R&L's C6

I am not a much of a wrencher. I can do the basics like oil changes, brakes, and simple repairs, but not a lot more. Seeing that some of these cars are getting to be 40 years old, can someone afford one that cant do major repairs? Do they require constant maintenance? I dont want to end up with a money pit...

Thoughts........

jnealg

buy the best one you can. I pay to get a lot of the mech work done since I cant do major work on it in our parking lot. I have a very reasonable mech though. interior and basic work is all me though.
get the books (AIM and service manual) and spend a LOT of time on here picking these guys brains. you can do a lot of it with basic tools and patience.
The aim pretty much shows you what holds these cars together. invaluable is an understatement.

Learn to use search on here. even threads going back 10 years are helpful with 40 year old cars

blk79nj

If it's not a daily driver and you get one in good condition, you will be ok. These cars are simple to work on, and you already know where to come for good information.

Not all of them require major repairs to keep going.

AGVI

Buy one that's "done" and enjoy!

Les

68 Issues

If the car is not a daily driver and you are not in a real big hurry to get a job done you may surprise yourself with what you can do. I'm not the greatest mechanic either. But, so far I have managed to rebuild the front suspension, install a new aluminum radiator with electric fans and, upgrade the steering box. With the money you can save by doing it yourself you can end up with some nice tools too!! It is amazing what you can accomplish with a little patience and all of the help available on the forum. But, I know my limits too. When it came to the trailing arms and rear bearings I just wrote the check.

C3Stretch

I was pretty much in your shoes a couple of months ago.
What I did was look at about 30 C3s till I found the one that had the most recent upgrades and needed a little work here and there in areas I was comfy at doing.
I have basic mechanical skills and carpentry & electrical back ground so I can fiddle with a lot of stuff.

I bought a sweet 81 with a lot of recent new items and got it for a lot lower than I was planning. I am enjoying it for the summer and with the money I saved I am searching on this site for stuff to do to it over the winter.

Good luck and you will KNOW when you find it!!!

2TONE82

My first '82 had a "down stream" problem, as in whatever I fixed, the next component down stream broke....she had 130k miles on her and was a great learning platform. My current '82 was purchased with 22k miles on her and has been a dream to own....big day for me is changing the oil and rotating the tires! With my schedule, just the way I like it! As others have said, buy the best you can afford and enjoy the drive!

0WildVettes

WAY easier to work on than a C4,C5,C6. This thing is a walk in the park compared to those newer cars. All depends on your budget. A C5 with typical "near free" electrical problems will empty your pocket book faster than you would believe.

I don't recommend owning ANY Corvette unless you can work on it. I had to pull the steering column on my C5 to replace a cheap sensor. My neighbor walked by and said holy **** you work on your own Corvette? I told him yeah I don't trust anyone else to do it. It is true too.

R&L's C6

Thanks for the replies so far.

So far I'm hearing take your time and buy the best one you can afford. As much as I love my C6 ,the C3 is the car that made me fall in love with Corvettes and would love to have one.

I was thinking the same thing that WildVettes said, the C3 would be more simple to fix than the newer generations. My C6 is ridiculously complicated with all the electronics and don't plan on owning it once it's warranty is up.

I guess I'll just keep an eye open for the right one...

PeteZO6

Just be aware that while c3s are "simple" to work on, in fact, they can be a PITA because they have a lot of stuff crammed into a relatively small space. That means that changing, say, a power steering pump on a C3 is a lot harder than changing one on a full size Chevrolte sedan or pickup of that era.

Then there is the vacuum system and the IRS and the complications there.
Also, the brake system, while stelar when working properly, can be very challenging to those who don't understand how they should be repaired. I'm not trying to scare you away, just letting you know these cars can be trying to work on. I'm a long time C3 owner and love mine.


Pete

Indiancreek

It's a learning process. The more you do on your own the more attached you'll get to it.

LS4 PILOT

C1,2,3, And even C4 are very basic cars , the parts last along time , and most parts are rebuildable. Yes , no doubt most stuff is hard as the dickens to get to . But, the parts prices are astronomical compared to C3 for those new cars. I remember a guy telling me distributors were like 700.00 for his IRoc Camaro and , stuff is buried inside the engine , up side down, and all kinds of craziness .

I had my rear end, dizzy, alt, prw steering pump, steering box, water pump, starter. Everything still works perfect 23 years latter.

I used the best in the business to rebuild the original items . They can easily be rebuilt again.

Key is to maintain , the car as you go, keep it inside and rebuild the GM parts which are 100x better than the repro junk.

Just let those C 5 and up get 30 years old and see if anybody thinks they will be worth working on, if parts will be available, all that computer garbage , will disappear and be unavailable, what are you going to do then , make your own circuit boards? all that sensors , and junk will be out of site to buy , and finding any one to work on it will be tuff. C3 is a very basic car really, just have to be able physically to bend in awful ways to reach stuff.....
All those air ride systems , air bags, miles of wiring , boards, the price to maintain ,,all tha stuff, a valve stem nipple with electronic sensor , 100.00 ? who would possibly want to restore a car with all that garbage and million dollars of pollution controls on it.

muskegonbrake

Everyone has to start somewhere! Besides, with this forum you have access to a lot of knowledge and resources that i'm confident will get you worked through any problem that may present itself.

On top of that, you will more than likely start finding yourself with the car and having a great time both wrenching and driving. Good Luck on your decision.

Chicagodogs

Figure out what type of C3 you want, like the chrome bumpers(cost more), original or modified, big block or small block, vertical rear window or domed. I bought mine for $9500 and it looked like in very good shape. I wanted the vertical rear window and stick shift, it was the best one I found. It needed a new radiator and all of the brake calipers were leaking and minor interior fixes. Like others have said, buy the most complete you can, but have a little slush fund for things that you didn't notice or weren't told about. They are simple compared to the newer vehicles. But every thing I have done, was a PITA to do. Like you had to take off a bunch of parts to get to the part you wanted to fix. Buy the AIM (Assembly Instruction Manual) and take pictures before you take anything apart. I get all kinds of thumbs up when driving it. I too love the lines of the C3. Good luck in your search, I can't wait to see what you get!

capevettes

If you can handle the basic maintenance and minor repairs that is half the battle. Once the major systems are fresh, liike the motor and transmission, it should be relatively simple. If you have always wanted one, go get it but make sure it's a good one as others have said.

This is no dress rehearsal

Tally Ho

I would much rather work brakes and suspension on C4 and up. Much easier to maintain and access. I've owned two 82's. The first was bought fairly new and did not require a lot of maintenance. The second was bought as a low mile car but had been sitting for several years. I rebuilt the front and rear suspension and did a complete interior restore. This forum was priceless as far as obtaining parts and technical advice. The person that bought the second 82 got as close to a new 82 as you could for the money. He has not had to do anything but personalise it.

As suggested find one that's already been restored if you don't want to work on it. If you like a challenge, find one that needs a few things done. It's a great learning experience.

I have two C6's now and do all of my own maintenance. Despite all of the electronics they're still easier to work on than the older ones IMHO. I will always have a place in my heart for the C3 as it was my first and the design is timeless.

rafalc

Oil changes, brakes, and simple repairs are not that far behind all other repairs. If you have the tools, a set of jack stands, and the will to do it... things WILL get done. I was in your shoes.... oil changes and brake jobs only, then this happened:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c3-g...r-project.html

Easy Mike

Learn to be a wrencher.

7T1vette

If you can't do your own repairs...or you don't have deep pockets....don't buy a C3. Or, as Mike indicated, you could LEARN how to work on your car.

roadblock69

I had to respond to this since I feel much the same way! I have a C6 that is now beyond its warranty period.( I have only 2,300 miles it.) The electronics are less than dependable. Door modules and switches are the issues that plague my C6. The cost of repairing these is exaggerated by the need to take it to the dealer to have the module flashed. ( No Plug and Play from GM) I have two C3s that I love to drive and they are easy to maintain. I do not have to go to GM for any parts for the C3s either. That is a great benefit! Hi Tech is great when it works! I wonder how much fun the C6 will be to own in 40 years!!! LOL