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Hi all, not a c3 owner but I am currently looking into it. I have an '84 now but I really want a '75 or '76 for a daily, all year round. I was wondering if anybody has ever done this and would love to see some pictures of your cars. Thanks
It's a car, you can drive it year around. Why not? Of course it depends on where you live. I would not want to drive it in the snow. You'll just need to keep up on the maintenance just like you would with any vehicle .
It's hard to own a C3 and not believe it's priceless. The truth is, it's just another car... worth less than most ten year old pickups on the road today. Buy decent insurance and enjoy it.
"But what if it gets scratched?" What if, what if, what if...
Can't take it with you, so who are you saving it for? Drive it. I feel the same as the OP. Trouble is the restoration of my 69 took so long and cost so much it sits in the garage most of the year. Thinking a C-4 would be a good daily beater. Something I could park on the street if I had to. No worries. Gonna check CL again.
I have driven my 69 in the snow with BFG radial T/A's on it. It was REMARKABLY GOOD! (thank you posi-traction and boffo heat!) Hard top was ON.
Some where I have a pick of the car before I painted it with Snowbanks higher than the car is!
No salt got on the car. Melted snow is er ah RAIN!
'Course, anything more than 4" and you're plowing snow.
It ain't the snow, it's the SALT.
You can easily drive a (say) 75 or 76 virtually any day.
If its an automatic not so bad in the snow, a stick is a pain.
The manual says nothing about don't drive in the snow.
We did our grocery shopping in it, and i delivered pizzas in the winter.
Just try to enjoy it
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C3 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2016 C3 of Year Finalist
I was just going to look for that thread. I remember when he posted that. Good studded snows will help alot in packed snow but cornering performance is going to suffer on dry roads. The plus side is " spark shows" during winter burnouts!!!!
You say you want a '75 or '76 for a daily driver well guess what you're in luck. Back in 75 and 76 GM produced 85,023 of those cars and it's safe to assume the majority were daily drivers so you should have no problem doing the same.
My 73 back around 74-75 timeframe when it was a daily driver.
I have driven my 69 in the snow with BFG radial T/A's on it. It was REMARKABLY GOOD! (thank you posi-traction and boffo heat!) Hard top was ON.
...
'Course, anything more than 4" and you're plowing snow.
In the mid-'80s to mid-'90s I lived in Flagstaff and had to drive my '72 in the snow a few times. Snow plowing is definitely an accurate description - I could see the flattened top of the snow in the rear view mirror. Didn't really have any problems driving in those conditions - slow starts and well-planned stops and turns and it all worked out just fine. I believe the deepest snow I ever tried with the Corvette was 8-10" but at that altitude and climate, it's a fairly light-weight snow.
Last edited by barkingrats; Sep 18, 2021 at 03:43 PM.
I daily my 79. Its seen a lot of rain, and a touch of snow up here in the pacific northwest. Once all leaks are taken car of, its a fun car to daily. Rear bubble window gives a lot of storage space. For me, its comfortable enough for long drives, but others might disagree, as wind/engine/road/exhaust noise is constant.
A C3 with wide radial tires drives pretty well in LOOSE snow (if not too deep!). Driving it on ICE is another matter. Driving it in SNOW ON ICE is impossible.
Last edited by 7T1vette; Sep 19, 2021 at 10:04 AM.
Daily drove my '71 for almost three years when my oldest turned 16 and I gave him my commuter car. Great fun daily driving it and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.
Here is a home movie my Dad took. 1973.
Winter Beater Pictures.
