Yearly maintenance costs
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 10,684
Likes: 696
From: Danville Illinois
2025 Corvette of the Year Finalist - Modified
2024 C3 of the Year Winner - Modified
2021 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2019 C3 of Year Finalist (appearance mods)
If its a driver, the yearly maintenance cost will be the same as any other vehicle. Normal maintenance will be expected on any 30 year old car.
Maintenance versus restoration is a lot of money as was said before.
Maintenance versus restoration is a lot of money as was said before.
Last edited by Mod75; Jun 23, 2012 at 09:37 PM.
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2012
Posts: 148
Likes: 0
From: Prairie Village Kansas
Good topic & responses. I was kinda wondering the same thing after reading through an older thread http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...project+budget 
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 1,201
Likes: 2
From: Frederick Md
I have 6 Corvettes in my Garage (3 of them are C3's) and I just look ed what my total expenses were for 2011..
$ 4200 average of $700 a car...
BUT that includes Gasoline and Oil as well as Insurance and one set of tires ..(I replace one set on one car every year and last year they were for my 72 ).. The only "part" I had to buy was a door spring for the drivers door on my 35th ANC 88 ..all of 11 dollars
These cars are weekend end cars BUT only for the spring and summer months so I only put a little over 1000 miles on each every year...
Bob G
$ 4200 average of $700 a car...
BUT that includes Gasoline and Oil as well as Insurance and one set of tires ..(I replace one set on one car every year and last year they were for my 72 ).. The only "part" I had to buy was a door spring for the drivers door on my 35th ANC 88 ..all of 11 dollars
These cars are weekend end cars BUT only for the spring and summer months so I only put a little over 1000 miles on each every year...
Bob G
Intermediate
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
I'm in the UK, so the actual figures might not be directly relevant, but over the last 10 years just the restoration, maintenance and service costs breakdown as follows with a specialist doing all the work on my '75:
2002 £2,021
2003 £6,014 - body off
2004 £8,757 - body off continued
2005 £227
2006 £4,819 - new gearbox
2007 £8,340 - complete refresh of interior
2008 £255
2009 £0 - car was hardly used 2009-11
2010 £0
2011 £0
2012 £1,734 - so far!
Roughly £3,150 per year on average...
Plus the PO had a respray that I don't have costs for.
To echo previous posts, most of this didn't have to be done, the big bills were restoration work.
I bought the car six months ago and the price I paid wasn't anywhere near what had been spent on it to get it sorted. Buying a sorted car costs a lot less in the long run.
2002 £2,021
2003 £6,014 - body off
2004 £8,757 - body off continued
2005 £227
2006 £4,819 - new gearbox
2007 £8,340 - complete refresh of interior
2008 £255
2009 £0 - car was hardly used 2009-11
2010 £0
2011 £0
2012 £1,734 - so far!
Roughly £3,150 per year on average...
Plus the PO had a respray that I don't have costs for.
To echo previous posts, most of this didn't have to be done, the big bills were restoration work.
I bought the car six months ago and the price I paid wasn't anywhere near what had been spent on it to get it sorted. Buying a sorted car costs a lot less in the long run.
Last edited by ashfrj; Jul 26, 2012 at 02:15 PM.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,939
Likes: 199
From: Palm Bay Florida
I do service work on many that are daily drivers Once you get all the bubba repairs fixed its around $1,000 a year plus the ocasional $ 2,000 unexpected repair.These cars are 40 years old!
Mark
Mark
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,196
Likes: 47
From: Scarborough Maine Fredericksburg VA
Is this a trick question? Did my wife put you up to this??
Seriously I have owned Corvettes for over 30 years and the only ones I had "maintenance" on were the ones I bought brand new. You are looking to buy a 40 year old car so unless you are buying one completely done to your liking that you will only show and/or don't intend to drive it that much than maintenance will be the least of your expenses.
I believe what they cost in upkeep is up to the individual owner as much or more than the car itself. I know of cars that the owners spend nothing on and drive the heck out of and I have seen cars that look near perfect to me that the owner still finds a way to spend thousands on. Last year at Carlisle I picked up a few things that fit inside one big shopping bag yet still cost me around $2,000 and these are all things my cars were running just fine without. Wiring harness alone was over $1,000 and I replaced it because I was sick of finding Bubba wiring even though everything seemed to work ok. It can be a sickness like many other things we do so your cost will be related to how sick you want to be.
Seriously I have owned Corvettes for over 30 years and the only ones I had "maintenance" on were the ones I bought brand new. You are looking to buy a 40 year old car so unless you are buying one completely done to your liking that you will only show and/or don't intend to drive it that much than maintenance will be the least of your expenses.
I believe what they cost in upkeep is up to the individual owner as much or more than the car itself. I know of cars that the owners spend nothing on and drive the heck out of and I have seen cars that look near perfect to me that the owner still finds a way to spend thousands on. Last year at Carlisle I picked up a few things that fit inside one big shopping bag yet still cost me around $2,000 and these are all things my cars were running just fine without. Wiring harness alone was over $1,000 and I replaced it because I was sick of finding Bubba wiring even though everything seemed to work ok. It can be a sickness like many other things we do so your cost will be related to how sick you want to be.
Last edited by spf72; Jul 27, 2012 at 09:40 AM. Reason: grammer
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