Folks, This is awesome, thanks so much! And stay tuned for updates as I have them. Cheers to all.

 

Still on the hunt...admittedly, it has only been a week or so...not much that I've found in the immediate area to inspect. Does anyone have experience with third party evaluators like Lemon Squad or Wrench? Seems could be a good way to get eyes on a potential purchase that is hundreds or thousands of miles away. What about Bring a Trailer? Many thanks.

 

Patience. Finding the right car can take many months or even a few years. No need to rush into a mistake.

 

I don't think Lemon Squad or the like would be very helpful for old Corvettes. You have to know the failure points of these cars and evaluate how extensive the repair would be. How many car inspectors would know to look at the trailing arm pockets, the windshield header, or the radiator support. A diamond in the rough is much more sought after than a polished turd. We generally overlook a lot of things that are piddly that the average used car buyer may not.

I've no experience with Bring a Trailer other than visiting the pages and reading comments. I think the comment section for a car is very important to read through as are the thoughts here if you post a link.

Indicate your geographic region, you may have a CF member close to you or the car who can serve as a consultant.

 

More good advice; many thanks. I'm in central VA should anyoe have thoughts on resources and cars in the area. I'll connect with the Richmond corvette club, and I plan to head up to Carlisle later this month for corvette days.

 

Welcome to the C3 Forum

 

Welcome and good luck on your future purchase!

 

the corvette is not like the other muscle cars of the 60’s and 70’s .. they were built with very little planning and made to last 5 years at best .. if you are not mechanically inclined and have to pay someone don’t do it . You will be way over your head with these cars … My advice. Buy something that someone else restored if you don’t have the money wait till u do . Good luck

 

Best advice right there. Every dollar you spend on purchase of something in better condition will save you 2 to fix one that is not. Ask me how I kknow. By the time I done with my 69 will be somewhere 10 to 20 k into it above what I could get for it..and that is doing it myself. Farm it all out and you will triple that gap easy. But as a driveway mechanic...the experience is priceless.

 

Hi Rooney, and welcome to the forum! This place has many fellow enthusiasts who are more than willing to help. A stream of unconsciousness...

• As stated, buy the best example of whatever you decide you want.
• Make a list of wants: color, bumper/no bumper, bb/sb, stick or 4 spd (notice what I did there? ), coupe or vert, etc. Decide which of those items are not negotiable and stick to your list. You don't want to have regrets later.
• Watch the '10 rules' sticky at the top of the threads. Then watch it again.
• Post up cars you're looking at here and you'll get help.
• The classifieds on this forum are a great place to look. I bought our '68 L71 from a fellow forum member. Great guy.
• There will be plenty to do on a C3 to keep you busy, but it's fun as long as you can take your time and do much/all of it yourself. You'd be surprised how easy these cars are to work on. You'll also be surprised at the 'quirks' that make you scratch your head, smile, or get somewhat 'angry'.
• To me, C3s are drop dead gorgeous and worth the quirks and sometimes headaches because the smiles far outweigh anything else.

We've had a couple of C3s and a couple of C7s (great cars). We were on the eRay list at McMullkin's but we got our deposit back a few months ago because I just couldn't force my self to like the C8 body style. I really like the side profile, but the front and rear are downright ugly (to me, and we all have opinions so mine is valid for me) and I just couldn't do it if I don't love it. Are the newer vettes 'better driving' or 'more reliable'? Maybe. Maybe not. It all depends, and C3s (especially the early ones) are easy to work on and there's a ton of 'how to's' to learn what you don't know how to do.

I think of our '68 as good therapy. I love driving it. When 'stuff' needs doing and I can't get to it, it'll wait until I have the time or inclination to address whatever it is. If I've put more into it than I can sell it for (eventually), I don't care. In the meantime, it's a great car that puts more smiles on my face than most other cars we've owned (over 150. I have the same disease that many of us suffer from). Keep us informed. Don't rush unless you find something that really fits your list - and then post whatever it is on the forum and the good members here will help. Best, Paul