My wife has a coworker that is selling his 1982 metallic blue corvette. He told her that he is the original owner of the car, has all the original paperwork including bill of sale, has been sleeping in the garage since he purchased it. the car has 90,000 miles. He told my wife that he wants to sell it for 6-7 thousand dollars. the only problem is the car has been sitting for 5 years. i am planning to go see it this weekend. what should i look for? even if the engine and tranny have to be rebuilt, is this a good buy? any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

although i'm somewhat leery of the cross-fire injected vettes( i was advised by folks at my local Chevy dealer to stay away from cross-fire), i would say that if the car is still intact, by that i mean the interior is good, paint good, maybe not perfect, 6 or 7 k would be a good price. locally, an 82 with about 31k on the clock sold for 10,500 a few months ago and it was in perfect condition. be sure and check the suspension and rubber bushings, etc, after all, it is still a 20 yr old car. i paid a little extra for my 79 vette when i bought it for $9000 7 yrs ago, but it was in a lot better condition that the $6000 vettes i was looking at. good luck!


has the current owner or the vette been sleeping in the garage since he bought it???? :D

seriously, check the frame in front of the rear wheels for rust, in the same area check the "socket" area where the trailing arm bolts to in front of the rear wheels. better yet take somebody with you that knows vettes. i would go but i doubt you would pay my way and i don't like to fly anyway.. also check the area in front of the windshield for rust, water can sit in there and eat away at the metal, look for bulges along the windshield frame, the bulges indicate rusting from the inside out. this area commonly called the "birdcage" & can be expensive to fix. usually rust iis a problem in the "cold' parts of the country, but that salt air can eat away if i remember my experiences from 30 yrs ago in florida.


[Modified by Gary79, 5:56 AM 10/15/2003]

 

Thanks for your advice.

Since the car has been sitting for 5 years, what would be the procedures in getting this car started? Should i try starting it before i buy it, or is this just the chance i have to take?

 

Expect the worst the worst, the car will need lots. The brakes should be checked before you put it in gear. Why did he park it so long?

 

well, I did it. I am a proud owner of a 1982 Corvette. The car was is better condition than i thought. The car was driven twice a week around the block just to keep it running. The rear suspension did feel "loose" but I was expecting it. Everything works except for the horns and the windshield washer pump. How do i post pictures here so you guys can see it?

 

Hey, are you on the CFI vault too? Id so, congrats on that siilver blue 82, one of my favorites. That's a real nice color.

As for pics, if you don't have server space send it to me, I'll host it, then you can post it at the CFI Vault too since that server is where the pic will be hosted.

Marck

 

Congrats on the purchase.I had a 82 CE with the CF motor and I liked it very much no problems.Wish I had it back.Enjoy your vette and don't forget to wave. :thumbs:

 

Congrats. 82 is a very good year. Nothing wrong with a crossfire. Also only C3 with overdrive. Good luck. :chevy

 

:iagree: :thumbs:


Best of luck!!!!!
We love our '82 :yesnod:

 

I have an 82 with 187K miles on it and the Crossfire is the ONLY thing that has not caused me a problem. Just as reliable as any other C3. I have virtually rebuild all the important parts from the headlight actuators to the rear wheel bearing assy's. Never had to touch the crossfire except when I wanted to.

 

:iagree:
So far so good. Done repairs on almost everything else except the engine. Just keep up on the plugs, cap, rotor, oil etc.. just like any other FI engine.

Brent...

 

Congrats on the '82 purchase. They are a lot of fun to drive, and sure get a lot of looks.