I am pondering selling my 88 Eldorado and buying another Corvette.
I hear bad things about the intake systems on the 82s but am very happy with the TBI system on my Cadillac. I had the fuel system rebuilt and it runs like a fine watch.
Since I am now retired I am no longer interested in high performance. I just cruise, go to car shows, church, shopping and doctor appointments. I want a smooth, fairly reliable car that looks different than all the "squashed bug" krap out there. This is a second car that will only see limited use.
I had an 81 that had been converted to a convertible and I rebuilt and hopped the car up back in the 90s. I liked the attention and the power but disliked the St Louis lacquer paint and the 350 transmission. I think the overdrive transmission and the base/clear paint in the 82 would be more to my taste.
I have owned several C4s but although I am able to fall into them I just can't exit them due to my bad left leg.
Life has been good to us and I am able to spend the money to purchase a good 82 and although I cannot do any heavy mechanical work anymore I have some good local mechanics here in Arizona,
I am located on Route 66 in between Las Vegas and Phoenix where there are Corvette shops that I have access to also.

 

What's your question?

My 82's Crossfire is not repairable. Rather than carb or alternate EFI swap it, I'll just swap the engine out completely.

If you have the money to afford a good 82 (CE, I'm assuming), it should work just fine. If not, there are plenty of solution pathways to keep it on the road as a cruiser.

 

If I was you, I will buy the new one.


 

Have you considered what it's like getting in and out of a C3?

 

If memory serves me correctly it was a lot easier in my 81 than in the C4s I have owned. My other choice in a Vette is a C6 Grand Sport.

 

I just do not like the interior on a CE and the decals fade especially in the Arizona sun. I also am not a fan of the stock wheels.

 

New crate engine? Sounds like a good idea. Does anything need to be changed with the computer and electronics?

 

First get the car. Crossfire isn't a good system. The early GM ECM's are slow and unattainable. The Crossfire intake manifolds have horrible fuel distribution. So if you do end up with the 82 there are many options as bikespace said. A simple carburetor swap, a complete TBI system from a late '80s early 90s GM truck, aftermarket throttle body system, to an LS swap are just a few options. I was running my 82 with a 90's GM truck TBI ECM for a while. Then a Megasquirt controlled TPI setup. Currently I have a Blueprint crate engine with a carburetor. Eventually I plan on installing my old TPI system on my current blueprint engine with an aftermarket ECM. Good luck

 

Like @Fly skids up! says, I'd buy the car first, and see what it needs. If there's nothing wrong with the engine, you don't need to do anything. If the Crossfire works for you, great!

I'd price out a new LS3 crate engine from Chevrolet Performance (which should come with a new computer), and look at what is involved in the swap (there are many threads). It's a lot to change to do it well.
You can also do a junkyard LS swap for a lot less, but it is just as involved.
As an alternative, I'd also price out new intake with a Holley Sniper EFI solution (threads on this, too). Or an intake and carb. You keep the existing engine in either case, so no exhaust or mount work to do.

Months or years from now, when the Crossfire quits, or becomes the limiting factor in what you want to do to the car, get a quote to "fix" it, then decide which of the above options is better.

 

The 82 Crossfire runs very well once set up correctly. It is very sensitive to vacuum leaks but that is easy to diagnose and fix.

 

Staring in June 1981, Corvette production was moved to Bowling Green and about 8900 81's were built there using the same base coat/clear coat paint that you liked on your 82.

There are still plenty of nice Bowling Green 81's floating around and while they do have a computer they also have a Q-Jet and it's relatively easy to bypass the computer on the 81's. 81's don't have the overdrive automatic, but the B-O-P version of the Turbo 350 that Chevrolet put in 81's is a good unit. It's also not a big deal to swap a 200-4R or a 700-R4 into an 81 and you can even get a stock shifter from Shiftworks to use with the overdrive auto in the 81.

The Crossfire isn't a bad set up, it's just that there are very few people around that understand it still to work on it, and there aren't many parts available for it anymore either.