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My Dad is the original owner of a 1971 Stingray. He is reaching an age where he is considering passing the car on to me. My Father lives in MO & I live in FL, have been starting to research a bit on how to facilitate and want to minimize any tax liabilities as possible. Not sure if best to make this purchase or a gift? FL is typically easier to navigate/ deal with then the MO DMV. The other thing is finding a car shipping co. that will take a lot of care in transporting the car. I'm a member on the forum since I own a C8 but thought this might be a good place to get some ideas on best ways to handle this transaction.
My other issue when taking possession is finding a quality mechanic for classic Vettes. My Dad unhooks the battery as something could be pulling on it on somewhere, you'd think it would be simple since these cars do not have computers. It also appears to have an oil leak, not sure if it's the valve cover gasket- did notice oil smoke out the pipes when first started and running for few minutes but after that runs smooth, no smoke.
This car was not a garage queen, my Dad drove this car, still looks great- obviously showing wear especially on the inside but the condition is what you would expect for a 54 year old car.
2025 c3 ('74-'82) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2023 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2020 C3 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
I bought my Vette new at age 18. My Dad got the loan so it was in his name. After it was paid off we just left in his name....for about the next 30+ years!
2025 c3 ('68-'73) of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2025 C4 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2025 C8 Stingray of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
1. No longer familiar with FL DMV so no advice.
2. Parasitic battery drain- very common. Could be something simple like wiper over ride switch or bad alternator or it could be more difficult. Plenty of threads on this subject.
3. Id skip the mechanic and try to deal with any issues. Replacing a valve cover gasket is fairly simple.
4. Smoke at start up is likely worn valve seals. More complicated but doable for a DIYer. Id change the oil first.
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Slideshow: A Jaguar designer's personal project imagines what a modern front-engined Corvette might look like if Chevrolet revisited the golden age of the Stingray.