 

Matt, Many of us have had many cars. The Corvette especially the C3 is in it's own class bar none in my opinion. You can get a decent one but even though they look very fast many are underpowered. You said "I'm gaining quite a large interest in cars, high performance ones that is". Many of the C3's due to smog regulations were especially picked on. If you are not experienced with car repairs you may be disappointed. These cars are very old and at your price you could be fixing more than driving.
If you are really interested in owning a C3 please take a very experienced person with you and or have it carefully checked by a good mechanic. Good luck grasshopper.

 

The fact that you are 15 and have saved up 7K speaks well for you. I am not sure the c3 is the best beginner car and probably not the best daily driver. Having said that...
It could be really cool to work on it with your dad. Some of the lower priced c3's are underpowered but still a blast to drive and nothing in the school parking lot will ever be cooler. If you seriously want to do this then keep reading all you can on the forum and there is a book that somebody will soon recommend that goes over all of the years.
Please go slowly and get the right car, but know that no matter which one you get, you will be putting more money into it... just some more then others.
It is refreshing to see somebody as young as you considering a C3 cool over a tuned Honda with fart cans :-) When I was about your age my 76 new. Now I am almost 48 and finally getting my 'vette.
If you can swing it, you could have a great project with your dad and you could have a corvette for a very long time.
Good luck and keep asking questions when they come up.
-brent

 

I think you should look strictly for a project. For 7K, you are in the chrome bumper project range (like this guy: http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/2989517591.html).

Of course, which C3 you want depends on preference. Your 7K will go alot further towards a driver with a rubber bumper. But, if you're in it to learn and have a corvette, I believe a chrome bumper project is what you're looking for.

 

no one has said it, so I will:

plan on a 4000$ car, because it will cost you 3000$ for that 1st year of insurance, plates, title and registration fees...

no one is going to insure a 16 year old in a corvette without paying well into 4 figures to get it on the road... I expect 2500 a year. most kids pay around 1200 a year and a corvette is a sports car, so at least double it.

a 4000$ vette will buy you nothing but a headache and it will rarely be on the road...

back to reality my friend.....

 

Haha!!!!
Some of us that drive a c3 very part time wear out at least one pair a year.

 

Great to see another 15 year old with a c3. Im 15 too and have a c3. Yeah there's always something to fix but it's really fun.

 

That's my concern as well. My "regular" insurer, Progressive, wanted $170/month to insure my '79.
Keep in mind that I haven't had so much as a parking ticket for over 35 years, and no claims in the last decade.
Because I have 23 and 24 year old male drivers in my house....

I have it with Hagerty for <$200/year now, but they do not cover any driver with less than 10 years experience.

Matt- my first car was a '67 Goat, lol. I highly encourage you to get something you like and am not intending to discourage you.
Just make sure you can afford to insure, repair and maintain the C3 before making the jump. A car you cannot actually use isn't much fun.

 

I'm of two minds about your situation. I'm kinda leaning towards encouraging you to buy one though.

As mentioned the insurance could be high for you. However, in another thread about insurance, one of the other members mentioned when the insurance company said it was a sports car, he replied that it has less horsepower than most modern day family cars. The insurance company covered it as a classic instead and saved him a bundle. This might be something you should research before buying.

Depending on your weekly/monthly income, I personally think you could cover the expenses of owning one should you find a C3 in good condition. Most of the minor issues the frequently occur do not cost that much to fix, or so I've noticed reading through the threads. You might outlay another $5k over the next 12 months of owning one, but if you have $100/wk to spend, then you should cope.

The experience and knowledge you'll gain and the time spent with your father outweighs the potential cost imo. Worse comes to worst, you can still sell it for much of what you paid. They are past the point of depreciation that you would get with a new car and much easier to fix. And though you shouldn't rely on it, you may find your parents generous enough to loan you cash for urgent fixes if you show a determination to face a challenge.

I vote that you do a lot of research and choose carefully, but go for it.

 

Matt:

I am a member of a couple of on line forums that cater to teens and I wanted to take a moment to thank you for writing an intelligent post. I often have a hard time understanding what teens write. It sounds like you have your head on straight. Good luck to you on your decision.

 

Not that any 2 cars are the same, far from it. But here's what I found needing repair with my "new" C3 purchase, to give you an idea:

• Minor frame rust. $800 to have a shop blast, cut and weld.
• Worn side yoke. $150 in parts, assuming no other damage. Will repair myself. If the posi is shot, move the decimal point over one notch.
• Small radiator leak. $250 for replacement. Will change myself.
• Steering rag joint shot. $100 for a replacement, provided I can still find one. The good ones are disappearing fast. Will change myself.
• Minor power steering leak. Need to re-seal the steering valve. No idea on parts costs yet.
• Rear tires shot. $125 ea/ Firestone indy 500.

So, I'm looking at at least $1,550 in minor repairs right out of the gate. But for perspective, I've spent more than that on repairs to my '02 Impala. Heck, I'l never blow the ECM or BCM on the C3. (isn't one). Or the TCC (isn't one). Or the Passlock. (isn't one)...
Theoretically there is less to break than on a modern car. Once you fix the initial problems and the age/wear items, there is no reason to believe it will be any less reliable than any other car, provided you don't drive like Don Garlits too often.

There are some really good "corvette buyer's guide" type info here and other places...read all you can find so you know the common trouble spots.
I didn't know to look for birdcage rust or frame rot on the C3's until after the fact and lucked out that mine is a fairly simple, localized repair. Don't repeat that mistake....

 

Best of luck in finding the car you want. I find a lot teenagers these days have no clue what they are doing an hour from now but you seem to have a well thought out plan. It will be a great father son time. As someone mentioned it would be a good idea if you could get someone that was familiar with the C3 to look at the car with you.

 

Matt, I just purchased my first Corvette this year. I am 49 now and the reason I did this was because I knew these cars need $$$ to keep on the road. Unless you spend a crap-load of money to get a ground-up restored one, this car WILL break down on you.

I struggled long and hard before I even looked at used corvettes, I was at a point where I was swaying towards a 2005 mustang GT. It gave me the looks I wanted, and better reliability than a C3 that I could afford. At least I would be able to drive it more than repair it. One of my decisions was based on my Wife threatening me that she would be driving whatever car we purchased to and from work...No Bloody Way!!! She got a newer truck this spring, so that ensured me she would not be driving whatever car I got to and from work so I pulled the trigger and bought one. Once I got the corvette, I told her I don't trust it yet on long hauls...so now she isn't looking at driving it any time soon.

I don't want to discourage your dream, but you are going to need to have a daily driver when you finish school and get a job...so with that being said...buy the car you want, but keep in mind...YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE TO FIX IT...ALOT.

You didn't post where you live, so that may play into your needs also. If you live where the snow flies, then you obviously will need another car for winter months and even rainy days. If you live in the south, then you may be ok most of the year. I own a 4x4 Avalanche as my daily driver (even though I work from home) so if the car is laid up for a month, not a big deal for me. Do you have a lot of garage/driveway space? Getting a C3 is a long-time commitment, and I swear you will need another car for everyday use eventually.

As a personal choice, I went with the 74 because I didn't want chrome and I wanted to be able to put side-pipes on it down the road without having to deal with emissions requirements. 74 was the last year before catalytic converters were mandatory. I grew up hating chrome...it always deteriorated and looked like crap...but now that I have a car I DO NOT drive in bad weather, I want more chrome.

Before picking a year...get yourself a corvette book from the used book store and read up on the years and what the differences are. If you are planning on replacing whatever motor you get with a new crate motor, keep in mind the DOT/MOT are cracking down on this. As an example, if you buy a 2012 crate motor, you may have to have the 2012 emissions on the car and that could cause you real headaches.

Buying your first car can be a wonderful experience. Mine was a 79 Firebird. Even though it wasn't "the" car, it was special to me, right up until the floor rotted out on me. If you get a corvette, make sure it is a solid one, one that you can keep for the rest of your life. Plan on it being a 10-20 year project to restore, that way you can spend a little or a lot depending on what you have at the time and you won't get too disappointed with the project. I have already told my wife and kids....from now on for my birthdays, Christmas and Fathers day...I want PARTS!

Good luck.
Ken

 

I am 38 and purchased my first car when I was 14. A 1978 Honda Civic with the 1200 engine. Bought it for $200 and completely rebuilt it. That car was AMAZINGLY simple and reliable. It drove me through High School (which included pizza delivery) and 5 years of college.

I even blew the engine one weekend I was home from college my Freshman year. Threw a rod at 7 PM on Friday, purchased a running engine Saturday AM, had the old engine out Saturday PM, and had the new engine in Sunday AM. I was back on the road by noon. Total cost...$200.

I compare that to my AMAZING driver-quality 1970. I bought it for $7k and it has a handful of minor issues. 1 week after getting it on the road, I was $500 into a new aluminum radiator. 3 months later I am $750 into a new ignition system. And that doesn't include all the gaskets, sealants, plugs, oil, fluid, and other things I've gotten. My wife totaled up our "Corvette" expenses over the past 5 months and it was over $2,500. And I've tried NOT to spend money!

I think it is absolutely awesome that you want a car. Even awesomer that you're looking at 'Vettes.

But I will say two things:
1) They are more expensive to maintain than other cars...even other cars from the era (think Mustang and Camaro).
2) They are more complicated than other cars. They're race cars. Especially the early ones.

Whatever you do will be the right call. If it were me, I'd figure out oa way to have a "daily driver" with the Corvette on the side. If you did that, I'd be all thumbs up!!!!!!!

 

Start here:

 

Nike - Just do it! The C3 is NOT that complicated, especially if you get something pre-76 that has no computers and minimal or no emissions equipment. The parts are readily available and there is a wealth of information on the net to handle anything that comes up. It will be a great experience for you and your dad. <sniff>

Power steering pump, alternator, radiator, etc. are the things that will break after you get it on the road. None of these are a big deal.

You already have the motivation so the two things you will probably lack the most are money and time.

My '75 is almost ready for the road. I've owned it for 2.5 years and done all the work myself with help from my brother and the amazing people on this forum.

Break the car down into its major systems and decide which ones you want to work on for your first C3. Engine, tranny, brakes, body, paint, interior, suspension. I wanted a running engine and good tranny, and a good interior. I've replaced the water pump, radiator and timing chain cover (seal was leaking), shocks and the entire brake system. It doesn't need any body work but I'm going to paint it. The interior is worn but still usable so I don't need to spend any money on that, just clean it up. I'm going to refresh the suspension and rebuild the carburetor but those are winter projects.

Make a plan and stick to it. And post plenty of pics!! Good luck.