Hi all,

First - thank you all for posting tons of useful information. I love the Internet for reference information!

So I'm a newbie vette buyer (and driver), and wish to buy my first. I'm filled with questions, and looking for some resources on buying recommendations. I know I want a C3, and looking for something that will be around for years. I have no interest in all original equipment, but I do want something that will last. And I don't have a garage, nor the time required to do any heavy lifting myself, so I'll have to use a local corvette soecialist shop (in chantilly va) for any major work. And I have questions galore. Some examples:

To buy off eBay or not?

Are side pipes really too loud, even for a Harley guy like myself?

When should I sacrifice what I really want (like the right color because I could get a good paint job for X dollars, but shouldn't buy a crappy motor because it would cost 5X dollars)?

Should i fear an 82 with injection?

What should I be paying? I've seen what looks to be a solid 77 for $9k, and I've also seen a nice looking 82 at a dealer listed for $18k.

Should I go for the right color and body style with a crappy motor and get the local shop to put in a 400-550hp crate?

Tons of questions, and looking for any resources y'all could direct me to. Thanks in advance for help!

 

To buy off eBay or not? Only if you can get someone who knows corvettes to look at it before purchase.Are side pipes really too loud, even for a Harley guy like myself? You have a choice of many different inserts from very quiet to very loud.When should I sacrifice what I really want (like the right color because I could get a good paint job for X dollars, but shouldn't buy a crappy motor because it would cost 5X dollars)?
I would not put the right color as a major priority but a good running motor as a high priority since you stated you will not do any work yourselve

Should i fear an 82 with injection?
Well it's a one year only set up, so fear no, but I would pass on it.
What should I be paying? I've seen what looks to be a solid 77 for $9k, and I've also seen a nice looking 82 at a dealer listed for $18k.
Again the cars have to be checked before buying and then you can decide if they are worth it
Should I go for the right color and body style with a crappy motor and get the local shop to put in a 400-550hp crate?
It's your money and you have to know whether the local shop has had experience with Corvettes.

 

Ok - good advice on getting a corvette mechanic to look something over remotely.

Side pipes - thanks for that, I hadn't thought about different baffles. But the local shop (who I haven't visited yet - just quick phone call) was steering me away pretty aggressively. He said they burn your legs and are much too loud to have conversations. I think I don't care if it's harder to have conversations (and there are ways to dampen some of the external sounds), and they look so unique compared to today's cars. But are there real performance implications? Am I opening a can of worms with a topic of Straight Pipes vs Side Pipes?

I'm pretty comfortable with the reviews I've seen of at least one of the DC area vette shops, and I'm gonna visit one of them tonight to kick their tires. But I'm looking for real details in costs - what should I expect a crate motor installed to cost? How many hours? And what about a very decent paint job if I need that? And interior? I think I could do a lot of the interior work myself, but haven't even found what all the parts necessary so I'm oblivious if this is a $1k parts and $300 labor job, or a $4k parts and $2k labor job?

Any real-number details would be highly appreciated!

 

I hope you have some pretty deep pockets then. What's your budget, all in?

 

Deep pockets? Not really, but I'm more willing to spend money on stuff that I KNOW is done right rather than buy something that is totally customized in a franken-vette sorta way.

Then again, I'll have a franken-vette when I'm done, since I'm not interested in this as a restoration, numbers-matching original parts car. I wanna drive it! And it should be very fun in a visceral way, without me being able to look anywhere and say "oh, that needs to be fixed".

Budget - to start maybe $13k to purchase. Then I'll spend money over the months to get whatever I can to be right. Right, meaning "Fast, Safe, Reliable, great-looking".

 

Michael Antonick has a C3 Buyer's Guide.

This one may be out of print, but you could possibly scare up a copy.


You say you have no interest at all in original equipment. My advice is that you acquire the interest.

 

To get all that, plan on $30K if someone else is doing the work.

 

You can buy it via Google Books if you don't mind only being able look at an E-book.

 

I've heard that. I haven't played with E-books yet.

 

I have bought, sold, and restored a number of Vettes and Muscle cars over the years. A few things I have learned:

1. Buying quality is cheaper in the long run.
2. Be very careful of dealers.
3. Un-restored original usually means everything is worn out.
4. Buy what fits how you will use it.

A good mechanic to check things out is a good idea, also someone who has worked on Vettes over the years can check for known problem areas.

Good luck.

 

After the first time you burn your legs, you will never do it again. At a loss of 50 to 75 horsepower you can put in quiet reverse flow inserts but I do not recommend them. Hooker, STS, and Sweet Thunder all make inserts that vary in volume.

 

Good info - especially the dealer point. I've seen MUCH higher prices from dealers, and not entirely convinced these aren't often just scams and aggressive marketing tactics.

 

Thanks for the link to the google e-book. Might have to get that one.

And also found an older link to a forum buyer's guide:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...-corvette.html

 

Holy CRAP:

http://www.amazon.com/Corvette-C3-19.../dp/0760316554

I'll definitely have to check out the google e-book!!

As far as original equipment - A friend just said he read the 220hp 350 is pretty damn fast in a C3. It just seems a 400-500hp motor would be significantly faster, provide more grunt (torque) and just plain be more fun to me... Not sure yet if you can get 400+ HP out of a numbers-matching motor, but I also presume a 30+ year old motor will need a lot of TLC...

I dunno - just gotta learn a lot more. Can't wait to visit the local shop this evening and see what they're like.

 

Those are ridiculous prices. Thumb through the various Corvette parts for sale sections and you can sometimes kick up a used copy.

 

Most insurance companies want you to keep the car in a locked garage.

 

Hmmm - I'm not even thinking about putting more than Liability insurance, since I'm looking at a $10k car or so. Then again, maybe I'll look into "agreed value" policy, since someone on the forum was encouraging that.

Most of all, I still wanna know what the cost of having someone else put in a 400+ HP crate motor will be? I can find the costs of the motor, but no idea how much labor that would take, if I get a great car with original motor that's just not strong enough or needs a lot of work.