Believe me friend, you didn't start a fire storm in any way. Someone else opened a can of worms by expressing their opinion about the 78's styling, which was off topic for this thread. I don't know how one expressing their absurd opinion that the ONLY Corvettes are convertibles was meant to help you get the answer you came here seeking. Not liking a car's design does not make it a lemon, so ignore that nonsense. Your question was EXACTLY what this forum is for, and I hope you continue to participate.

The 1978 Corvette was not a mechanical lemon, NOR was it considered a cosmetic lemon in popular opinion (you'll see that right away once you start driving it on the street by how much positive attention you will receive! It will blow your mind. You'll be a star in that car.), and it's low horsepower can easily be changed to give it the performance Duntov actually intended for it. Just be sure that '78's condition is up to snuff before you buy it. A straight rust free frame and rust free birdcage are a must. Anything else beyond that can be repaired or replaced if necessary. It's only a matter of money at that point. If you like the car, and it's worthy of you, GO FOR IT! And post pics. Good luck!!


He doesn't like factory fast backs, fine. Whatever!! I don't like the after market cosmetic mods sold in many catalogs. Again, whatever! He's free to like or dislike whatever he wants, as am I. In this case he didn't need to express his opinion in this thread. It contributed nothing to the objective. Just stirred up emotions. As far as the pic goes I decided it was important to keep my mouth shut. I don't want to directly attack a fellow member's specific car, but if he makes one neg comment about my '79 in the pic I posted of it on the freeway, the gloves come off I too will let the pic of my car speak for itself. Hey, it gives me a every time I open the garage, and that's all that ultimately counts. If mrvette's '72 does the same for him, well, God bless 'em. Enjoy.

 

I'd sell two children for it.

 

I can accept "cute" but "fugly" is a bit strong. But as someone else said it is a Forum for varying opinions. Just can't agree with you.

 

I have a 79 and prefer the fast back to the notch back. There are some down sides to the fast back. The glass is heavy and it let's alot of heat in from the sun in the summer. The fast backs have more interior space.

Yeah you got a rise out of me momentarily. So what. At least your saying what you believe instead of being PC.

 

Notchback and fastback are a matter of opinion. The majority prefer the fastback, that's why sales shot up in 78-79. Late model C3's (with the exception of the 82...) tend to be pretty reliable. A low compression small block with the TH-350 transmission should, in theory, run about 150k miles with no problem.

 

The 82 is a very dependable car, very reliable and absolutely the smoothest cruising C3 of them all. For highway cruising and good mileage you can't beat it. What makes some of them unreliable in the injection department is the fact that people worked on them that didn't know what they were doing, but that would do the same for other models. Don't just repeat what you heard, have you ever owned one? Mine always fired right up, ran smooth and was pretty fast also (I completely rebuilt the entire system, redid the wiring and synchronised the system till it was silk smooth)

 

My rear glass was "limo" tinted by the previous owner. Most likely because he removed the HVAC system. I live in Phoenix, and the tint makes a HUGE difference. Visibility through the dark tint? Well, that's another thing. It has a nice contrast against the white paint though.

 

Yeah I tinted mine too. About 30% which is the max legal in Texas according to the tint shop. It does help alot. I have some "cling" type vinal T Top screens that I use in the summer. My AC still works great and with the cooling system upgrades everything stays cool in the summer even when sitting in traffic.

 

I considered a couple of '82s. In theory the crossfire is pretty bad ***. I just didn't like the idea of having to work on it, if the time came. Plus the fact that my '81 cost less than half that, of the majority of 82's I could find ($5000 for 77k miles on my '81). I'm a fan of the MPFI on the LT1, rather than the TBI of the Crossfire. So if I were to go fuel injection, I'd convert to a newer 5.7L/6.0L (LT1, LS1, LS2).

 

Just remember crack kills.

 

Don't think one would be enough.

 

I love my 78. So does just about everybody I see at red lights. parking lots, and when I'm cruisin' the strip. It's lines and looks are classic. As for lemon I agree with whoever said the lemon factor has long dried up, the car is 28 years old! If I didn't live in the snowy great white north I'd drive mine all day and all night every day...I love it!

 

I'm sorry you had to read the war of words on the C3 forum. This normally does not happen, and 99.9% of the time everyone gets along very well.

One thing to consider when purchasing a vette is the emission laws in your state and county. As most everyone stated, you can mod any vette to any horsepower you want. It's just a matter of time and money. With that being said, if you were to purchase a 78 that was completely exempt from emissions and/or visual inspection you can go to town and make a 78 a very powerful car with no worries about emissions crap on your engine.

I have a 1980 convertible (custom) and love the body style. Then again, I truly enjoy the look of any year vette. Don't worry about the year as no one year was really much better than another as it relates to build quality. Decide on the style and budget you are most comfortable with. Then you have a family here at corvetteforum waiting to help you have fun with your new hobby. Good luck with your search. The hunt is as much fun as the kill

 

Well you know what they say "opinons are like a**holes, everbody has one!" I love my 78! I wanted a Vette ever since my early teens back in the late 70's. Years would come and go, raising the family always came first, as it should. Once I convinced the wife it was a passion (not the chick magnet she thought it was) I had always had she said OK. I wasn't even looking for one when I stumbbled across a very neglected 78 in town just rotting away. 3 flat tires, shot clear coat/paint and a worn out interior. I've had more fun spending time exploring this car and fixing/moding stuff than ANY vehicle I've ever owned. It's all about a passion where as these cars are concerned. I love all the Corvettes (except possibly the C4's) and I don't give a rat's *** about what anyone else thinks about my 78, I didn't buy it to please them nor to make a fast buck!

 

Frankenvette,
You have a twin in Canada.

 

Really cool. That owner has great taste!!! There are more 80's verts out there than one would realize. These cars make great custom verts. Thanks for the pic Paul.

 

you need to embed them back in the paint in order to keep it original....

 

Wa-haaay!!! Good to see somebody freely & honestly expressing their opinion But I have to disagree (freely & honestly!). Verts are great, but they aren't the only Vettes ever made. Some of us live in wet climates & Verts just ain't practical (ignoring the extra body flex of some verts, show me a vert that doesn't leak & I'll show you one that soon will, or needs lots of $$$'s spent to keep it water tight. It's bad enough keeping a coupe dry ).
The FUGLY 'fastback' style was also championed by Italian & other stylists of the time & some very popular cars were of that design. Cars that were even smaller than C3's. Off the top of my head (where once there was lot of hair), popular & attractive fastback style cars include the MGB (the chrome bumper models, not the awful rubber bumper victim of US safety legislation), some other car called an "E" something & various other classics of vehicle design (and they wouldn't be classics if nobody liked them). It's just personal preference, but I far prefer my large expanse of rear glass to the notchback as I only need to glance in the rear view mirror to see what the score is behind me, whereas with a notchback I found I had to look a bit longer due to all the blind spots. Extra storage space isn't high on my list of priorities, but a far greater field of view is right up at the top of the list. It also looks well IMHO, but whadda I know, I drive a buggy bumper Vette (where IS Dep? Surely he's got an input on this post!)
Fully agree with your view on Beetles (I'd go further but would lose a lot of points if I did). I also really didn't like what they did to the rear end of some Mopars, but other people really like them & I wouldn't criticise them for their choice of car (unless it was a Beetle or, even worse, that modern version of one - fugly fishtank on wheels).
On a more practical note (these supposed to be sports cars and all that), how does the fastback style compare aerodynamically to the earlier style? Shouldn't that be the type of point being discussed?
The really crucial thing, that nobody has mentioned, is that good judges of ugliness (women) like the fastback style & that's good enough for me
Merry Christmas all

 

OMFG that car is stunning - sell the kid sell the kid sell the kid!!

j/k of course. If you have a chance to buy that car then you need to!

 

Frankenvette,
It gets better. Guess what's under the hood?