I have a 97 C5 with 6 speed, Z51 , 19/20 wheel combo ,forged and balanced engine built specific for the STS twin turbo kit it has. The car is a 9 out of a 10 as far as condition and looks. It has 60K miles on the clock 2K miles on the drivetrain. It put down 470HP/535Tq at the rear wheels with a very conservative tune.
I was contacted by a fellow that has a 1970 Convertible with freshly rebuilt but non-numbers matching 454 with the factory 4 speed and I believe it has 3:70 rear gears right now.As far as mods it has 10.5/1 forged pistions,reworked 781 oval port heads, Comp Extreme 268 cam, Edelbrock multiport fuel injection and Hooker side pipe exhaust . His car has a few flaws but overall I feel is very clean for the year. Biggest flaw is that it was an A/C car but that the parts are long gone in order to put it back to working order without some effort. It shows 43K miles on the odometer and was originally a 454 car when it left the factory, it is not a small block conversion.. Even up trade .
Would some of you please give your opinion of this from both the cars value viewpoint as I would think the 70' would be worth more than the 97' even with the turbos. The 70' would just be a weekend toy/investment as I would not daily drive either. Also any opinions on the difference for a performance viewpoint. i would thing the big block would be a lot more fun in the lower RPM's vs the turbos higher RPM performance. Thanks for your replies.

 

I answered your thread over in C3

 

Keep what you have. Have you ever driven a C3?? I've had a couple and the only thing they really have going for them is looks. BB cars handle like DOO DOO and the get HOT in the cabin. I'd pass on anything short of a tri-power 427 car.

 

I had a C3 and it did not go around curves very well and the ride was harsh. Have a C4 and it is a big improvement but nothing as fine as my C5.

 

The C3 will never perform like the C5.
If you are in love with the C3 appearance you may be happy. If not, you will be very disappointed in a hurry.

 

I think you would be mucho loco to trade your car. After driving such a refined car as the C5, I don't think a cramped up, poor handling, rattling, squeaking C3 with NO air conditioning would or could ever satisfy. That car would drive like a covered wagon compared to the C5.

 

With you just using the Vette as a week end fun car, I'd have to consider it.

 

I have had a C2, C3 C4 and now the C5. The C3 is a non-numbers matching car, was originally an A/C car but now all the parts are missing. I don't think the value for that car is what you may think it is. I am not saying that it is not valued higher than the C5They are not a good handling car the big block will put off a lot of heat and no air can make it a little uncomfortable. My first Vette was a 66' 427/425 HOT Car in both respects.
Stick with the C5.

 

It's a difficult question. It depends a lot on why you're considering the trade.

As a collectible, the 70 model doesn't have much going for it. Non-original engine in a heavily modified car means that you'd have to spend a ton on it to get it where it would be any sort of collectible and even if you did, unless you could locate the original engine, you still wouldn't have much. For the foreseeable future, a c3 coupe with non-original running gear is about a $16-18K car. Worth a bit more than your C5, but not much.

From a financial standpoint, your 97 has already depreciated about as far as it's likely to go as has the 70. There it's pretty much a wash although the 70 will slowly gain in value while the C5 will slowly lose value for the next 15 years or so. But neither will be any major change.

So what you're talking about is just a car to enjoy driving, not as an investment. With that in mind, it depends on what sort of driving you're looking for. It's pretty much a slam dunk that your C5 will eat the 70 alive. Even if it can keep sight of your taillights on a dragstrip, once the road starts to bend, you can idle and stay ahead of the 70. The 70 has no air conditioning and gets hot as hell anyway, so you''re looking at pretty much a fall and spring driving car.

But on the other hand, your car isn't a classic. You can't go cruise Woodward Avenue with the vintage cars. If you enter your C5 in the local shows, there are a dozen there just like it. And hell, driving a vintage Vette is just cool. No way to get around that one. So if what you're looking for is a Friday night cruise car, the 70 might not be a bad idea. But if you're looking for a DD or a car to drive on vacation, I'd stick with what I had.

 

I might consider the C3 IN ADDITION TO the C5, but not as a replacement. Frankly the early C3's with chrome bumpers were nice to look at, but that's about it.

I'm not a fan of cars that are garage art, but aren't able to be driven anytime. And - having come from Chicago, a non-A/C car in the summer is just plain miserable.

Good luck with you decision.

 

Wow...I figured a 1970 Convertible with a big block would be worth way more than what I have, even without being numbers matching. I had a 1980 Z28 with a 454 4speed and it didn't seem to be that uncomfortable with just t-tops. As far as collector status..I can't believe there are that many C3 convertibles with factory big blocks,especially chrome bumper years,left out there that collectors haven't bought up. It wasn't that long ago a big block Chevelle could be had cheep, now even SS clones go for big bucks.I only drive my C5 on nice days as I work out of town during the week. As far as 0-100 MPH performance I would think they would be close performance wise. As long as the 1970 would handle as well as my 1981 Z28 did I think I could live with that as Illinois is flat and does not have a lot of curves. I hope to sell either one of them in the next few years to pick up a C6 Zo6 when the prices start to fall on those. Thanks for you opinions and advise though,keep it coming please.

 

Keep the C5

 

maybe if the '70 was numbers matching i'd do it. mainly for investment purposes. don't do anything until you can drive one for awhile - there's really no comparison... but they sure are "purdy"!!!

 

I still have my BB shark play toy,,,but having that car ,,taking it on a hot summer trip is what prompted my wife to say,,"When we do something like that again,,,,,I want one with AIR CONDITIONING!!!" We took a trip to Eurika Springs in October,,it was fun. We took a trip to Bowling Green in July and she looked like a lobster fresh out of the pot!! Even a stock C5 is faster,more comfortable better fuel mileage,, and better handling that any stock(or relatively stock)BB shark. I love my shark and will never get rid of it,,but 90% of my driving is in my FRC!!!BB sharks are GREAT play toys and DO get attention!!!My 427(actually punched out 60 over,439) comp cam ,,while not tuned to perfection manage a BEST of 14.0* at 98!! My first pass in the FRCwas a 13.48 at 104,hitting the rev-limiter in 1,2&3!! Finished the night with a 13.08/110.24,,basically STOCK. Your gears are a bit steeper(mine has 3:36),,and may run a little better,,but not a LOT better. Would not want it as my primary fun car anymore!!

 

I suggest you do a little research on the value of vintage Corvettes. The prices are all over the place, from very cheap (late 70's - early eighties) to outrageous like the mid-year big blocks. But the biggest factor in being worth good money is originality. A bone-stock 350/300 C3 that has been well cared for is worth much more than a heavily modded big block without the original engine. All those expensive modifications are fun but they don't help when you're talking a vintage car.

Now I will say, I didn't catch in your original post that the car was a convertible. That does change it somewhat. Yes, that car is probably worth more than yours, assuming it is in good condition otherwise. But I still wouldn't make the trade if this is going to be driven regularly and depended on.