CarrieAnn83

Hello all! I recently joined this forum and was hoping to pull from the enormous amount of knowledge available here. I have been obsessed with Corvettes for some time. The time is finally right for me to start looking to actually purchase one :-) But, I need some help...

Here is what I intend to use my Corvette for:

I want a nice looking Corvette that has the ability to "put you back" on takeoff. I don't intent to race it; but, really want it to have some power. I am not really intending to show it for the purpose of winning medals.... I may want to attend shows with it for fun though. The primary thing that I am thinking about in my search is that I want to drive it to work Spring through Fall every nice day that I have a chance.

I am currently considering either a C3 or a C4. I do have some reservations about both.

For the C3, I am concerned about the fiberglass body. As I mentioned, I want to thoroughly enjoy this Corvette and not just get it out once in a great while. Exactly how fragile are C3s? I also have read and been told that they are rather slow. What can anyone tell me about their speed? I have also heard that they are not very comfortable. Is this something that I would not want to drive 11 miles to work and 11 miles home up to 5 days a week?

For the C4, I am concerned about the composite that was used to construct the body panels as well as the noise, rattling, etc. especially when the top is off. I read that it was better in the later years... Can anyone tell me what years I should look for in order to get this better body composite?

Generally speaking, I am open to both manual and automatic transmissions for both. I am fully capable of driving a manual; however, think I may prefer an automatic; but, willing to consider either if there would be a benefit one way or another. I want a Targa Top or possibly a Convertible. Of course if I would go with a C3 I would be looking for a T-Top. I'm not super crazy about the square lights that came later in the C4s; but, wouldn't discount a beautiful car for that sake. I am not looking to "collect" Corvettes so really want to find one that I am going to be happy with for years to come. That would entail not having more than normal maintenance issues, etc.

So, all that said, can anyone offer some suggestions to aide in my search?

Thank you very much in advance for your help :-)

Carrie

dahogan

You will get a better response by asking your questions or stating your concerns in the C3 and C4 sections.

CarrieAnn83

Thank you, I will give that a try :-)

Brandons72vette

Welcome Carrie! C3's are a blast! I think my '72 is pretty comfortable, except for not having the optioned AC. If I lived anywhere else other than Texas, I think it would be acceptable not having AC. I used to live in Hawaii, and I didn't mind not having AC then, but it is March and its already been in the upper 80's this week.


C3's are fragile I guess, like any other Corvette. You know, don't drive it in the rain or snow, don't take it in rough areas with rough roads, etc. You want to baby it of course, plus they are classics so you want to treat them nicer than you would a typical daily driver. Late C3's ('78-'82) had the comfort and creature comforts the early C3's ('68-'72) typically doesn't have. Early C3's have the power, the looks (chrome bumpers), and the higher resale value. However one could really put just about any motor into a C3. C4's have so much electronics on them that most car people don't have the tools or knowledge on how to fix things. With that said, you are part of the worlds largest active repair manual. You can't loose either way, both are Corvettes!

I love my '72!

CarrieAnn83

Thanks Brandons72vette! I do love the style of the C3. I don't plan on "beating" it or anything; but, do want to make sure that I wouldn't damage it just from driving it to work and back on nice days :-) Love your 72!

Brandons72vette

I drove my '72 from Madison, Wisconsin to Chicago, IL, to Indiana, Bowling Green, KY, Tennessee, Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and shipped it back to Hawaii and drove it around the Island. Then when I moved to Texas a few years ago I did the reverse trip. I also drove it in high school, college, work, grocery getting, parades, etc. I raced it, I showed, and I even have let it sit for 3 years without leaving the garage before. It did more than fine! Plus I had a blast doing it!

guappy

Welcome

CarrieAnn83

Wow! Thanks again Brandons72vette! That definitely makes me feel less apprehensive about considering a C3 :-) I was beginning to think that they are more better suited for shows after being hauled on the back of a trailer. Definitely good to know that they can be driven for more everyday purposes :-)

gilhuly

welcome Carrie and good luck with your decision!

Brandons72vette

You're welcome, and not that taking extra precautions is a bad thing, but C3's can handle the abuse. I wouldn't recommend beating them up intentionally or very often, but they are tough.

What you need to do is drive SEVERAL OF EACH GENERATION. Drive early (68-72) C3's of both coupe and convertible, big block and small blocks. Have a go at automatic and standards, cars with no AC,PW,PS,PDB,etc. Mine has no power anything except for PDB. You need to test out deluxe interior with leather and the base vinyl interior. Mine is the base interior. You also need to test drive cars with tilt/telescopic wheels, which again mine does not have. Test drive mid C3's (73-77), late C3's (78-82) and again just give yourself a lot of different cars to experience the C3 as much as you can prior to making a decision. Also you need to do the exact same thing for the C4s. In 1986 the C4 offered a convertible for the first time since 1975. The early C4's are from 1983 (never produced for the public) to 1990, and the late C4's were 1991 to 1996. Lots of little changes between each year. DON'T just take our word for it, decide for yourself what YOU want.


I will throw something else into it for consideration, a little bit of details from that trip. Remember that all of this was done in the end of spring and beginning of summer. The trip was about 2-3 weeks, but a good bit of time was just devoted to sight seeing. I drove it above 100 mph almost everywhere. Prior to starting on the road trip, my '72 (my dad gave me this (his) car when I was 15, and I am now 23) had sat in storage for a few years. Since the previous 5 years, the car had only gained 500 miles.


The car was original from paint, interior, motor, spare tire, had all of the papers and tags like Protect-O-Plate, tank sticker, etc. This baby was original! A true survivor. 350 with a 4 speed manual.

So the car went from hardly being driven, to stretching her legs for more than 2-3,000 miles in roughly 2 weeks. The car did great, considering we drove through so many states in rain, thunderstorms, dry conditions, fog, hail,etc. To be exact the car went through 12 of 50 states. The trip did have issues though. Because the car had sat so long the good looking tires on it actually were no longer safe. Knowing that we were going to replace the tires once the trip was over, we decided to just take our chances and that is what we did. At 70 mph the left right rear tire blew out. It was in a little place called Gurdon, Arkansas. You might have heard about this town for the mysterious "Gurdon Light" which is strange "floating" light that moves down the old railroad tracks. The light was first noticed back in the 30's and still is occurring. Anyways, the car had a blowout in the middle of NO WHERE, the instate is nothing but densely populated forrest on either side of the interstate. Every ....10 miles there was an exit to no where. Creepy town. Well the car still had the original spare with tags and rubber **** on it. No air in the spare. That was a nightmare. I won't really go into the story of the trucker that was trying to wreck the Vette. The nearest "gas station" was a little box car (railroad) with the trucks missing. Not a typical place, but found some old fix a flat in there. We were not welcomed very well with the truckers there and they all were trying to harm us and the Vette.


We made it to Dallas and the car got new tires. My dad and I woke up early and got on the road and planned to be in Tucson, AZ. We hit the road at 6 am and by roughly 2 pm we made it Tucson for lunch. Yes, I know that means we made it in about 8 hours, which means we cut the time from like 13-14 hours down to 8. Our average speed was roughly 120 most of the time. Keep in mind that this car had been driven very carefully (still is) and hardly driven and we put into an extreme opposite of what it was used to. The OAT (outside air temperature) was over 100 degrees F, which caused us some problems. NO ac meant that we had to roll with the windows down the entire trip unless it rained. The heat, the distance, and the speed at which we traveled for so long was finally starting to give us some problems. The car was at such a high temperature that we were scared that we might crack the block. We found a water hose and cooled it down. The car needed some tuning and attention after sitting for so long and the radiator needed some work as well as the water pump.

The car made it to California the next day and out to Hawaii. The rest is just beautiful Hawaiian sunset with a gorgeous orange '72 Corvette riding off into it.



Moral of the story: Even a C3 that had sat most of it's life with less than 50,000 miles, abruptly yanked from her cozy storage, forced to run all out in all types of weather and road conditions for 2 weeks solid at speeds usually 20-30 + mph over the limit with old tires (dumb..I know...but we had a deadline to get the car to and from places...and it was so much fun!), only had 2 issues the entire time. Faulty tires leading to a blowout, and over heating issues due to summer heat and excessive high rpms for HOURS on end. The radiator needed to be flushed and the water pump needed some work. Other than that, it was a blast, and I honestly would recommend that if you get a Corvette (C3 or C4) that you take a trip like I did, even if it was just a fraction of my trip....you will thank me later!





Hope this helps!




Here is my Corvette in front of Hilo Bay, Hilo, Hi.


Yes that is SNOW on top of Mauna Kea (Lance Armstrong just ran up the top of the mountain this week)




1985 (highly modified under the hood) and the 1972.






Reeds Bay, Hilo, Hi




Here is my original interior minus the floor mats and deluxe interior armrest (leather) on the console.

CarrieAnn83

Thanks for the welcome guappy and gilhuly!

CarrieAnn83

Brandons72vette, that is an amazing story! I'm hoping that since it's getting nicer out that I will be able to start driving a few more. I hate to test drive and walk away... feel like I'm wasting the seller's time; but, I guess I have to look out for myself too and driving them is the only way I will know :-) I do hope to be able to take a trip like that sometime... what a great way to bond with a new (to you) Vette :-)

kedwin

Welcome to the forum!

CarrieAnn83

Thanks kedwin! I love it here! I learned so much more in the past couple days than in my months of research prior to this :-) Everyone has been really welcoming and helpful! I look forward to sticking around :-)

StingU2

Carrie... Welcome to CF the best place for help in your search for the "Right" corvette.

-Bruce

CarrieAnn83

Thank you, StingU2 :-)

Brandons72vette

You catch on quickly, to say "bond with" is an understatement. Well just be upfront with them and let them know that you are a serious buyer, but that you are not sure which C3 or C4 is right for you. Let them know that you don't want to waste their time or gas, but that you are serious, and that if you like it and feel like you find their car to be the one, then you don't have a problem buying it.

CarrieAnn83

Thanks, that is a really good way to approach the subject :-) Hopefully, the seller will want their Corvette to go to the right person too; and, they will understand :-)

Torchsport

Welcome.

Those guys in the C3 section really know their stuff.
I love the C3. My cousin had a '73 when I was a teen. It was a blast to cruise around with him in that car. It was my first real introduction into the Corvette world.

CarrieAnn83

Thanks Torchsport! You are right, they do :-) I had posted a specific inquiry regarding the C3s there :-)