I've really loved corvettes since I was a kid. I'm 17, and have been driving a while. I've been saving up money, and think I am ready to start looking to buy my first corvette c3. I have about 7,000 saved up, which I feel is enough, as you can get some pretty good condition c3's for that price. Anyway, I was kind of just wondering what you think would be a good year to pick. I want somthing I can drive everyday, somthing with enough space that I can store a backpack and maybe few other small things. The more power the better, I guess, But It's not like I need a racecar or anything. I've driven older cars before so it's not like i'm just jumping into this with no experience.
I was maybe leaning toward the 78-80 years becuase they have more rear luggage space, and start going up in power again since it was declining. I'm probably going to end up getting somthing that just looks the best to me, but if you could suggest a year, what would you pick?

 

I think any of the C3s will meet your storage space requirements but it is true the bubble backs will have more room and are easier to toss stuff in the back

I would recommend you keep an open mind and consider any year model. Buy the car in the best condition possible that meets your budget. You might find the perfect '74 or a great '82. I really wanted a chrome bumper car when I started my search and settled on looking for a 70 to 72 but kept one eye on other models and ended up finding a good '73.

Good luck.

DC

 

I agree with DC3. Buy the best condition Corvette you can within your budget. Remember, these Corvettes are now 30+ years old. They are all going to need something unless you purchase a freshly restored one for an ungodly amount. So leave yourself some budget to fix or replace x, or y, or z.

Do not purchase the first Corvette you look at, even if it seems like the best deal out there. Take your time. Also, looking at a Corvette on eBay, or the other sites does not count as "looking" at a Corvette. You have to look at them in person. There are plenty of Corvettes out there in your price range. Heck, there is a great one here in my area that I have been keeping my eye on and I wonder what is wrong with it at the price point. If the price is low or keeps dropping, there has to be something the seller is not sharing.

If you can, take someone that knows about older cars and specifically Corvettes if you can. You need someone with an objective eye to look it over with you if this is your first time with the C3's. It might help if you fill out your profile a little more so we know where you are located and if someone can help you locally.

Enjoy the hunt, it is part of the journey,

~GRipp

 

'82

 

73. The most beautiful Vette ever.

 

Also, get out to local car & corvette shows. Talk to the owners about their cars and ask what, if anything, they would do different. Good luck with your search.

 

I would consider anything from 1974-1982. honestly they are all pretty even when it comes to preformance and drivability so you need to decide between a few things:

Bubble back window or small back window.
1974-1977 style interior or 1978-1982 Style
4 speed vs automatic

honestly, buy what you really want first, so that way you will never say "man I wish I had gotten this ____ or this _____ instead"

 

These cars, especially the late 70's and early 80''s were extremely lacking in horsepower. I think here in California, the 1981 (?) only had 190 hp. If you buy a 74-82 Corvette here in California, and in some other states, you cannot legally modify the engines. (well OK,you cannot modify the engines without a lot of grief).

Here in California, if you buy a 1975 or older car, you can put in any engine you want without hassle. This situation varies from state to state.

One of the good things about the 74 and up cars...no external chrome. It's EXPENSIVE to maintain a chrome car, since replating prices are just astronomical.

 

The reason I said that, is because he has a 7k budget. If he wants to drive his corvette anytime soon, the 74-82 cars are his best bet. Have you seen what 7k gets you in chrome bumper territory?

I was not aware that he is in California, if he is yes he will have smog issues to deal with. I believe that 1975 and older will work for him and are smog exempt.

the other things is yes, most c3 vettes came underpowered, but that is really just a detail. Check out forum member RebelRob. He has a 1982 CE C3 that is pushing 600+ hp BBC backed by a 4 speed. Don't judge a book by its cover

 

Look for one with a rear glass/ hatch that opens. Best bet might be an 82' unless you would rather have a manual trans, which I would prefer an 80' with no computer, integrated spoilers into the bumpers, and lighter weight.

I'm trying to be fair and balanced here.

 

I searched for about 5 months before I bought my 1977 it was more of price and condition before I bought it. On the C3 Model years the most horse power was between 1968 and 1974. I choose my 1977 because it only had 43,260 miles on it when I purchased it and the L48 engine is rated at 180 HP in this model year.

I could have spent more then then the $9000 I bought this car for on a early model but I was looking at about $20,000 or more for the condition mine was in. Mine in prime condition is worth about $14,000 after I finish fixing it and all the money I put in I can get back out of the car since it only has 44,000 original miles on it but needs me to put about $4000 into it. I could make a $1000 to $2000 profit after I finish the car but I will never sell it. I bought it for life.

The 1975 Corvettes had the lowest horse power at 165 HP and up to 1974 was the last year before Emission controls really took over and the had 195 HP on the L48 engines.

The last true Muscle car of the L48 an L82 Engines was back in 1971 and then the government mandated they reduced the compression ratio for Unleaded Fuels. By 1972 almost all engines were about 8 to 1 Compression except for the L82 engines and they continued these at 9 to 1 compression and had a higher RPM Redline at about 6000 rpms. The L48 engines had 2 bolt mains and are capable of 350 HP but they never saw this high of horse power range and most never saw above 200 HP.

Performing research on a car is the best way to buy a car. Here also in Colorado anything lower the Model Year 1975 any thing goes they do not perform emission testing or really care unless it has visable smoke from oil burn on these older engines. 1976 and beyond when they put a CAT system on the engine it has to have mostly original emission controls on the engine.

I past up a 1976 Corvette that was dyno at 326 HP on a L48 engine with 383 Stroker engine kit installed because I did not want to put all the emission controls on it again. Sorry I did this car would have cost me less in the long run because it sold for 9000 and I have already put about 2000 into the 1977 and still need to dump another 2 grand into mine to get it where I want it be.

 

Emissions really depends on the state you live. Here in NJ, there is no inspection with historic tags (25 years old or older).

 

Not really. $7K. will buy you a car that needs probably the same amount in repairs/restoration to make into a reliable daily driver. You'll also need a good reserve for repairs, given that the car is approaching 40 years in age.

 

Not to be Debbie Downer here, but at 17 years old with a 7 grand budget........you might want to wait. That would be a good starting point for a guy with a full time job, who has finished school, has some disposable income to put into a weekend toy.....not a daily driver. These things can eat up money faster than a Kardasian sister. I'm really not trying to **** you off.....just trying to be realistic, and lay all the cards on the table. Hey, if you're 17 and living in Abu Dabi, then 7grand is walking around money........if it's your life savings.......just explore all your options. For instance, what's insurance like in your part of the world for a 17 year old driving a sports car. Collector insurance usually only covers you for limited usage with another car (daily driver) already insured. Good luck in your decision, I sincerely wish you well.

 

want fun?

by a C3 convertible ........C3 convertibles are my fav body style, owned bunches of vettes over the years, top,down driving rocks !

1975,convertible in silver is stunning car.

oh.......and buy a Manual transmission and have a little fun .


I bought my first vette , I was 18 and 11 months , that summer . It had side pipes too....LoL. .... was a blast ......was a t top , and when I saw in the owners Manual there was convertibles .....oh man I had to have one. one day.


C3 are steal right now, there was so many made for such a long time, they are dirt cheap, what can you buy in the price range as cool. Steel body cars are crazy priced.

 

Funny. I bought my 1970 (chrome bumper, for the OP) January of last year (2012) for $7k. Great car. Love it. Even after the below store, I still love it and would do it again and again. Perfect for me, but not perfect for everyone...

After 1 month and $500 (seatbelts, fluids, carb rebuild, a few other tid-bits), it was on the road.

500 miles later, I needed a $500 radiator.

500 miles after that, ignition failture. I'm the king of overkill, so I installed a $1,000 stem-to-stern MSD 6AL system.

1,000 miles after that, I pulled the engine for a variety of reasons. Turned out the "failure" was a weak MSD coil that was 3 months old. Funny...the new $1k ignition system is what left me on the side of the road. That was last October. It's OK, though. There were numerous things that could have failed catastrophically (60# spring pressure, cam wear, multiple bent pushrods, evidence of detonation, to name a few) so it was a blessing in disguise.

I'm now $3,500 into a comprehensive engine rebuild taking my factory 370 HP LT-1 engine to a conservative 500 HP...probably nearer 525...550 max. I have another $1,500 to finish the engine build, then another $1,000 to address other items while the engine is out. So, a $6k project.

$7,000 car + ~2,000 miles + $8,000 repairs = nearly 2 years of my 1970 Corvette ownership.

So...I totally agree with Mr. Ward.

Of course, I would have NEVER considered a $15k car from the get-go. I LOOOOOOOOVE working on my own car. The down time sucks, but the economy sucks too. Not much petty cash laying around. She'll be running soon enough. And she's MINE. Not another one like it.

So...$7k is enough to get started, to be sure. Not enough to get finished, though. There's lots of fun to be had in between...that much is certain. Just be 100% certain that you don't need this car on a daily basis, you have a place to store it, and you are fine with 'tinkering' for a year or more while you're waiting for funding to fix a major failure.

If you're cool with all that, then you're nine-tenths of the way there!!!

 

hardly a word said about insurance... I would plan on 3K a year for a sports car... and if you don't have a perfect driving record, you will be basically uninsurable... a 17 year old will not get classic car insurance.

 

Good point. You're pretty much hosed on car insurance until you turn 25 regardless of what you drive.

 

Car insuraance for me was another factor when I bought the 1977 I valued the car for what I paid for it even though it is worth more but not yet.

When I am done working on it I will value it for what it's true value that I could resell it for. It is a restoration project in it;s early days since I have only owned it for about 10 weeks. I figure it will take me about 3 years to restore everything on it. I bought a good base frame and body but the suspension is shot in many areas still. SInce I know how to tear a car down and put it back together I will save Thousands in Labor costs and get to buy some cool new tools along the way. I love buying tools as much as I love working on cars.

 

Probably get flamed over this but maybe consider a C4 with the 7K. You could get a very nice daily driver, big generational advance in technology in every respect from the C3. Less likely to need lot of repair work but every used car is a shot in the dark for that.

Trade off is it is not a shark and it is a C4!