I'm just about to purchase a white 1978, with an automatic tranny, 3.08. and red leather interior. it has 46,000 miles and matching numbers. it seems to be all stock except the rear end. it has new: tires, shocks, brakes, trailing arms, and exhaust. the front was recently painted but matches perfectly. the front bumber has some littls cracks dead center from being bumped. the body and interior are in great shape( couple tiny imperfections in the interior) but it looks great and has the alloy rims with a nice set of aftermarket spinners. The car drives very well, steering is very tight. Known problems are: bad passenger power window switch( sometimes you need to wiggle the connections), the left window goes up and down very slowly(maybe rubbing on something), the choke doesn't seem to work, and the dome light only works when switched on, not when door is open. The under side is clean no rust, the engine has some wet oil build up( mainly the pan and steering). The car drives and rides very well, the tranny is tight and responsive. I was really hoping for a 4 speed like my 71 had, but this seems like a good deal. I don't care for a show car but a driver and I would rather a 70 or 71 but in this condition they cost to much. A couple of my friends know gm muscle cars but aren't corvette guys so I just need a couple good words to spend a little bit over my budget and purchase this car. The price is $10,000. If I do purchase it I need to know whats involved in changing the rear end to a 3.70 or 4.11. and would I be an idiot? for using this car as my everday car for the summer(except during real rainy days etc...)I don't have a garaged but will keep it covered when not driven and will store it in the fall.

 

Sounds a bit high to me.....I would think you could find a similar car for less money

 

:withstupid: I got a 77 for less than half that price (though probably not as nice), you should look around a little more and make sure its what you want.

And welcome to the forum. :seeya

:cheers:

 

It's a buyers market right now, and if you want a 4 speed then get one you'll be more happy in the long run.

 

Well I stumbled upon a red 79 L82, 4 speed with a re-done tan interior( 3yrs old, and the windows work great) a rebuilt tranny and rearend and a rebuilt engine(30,000 miles ago) w/matching numbers. it's got new front shocks, rear spring, and rear brakes and lines. The paint is shiney(est 10yrs old) but the nose and around the front fenders he's used touch up paint to cover some stuff up(doesn't really match). he's asking $8900 I'm gonna offer 8000 it drives real nice, but I'm worried about the trailing arms and it does have 146,000 miles on it. But it drove real nice and shifted real tight, the exhaust leaks but I'll just throw some chambered on it. :confused:

 

First of all, welcome to the forum. This is a great place for info before you buy and definately after you buy your vette.
Not sure how long you looked for a vette yet but make sure you look around. I was prepared to buy the first vette I looked at and I am glad I didn't. I looked around for over six months before I bought one. I looked at many vettes and passed on a few good deals. Just didn't seem right. I think both vettes you have looked at are a little high on price. Remember that each vette owner thinks their vette is a great car and should be sold at what they think it is worth. Get a pricing guide for vettes and it should give you an approximation of the cost it should be. Then offer much less. Most people will say no at first but if you bring them cash they tend to go down on their price a lot when you have a hand full of 100s.
Once you get one I see no problem with having a daily driver.
Good luck.

 

Bah! Prices vary widely by region. Cars available in your own area should be your benchmark. Low-mileage cars always win over high-mileage in my opinion. But I'm biased, my car had 56K actual miles when I bought it, and several mechanics have confirmed this. Over a year later and I'm still very happy.

So I'd rather have the low-mileage car with the 3.08. Don't bother changing it unless you plan on installing an overdrive tranny!

Bottom line: Find the best car you can for the most $$$ you can spend up front.

 

It sounds like a good car. C-3's are appreciating. If those miles are original, it's great.

Take a look at my website, under what to look for when buying a C-3. There are some tips I learned the hard way.

:cheers:

 

well I did it I bought my second vette(I plan on keeping this one for more then 3 months) I picked it up a couple days ago drove it home in the sprinkles it hasn't stopped raining hence it never dried( so I could cover it), it's sitting exposed and soaked and barely driven. I've managed to put in a new radio, speakers(lator today), windsheild wipers, and license plates. But I'm happy it's a '79 L82 w/ a 4spd the original owner replaced a lot of parts and I got the orig sales brochure, 1" stack of reciepts for everything done in the last 12 years, an assembly manual, and what looks like an original shop manual. Well thanks for your advice, I may not have got the best price and jumped into this but I couldn't wait anymore( the rain's gotta stop sometimes, and atleast I know the T's done leak. :cool: :D [IMG][/IMG]