I'm new to this. Went to the Bloomington Gold in Chicago and got hooked.I like the c3. I'm not big on the horsepower stuff, just want a nice ,reliable driver, so have been considering later models, 79-82.

Seems like there are some out there in the 15-16,000 range.

Of these four year models, is there any reason I should choose one year over the others?

Also, what's with the air conditioning? Can you still service them since
freon is out? I live in southern California and AC is a major consideration.

 

Welcome to the insanity!

I won't comment on a year or price as I'm sure you will get many opinions here shortly. However as far as the AC goes R-12 is still available in places and the other alternative is to have the system converted over to R-134. Many have done this w/no problems.

Hope this helps. Good Luck!

 

I bought a 78 silver aniversary and a/c was shot. I didn'y worry about it, just took it to chevy dealer and had new compressor installed and system uses the new legal freon, run about 750 bucks and works fine.

 

That kind of cash will get you a REAL nice '79-'82. '79 and later have better seats, and '80 and earlier (if I remember right), have non-electronically controlled carbs, which IMHO is a plus. If you like the clean-lines look, go for '78-'81. If you like ground effects stuff, the '82's a pretty car, and it's the only year (I think!) with a hatchback that opens.

JB

 

15k-16k for a 79-82 is WAY too much unless the car is in PERFECT condition or has some awesome mods done to it. I got my 79 for 5 and half grand, and it has a solid frame, good body, was very drivable, just needed a new rear leafspring, and for the calipers to be rebuilt. For 7-9k you can get a VERY nice 79-82 in good condition, even maybe with some mods. Hope this helps you out, and welcome to the forum.

 

Actually, if you can afford a "completed" car that is the path of least resistance and in my opinion the cheapest way to go.

Good luck with it.

 

Seeing that you were at Bloomington Gold, no wonder you think a '79-'82 is so expensive. Remember, those Bloomington Gold cars are generally the cream of the crop meaning unmolested (unmodified), low mile, correctly restored, numbers matching, etc. Yea, you're going to pay way more for such a "perfect" example. Those are the closest to the way the cars came from the factory, and were intended by GM to look and act. Nobody F'd 'em up yet. Those are show cars. Trailered garage queens great for collections and investment, but not good for driving very much. I mean, for that kind of money you want to keep them nice and protected otherwise the value goes away. Plus in stock form these C3s are performance duds. you must consider the era '79s-'82s are from. A lot of emissions equipment, and government safety standards took a car designed before all of that and choked it's horsepower to what we'd consider a joke today. The technology didn't exist then to compensate, where as today you can have safety, great MPG, and performance better than you'd get from the Muscle car era. Compared to everything else coming out during those years, '79s-'82s were on top as far as performance goes, but just because it's a Corvette don't think you will be keeping up with the C5s and C6s, or most of the C4s for that matter. Many run of the mill cars today can keep up with them, or out perform them.

The alternative is a "driver" '79-'82. Good examples of "drivers" cost a half or less than what you are thinking. Why? because they have mostly spent the past 22-26 years on the road, not tucked away in the corner of a garage. These examples will most likely require a lot of continuous maintenance. As the old parts wear out, you will keep replacing them. Good news is, parts are inexpensive compared to newer Vettes, and they are relatively easier to work on. The non fuel injected '79s and '80s are also fuel hogs. They require a lot of premium. Here's the best part about "driver" Corvettes. You can actually drive the living sheet out of them and not diminish their value. You can also modify them mechanically to improve their performance significantly and not affect their overall value. YOu always want to start with a rust free frame and birdcage, and anything else can be restored and improved. "Driver" Vettes are the ones to have fun with.

There is a lot to learn about these cars. Do so before you buy, otherwise you could be seriously taken advantage of or disappointed with what you got for your money. You are starting off in the right place though. The Corvette Forum is the best interactive resource for any Vette owner, but especially C3s.

Don't forget, knowledge is power and will lead you to the maximum amount of happiness you will have with a Corvette. Ignorance will bite you in the azz.

Good luck.

Oh yea, and all factory C3 A/C SUCKS. When it works, it does not work for long, and while it works it does not work well. It's output is so poor you'll think something is wrong with it. I hear there is after market A/C for C3s that work a heck of a lot better, so keep that in mind.

 

If you have that much to get a C3, I'd go for a chrome bumper version. You should be able to get a fairly decent 68-72 with all the comforts at home, and you can drive without regard to losing value. Again, parts are pretty well available, and you can do a lot of the maintenance yourself, without having a degree in electronic engineering!

 

What indication did you get when you needed to replace the leaf spring?

 

Since you live in California, you'd have to keep the engine basically original due to emissions considerations. Considering you have a generous budget, find a car with an L82 engine. It'll give you 30 HP over the base engine...enough to help you keep up with today's econoboxes

 

Buy an '80 is my advice but I am a little biased.

'80 was the last year for a factory optional HP motor (L-82). There have been some optional motors in recent years but it was a long time for the next one.

'80 was the last year for no computer. 81 has a computer controlled carb and 82 has the Crossfire. Kind of a red headed stepchild in some ways.

I like the base 78 and older seats personaly. The Pace Car and newer C3 cars had the later design.

If I did not have a clean '80 I would look for a nice '78 L-82 with a 4 speed. Love the body style. I think it is the cleanest of this time period.

Remember, you always come out $$$ ahead buying a better car to start with.

-Mark.

 

If you have your heart set on those years then for that money I would either try to either get a very special car, that is, something with collector's value, or something very cheap, for say 8K, that your could sink another 8K into to fix up or modify. Otherwise for that money you could get a nice driving chrome bumper, pre-emissions era car. Have your researched the history of C3's? In the early 70s laws were passed that required all cars to be able to sustain 5 mph impacts at the front and rear, hence the extinction of chrome bumpers. This law coincided pretty much with the beginning of emissions resitrictions, hence a drop in performance. This is what makes early C3s a little more valuable from a collector's standpoint, and in my opinion for the amount your going to spend this is the way to go. We've seen the value of the chrome bumper cars skyrocket lately. Plus chrome bumpers are just sharp-looking. And don't go by Bloomington Gold, or Hemmings for that matter; those prices are inflated.

 

The 80-82 look great and have more comfortable seats (78PC and 79-82 style).
80 is non CPU controlled.
81 has a CPU controlled carb.
82 is throttle body fuel injection with an overdrive transmission-a modern drivetrain.

The motto is buy the best car you can afford.

For a quick reference guide, check these pages out for C3 inspection items:

http://www.corvettefaq.com/c3/dpg/part1.htm

http://www.corvettefaq.com/c3/dpg/part2.htm

http://www.corvettefaq.com/c3/dpg/part3.htm

Brent...

 

All 1980 California Vettes w/ the LG4 305ci motors were computer controlled too. Just had a more primitive version of the '81 Computer Command Control.
Youre the first person I've ever come across with that preference.
Well, I'll agree with that.

'79 was truly the last year for no computers. Plus you get the Pace Car seats ( ) and a real glove box, which are things you don't get w/ the chrome cars. Plus almost all the '79s (except for the final cars off the line) still came with a 140 MPH speedometers. '80-'82 have 85 MPH Speedometers. A nice '79 L82 would be a great car.

Why is this thread back after almost two months

 

If you buy a nice expensive that supposedly was all restored and yadda yadda yadda, make sure the big items were infact rebuilt. These would include, rear end, the differential, suspension, brakes, no rust.

 

Buy an '80

 

I picked up a 1979 L-48 4-spd in nearly perfect condition, numbers matching and all, for $11,500. Just look at a bunch of them...you'll know.