vertigogo

I just finished a 1900-mile round trip to Seattle, and I kept a count of the Corvettes I spotted along the way. Here they are.

C4: 2
C5: 6
C6: 14
C7: 1

I suppose that distribution is to be expected, but I was surprised that out of the thousands of cars I saw, there was nary a C3, let alone any of the earlier generations.

Is this pretty normal?

It was easy to spot the beautiful Vettes, which stood out among the drab SUVs, minivans, and so forth, and even among the countless Challengers, Camaros, and Mustangs I saw.

SSTEVEGS

I think they're (C-3's) too valuable to drive - especially if you did a lot of interstate driving. One of my neighbors has a C3 'vert - 64, I think. He drives it and I love seeing it on the road. As a kid, my first Corvette experience was a 67 Marina Blue that belonged to my older cousin. I was hooked at first sight.

LS3Knight

C3 ran from '68-82. 1964 would have been a C2. And yes, very valuable.

vertigogo

Right, which is why I specifically mentioned C3s. They are the least valuable generation of all, especially those with plastic bumpers, so high value can't be the reason they were all off the road during my trip.

Speaking of value, when I sold my 1966 (C2), I was able to buy my used 2005 and still put well over 10K back in the bank. But, man, I hated to see that car drive away.

1rusty1

I live in the PNW and see C3s all the time but they mostly tool around town. They stay off the highways.

Rky Mtn C6

My vote on the least valuable would be the C4, especially the early years. Prices for a C3 in good condition are coming up. C4 prices are going down.

vertigogo

Yes, I should have said later-model C3's, since the chrome-bumper versions are definitely worth more than a typical C4. I don't know about the recent price trends.

I just watched an episode of Fantom Works in which they restored a very rough 1977. The shop owner told the car owner that it wasn't worth it, saying, "If you put $100,000 into this car, you'll still have a $12,000 car," but the car owner wanted it done for sentimental reasons since his father had bought the car new.

1rusty1

some early low mile stock C3s are getting up there in the 30 to 60 range.

1rusty1

High Value is relative. Some may spend 12k on a C3 and that is all the money they have for their dream car so they treat it like I would if I spent 100k. Not to mention, the older they are, the gentler you need to be on them.

myfunz

Early C4's where the red headed step child of the family.

rsparks64

I rarely see a C1-C3 except at car shows. Some guy has a red C1 in the area, about a 58, but I have not seen it up close.

HOXXOH

Assuming you spent most of that trip on Interstates, I'd guess you didn't see very many of anything built before 1984. Of the ones that are left, most never leave town.

cheetah45

Vertigogo:
I just did the same trip this weekend...Brentwood to Puyallup...I only spotted 3 other Vettes(all in Olympia area). I basically did the ride late at night and in the early morning which could explain the lack of America's sportcar on the road. I did see a dead moose near Siskiyou Summit and an Aeronca Champ on a flatbed in the Shasta area.

ProfessorDeath

I spotted nearly double that number on an approximately 900 mile round tripper.

tprice

On that long of a trip I would have expected more

Neat you kept up with the numbers though

I would have expected a few more C7's though

Leon.

I was on a business trip to LA last week. I was surprised to see quiet a few C5's driving around on LA freeways. Maybe spotted one C6 and C4.

windyC6

Oh....silly me....from your thread description I thought your Vette was "Dripping" fluids along the way....LOL.

vertigogo

Ha! As in, "There's some spotting on your driveway."

I was thinking more along the lines of train spotting, as in the movie of the same title.

windyC6

Actually, my disgusting side came out and it was a little more "intense" then that. Ask your girlfriend/wife....LOL

Stickshiftsteve

Exactly what I was going to say!
The owners of any older ones - mainly drive them locally & will have a daily driver for longer or regular commutes.
And for sure - the C2&3s were built in much lower numbers.