I bought this car from Gateway, I had a pretty specific want list and a friend/broker found it for me at Gateway. The car was in a storage unit for 26 years. I found these guys great to deal with as they sent every picture I requested and allowed me to have some of my high performance folks in FL look the car over for me. There were questions about the brakes so the owner had all 4 calipers replaced. The car I received was exactly as advertised, no disappointments.

A couple things I learned about these guys, first off don't ever pay their price. I had this one shipped from Orlando to SLC and ended up just south of $17K including shipping. Still high but where else you going to find a low mileage, all original black/red L82 automatic with a factory CB? Also, they left the ad and video up for a couple weeks I presume to get more people calling so they could get a chance to sell them on something else. No regrets at all.

https://www.gatewayclassiccars.com/v...-corvette-l-82

 

LOL, I will install those JBL speakers I bought for her minivan to make up for it. Luckily I got my deposit back.

 

I am thinking that maybe a later LT1 C4 might be a better starting point for me. They are pretty cheap and there seems to be unlimited clean rust free southern cars

 

Do your research, a C4 is a completely different beast prone to all kinds of their own failures. I've owned a couple and really like them but just know what you're getting into. I mean really, who puts the distributor UNDER the waterpump?

 

With the Vettes, I have absolutely no clue about the body and frame.

 

That makes we not want one already! That is the LT1 that is like that?

 

Yup, google optispark.

https://www.lt1howto.com/articles/optisparkfaq.htm

 

Did they accept your first offer or did you negotiate to there. 35% off puts a lot more within my reach.

 

C5's and C6's are nice...about twice what you were going to pay for a mid range mileage one. Currently drooling over this orange one for $23K.

 

If I recall I started at $14K which was closer to market and we settled on $16,900 delivered on a covered carrier. Remember, they don't own most of not all of these cars. They take offers back to the owners and make a share of the sale.

 

In my opinion, you lucked by NOT buying that car. It shows a ton of issues without seeing engine or under it!

 

The whole reason I was able to look into spending up to $13k on a project car was because the value of my wife's minivan plummeted in half and just was not worth trading in. Since she had rejected a $13k offer last year, I was able to weasel my way into a project car.

The Carvana offer on her minivan is back up to $11k and now she says it isn't fair that I have a 2022 Charger RT and she has a 2016 minivan. She wants a Durango and found a loaded 2020 with 32k miles for $28k.

 

what’s wrong with an 81 with automatic?

 

If you already have an 81 auto that you drive and enjoy, my advice was not aimed at you. It was aimed at folks like the OP, who have never owned a Corvette before, or (perhaps) even a classic car at all. Stop reading if you love your car, and it does everything you want it to do.

...

Why shouldn't you buy an 81 as a first-time Corvette buyer?

For all the grief that the 82's Crossfire system gets (rightly or wrongly), the 81's computer controlled carb and non-vacuum distributor is worse. It needs a paperclip, or a very specific instrument, to read the codes. It is NOT tunable to any great degree, and you are better off reverting to a previous year's Q-Jet and dist, or swapping to a Holley (which may require an intake manifold change), or EFI. If the PO already did this for you, great! But I BET THEY SCREWED IT UP, and that's why the car is for sale in the first place (that, and the automatic transmission). So right out of the gate, you'll likely need to fix the car to make it run properly. No problem for lots of folks on this Forum, but most buyers will spend thousands at a mechanic, who will just screw it up more, and the car will be back for sale again soon.

This is all fixable, and if you know what you are doing, a clean 81 would make a great restomod. But not as your introduction to Corvettes and classic cars, and certainly not if you will rely on a local mechanic to do the work.

As for the auto vs. manual question:

There are lots of boring, soul-less automatics on the road, and in rental pools. GM stopped making sports cars, and this year is the last for the Camaro. If you want a pretty car to drive to car shows or drone along at one speed on the interstate, a C3 with a TH350 is fine. But it is a terrible transmission. My 80 with a 4-speed is (no hyperbole!) ONE MILLION TIMES more fun to drive than my 79 auto. Both have the same L48. The only important difference is the engagement in the experience of actually driving the car.

 

Why avoid C3’s? They are great cars to own, work on, and drive. If you find one that has been mostly sorted, you can get a reliable driver for a reasonable price. May take more than 11K, but should be less than 20K.
I have owned two C3’s, one C4, and one C5. I am a flip-up headlight guy. Not interested in non-flip up generations.
Each generation has its own quirks. If you are afraid of a C3, then don’t buy a problematic C5! The C4’s are also great. Easy to work on, handle well, but are very tight inside with high door sills. They are drastically different over the generation, but have specific problems.
C5’s are awesome to drive and look great Very comfortable. Note they did not come with spare tires, but with run flats. Two fuel tanks, one fuel pump and one Jet-Siphon pump - try understanding how that system works. There are numerous computer modules throughout the car that can drive you crazy when malfunctioning.
Flip back and forth through the Tech section of each generation you are thinking about.
You may end up with a C8!
Good luck. Get one!

 

There's nothing wrong with an automatic, Standard transmission guys are very narrow minded, a lot of them, like some of the posters above feel if you don't shift it it's not a real car. Well guys I drive for a living and probably shifted more times than you can count, probably millions. I sure as hell don't want to shift my car on the weekend when I am out for a cruise in my Vette. I absolutely love my automatic. Don't put your prejudiced views to everyone that has an automatic. That's not everyones choice. It's a free country and I like what I want. I don't have any respect for your downer views. It's a personal choice. I would probably say something rude to you if you started bitching about my automatic. Drive what the hell you want. Be it standard or auto. You shouldn't feel your car is better than mine or more fun to drive than yours. I'm sorry for the rant but I've had enough of that talk. Keep it to yourself and go out and enjoy your standard but don't tell me your experience is better than mine! I have friends with 81's and they enjoy them as much as I love mine. I also love my crossfire.

 

my take on your post is you are pushing your opinion as fact and there is nothing wrong with 81-82 operating system my 81 is all original and runs like a top. I know quite a few others with 82’s and they do fine. The ol th350 3 speed auto is one of the best GM has ever rolled out. I think you’re afraid of a little technology. The 81-82 corvette were leaps and bounds ahead of the others and that is a fact and they both are very dependable to this day.

 

It must cost a lot of money for folks with old classic cars to bring them to a mechanic, and you have to find one with the experience and the willigness to work on old classic cars first, to fix any kind of issue. But hey, some people have deep pockets.

 

542,741 C3s made.

 

There's no reason to stay away from C3s. You just need to find a good one. There are plenty of bad ones but with the help of the guys on this forum it should be easy to find a good one. Get someone on here who's nearby to check cars out for you. Actually they are very straight forward and easy to check out. There are videos about checking the bird cage and other hidden places that rust can hide. Well cared for C3s are abundant and easy to find because so many were made. I've owned my 70 for 53 years and put a lot of regular maintenance into its care over the years and I'd feel great about honestly describing it to a potential buyer and not afraid to have someone do a comprehensive PPI on it. That said, it's not for sale and probably won't be in my lifetime. What I'm getting at is you just need to find an honest seller and a well cared for car and buy it for a fair price for both parties. You can find low priced C3s but to get a nice one you'll probably have to pay more for it. I bought my 70 in late 71 for $3695 which was a good deal at the time because it was a motivated seller.