Hey, is there anything I should know about if I was going to use a C3 as a daily driver? Any reliability problems or anything. We don;t plan on spending more than $20k and are wondering of we could have a later C3 worthy of driving .8mi to work every week and to the beach (75-80mi away) every other weekend, along with a nice mountain drive in the spring. Could this be pulled off safely? My friend is a bit too afraid of driving a restored '72 to Big Bear twice a year (not even when it's snowing).

What do you think?

 

No reason you can't have a C-3 d-d. I used mine every day for many years. It's all about maintenance. Never forget you're driving a 30+ year old vehicle.

 

Yeah, what could we expect? Is working in the engine bay on them hard? It seems like it'd be. What kinda gas mileage would, say, an L82 4spd get?

Its not like we'd be pushing it too hard, not racing it or anything. Just driving literally less than a mile 18 times a month, plus on weekends casually cruising on the interstate. Of course, basic maintenance woudl be regular, and we certainly wouldn't cheap out on parts.

 

They are not too hard to work on engine-wise. The rear suspension is a litle tough without special tools, though. Mileage will be 12 to low 20's depending on axle ratio and your driving habits.

 

If stock they would perform they way they were designed to perform during that model year/time era when they were the daily means of transportation (except the vehicle is much older now) If one has knowledge of automotive systems the vehicle is reasonably easy to perform repairs on. Parts are widely available and in some cases, interchangeable. However interior repairs or body work is more expensive than an engine rebuild (go figure). As far as gas mileage,
it is the same as it was during the 60's-early 80's. (unless you plan on swapping the transmission with an OD transmission) Good luck with your purchase and enjoy the car. They have great curbside appeal and will always get the first look compared to what is out on the road today.

 

i am building mine to be a driver so i can take long road trips and drive it on a daily basis if i wish but let me tell you that it costs alot of money to fix one of these up to be a real driver that you dont have to constantly work ona nd fix. i have not spaired one expense on my car yet when it comes to buying the best and it adds up fast. i figure once i am done with my car it will be a perfect DD with all the comforts like rack and pinion steering, fuel injection, modern suspension similar to the c4, surpentine pully kit to make replacing the belt a lot easier and dual fans and aluminum radiator to keep her cool on those hot days.

 

My 69 is the only car I own and I rely on it to commute. Of course, it is not without its problems.

 

I drive my car everyday... I just do normal work on it, and t rides like a champ... You got to baby it ( well I do )...

 

Hmm, things you will have to deal with... I would look for a car that the suspension has already been done and preferrably the rear bearings too. I would try to find a car with a new or low mile engine. Don't be fooled by low miles on the car itself, that just means it has sat for 30 years and dry rotted. I have one of those. Better to get one that has been extensively restored.

$20k+ would be an extremely fine example of a late C3, probably not something you'd want as a daily driver, more of a museum piece. With a quick glance I see Performance Junkie's car in the For Sale section and it looks it would be an amazing daily ride. Lots of places to look, buying from the forum would definitely be cool as you know you're buying from an enthusiast and you may even be able to learn about the car/owner by doing a search.

-Chris

 

This is so true.I bought my 75 with with low miles thinking I was getting a trouble free car.WRONG.After I fixed all the things needed from being parked I did end up with a nice car.

 

I owned a '70 L46 for about 6 years as my only car. It crossed the country a couple of times. I now own a '73 with an L48 as a summer only daily driver. It has been my thrill to put >120,000 miles on my C3s. In my opinion they are reliable, a joy to work on and drive. I've been halted due to clogged fuel filter, a distributor cap that vibrated loose, failed alternator regulator (twice), water-pump bearing failure and a flat tire. Characteristic problems: Early C3's require regular tune up (plugs, points, condenser, rotor once in a while). With my driving style and taste, I get about 5,000 to 6,000 miles before I notice the need for a tune up. Rear wheel bearings can fail whenever, as can u-joints. Choose a preventative maintenance program. Mine is 60,000 miles. My experience has been, if the limited-slip diff is not experiencing problems like clutch chatter leave it alone. I experienced chatter after a rebuild that wasn't really needed. I used Red Line diff fluid and two bottles of GM fluid to quiet it down. Engine oil seems to appear from everwhere: rocker arm covers, oil pan, front and rear seals. New felpro gaskets and cleaned bolt holes stopped most of that and I media blasted and repainted and made things look better. Brakes and rotors wear. Calipers sometimes begin to leak. Check for streaks of fluid on the insides of the tires. These are all easy fixes. Rubber stuff like radiator and heater hoses and belts may look good and fail whenever. The hotter and more polluted the environment the more frequent these may need attention. I think about 5 to 6 years is max life. My road trip maintenance kit includes a quart of oil, duct tape and two hose clamps, an alternator belt and a spare tire (with cell phone towers everywhere, I'm thinking of lightening the load). In my opinion early C3's were built fast with little attention to detail. I worked at GM from '65 to '68 and saw some of the practices. I have seen loose bolts left under gas tanks that in 20,000 miles eventually pierced the tank causing a gas leak (a friends '69). Screws installed through wiring harnesses that later abraid the wiring and cause shorts (my '73). Parts may be wrong, left out or fall off before initial delivery. These problems can appear at any time. The impact on reliability is probably not any worse than other cars of that vintage.