Old Ford guy buys a Vette
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Nov 2023
Posts: 703
Likes: 335
From: Aubrey TX
Old Ford guy buys a Vette
It's true. Im old.
Anyway, up till this point all I ever owned was Volkswagens as daily drivers and Fords for weekend fun. Had every generation GTI up till MK7 and 6 Fords including two Mach1's (70 and 72), one 68 Shelby replica, one 67 coupe, one Boss 351 and a 66 Fairlane.
I sold my 68 replica and my house in Queens to relocate to Texas in 2012. Im near retirement and so about 2 years ago I decided to get back into a weekend car. To replace any one of the previously owned Fords, in decent condition, would be 50K and up. Even the decent Shelby replicas are pushing 90 to 100K now. I didnt give up my search but I was not going to put down 50 or 60K for a poorly optioned car and I was not interested in spending 70 or 80K on anything. One night while searching I selected the 68 to 73 range but failed to select any manufacturer. Not my intention. So the result was everything made by everyone in that range. I started scrolling and noticed that the Corvettes were kind of a bargain relatively speaking. I sat on the thought of owning a Vette for about a week or so. When I was in high school, my uncle had a 63 convertible Vette which he let me drive on the country roads of upstate NY. Fun car. Long story short now I just bought a 73 Corvette Coupe. Targa blue, auto, power everything and factory AC. I would rather have had a 4spd but the car I bought has only 27K miles. I looked over this car top to bottom before I bought it and I see no indication anywhere that this car was restored in any way. I've painted enough cars to know when I see original paint. The docs that came with the car suggest this car sat in the garage since 2012. I got more back round info to post and pictures are coming but that will be in the C3 forums, probably this weekend.
Anyway, up till this point all I ever owned was Volkswagens as daily drivers and Fords for weekend fun. Had every generation GTI up till MK7 and 6 Fords including two Mach1's (70 and 72), one 68 Shelby replica, one 67 coupe, one Boss 351 and a 66 Fairlane.
I sold my 68 replica and my house in Queens to relocate to Texas in 2012. Im near retirement and so about 2 years ago I decided to get back into a weekend car. To replace any one of the previously owned Fords, in decent condition, would be 50K and up. Even the decent Shelby replicas are pushing 90 to 100K now. I didnt give up my search but I was not going to put down 50 or 60K for a poorly optioned car and I was not interested in spending 70 or 80K on anything. One night while searching I selected the 68 to 73 range but failed to select any manufacturer. Not my intention. So the result was everything made by everyone in that range. I started scrolling and noticed that the Corvettes were kind of a bargain relatively speaking. I sat on the thought of owning a Vette for about a week or so. When I was in high school, my uncle had a 63 convertible Vette which he let me drive on the country roads of upstate NY. Fun car. Long story short now I just bought a 73 Corvette Coupe. Targa blue, auto, power everything and factory AC. I would rather have had a 4spd but the car I bought has only 27K miles. I looked over this car top to bottom before I bought it and I see no indication anywhere that this car was restored in any way. I've painted enough cars to know when I see original paint. The docs that came with the car suggest this car sat in the garage since 2012. I got more back round info to post and pictures are coming but that will be in the C3 forums, probably this weekend.
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 368,414
Likes: 24,799
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '26
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
Welcome to the forum and co grays on your C3.
Enjoyed your background story and really feel this is better placed in the C3 General section, so moving the thread there.
Enjoyed your background story and really feel this is better placed in the C3 General section, so moving the thread there.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 11,953
Likes: 4,510
From: Virginia
Welcome!
Check out Silver Sport Transmissions. They make 5 and 6-speed kits for our cars.
https://www.shiftsst.com/categories
And please post some photos when the Forum allows you to (there is some minimum number of postings hurdle first).
Check out Silver Sport Transmissions. They make 5 and 6-speed kits for our cars.
https://www.shiftsst.com/categories
And please post some photos when the Forum allows you to (there is some minimum number of postings hurdle first).
Drifting
Joined: May 2022
Posts: 1,410
Likes: 572
From: CA & ID
2023 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Welcome! That’s a great car! This is a great place to seek and advice and just share photos!
I’m partial to blue C3s…the vintage colors are all really nice. I have original LeMans Blue paint on mine.
I just saw a Ford Mach 1 around town the other day…
I’m partial to blue C3s…the vintage colors are all really nice. I have original LeMans Blue paint on mine.
I just saw a Ford Mach 1 around town the other day…
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 13,258
Likes: 7,848
From: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
2025 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist- Modified
2022 C3 of the Year Finalist - Modified
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
Congratulations on your new car. And welcome to the forum. 
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2014
Posts: 2,787
Likes: 2,332
From: Central UT
Hey ZEOGEO, welcome to the forum, and the 'madness'! I understand the Mustang thing, we've owned 29 '65-'69 Mustangs. After the first 10, I could do most of the work on those blindfolded it seems. C3s are a whole different ball game and, despite what a very few may say, pretty cool engineering for the time - especially compared to other available makes/models of the time period. Lots of great people on here that will help you along. Best, Paul
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 44,686
Likes: 1,833
From: Huntsville AL