Hey guys in the market for a vette, my first. And Im thinking about a C3 mainly because they are more within reach price wise. Are there any things in particular that one should know about these cars?

BTW I want it to serve as a daily when I dont need to take the truck.

 

Decide exactly what you want the car for. The early chrome bumper cars are very cool and desirable. I own 2 1969 427 cars. They are fun, fast and exciting but get crappy gas mileage and run a bit warm in the cabin.. Also the older I get, the more uncomfortable they are to drive long distances.

I own a base '72 and a 1972 LT-1. I like my LT-1 very much. Excellent driving, handling, plenty of power. It has power equipment too.
For every day driving, I like my 1980 4-speed cars. Very comfortable, all power and convenience options, "relatively" decent gas mileage... But they can't out accelerate many modern day mundane grocery getters.
I also do not mind leaving my '80 in a parking lot as much as I do one of my early cars.
When you decide. Look for rust in the frame and windshield frame. Also, I like original engine cars. Not anything against modified cars... I just sometimes wonder why and by whom a new engine was installed.
Just my .02. Good Luck

 

Buy the best one you can afford. Money you spend on the purchase will get you further down the road than a fixer upper. Drive one before you decide you want one as a DD.

 

Rust is the nightmare, 74-up especially 78-82 are the best bang for buck but any c3 that had normal upkeep will make a good daily driver if you are not all spoiled to new cars creature comforts, more modded cars out there but bone stock numbers matching especially 68-72 fetch the tallest stacks of toad pelts.
my modded 69 will be a daily driver in a month or so.

 

Look at the" 10 things to know before buying a corvette" in the stickys

 

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-corvette.html

 

I just bought one. I used that list. sent for a couple of parts supplier catalogues so I can figure costs on whats missing or broken. Then decide what your end goal is; restoration, daily driver, garage queen etc, and how much time do you want driving vs repairing. I started out wanting to do a restoration from a car around 7-10k then decided it would cost the same as buying one thats rust free and all the expensive upgrades are done all ready.

Read doorgunners tale of restoration and rvizio as well. It will let you know what you can expect in surprises. Pay attention to the headlights and wiper door as they use the same vacuum source but aresplit into 2 nutty systems. Research those for the hidden under dash controls

Luckily the po had a lift at his house and let me under the car for an hour then another hour on the topside. Alot of thebody mountscan beseen aabit from underneath. Rust is the enemy. Look at rust threads as well. If you're looking at a convertible search soft top problems, your particular transmission problems. And pay attention to the fenderwells for repairs.

My credit union gave me the carfax on the vin for free which helped as well. They did a loan at 4.74% so you need to figure that in as well if you don't have alot of cash.
And of course this forum is priceless.

 

I just read your first post about wanting a daily driver. I got my loan and insurance because its limited to driving on weekends and limited to 2500 miles a year insurance wise. Your cash on hand may be different than mine but otherwise good luck and good hunting. My best search results were on craigslist in a 2 state wide circumference around Massachusetts.

 

Several. My advice would be to purchase one or two of the Corvette history coffee table books and read up on the 68-82 models. That will give you a bit of back ground when you start looking for a car.

 

Educate yourself.
Look @ this Forum, eBay, Auto Trader, Vette Finder, Cars on Line to get a feel for pricing. Prices are all over the place. Try to buy a car someone else has done all the work on or well cared for. When you find one go look in person then drive it, look under it for leaks.
Chuck

 

 

The first thing you do is look at and drive local vettes for sale.v Both the ratty bombs and the ones you can never afford to get a feeling of what these cars are-can be...both positive and negative.

 

I just bought a 77 after a good amount of looking. I did take the advice of the forum members and I was looking for something that someone else spent the money and time on. I picked up my 77 which was 90% restored for 12,000. New paint, suspension, rebuilt engine, trans, new exhaust, brakes, tank, AC, etc. I figured it would save me money in the long run. Good luck, I am starting to enjoy mine.

 

Make sure that you have someone inspect the car for you. You should be able to find an expert on this forum...I did. You'll likely have to pay them for the inspection but that will be money very well spent.

 

A lot of good advice from members on this forum. I spent over 10 years keeping a highly modded RX-7 going with help from another forum. Got a 68 BB convert this past July and Corvette forum members have saved me countless hours and $$ with their advice. Many members have detailed color photos of engine, trans, suspension that are far better than any repair manual. If there is anyone you know that owns or owned a C3, take them with you to inspect your car. There are little details about these cars that most "mechanics" are clueless about and which can be a real problem .

 

Thanks for all the input. The one Im looking at is currently a daily and he has done a lot of work to it except the A/C doesnt work, and he said the headlights and wipers dont work. Im going to see it this weekend but as I shop around prices are all over the place and they dont correlate with the condition of the cars. I'll look at the guides and posts you guys mentioned.

 

Good hunting with your daily driver. Hopefully the light/ wiper problem is easy to diagnose. Search the vacuum system here and ask him if he adjusted the maintenance switches under the dash.