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To help you find a Corvette or to inspect one for you I highly recommend Jamison Corvette located in Charleston, SC area. It is a family owned business and they do it all from restorations, to maintenance, to inspections. The owner, Kerry Jamison, is great to work with.
To help you find a Corvette or to inspect one for you I highly recommend Jamison Corvette located in Charleston, SC area. It is a family owned business and they do it all from restorations, to maintenance, to inspections. The owner, Kerry Jamison, is great to work with.
Just thought I'd share; doing my homework and searching out Vettes and came across THIS! Out of my immediate price range but this resto mod just blew my mind (and not for sale of course); Anyone else seen this?
12 months and 130K according to the owner...
Last edited by MitchinSC; Jun 21, 2022 at 06:44 PM.
Reason: links didn't work
Mitch, I too am from SC, I live in Summerville, about 20 min north of Charleston, 90 mi from Columbia. I have owned 4 vettes, and currently have a 78 restomod I have been working on forever and a beautiful C6. If you need someone to look at something for you down this way I would love to check it out first and save you a trip ( and gas). Just PM me. As for leaving the top down, don't get too excited. IT is brutally hot starting 2 weeks ago, and in the spring the pollen kicks up and everything turns yellow. There are about 2 weeks a year that you can have the tops down!!! Enjoy your search
Mitch, I too am from SC, I live in Summerville, about 20 min north of Charleston, 90 mi from Columbia. I have owned 4 vettes, and currently have a 78 restomod I have been working on forever and a beautiful C6. If you need someone to look at something for you down this way I would love to check it out first and save you a trip ( and gas). Just PM me. As for leaving the top down, don't get too excited. IT is brutally hot starting 2 weeks ago, and in the spring the pollen kicks up and everything turns yellow. There are about 2 weeks a year that you can have the tops down!!! Enjoy your search
Hey thanks Kman! Ya you are not very far at all. In fact I'll probably be going that way for service as Jamison's has come up a few times already I might even see if they can source one eventually. Still doing my initial homework at this point but I'll let you know. Also if you see any I should know about, please feel free to give me a heads up too. I hear ya on the weather, there were a number of things I was on the fence about starting out (still am, like orig vs resto etc...) But the AC is gonna be a deal breaker if missing, that I know. Any thoughts on the Coupe vs Convertible for that reason? Have you dealt with both down here?
I have had both vert and coupe and I will never get another vert. Too much trouble, replacements for the top are an issue, and as I said, you really can't use it as much as you would think. I had a 67 vert in NJ for over 10 years and that seemed to be the perfect place for one. And when folded down, they take up a lot of room in an already tiny cockpit. Jamisons is great, but they do a lot of custom work there. I also found a chevy dealer in Ravenel who just did the a/c work on my C6. Not cheap but they really appreciated how well my 2012 was taken care of and they really handled it with care. I do most of my own stuff but if I need to have a professional work on the car again, that is where it is going. You can probably find a decent shop in Columbia, just takes a lot of looking around I guess. As for pics of my '78, it isn't ready for prime time yet. I will PM you my regular email and once we get connect through that I will send you some of what I have been up to. Also, there are some good vette clubs in Columbia so you might find some events going on ( most of them are done for the summer now) and there is a group called Vettes for Vetts down here and they are great. THEY HAVE A FACEBOOK PAGE ( MY WIFE DOES THAT NOT ME!) and had their first event last fall. Almost 100 cars showed up and they raised money for a local vet here and paid for work on his house. Great thing. I think they are going up to Darlington Speedway soon for a car show up there ( and you get to drive your car on the track for a fee!). More after I PM you and we can stay in touch. THx. Jim
Welcome! I’m very similarly situated to you, in that I’m also looking for a ‘69-‘72 coupe, have limited mechanical abilities, and want a car in great (preferably already restored) condition that I can drive and enjoy on the weekends (i.e. it isn’t a project). Everyone here has been super helpful. When I’ve come across an online listing, I’ve posted the listing here and asked for feedback. I wouldn’t be shy about doing that.
Definitely get a mechanic to inspect any car before you buy it.
I concur with the advice to actually see and try to drive the cars to get a feel for them. This also helps you figure out what you want and don’t want in a car.
Another thing to consider is the transmission, i.e. automatic or manual. Yet another is the color. This will likely be the only and only C3 I buy, so I have my favorite colors, others I’d be happy with, and others that I don’t want. The cars have a trim tag that identify the interior and exterior color the car had when it left the factory. Is having the original color important to you? Finally, are there options that you absolutely want, e.g. A/C?
Because so many of these cars were made, and I’m not looking for an ultra rare edition, to stay patient I have to remind myself that there are likely hundreds of cars right now that will meet my needs and be a great car. Many people I know have spent a year or so in this process. So, I’m at peace with the fact that, while I’m actively looking, I may not find something that works for me for some time.
Good luck!
Last edited by Coronette; Jun 21, 2022 at 08:27 PM.
Thanks Coronette, very well said. And yes I started with a broader net but as I've begun to do some homework some preferences are starting to make sense. I definitely will post when I start a pre-purchase decision, but I'm also thinking of posting some listings just to learn when the experienced minds around here can see etc...
As for the rest, I'd really like my wife to be able to drive the car which means auto, but she's been clear she understands if I get the stick. Lord knows it's been 20 some years since I owned a stick. I'm actually trying to figure out I know that has one so I can drive a little. I'm not wanting to mess with someone's C3.
You would think Color would be easy; My want list is fairly large still... the No's are white, green, maroon, bronze / gold. and I probably shouldn't do black with temps over 100 here in the summer. Which I'd like as many comforts, (power windows etc...) as possible but AC is a deal breaker without. (Unless someone can convince me putting in a new one is a good idea).
So Red; Lemans Blue; Silver/Grey; Orange... anything else is kind in between (other blues, yellow etc...)
And as I'm sure you understand, I'd take a non-original or an off frame restore if the majority of the car is updated / newer. At least that's where I'm at now... More learning, more exploring ahead! Stay in touch, hopefully we both find the right car our of those thousands!
I have had both vert and coupe and I will never get another vert. Too much trouble, replacements for the top are an issue, and as I said, you really can't use it as much as you would think. I had a 67 vert in NJ for over 10 years and that seemed to be the perfect place for one. And when folded down, they take up a lot of room in an already tiny cockpit. Jamisons is great, but they do a lot of custom work there. I also found a chevy dealer in Ravenel who just did the a/c work on my C6. Not cheap but they really appreciated how well my 2012 was taken care of and they really handled it with care. I do most of my own stuff but if I need to have a professional work on the car again, that is where it is going. You can probably find a decent shop in Columbia, just takes a lot of looking around I guess. As for pics of my '78, it isn't ready for prime time yet. I will PM you my regular email and once we get connect through that I will send you some of what I have been up to. Also, there are some good vette clubs in Columbia so you might find some events going on ( most of them are done for the summer now) and there is a group called Vettes for Vetts down here and they are great. THEY HAVE A FACEBOOK PAGE ( MY WIFE DOES THAT NOT ME!) and had their first event last fall. Almost 100 cars showed up and they raised money for a local vet here and paid for work on his house. Great thing. I think they are going up to Darlington Speedway soon for a car show up there ( and you get to drive your car on the track for a fee!). More after I PM you and we can stay in touch. THx. Jim
Great stuff Jim, yes will connect! I hang out at cars and coffee here in Columbia when I can make it ... made a few connections,
You would think Color would be easy; My want list is fairly large still... the No's are white, green, maroon, bronze / gold. and I probably shouldn't do black with temps over 100 here in the summer.
So Red; Lemans Blue; Silver/Grey; Orange... anything else is kind in between (other blues, yellow etc...)
I don't know if you've know or have picked up on the fact that a simple repaint commonly costs about $10,000 with no or only minor body repair; hitting $15k isn't unheard of. Then add in a year turn-around that some shops take to complete the job. My point in mentioning this is that paint condition is equally important to mechanicals.
I don't know if you've know or have picked up on the fact that a simple repaint commonly costs about $10,000 with no or only minor body repair; hitting $15k isn't unheard of. Then add in a year turn-around that some shops take to complete the job. My point in mentioning this is that paint condition is equally important to mechanicals.
Hardly. Paint (and rust condition) are Far More important. Mechanical and electrical are relatively easy to fix. A paint job can cost as much as an LS3 and transmission connect and cruise.
I don't know if you've know or have picked up on the fact that a simple repaint commonly costs about $10,000 with no or only minor body repair; hitting $15k isn't unheard of. Then add in a year turn-around that some shops take to complete the job. My point in mentioning this is that paint condition is equally important to mechanicals.
Hardly. Paint (and rust condition) are Far More important. Mechanical and electrical are relatively easy to fix. A paint job can cost as much as an LS3 and transmission connect and cruise.
Ya, it feels like there are a few "land mines" out there... I appreciate the multiple insights shared... I understand that online / pics are less than ideal, but anyone want to offer their views on those listings? Also, I've been referred to http://www.jamisoncustomcorvette.com/ semi-local for me... and it was suggested to reach out to them for assistance in locating a vehicle. Thoughts on that? Reliable, beneficial? conflict of interest?
Hardly. Paint (and rust condition) are Far More important. Mechanical and electrical are relatively easy to fix. A paint job can cost as much as an LS3 and transmission connect and cruise.
Agreed - though I should have added greater emphasis for the rust aspect - and that gets to my point that in the old days it wasn't that big of a deal to buy a mechanically sound car and have it repainted. Today it's a far different story where the paint (not speaking of the underlying structure), just the paint alone, can run into majorly serious dollars far above engines and transmissions and the like.
Agreed - though I should have added greater emphasis for the rust aspect - and that gets to my point that in the old days it wasn't that big of a deal to buy a mechanically sound car and have it repainted. Today it's a far different story where the paint (not speaking of the underlying structure), just the paint alone, can run into majorly serious dollars far above engines and transmissions and the like.
Ya the more I get down the road, the more finished (retored) and complete I realize the car needs to be. Having seen the market run up, I'm hoping there will be a correction where I can find a clean and updated car to secure.
I might even see if they can source one eventually. Still doing my initial homework at this point but I'll let you know. Also if you see any I should know about, please feel free to give me a heads up too. I hear ya on the weather, there were a number of things I was on the fence about starting out (still am, like orig vs resto etc...) But the AC is gonna be a deal breaker if missing, that I know. Any thoughts on the Coupe vs Convertible for that reason? Have you dealt with both down here?
