kurosh

I know absolutely nothing about cars (not unwilling to learn, just don't know how/where). I'm 18. I want to buy a car. I'm looking to spend between 5k-10k. I want something flashy, fast but also dependable. Is that possible??? I've always liked old vettes because they look so damn nice but if I get one, will I have a lot of trouble with it breaking down?? Should I get another type of car??

I've been looking on ebay and this looks nice: here
but then again, like I said, I don't know anything about cars.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Edit: Oh, and a manual is a MUST. I can't stand driving automatics.

Entropy

Welcome to the forum.

I took a quick look at the background on the car, and there is one glaring error. That car can't be matching numbers transmission and have the rock crusher tranny (the rock crusher is a muncie with close ratios and is heavy duty, my brother has one). That is generally labeled as option as M-22. If you look at the black book on corvettes, that option is not there. They might have the M-21, which is still a nice tranny, it just isn't heavy duty like the M-22.
I also noticed that it has an aftermarket stereo where the original stereo used to be. Not a wise idea if you are interested in keeping the original look.
The best thing you could do is drive to where the car is and drive it. Gut feeling is the best if you are really looking to buy without accepting all the headaches.
If I was you, I might let this one pass by, and join your local corvette club. They can help you find a car in your range, and may even be able to help you fix it (owning old corvettes and fixing them go hand in hand.)...anyways sorry for the long post, but good luck with finding a car. Corvettes are wonderful to drive.

trw

page62

Never buy a car sight unseen. And since you know very little about cars, ask someone who does know to help you check out the car.

If you buy a C3, you may not know much about cars now...but you'll have to be a fast learner! These cars require more care & feeding than modern vehicles. That's just part of the classic car ownership experience!

:

sb69coupe

Any C3 era car in your price range will require repairs to at least some mechanical areas of the car. Some repairs are relatively simple and inexpensive, while others are quite costly and difficult even for an experienced home mechanic. You're between a rock and a hard place here. You don't have the budget to afford a fully restored/refurbished car, and you don't have the skills and money to perform the work yourself.

Do you already have daily transportation? It sounds like you'll want this car to be your daily driver. If this will be your only car, I strongly urge you to buy a reliable late model car and wait until a later date to jump into the C3 world.

CGGorman

Let's see...

Low budget + no experience or knowledge + dependability concerns= no C3 Vette.

Hate to say it, but you should look at the newest C4 you can afford if you are dead set on a Vette.

Now, if you are willing to budge on one of those three criteria, you can get into a C3 easily... There's a saying that I find hold true most of the time: Cheap, fast, or quality...pick two. An old Vette is gonna break. When it does, you need another form of transportation to fill the gap or be able to fix it quick, which mean having the money to buy the parts and the skills to do the work...or more money to pay a mechanic. If you can take your time to fix it, money and skills often take care of themselves.

Vettes are a great pleasure when they aren't a great thorn in your side...kinda like a woman

kurosh

That's what I was worried about. How much would I need to buy a fully restored car that I wouldn't have to repair?? Could you recommend a reliable late model car that is fast and flashy in my price range?

Corvus

Sounds like me 2 years ago when I first joined the forum.


I have a 76 and am 19, soon to be 20 ( next month )

You can get a decent 76 for around 6-8k but expect to fix a little something every now and then. and hopefully you'll learn something every time like I did.


I bought my 76 for $5,800 and the only thing it costed me was:

Spark plugs
Air Filter
Starter
Plug wires
Dis cap
A few quarts of oil
Optima battery


All the above costed me less than $400 and she runs good.


Most people might discourage you and say don't get one, but F*** 'em.
Get your stingray, and everytime you have a problem you will get help, and I will do my best to help ya, and walk ya thru it.

We have alot of great people in this forum who can help you on almost anything. So don't buy a Civic and get a vette.


A quick list of things to look for:


*Frame/Birdcage rust (birdcage is the metal part of the body aka cockpit )

*Test drive it, and run it thru every gear, see how it shifts.

*Leave it to idle for a bit, and see if it starts to overheat

*Check under the car for rusted floor pans

*Test brakes, and steering


This is a important list everything else could easily be fixed. I'm sure there's alot of other things the forum members might add to a check list.

AGVI

$10-$15

CGGorman

Sometimes the truth hurts. $400 won't buy half the weatherstripping for my '68. I know. Hell, I put 10K into my car before I could even sit down in it...let alone drive it. I guess it depends on what you got and what you want.

My sister maxed her budget on an 85 Vette that was in real good shape. Well, after the alternator went out, the tires and battery needed replaced, the kids next door hit it with a bike, she "upgraded" the stereo, bought this little thing and that little thing...not to mention gas, plates, and insurance... She's fed up with it and it's a burdon, she can't afford to keep it on the road, but she sure could afford to BUY it.

Owning a thing and buying a thing should NEVER be confused.

Boofers

No need to rush the purchase, take your time & look at a lot of vettes before you decide on one. Every time you look at one you will learn something.

When you put money into a car you will not get it all out again when you sell it. You can take advantage of this by buying a car that someone has already put money into; headers & new dual exhaust or rebuilt suspension, etc. Just know that the more a car has been modified the more opportunity for you to find screw ups.

One good way to check for frame sag is open and close the drivers door, observe how smoothly it swings closed. Now open the door, sit in the drivers seat and close the door. If the door is noticeably harder to close with you sitting in the car there is a good chance that the frame is sagging from the weight of you in the seat, meaning the frame is weak.

Oh and if you can poke your finger through the frame you may want to keep looking as well

codestar7

Try a Vintage Nissan...OOPS Datsun for the first car, easier to keep going. 1970-1972 240Z's are cheep............They kinda look the same.

Corvus

Yea don't get me wrong. I think you should take your time to find a good deal. Heck I bought my car after 2 years of looking around.

I think for your 10k budget you can get a nice 74+ car that doesn't need so much fixing.


Now when you talk about fully restored. do you mean # matching?

'Cause even a 75 L-48 fully restored # matching vette will be over 10k.

I think you can easily get a good reliable c3 for less than 10k.


Oh by the way, most 74+ vettes are slow stock, but you can get a reliable one for under 10k, and use the rest of your budget to bring most of the 350s to good power.

kurosh

Uh, I don't know what # matching means. Does it mean the new parts are of the same model as the original car? I don't really care. I just like the way they look.

Fastbackl48

I hope you live in a warm climate because you will not enjoy the car in winter. I drove my 79' 6 years as a daily driver out of high school and would not do it again. NJ winters are tough. I always had problems on ice, getting the car to warm up, keeping the interior insulated. You can not compete with all the SUVs and front wheel drive cars on the road today in winter months. If you buy a C3, make sure you also get some front wheel drive beater for winter.

majic1984

I don't think he's interested in numbers matching or originality... as he said, he just wants something "flashy."

When you buy something flashy you have to take this into consideration: Sometimes sellers will put a new paint job on the car and spiff it up a bit to sell it - don't be fooled by a cosmetic restoration. As a matter of fact, if it's painted and still needs mechanical work, you're pretty much screwed because you're going to mess the paint job up trying to reach over the fenders to fix something. Also, if the interior is worn out (which I suspect it will be if you buy a cheaper car) and you want to replace it, a whole new interior can run you near $3,000 easily - which will pretty much negate the fact that you didn't want to spend as much.

Take these guys advice, they know what they're talking about - get the car that is in the best shape even if it costs you $3000 more than the old beat up one. It'll be worth it in the end.

- Michael

72LS1Vette

If you get closer to the $10K range you should be able to get a last-generation Camaro or Firebird. There is also the later model Nissan 300ZX or maybe a Mitsubishi 3000 GT. You will most likely have to spend some money on repairs on any used car, but if you can get a Camaro with an LS1 and 6-speed trans you can get close to the Vette experience.

Rick B.

COMMANDER370

Check with your insurance agent about pricing as this can get scary if you are a young driver Other than that, welcome to the forum

grybdn

I paid $8500.00 for my NOM 71 coupe. I have shelled out the following
$700.00 to fix wipers and change all related parts.
$300.00 new exhaust
$500.00 new tires
$800.00 on misc parts
and I this is only after a year, I figure a new crate motor $2000.00-$3500.00 next year, plus.

If you want it buy it, fix it when you have to, or have the extra money.
Just my 02cents.
Forgot to add in the front end rebuild

Sevensteps

I bought this 1979 L82 in Texas for $5500 on Ebay sight unseen and had it shipped tome by "Fedex Custom Critical".

I put a few cosmetics in it, a new radiator and sidepipes. It already have an aftermarket CD player and ran exceptionally well. I like the car and would do it all over again exactly as I did it before

meangreenie

Sweet car! Looks a lot like my '73. Awesome deal.