Buying a Stingray?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 183
Likes: 0
From: Stockholm, Sweden
Buying a Stingray?
Hello all Vette-owners!
First I must excuse my bad english, but I'll do my best and hope that you understand what I mean :blueangel:
According to my opinion one of the worlds most beautiful cars is a Corvette Stingray, from the year 1973-79! And they dont cost to much either!
There isn't many for sale in sweden but sometimes I see advertisments in the area I live.
My question is if you owners of Stingrays have any common things that is worth checking when I visit a car for sale (strange sentence but you understand I hope :))
For example things that uses to be worn out etc etc...
And I've also heard from some members of swedens corvette-club that the older Stingrays are "difficult" and not very fun to drive, the stearing was not exact at all and so on. What do you have to say about that?
How big difference is it to drive a old Stingray compared to a modern Corvette?
Thanks for reading!
/Christian Larsson, Stockholm, Sweden, hopefully soon a Stingray owner!
First I must excuse my bad english, but I'll do my best and hope that you understand what I mean :blueangel:
According to my opinion one of the worlds most beautiful cars is a Corvette Stingray, from the year 1973-79! And they dont cost to much either!
There isn't many for sale in sweden but sometimes I see advertisments in the area I live.
My question is if you owners of Stingrays have any common things that is worth checking when I visit a car for sale (strange sentence but you understand I hope :))
For example things that uses to be worn out etc etc...
And I've also heard from some members of swedens corvette-club that the older Stingrays are "difficult" and not very fun to drive, the stearing was not exact at all and so on. What do you have to say about that?
How big difference is it to drive a old Stingray compared to a modern Corvette?
Thanks for reading!
/Christian Larsson, Stockholm, Sweden, hopefully soon a Stingray owner!
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 1,665
Likes: 1
From: Ontario
Re: Buying a Stingray? (Larsson)
Welcome to the forum. I had no trouble understanding your English.
When I was looking for a vette all my mechanic friends told me that the most important thing to look at is the condition of the frame. I think because the frame is the most difficult thing to repair. Ultimately it depends on how much time and $$$ you want to spend.
When looking for rust there are a few things to check besides just looking at the frame. Look at the radiator mount. Look at the front windshield frame where the VIN number is, there should be no rust there. Make sure you close the doors when you are sitting in the car. The doors should close smoothly and you shouldn't have to pull them very hard at all. If the door is hard to close when you are sitting down then its probably because the frame is weak and is flexing from the weight of you sitting in the car.
Good Luck!
When I was looking for a vette all my mechanic friends told me that the most important thing to look at is the condition of the frame. I think because the frame is the most difficult thing to repair. Ultimately it depends on how much time and $$$ you want to spend.
When looking for rust there are a few things to check besides just looking at the frame. Look at the radiator mount. Look at the front windshield frame where the VIN number is, there should be no rust there. Make sure you close the doors when you are sitting in the car. The doors should close smoothly and you shouldn't have to pull them very hard at all. If the door is hard to close when you are sitting down then its probably because the frame is weak and is flexing from the weight of you sitting in the car.
Good Luck!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 7,456
Likes: 2
From: Coming home from Luckenbach Texas
Re: Buying a Stingray? (Larsson)
There is no problem with your English! Some of us over here can only hope to do so well...
The main thing to watch for when you "visit" a car is rust. Especially the frame around the windshield and where the rear trailing arms connect to the frame. Buy the best car you can afford. A car you must fix will be very difficult -- especially in Sweden.
If possible, ask someone in the Corvette Club to join you when you look at a car. Another C3 owner would be best.
In terms of handling, etc...remember these cars are 25-30 years old! And yet people constantly compare them to modern cars. So don't think of them as how poor they may be, but how well they have stood the test of time!
The main thing to watch for when you "visit" a car is rust. Especially the frame around the windshield and where the rear trailing arms connect to the frame. Buy the best car you can afford. A car you must fix will be very difficult -- especially in Sweden.
If possible, ask someone in the Corvette Club to join you when you look at a car. Another C3 owner would be best.
In terms of handling, etc...remember these cars are 25-30 years old! And yet people constantly compare them to modern cars. So don't think of them as how poor they may be, but how well they have stood the test of time!
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 158
Likes: 0
From: St. Albert Alberta
Re: Buying a Stingray? (Larsson)
Some special considerations for yourself might be pricey interior pieces, or if the car needs any glass.
Parts are readily available to us in the western world for an arm and a leg... but I am not sure what kind of extra shipping charges would be tacked on to send interior panals your way, if be needed.
Interior and Glass are easy to fix, but you might want to look into what the work will actually cost you, a bad set of seats could cost you more than you would expect to fix.
Good luck with your vette obsession :cheers:
Parts are readily available to us in the western world for an arm and a leg... but I am not sure what kind of extra shipping charges would be tacked on to send interior panals your way, if be needed.
Interior and Glass are easy to fix, but you might want to look into what the work will actually cost you, a bad set of seats could cost you more than you would expect to fix.
Good luck with your vette obsession :cheers:
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,228
Likes: 6
From: lancaster ma
Re: Buying a Stingray? (Larsson)
The C3 is a 1970s car so the handling and ride will not compare to the cars available today. For the most part they are easy to work on (nothing is too fancy) but also require attention. I like the less than refined experience of the C3. To me it is part of the excitment. If you are into comfort and smoothness I would move up a few years.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2002
Posts: 4,971
Likes: 9
From: The reason time exists is so everything doesn't happen at once
Re: Buying a Stingray? (Larsson)
Hello all Vette-owners!
First I must excuse my bad english, but I'll do my best and hope that you understand what I mean :blueangel:
Don't be embarassed. Your English is a hellofalot better than my Swedish.
My question is if you owners of Stingrays have any common things that is worth checking when I visit a car for sale (strange sentence but you understand I hope :))
For example things that uses to be worn out etc etc...
As has been said before, be very careful of the car frame and the windshiled frame. Rust in these areas is a major expense.
Buy the nicest and most complete car you can afford. Its much more expensive to do a restoration than to buy a restored car, and with the added cost of shipping overseas your costs can only go higher.
And I've also heard from some members of swedens corvette-club that the older Stingrays are "difficult" and not very fun to drive, the stearing was not exact at all and so on. What do you have to say about that?
How big difference is it to drive a old Stingray compared to a modern Corvette?
Every C3 is at least 21 years old and technology is greatly improved. So the steering, handling etc. of the new Corvette is way better than the C3. But as you said the C3 is one of the most beautiful cars ever built.
Good luck.
Thanks for reading!
/Christian Larsson, Stockholm, Sweden, hopefully soon a Stingray owner!
First I must excuse my bad english, but I'll do my best and hope that you understand what I mean :blueangel:
Don't be embarassed. Your English is a hellofalot better than my Swedish.
My question is if you owners of Stingrays have any common things that is worth checking when I visit a car for sale (strange sentence but you understand I hope :))
For example things that uses to be worn out etc etc...
As has been said before, be very careful of the car frame and the windshiled frame. Rust in these areas is a major expense.
Buy the nicest and most complete car you can afford. Its much more expensive to do a restoration than to buy a restored car, and with the added cost of shipping overseas your costs can only go higher.
And I've also heard from some members of swedens corvette-club that the older Stingrays are "difficult" and not very fun to drive, the stearing was not exact at all and so on. What do you have to say about that?
How big difference is it to drive a old Stingray compared to a modern Corvette?
Every C3 is at least 21 years old and technology is greatly improved. So the steering, handling etc. of the new Corvette is way better than the C3. But as you said the C3 is one of the most beautiful cars ever built.
Good luck.
Thanks for reading!
/Christian Larsson, Stockholm, Sweden, hopefully soon a Stingray owner!
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 805
Likes: 0
From: Vasteras, Sweden
Re: Buying a Stingray? (6t9l4t6)
Tjena Christian!
You will find some tips, if you checkout this pages:
http://www.corvettefaq.com/c3/dpg/part1.htm
http://www.corvettefaq.com/c3/dpg/part2.htm
http://www.corvettefaq.com/c3/dpg/part3.htm
I have many links to Stingray pages (click on my picture) and I can recommend Terry's site: http://www.corvettefaq.com.
A great site full of info.
Hoppas att vi ses på någon träff, du har ju två Corvette klubbar i din närhet: http://www.clubcorvette.se/index.html samt http://www.corvettearos.com/ och där kan du alltid annonsera också. Corvettearos kostar bara 100:- per år i medlemskap.
Missa inte Power Big Meet http://www.bigmeet.com i Västerås nästa helg. Vi finns ute på fältet under fredag till söndag (flest Corvetter på lördagen) och har grillning vid rocklunda mellan 17.00-20.00 på fredag och lördag. Mer info finns på http://www.corvettearos.com.
Welcome!
[Modified by Lasse, 10:40 PM 6/27/2003]
You will find some tips, if you checkout this pages:
http://www.corvettefaq.com/c3/dpg/part1.htm
http://www.corvettefaq.com/c3/dpg/part2.htm
http://www.corvettefaq.com/c3/dpg/part3.htm
I have many links to Stingray pages (click on my picture) and I can recommend Terry's site: http://www.corvettefaq.com.
A great site full of info.
Hoppas att vi ses på någon träff, du har ju två Corvette klubbar i din närhet: http://www.clubcorvette.se/index.html samt http://www.corvettearos.com/ och där kan du alltid annonsera också. Corvettearos kostar bara 100:- per år i medlemskap.
Missa inte Power Big Meet http://www.bigmeet.com i Västerås nästa helg. Vi finns ute på fältet under fredag till söndag (flest Corvetter på lördagen) och har grillning vid rocklunda mellan 17.00-20.00 på fredag och lördag. Mer info finns på http://www.corvettearos.com.
Welcome!
[Modified by Lasse, 10:40 PM 6/27/2003]
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 1999
Posts: 4,930
Likes: 11
From: AnyTown NJ
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15
Re: Buying a Stingray? (Lasse)
Tjena Christian!
Hoppas att vi ses på någon träff, du har ju två Corvette klubbar i din närhet: http://www.clubcorvette.se/index.html samt http://www.corvettearos.com/</A> och där kan du alltid annonsera också. Corvettearos kostar bara 100:- per år i medlemskap.
Missa inte Power Big Meet http://www.bigmeet.com i Västerås nästa helg. Vi finns ute på fältet under fredag till söndag (flest Corvetter på lördagen) och har grillning vid rocklunda mellan 17.00-20.00 på fredag och lördag. Mer info finns på <A HREF="http://www.corvettearos.com" TARGET="_blank">http://www.corvettearos.com.
Welcome!
Hoppas att vi ses på någon träff, du har ju två Corvette klubbar i din närhet: http://www.clubcorvette.se/index.html samt http://www.corvettearos.com/</A> och där kan du alltid annonsera också. Corvettearos kostar bara 100:- per år i medlemskap.
Missa inte Power Big Meet http://www.bigmeet.com i Västerås nästa helg. Vi finns ute på fältet under fredag till söndag (flest Corvetter på lördagen) och har grillning vid rocklunda mellan 17.00-20.00 på fredag och lördag. Mer info finns på <A HREF="http://www.corvettearos.com" TARGET="_blank">http://www.corvettearos.com.
Welcome!
All good advice I'm sure....best of luck with your search for a corvette!! :cheers:
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 183
Likes: 0
From: Stockholm, Sweden
Re: Buying a Stingray? (gq82)
What he said was in the wonderful language swedish :)
Thanks for all the help guys, this must be the nicest forum I've ever been at!
I have a lot to read through now but it's important to be well prepared when I go see the car so I can do nothing else than thank you for all your good tips!
To the ones in Sweden :grouphug: :
Vi har en C5:a i familjen och är medlem i corvetteklubben, brukar komma på onsdagsträffarna i stockholm men tyvärr är det sällan som man får se någon C3:a... Men med tanke på hur mycket en sådan kostar (C5an) så är det ju förstås farsan som äger den, och på de stora träffarna så är det farsan och morsan som åker, därför behöver jag ju en egen Corvette så jag kan glida med :thumbs: !
Ska dock försöka åka till de större bilträffarna under sommaren och kolla på bilarna, vi lär ju träffas där även om vi inte vet vilka vi är :)
Thanks again folks! :cheers:
Thanks for all the help guys, this must be the nicest forum I've ever been at!
I have a lot to read through now but it's important to be well prepared when I go see the car so I can do nothing else than thank you for all your good tips!
To the ones in Sweden :grouphug: :
Vi har en C5:a i familjen och är medlem i corvetteklubben, brukar komma på onsdagsträffarna i stockholm men tyvärr är det sällan som man får se någon C3:a... Men med tanke på hur mycket en sådan kostar (C5an) så är det ju förstås farsan som äger den, och på de stora träffarna så är det farsan och morsan som åker, därför behöver jag ju en egen Corvette så jag kan glida med :thumbs: !
Ska dock försöka åka till de större bilträffarna under sommaren och kolla på bilarna, vi lär ju träffas där även om vi inte vet vilka vi är :)
Thanks again folks! :cheers:
