sdba11

Hi All,

I've had three C4's in the past - a 1992 LT1 and two ZR1s, a 1991 and a 1992. I found these cars very easy to work on - and over 5 years of ownership needed to work on one radiator, one starter motor, one renewed set of fuel injectors and two clutches. That was it - very little downtime.

I'm currently Corvette-less but looking to get back - either to a C4 or... a really nice C3. In fact a 69 in riverside gold is just beautiful.

To this: I am mechanically capable, but I don't want to be working on the car every weekend. So........... what level of effort would an early C3 require? I'd like to drive her every weekend, perhaps 5,000 miles a year, and other than basic and acceptable "wear and tear" items and usual clutch etc., what's the overall - honest!! - level of work I need to keep this beauty going? I appreciate that it will be a near 50 year old car, but one of my other passions is tractors, and I have a 1964 and 1974 tractor which just keep going and going ... so age isn't everything!

I have looked thru all the gotchas to watch out for buying a C3 - and absolutely agree that it's best to buy one in the condition I want rather than get it to that state myself. So for around $40K (which is a lot of money, for me... but offset in the idea that it won't lose money over time...)... I think I can get a nice C3 example.

Any comments?

Thanks

Steve

Dutchess County, NY

Alan 71

Hi Steve,
Welcome!
First post!!

$40,000 IS a lot of money!
It SHOULD buy a pretty nice 69 small block coupe though.

How much time and money it will take to maintain it as you drive it will depend on it's mechanical and cosmetic condition when you buy it.

68-72 cars are really pretty simple cars and the vast majority of mechanical parts are readily available.
Many of the mechanical parts that may fail are still rebuildable by various services… starters, alternators, water pumps, etc.

I can only repeat that what a car might require as you drive it 5000 per year will depend on what the car is when you buy it.
Good Luck!
Regards,
Alan

68-72 RUST!! Don't unknowingly buy a nice looking car that's rusty!!!

xpoc454

Yeah, I would definitely agree. 40k$ will get you a non matching numbers car in pretty good shape and possibly a matching one in great shape also. But you have to make sure when you buy that your getting what you pay for. Some people have a lot higher prices for a car that you can get better somewhere else.

You might even want to go the 25k$ range and pocket the 15k$ and use it to have a shop you trust fix any minor problems for you that may arrive.

raydog9379

$40k gets you into pretty solid Big Block or 70-72 LT-1 category based on recent sales in eBay.

If you're looking for something that might meet some of the toughest standards of folks on here....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1969-Chevro...p2047675.l2557

This would have ticked a lot of my boxes should I be in the market:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1971-Chevro...p2047675.l2557

Or go for this 69 L68 Tri-Power that I want so freaking bad if my wife would let me (also for sale on the forum here). Needs a little work but could you imagine???:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1969-Chevro...VZwx00&vxp=mtr

See Three

I bought a highly optioned 71 big block and if I had to do it again I would probably not get one with AC. I hardly use it and it makes it hard to change the plugs under the compressor plus it is the only thing that has needed attention so far that I couldn't do myself. Working on stuff behind the dash would be no fun but other than that I don't think they are too bad.

Gold Dragon

40,000 will buy a whole lot of C-3. I would look for something that has already been restored. The older cars are almost 50, and will have rust somewhere. Happy Hunting.

revitup

You shouldn't even have to open the hood on a $40K C3 except for routine maintenance. I have 25K invested in my '77, $10K purchase and $15K in restoration. It starts and runs everyday and it's completely dependable. I rarely even have to check oil or tire pressures. I open the hood every couple of weeks during the season, mostly just to admire the engine.

resdoggie

I bought my '76 in 1988. Aside from routine maintenance and replacing brake pads and rebuilt calipers, power steering control valve, leaky power steering pump, ball joints, trailing arm bushings, shocks, etc., I've only had one major breakdown in 1995, blown engine due to pushing car to the limits and one minor roadside breakdown two years ago, dirt in the needle/seat of carb. All this after almost 30 years of ownership. Not bad, really! There are worse cars out there but mine has been reliable for the few thousand miles per year I put on her.

As for $40K for an early C3 or any C3, not me. Way over priced and only fools part with that kind of money.

ignatz

I drove mine to work every day, rain or shine for 35 years. Every now and then something out of the ordinary would happen (e.g. timing chain skipped a notch). So you need to expect you may have to put it on a trailer once in a while. Other than that, once I got rid of the points type distributor, the car was quite reliable and easy to work on. The one annoyance was it would foul plugs no matter what I tried. With the AIR system and ignition shields in the way, that was a continuing hassle. Have manual brakes and no AC so I can't say how much worse those make that job, but it can't help.

I really don't think you will be working on a well-purchased car every weekend, providing you are careful when you buy. If you get the urge to "improve" things, that is an entirely different story.

Wee

There is a red 68 for sale at ebay and here as well.....Looks like a pretty nice well sorted out car for $22,900.

Brian

Tonio

The reality is that a '69 vette is nearing 50 years old. It might not need work every weekend, but these cars will typically need more attention than say a C4. For the money, a C4 is way more bang for your buck, and should be much less work to keep on the road. But, and this is a HUGE but: compared to a gold '69, a C4 isn't NEARLY as easy on the eyes. So what do you really want?

ignatz

68's have a number of 68 only parts and idiosynchrasies! Suggest you do some research, Steve.

sdba11

Thanks all for the feedback. Man those C3s are very easy on the eyes. A blue 1972 looks pretty nice too, lots of choices.

So, so far other than general items the car is being reported as generally reliable - which is good to hear. I am going to keep a look out and see what I can do.

Mr D.

I'm guessing that's because there is no such thing as a really nice C4.

Rescue Rogers

$20 grand will get you a dependable car.

pigfarmer

With your requirements & wallet I'd at least have a look at Jim Glass.

I bought mine specifically so I could fiddle with it. Been fun.
Good luck

Jeff
Dutchess County NY

Avery_Filbert

I'd agree... I wouldn't spend much more than 20k or so, past there seems to overall just be really high and I'd almost venture to call it a risk. A nice 72 showed up near me with only 38,000 original miles for 20k, if it were me I would purchase something similar to this and have the additional security of keeping the extra money for if something did happen to break on it, plus with all that extra money you could change it as you like to make it a more personalized car
I'd look for something like this (I understand there aren't pictures of the undercarriage/ engine but this is off the assumption that they are in the condition I would associate with a car with such low mileage)

https://boise.craigslist.org/cto/d/1...332151565.html

Rescue Rogers

this may be a LT1 clone , but if its had all that work done, its a good one

https://offerup.com/item/detail/340479459/?ref=Search

sdba11

Thanks for the additional input. I have looked into more and more and have a much better feel. Agreed on the price - there are some lovely $20K or so cars, and agreed, the money saved can be money aside for any eventual work.

I'm not in any rush (!!) as it may be next year or even the year after till I get it, I just want to know what I want backwards, forwards, inside out before I get going!

I'm also at a loss for the color!! The riverside gold or warbonnet yellow are pretty, but the blue is nice, the red is good... it's such a perfectly shaped car, it suits all colors!!

resdoggie

Come to Canada and get a vette. Your US dollar goes a long way up here.