j3studio

My wife and I recently purchased a C5 and we've become pretty heavily involved in things Corvette over the last few months, doing the shows, the Caravan, etc.

She fell in love with Vette's when the C3s were out - her particular weakness in the shark area is an orange 73 convertible. I tend to like C4s more, but we agree absolutely on the general gorgeousness of the 82 Collectors Edition.

So, we're thinking of getting one...

Are we out of our minds? Would it be a garage queen? Are the reasons other than the cost and availability issues with the special trim, seats, doors, decals, etc. to stay away from a Collectors Edition?

Thanks for whatever input you can provide...

Crash Dummy

First of all... the C-5's are fine vettes. I'm a bit puzzled about your questions. I personally don't think there is any C-3 year that has to be a garage queen unless you want it to be just that. If you find one that was well taken care of(any year) you can do just about anything you want and can find parts as you need them. Granted... some years are a bit more troubling than others for finding parts as they had some uniqueness. The '82 you are speaking of is one of the best looking of the late C-3's with the ground effects and the mako shark rear end that was again added. I owned a earlier predecessor('80) to the one you are looking at possibly buying and it was a joy. Granted... it did not have the crossfire injection set-up.

I agree with your wife somewhat... go back in history a bit and go for an early C-3 big block vert. '70-'72 though...... just throwing out some alternatives. :cheers:

j3studio

bgrice,

Thanks for the response.

I'm just afraid that we're missing some piece of information in an area where I'm extremely conscious that I don't know much.

:)

goinbroke

I'm a 74 owner so can't speak from experience on the 82 CE other than to say that they are very pretty and quite desirable. If I owned an 82CE in good condition I would treat it very much like my restored 74. Not a garage queen but not a daily driver either. You can get most any part needed from the major catalogs so that wouldn't be an issue. All C-3s are getting rarer and more valuable with time. I personally try not to pile on the miles....just pleasure cruises on weekends. I use 303 aerospace protectant on the interior and Zaino on the paint. I keep it in a garage at night and never drive it in weather bad enough that I might catch a hail storm.

There will always be possible mechanical issues that are part of C-3 ownership. Rear wheel bearings and trailing arm bushings come to mind first. They can be difficult and expensive. The guys on this forum are very knowledgeable and friendly and can surely help with any problems you may encounter no matter how large or small.

hope this helps a little

L48Shark

Of course it would only be a garage queen if you treated it as such. I say drive it. An '82 collector is little more than a standard '82 in uniform. The only difference, according to Corvette Magazine is that the collector edition features unique:
*Paint
*Decals
*Interior color
*Alloy wheels
*Badging
*Trim
*And finally (my favorite part), opening rear glass

So if you are worried about upkeep a 'la ZR-1, where simple engine parts can cost hundreds more versus the base car for the same model year, relax. The only time you will run into higher prices is with the items mentioned above. This should only be a concern if you purchase a project car, so if you buy a nice example then no worries. For example, if you purchase a collector that needs to be repainted, obtaining a decal kit can be both difficult and expensive. (MAD sells hood strips only in their catalog for about $500 while the fading decals are no longer available. As I recall, the kit was over $1,000 when they did have some available.) Regular maintenance, on the other hand, will be the same as any other '82.

Now that said, you will likely feel the pinch when you purchase the car due to its availability, or lack thereof. While the production of '82 collectors was about 1/4 of the entire run for the year, the total number of '82 Vettes built was significantly lowered due to the highly anticipated and all new C4 making its debut in 83-1/2 as a 1984 model. According to the Corvette Black Book, 6,759 collector models were produced versus 18,648 base model cars. (Compare these figures with 40,606 cars built in 1981!) CM suggests as much as a 50% increase in the price of a 1982 Vette if it is a collector edition hatchback.

For the record, I do not think anyone here in the Shark pond is going to think you are crazy if you purchase a special edition car or even if you make it your daily driver. Heck, if you bought a ZL-1 and drove it to work, you would fit right in here. :crazy: Looking forward to seeing pics in this forum should you find a Shark that is right for you. Good luck. :cheers:

Desertdawg

The CE makes a good driver, Sure there are some parts that are getting hard to find, and replace, but the list above is what sets the CE off from all the other 82's.

The Crossfire injection setup is a good running engine, mine starts every-time, and I get over 20 MPG. We drive ours whenever the bug hits for a good cruise. There are a couple of CE's fr sale in the C# for sale section. take a look, and ask any questions you have about them, Someone here will always have an answer for you.

SuprJames

and according to my owner's manual the rear end ratio is different for some reason. Slightly shorter gear then the standard 82' (by like .13 or something), but I'm not too sure what to make of that as it would make little sense to do such a thing.

My advice is if you like the car buy it and do what you like with it. I went through the restoration thing first. When I realized that many of the stripes were missing I got a little frustrated. I finally got tired of trying to save everything and began ripping the car up for a bigger engine. Now the old paint, decals, and the works are coming off. The only stripes that are getting painted back on will be the large one on the hood and the ones on the bottom of the sides. The other's I'm leaving off. Makes the cars look MUCH wider and I like it better than the regular C.E.'s.

It's totally up to you what you do with the car. I personally don't think it's a great investment to buy a car and keep it original forever in the hopes of one day reselling it. You only live once and Vettes are built to be driven. Just my $.02. By the way, my car had 85,000 miles on it and ran absolutely beautiful before I took the engine out. Had some minor things like the antenna, door locks, and headlight switch go, but nothing too serious.

82CEvette

Doesn't have to be a trailer queen. You can enjoy these cars - parts are available just like any others - decals may be a little harder to come by but other than that - a collector should definitely be considered. I'm glad I went for one. :seeya

Split Sixty Three

FWIW, I also asked the same sort of question here a few months back when I was considering purchasing an '82 CE and got some excellent advice, feedback and recommendations. I'd recommend the 82 CE as one of the nicest C3's from the stand point of comfort, design, initial production quality and driveability, however they are not the same 'Vette as the '68-'72 chrome bumpers C3 era when torque/horsepower were the king of the C3s,.....I just purchased one a few months back and although it's 21 years old it's still got a new car smell with only 15K miles,.. my wife and I have really enjoyed the car and have had it in a few car shows and parades,.....some pointers passed on to me by the good folks here at CF ,....be careful with the decals and keep the them treated/covered with Meguliars Vinyl & Rubber Conditioner or something similiar,...be very careful with the rear hatch don't force it when opening or closing and keep lots of leather conditioner on the all leather seats and door panels. These exterior decal sets are $1,200-1,500 aftermarket and if you leave your CE out in the weather long enough they will dry out & crack. A good idea is to leave the hood up after a long drive and let the engine cool w/o heating up the hood and decal. Good Luck and enjoy the one you find as I think you will like the CE! :cheers: Save The Wave!!! :chevy

Mike Mercury

I'm on my 6th Corvette. four C3's (one was a 1982 CE) , one C4, and one C5.

Which one did I like the best?? The 1982 CE. I just loved the color, the interior trim, the hatch back glass.

In fact when I ordered my 2002, I intentionally got pewter with gray interior because I loved that similar combination in the 82 CE.

out of all my past Corvettes, the 1982 CE was the one I should of never sold. :sad: