And I remember it like yesterday.. I was just one year out of high school but that day had been years in the making. It started in the summer of '70 when I was 12 after getting a life changing ride in the back of a '63 SWC. Right away I got a paper route & started saving. Pumping gas at my Uncle's Mobil station would follow. By my senior year I was working a 30 hour week. But a year later I was still $5k short of what I needed for a new Vette & that's where my Dad stepped in. He knew I wasn't going to turn into a bum overnight so he agreed to get a loan in his name. The order was placed in January & now the big day was finally here. I would have friends during the summer of '76 that wanted to drive it which was fine as long as I was riding shotgun. Girls wanted to be seen in it & that was better.. I was 18 and on top of the world. Things couldn't get any better, right? Well, they would..

By early '79 I could finally afford to leave the nest & I moved into a west Omaha apartment complex with a guy I worked with. Almost immediately we both noticed two knockout blonde identical twins living in the building across from ours. One appeared to have a boyfriend but the other didn't & she drove a blue '72 Torino. Over the summer I'd see her come & go but I never found an opportunity to say hi, something never easy for me anyway. That would change on a cool Fall weekend afternoon. I was out in my garage wrenching on the Vette when I heard a car pull up. A blue Torino. The blonde rolled down her window, looked up at me with a smile and said " I just wanted to tell you I've always liked your Corvette" I went into shock. She knew I existed? I remember saying thanks but things go blank after that. But whatever it was must of worked. Last Saturday I celebrated my 45th wedding anniversary with that blonde. We would go on to have a daughter and she would give us two granddaughters plus the son I never had in a son-in-law. Besides being a good husband & Dad he's also a gearhead & baseball fan...lucky me!

Rarely does a car purchase shape your life but mine did. I never would of met my wife without the Vette. I sometimes wonder "what if", what would of happened without it?

My plan today is to take her out for a spin down Hwy 50 south out of Dodge, the 1st highway I drove it on all those years ago. Just the two of us.. Maybe make a withdrawal or two from the memory bank & see if I can recapture my youth somewhere out in the countryside. Well, if only in my mind anyway.. It's an original paint, interior, drivetrain car with 78k on the clock and it's still never had even one major repair.

Thanks for reading.
Corvette Lover Dan..

 

Congratulations, great story!

 

Hello Dan,
What a nice tale and you tell it so well !
The years certainly fly by !!

 

Congrats Dan, love that blue!

I was finishing up 4th grade when you bought your car, and my '76 was rolling off the assembly line.
I enjoy the stories of original owners all the years after buying the vehicle, whether it's a car or a bike.

 

Nice story, thanks for sharing.
It’s amazing that you were able to keep ownership for so many years.
Congratulations!

 

Great story, and one great looking C-3. Completely unmolested and original.

 

Happy Birthday to your Vette

 

Great story. Thanks for sharing.

 

Here's some numbers you youngsters might get a kick out of...

I was also making $2.50 an hour 50 years ago today, about $350 a month take-home.

My payment was around $170 & the insurance even in my Dad's name was another $100 a month. Teenage kid living in the house ya know.

Needless to say I stayed with Mom & Dad a lot longer than I wanted. But man, was it worth it..

 

Happy 45th anniversary with your wife. I am coming up on #50 next month so I can relate to everything that is needed to make a marriage last that long. Congrats on that milestone. But we need a picture of your bride. WIth the car would be even better. You don't need to be in it though....

 

Very cool stories from the past & what a beautiful car!

 

Cool story.

 

Great story, Dan! Thank you for sharing those great memories from an original owner! You have a beautiful car with a great color combo. I hope you have many many more years of enjoyment in your cool car.

 

DAN! Great Love(s) Story! Please copy and paste your write-up in the ROADTRIP THREAD...then add some roadtrip photos/videeos to the thread so we can keep up!!!!!!!

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...light=roadtrip

 

Great story!!!!!!👍👍👍

 

Congratulations! Beautiful car and fantastic story.

 

You married a chick driving a Ford???, and it wasn't even a Starski and Hutch look alike...She must be something!!!! lol
Nice Story...

If you want to rekindle yesteryear, do it..... HERE!!
They seem to be worth more than a Vette...

60

 

What a great story! My wife of 47 years and I say that our Corvette (bought in "only" 1990!) changed our lives and led to all we do now, but you've gone one better - it pretty much IS your life!
Congrats on the car and your marriage!🥂

 

Nice story Dan. Thanks so much for sharing.
Me, haven't had my 77 quite as long. But close.
And unlike you. 4 ex wives. But I still have my car.

 

Keep on rolling, nothing like the thrill of driving Corvette, nice story!