C3 Corvette Unrealistic Dream?
 

I've always been a big fan of corvettes and the c3 corvette is my dream car. I would like to start setting money aside so about 5 years from now I can get a corvette. The question is would 40k-50k be enough to get what I want from a c3 corvette? All I want is it to be reliable enough to daily drive and to drive smooth.And when i say reliable i mean reliable i dont want to be under the hood every weekend. And when i say a smooth ride i dont mean perfect just reasonable. I drive a 1997 Toyota Camry if i could get it as good of a ride as that i would be happy. I dont really want any more horsepower than stock unless i can achive those two things. Can I achieve that with 40k-50k and my own labor? Or is just a pipe dream that I will end up spending more time and money on than its worth.

yes

5 years from now? Who knows what they will be selling for at that time. Chances are that will be enough but you never can tell.

I would not wait 5 years. My 73 has doubled in value in the 2 years i've owned it. Its ludicrous. I was going to sell it for that profit and buy the 69 i want, but they've gone up even more. You can still buy a nice C3 for close to 10 grand. It'll be a 78-81, and an automatic, but it'll pass your test if you get a good one. The 69 427 car in the same condition will be 30K. So, what do you NEED, and what can you live with?

As for reliable, i've found that Corvette guys (as a whole) think their cars inherently bad and unreliable. I've not driven mine yet, so i cant say, but it cant be as bad as they say it is. If they were actually that awful, i'd sell mine and go back to Mopar. I'm hoping that this is an entirely hyperbolic generalization. I plan to daily drive mine, 365 days a year.

Are you even serious? Depending on the year, you have now cars for sale at 10k$ that are clean and can be driven smoothly.
In 5 years though things might change a lot.

Let's break this down.

1) You want to buy a C3 Corvette in the year 2028.
2) You want this to be your daily driver car.
3) You want this car to ride as smooth as a modern car.
4) You don't want to work on the car.
5) Your budget is $40-50K.

Sounds like you want modern suspension components or something like a Street Shop C7 based chassis that utilizes 2014-current Corvette suspension components to achieve that smooth ride. This would also include an LS engine swap to give you that turn key free maintenance you are looking for. You can plant any C3 1968 to 1982 body onto that chassis. Can you do that within your budget of $40-50K doing your own labor, maybe but it's going to be tight depending on the doner car you start with.

All C3 Corvettes sold by GM from 1968 to 1982 were daily drivers, the difference being they were new vice being 41 to 55 years old used Chevy's today. If I was going to daily drive a C3 today I would want to start with a Vette that went through a complete frame off restoration or a very low milage well sorted out car that has no issues. If you don't get crazy with the frame off restoration and do all the labor yourself your budget will support that, again assuming you start with a good car because "Paint" will be your budget killer. To have your cake and eat it too start with a clean car with no body and paint issues and pop the body off and run through the chassis end to end.

Can you buy a turn key C3 that is OEM original in the 41 to 55 year old range on your budget, sure you can but it's not going to be maintenance free and ride like a C7 Corvette.

Good luck in your search and plan going forward, and for what it's worth a frame off restoration (end to end chassis) is not that big of a deal if you have the space and proper tools.
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A C3 Corvette is a 50 plus year old car. What is a fantasy is to think you are going to buy one that is going to be as reliable as a modern car. Without a complete restoration, it will never be. You will simply face problems, one after the other, if you intend to drive it every day......without lots or restoration, rebuild,...and preventative maintenance. Its not realistic. IF....you do a complete rebuild, then you may be closer to that goal, but it will cost alot of money, time and frustration. I know. Its absolutely worth it, but you don't just buy that unless you buy a car that been properly rebuilt with good parts. The modern expectation of reliability has occurred because of the evolution of car....and they are now reliable, complicated, and expensive. Thats just the way it is.

This forum, especially the tech forum, PROVES my statement above. Just go down the pages of postings about maintenance issues. That tells you what you need to know. For those that disagree.......here is my question....why is their a forum, filled every day with maintenance problems to resolve?? Old classic and muscle cars are not reliable daily drivers until they are worked on, rebuilt and maintained....period. And even then, its old technology. Modern people have a different expectation and are spoiled by what modern cars have to offer. So its two different worlds.

Now.....nobody loves a C3 more than me.......and its worth all the work (sometimes I get pushed to the limit),.......but it has to be a passion and love of owning, and driving, the car to push through all the effort and money it takes. There is no magic pill that changes that fact.

I think I got my answer. I love LOVE the c3 corvette but from your answer I just don't think I am passionate enough to own one and try to restore one cus at the end of the day I love the car but it's not what I want... I don't want a car that is gonna sit in my garage for years as I chip away at it and constantly face issues mechanically. Sounds like the c7 corvette more of what I want.

If your looking to purchase one in a few years I'd be tickled pink to sell you a 71 convertible, especially in your price range, more realistically I would be happy to get :pistols:say 25k & I
would throw in all the parts I have with it. Maybe by then we will all have converted to electric motors.
When I can't here it than it won't be any fun.

I find of these statements to be humorous, yes I added to his statement because he's in hyperbolic land.
No I'm not picking on your dog again.
BUT you say your 73 has doubled in value, (in your mind) from all the things that you write about that is wrong with your car, so hopefully mine has also, especially after spending $1146.38 yesterday on a complete
new fuel system & whatever Lars is going to bill me, guessing another $450

You could buy one that has been worked on and do simple maintenance but you had better find one that isn't all screwed up. You think a c7 doesn't need to be maintained, have you something to learn.

Good luck on your journey

My 33K miles, perfect condition C5 Z06 doesn't ride as smoothly as your Camry. A C3 never will (unless you sit it on a Camry chassis! :D). Corvettes are sports cars and will always ride more stiffly than a passenger car.

That said, if you have a $40K to $50K budget and you currently drive a '97 Camry (I find this odd but whatever) my recommendation would be to keep your Camry as your daily and buy a nice C3 as a weekend fun car. You can pick up a nice metal bumper car for less than you low dollar mark and you can get a super clean rubber bumper car for half of that and have a bunch of money left over.

A later C3 will usually have more creature comforts too. like power windows, door locks, seats, a/c, etc. This will make for a more pleasurable driving experience unless you prefer raw power as a priority.

It's all hypothetical, they don't have anything now, they HOPE to have the budget in five years!

No, i know a c7 will have to maintained but i if I but if I buy a c7 I know what I'm getting... it's going to run pretty smooth it's gonna have lots power... I'm fine doing maintenance but I don't want to have to tear the car apart every few months.... What I'm seeing is if I spent 40k-50k on a c3 I MIGHT be able to get what I want out of it but it's gonna be tight with the budget and the reliability will be iffy..... I think the c7 route will be better for me cus I get what I want out of the gate and reliable is guaranteed to be better since it's a moder car. You get what I'm saying?? The c3 even though it's my dream car, I don't want to get it if I'm probably not gonna meet my budget and it's going to be more repairing and building than actual driving

The C7 is the better option for you, and it won't require any more maintenance than any other modern car.

Out of the gate you wanted a c3, so you aren't actually. :leaving:

Thats all confusing to me.....first, you haven't driven your car yet......because of reasons unknown to me,....but I bet they are maintenance related. So......suggesting the cars don't require alot of work is a little confusing. And if Mopars are maintenance free and reliable when they are 50 years old.....then they are better cars than a Corvette. But I am not sure about that, nor does that fit with the history of these cars. If you think you are driving a Corvette every day of the year,....and doing 150 mph on a regular basis.....WITHOUT a complete restoration of ALL components.......I think you should go back to those reliable Mopars....cause it ain't happening. I would bet over time....reality will be self evident. People who say old cars are reliable, without complete and proper rebuilds.....are simply just not driving them. Sitting in a garage counts for nothing. This is not about ego, or showmanship....its just basic physical facts about old machinery, that has not been well maintained......so as withy any machinery, it will not continue to function unless fixed. Wiring, rubber parts, seals, gaskets, .....all 40 plus years old. It wears out over time......and needs replaced.....otherwise, its one break down after the other.

Just my opinion......and as for what the OP asked about......he doesn't sound like a guy who is mechanically inclined....or wants to be,........so no 50 year old car should be in his garage...Chevy, Mopar, Ford, Mercedes or whatever. And as for a C7......maybe.....but I have been having a large number of continuing issues with the driveline in my 2006 Corvette.....and its getting old. So.....not even impressed with an 18 year old car in regards to reliability. The only thing about a C7 is that ALL maintenance bills will cost alot more than a C3 maintenance bill....and all the fancy shit will just cost more to fix.......but just may be more reliable over time.....maybe.

Cars......if you don't love working on them.......stick with a Camry, or many of the equivalently boring versions available today. High performance / sports cars are a different animal......at least as far as Corvette.....I don't know much, nor care to know much.....about German, Italian, etc cars.

:thumbs:

I know where one is for about $8K :rofl:

Ill take a different route.

I dont believe a person has to personally work like a slave on his C3 Corvette constantly.

You could buy a very nice condition 1980 car, which would be the most modern, comfortable, smooth C3 you can find with the most creature comfort options, without any computer or cross fire gimmicks to wrestle with. You could spend $15k and likely get a very pretty, very mechanically sound car you could drive today. Theres probably someone out there who’s dumped way too much money in his car thats ready to sell at a loss. Theres definitely one at auction.

After that (or even before) find yourself a dependable mechanic who can work on the car when problems arise. If your budget is $40-50k, 5 years from now, you could buy the car now and keep a “repair fund” that you contribute to monthly. At a rate that would add $25-35k or more over the next 4-5 years, you could be enjoying the car and be prepared to pay for repairs.

Having a relationship with a reliable, trustworthy mechanic is absolutely an option over believing YOU have to do all that work yourself. People always say its mandatory to “become” a mechanic to own one of these cars.It’s simply not true.