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Hey! I've always wanted a classic vette and now I need something to drive about 30 mins/day to/from the train station - not much on the highway. I was looking at a'79 L82 for $11k that seems like a good buy but wanted your expert advice! I don't know a lot about cars, so I'm not looking for a huge fix-me-up project, but I don't mind putting some time and money into it. It has 79k miles. He's asking $12k but said could come down to $11.3k.
4 speed manual, polished wheels, T tops, leather seats, am/fm radio, nice paint, needs nothing, telescope steering wheel, air conditioning
Welcome to the Forum. Unless it has been restored, you'll put lots of money into just replacing 40 year old parts. Suspension bushing etc. What part of the country is the can from?
Car is in NJ. Is it unrealistic to think I can buy a car at around $10k that I can use for local commuting without putting a lot of work into it?
The only other pictures are of the exterior
Last edited by Dracarnion; 01-15-2019 at 12:17 PM.
No pictures of the car underneath?
Have you test driven it and seen how it drives, runs, brakes, etc.
NJ would have rust concerns. What duke said is really true about restored cars btw. Mine's a survivor, and now I'm having to go around replacing all the rear suspension components.
I just posted this yesterday to a someone in a very similar situation: looking to buy a 79 around 10k and use it as a commuter. I'll simply copy and past my response because it pretty much holds true for you as well.
I daily drove my 78 for about 3 months 20 miles round trip to work while I repaired my F150 due to timing chain guide failure. Keep in mind I do ALL of my vehicle maintenance/repairs. Unless you are able to do this, you may run into issues. My car was was flat-out reliable due to what I've done, but even then, I knew in the back of my mind it would one day not start or give me some sort of issue. Even then, it developed an occasional idle stumble, but never turned off (summer came around so I had to re-adjust carb for 100+F). So unless you are 100% certain the previous owner changed every bit I'm about to mention, you better factor parts (and labor if you can't do it yourself) into the hidden costs of that $10k ownership.
Engine: I rebuilt my carb, changed the filter, tested the fuel gauge, checked the entire fuel line for leaks, cracked hoses, etc. Change all spark plugs, plug wires, inspect distributor, make sure weights, springs, vacuum advance works correctly and that it's timed correctly. You will need to check ALL rubber vacuum hoses for leaks, especially the ones going to headlights. It sucks to flip on your lights at night and get a major vacuum leak that causes idle issues and an annoying hiss. (I'm in the middle of electric headlight conversion btw). Serpentine...I have v-belts. This car left my father needing frequently get home on shoe-laces as subs. I installed a 95 Suburban serpentine system. Never had belt issues again, and got a modern alternator in the process. (Check charging system as well).
Brakes: They will fail eventually. I took mine apart, replaced lip seals with o-rings, changed my rubber lines with braided hoses, flushed the system, filled with DOT5, and bled correctly. New master cylinder is a good idea. I also did hydro boost, but it's not needed. I haven't lost a drop of brake fluid since as of 2013 when I did this.
Cooling: Make sure your gauge is accurate. I would on occasion drive in the heat with no a/c because I thought the beast was overheating. Faulty gauge. Get a good infrared temp gun to confirm. Problem solved. Make sure all of the foam is around the radiator as well. Do not go below 180F thermostat. Get a new water pump and make sure all of your hose clamps are placed correctly on new hoses. They can and will pop-off (I say this from experience while ordering at whataburger)
Steering: Again...it can fail, mostly because they are not replaced very often. Usually the car has an original one or one that was replaced in the 90's. You will either constantly be refilling it with fluid or give up and buy the manual steering linkage adaptor. I for one got the borgeson steering box because it's not an issue I wanted to constantly be revisiting (like the brakes).
Suspension: It's very likely the bushings and shocks are shot. You will feel sloppy steering, creaking over bumps, and poor alignment. If anything, at least make sure your idler arm, tie rod ends, and rear strut rod bushings are okay, then get an alignment. I went full poly on mine (didn't wanna have to go back).
Lighting: Your brake lights suck. Modern drivers are used to bright lights and a center mound stop light. I replaced my inner reverse lights with additional brake lights (so all four are lit not) and shoved a red harbor freight LED strip between the rear glass and trim (got that from another member here). You damn sure don't want to get rear-ended in this car.
There are just a few of the things I've done, or at least what I deem the most essential into making the car what I consider decent enough to drive around without more than 5% worry. You should always worry. You should also have a backup vehicle readily available if you are not the kind of person who can quickly find the issue and get your car running again from the side of the road. (That is just a product of experience and a thorough understanding of these cars. Even then, some issues can't be fixed at roadside)
I'm sure there's more to list that others will bring up. I'm just trying to give you an idea of what is going to be needed to keep this car on the road reliably. My father gave me this car, I consider him a good mechanic, and I've still sunk around 5k in parts. And thats because I'm cheap and look for the cheapest parts. PLUS, I did all of the work myself. Labor would have been more than the car is worth. So, take a good look at what you are getting into. It can be done, but 10k will NOT be the end of the story guaranteed. Even a show quality 78-79 at 20k will have issues. So to recap, I am not discouraging you, but simply saying you better have a safety net (i.e. spare means of reliable transportation, lots of extra money, and a job that will not fire you for being late if the occasion arises). So if you have all of that available, understand that more will be needed from you (because these cars need an owner who understands them or is willing to learn about them, much like equipment lol) then I'd say you'll be okay. You won't regret driving the sexiest car ever conceived and you'll love that 4speed. I have the 3speed auto, so at 80mph I'm running over 3k rpm lol
Hey! I've always wanted a classic vette and now I need something to drive about 30 mins/day to/from the train station - not much on the highway. I was looking at a'79 L82 for $11k that seems like a good buy but wanted your expert advice! I don't know a lot about cars, so I'm not looking for a huge fix-me-up project, but I don't mind putting some time and money into it. It has 79k miles. He's asking $12k but said could come down to $11.3k.
4 speed manual, polished wheels, T tops, leather seats, am/fm radio, nice paint, needs nothing, telescope steering wheel, air conditioning
Thanks in advance!
A lot of good advice here, but buying a 39 year old car, even in good shape,(and especially these cars!), means that you're going to have two routes on taking care of it and meeting the replacement and repair needs of what it's going to have. Route 1: You have a pretty good set of tools, a place to work on it, time to do it and the experience to match. It might also be down here and there, for anywhere from a few hours to weeks or even months. Route 2: You have the money to farm out the repairs to an automotive repair shop, that is highly experienced with these cars, has a rock solid reputation and has been around long enough to establish itself.
Regarding Route 1: I had a shop for five years, working on vintage muscle, including Chevelles, Nova's and Impala's. The C3 Corvettes can be a real challenge to work on, especially the interior. They have their own little peculiarities that you should be prepared to deal with, like door latch and lock mechanisms and the IRS or Independent Rear Suspension. Any other Chevy has a solid rear axle, that hardly ever needs looking at, for decades even. The C3 Corvette has a complex rear axle system, that can be a challenge (and expensive) to restore. You should be pretty experienced if you're going to do this. Of course, you can always start learning, right now and picking up knowledge as you go along.
Regarding Route 2: It's not cheap and finding a good shop is not easy.
Thanks for the advice guys. It may not be as street ready as I had hoped and as much as I'd like to learn on my own how to work on cars, I also just bought a house and have a wife, child and job also on my plate. I was hoping to pick up something that has already been updated and more ready to go out of the box without too much work to do other than maintenance as it grows with me. It sounds like I'm probably looking at $20-30k for something closer to that category. I have no prior experience working on cars, so my options are to buy a book and learn on my own and otherwise use public transit if it becomes disabled or start throwing money at it, that is if I can find a shop that will work on it. I have a garage, but it has been detached from the driveway and a garden put in instead, so this is something that would need a canopy or at least a cover and that I would be working on in the driveway.
VIN is incoming tomorrow but I was just told everything is numbers matching, so it sounds like I will need to replace quite a few things so that is as dependable and future proof as possible (even if it runs pretty well when I test drive) Does that sound pretty accurate?
VIN is incoming tomorrow but I was just told everything is numbers matching, so it sounds like I will need to replace quite a few things so that is as dependable and future proof as possible (even if it runs pretty well when I test drive) Does that sound pretty accurate?
Do not pay a numbers matching price unless you personally verify the engine VIN matches the body, or someone who knows what they are doing does. Don’t take a sellers word for that.
’79s don’t have a ton of value as they are the highest production year, but in this case the 4 speed is a plus you don’t often see. An L82 would also add to the value if you verify the number on the block pad.
79s are actually nice daily driving Corvettes if that’s what you are looking for. They have the upgraded Pace Car seats and the back window is easier to see out of. The car could be just what you are looking for, but have the car checked out mechanically, cosmetically, correctness-wise and for rust, but someone who is familiar with C3 Corvettes. A competent mechanic who wouldn’t know if an ‘80 nose has been grafted on is not who you are looking for.
You might have to fix stuff... it’s a 40 year old car. But once sorted, it could be fun. I drive my ‘69 all the time in good weather.
The 5th digit of the vin would be 8 for L-48 would be 4 for L-82. I think this car is a L-48 and if it is price seems high imo. If it is a L-82 you would then want to match numbers on block to make sure it matches vin
The 5th digit of the vin would be 8 for L-48 would be 4 for L-82. I think this car is a L-48 and if it is price seems high imo. If it is a L-82 you would then want to match numbers on block to make sure it matches vin
If the numbers match the vin, wouldn't that mean the parts are older than if they were replaced and the numbers DID NOT match? I would think you would want new parts since the rest are 40 years old
01-15-2019, 11:53 AM
Advice for first time classic car buyer
I don't know a lot about cars, so I'm not looking for a huge fix-me-up project, but I don't mind putting some time and money into it. It has 79k miles. He's asking $12k but said could come down to $11.3k.
