Seeking Advice on 78-82 Vette Purchase

[Zarkonan]

Hi all!

I'm thinking about taking the plunge and buying a 78 to 82 corvette. Why 78 to 82? Simply because I love the way the corvette looks in those years.

I admit inexperience and general lack of knowledge in the area- any advice in looking for one of these cars? Specifically, I'd like one that doesn't require a huge checkbook and time to keep maintained- am I going to be constantly repairing this vehicle? I'd like something that is drivable several times a week without me worrying its going to fail on me- am I out of luck? Is one of those years known as a lemon as far as corvettes go?

There seems to be two mindsets on buying an older car- one is for those who love tinkering and repairing, the other is for people who love driving the car. I fall into the latter category, and I'm worried its not realistic with an older vette.

So, anyway, there's a lot of experience on these boards and I would appreciate any advice you could give.

-zar

 

[Bob Chadwick]

All of these care can meet your needs. If I were you, I would decide on the styling because they are subtly different and start looking.

The later cars, the 1982 for sure and perhaps the 81 has some computer involvement with the smog, ignition and fuel system. To some this is a turn off as is the fact that in 1982 the Vette had cross fire injection rather than a carb.

Good luck.

Bob

 

[king80vette]

Any one of these years should be ok. Just get one in the best condition you can find. This will make for fewer repairs down the road. Happy hunting.
Steve

 

[silver 80]

I would start with 79 just because the seats are more comfortable, unless you go with 78 pace cars. you need to get the check list for looking at corvettes it very good and lists what to look for as for problem areas. They made alot of 79s
don't rush into this do alot of research.
4 speed or auto? L82 or L48 color.........
tom

 

[c4ever]

I agree that each of these years can be a daily driver if well maintained by previous owner. My wife and I use the 82 and 85 as our primary cars and they have been quite dependable. The later the year the more refinements which may prove noteworthy if being considered as a daily driver. I favor the 82 because of style, transmission and basic dependability of the fuel injection as simple in design as it is but I would be more than willing to drive any of these years as a daily driver.

Find a well maintained car and be willing to spend the xtra $$$ because you'll only end up spending it anyway.
I would have someone familiar with the Shark take a look at the car for you and then enjoy the ride.
Good hunting

Carlo

 

[impala]

Hello Zar,

Welcome to CAC.

I agree with you on the way the C3 years look. I favored the 1980 because the spoilers are part of the end caps and it was the last year with a carb and no computer; unless you find one of the California 1980's that came with a 305 and a computer. Having a carb and no computer makes it easier for me to work on.

Carlo is very correct in his suggestion to have someone help you that has experience with these years of Corvettes. Too many people buy a car because they like the color or options then end up regreting their purchase because of problems. Your Corvette should be a fun experience and being careful and cautious is the best way to start.

Eugene

 

[78SilvAnniv]

Welcome Zar!

Welcome to Corvette Action Center.

My own 78 has been a daily driver, and a reliable one, for over 12 years!

Granted, we have made some high-dollar mechanical repairs over the years...but the down-time compared to drive-time is practically nil. She has always brought me home.

We have rebuilt or replaced:
rear end
side yokes & u-joints
bushings and bearings
engine
AC
paint
exhaust

Next projects:
brakes
interior

I would recommend purchasing the best maintained vette you can afford. It comes down to pay now, or pay later. If you want an immediate dependable driver, you will need to buy a vette that was well maintained and not abused. If you try to 'save money' at purchase, it will probably translate into costly repairs down the road...and this does not sound like it would make you happy.
You may want to try to find a vette that has had a recent, documented, body-off restoration.

I would look for one that has an owner who kept records of maintenance.
Things I would look for:
leaking fluids...tranny, engine and rear end
suspension
brakes
interior/paint if looks are an issue

 

[mytoy]

I have a 78 L 82 four speed, it has ahundred and twenty seven miles on it, I have owned it for ten years. Had to put a brake booster,battery and ac pump on it that is all the repairs I have done to to it since I ahve owned it . I do keep it well maintain, I am the third owner have all the paper work from the day it was order to the day they recieved it. My suggestion is to buy one well maintain you will have to give a little more but it will be worth it.

 

[Greekman]

Heidi..

Your '78 S/A must be in tip top shape. I can't imagine my '79 being a daily driver.

Everytime something breaks and I mean even normal items like belts, hoses etc. Chevrolet never has the part in stock and has to order the part usually taking a week and that is if you get the right part the first time!

When I take the car to the Chevrolet Dealership for the more serious and involved items its always there for at least a week.

My Corvette has only 46k miles on it too, but it is still twenty four years old.

To me this is a lot of downtime on the car and just isn't dependable enough for my work schedule.

This is not a problem for me as I have three vehicles and my other two cars are newer.

Sorry, but in my opinion I would go with a newer Corvette for a dependable daily driver.



.

 

[Paul Borowski]

I bought my Yellow '80 4spd in '97 with 81,000mi and now has 107,000mi. I've driven this car to many NCRS shows I attend and it's been to Baltimore, Joplin, Stone Mountain, Syracuse, Montreal(Quebec), Corvettes@Carlisle(several times) and many more. It has yet to fail me. Sure, I've put in all new wheel bearings, exhaust, shocks, u-joints, belts, hoses, water pump, clutch, fan clutch, etc. but it has been great!!! The '78-'80's are the "simpler" ones of the '78-'82s mainly because they don't have "computers". I've never really heard of an '81-'82 having a computer problem, but they are a little more complex than a car without a computer. If there is one thing I'd have to be careful of these '78-'82s, it's the FLOORS. They've been "metal" not fiberglass since '76 and DO have a tendency to rot, especially if driven in winter climates ALOT. You have to remember, also, these ARE JUST OLD CARS-they will need TLC. All vehicles do(like humans?):L as we get older and BECOME HIGHER maintenance.

 

[Stallion]

My advice would be as said above, find the best example of this year range and then keep it well maintained. I agree on your choice of looks.

Do you have any preference of engine specification? Because in '78 and '79 (not sure about the following couple of years), you have two options. L48 and L82. L82 puts out more hp (~220) and its torque is ~260 ft. lbs. The L48 puts out less hp, but more torque (~280 ft. lbs. @ 2400RPM). I have the L48 and I'm happy with her. I prefer the more low-end torque. It's a driver, not a racer for me. I want to be put back in the seat!

 

[78SilvAnniv]

I'm the 3rd owner

Kenny purchased the 78 from her original owner, who owned an automotive tire shop, and I believe she had less than 60k on the odometer. She became a daily driver at the time of purchase and has remained one since.

The repairs I mentioned were all done over the course of about 10 years. We have done nothing major mechanically for over 6 years and the longest down times are as follows; bushings and bearings was several days, the rear end took about a month. The engine took nearly a year because I saved my own money from a 10 hour a week county job to pay for the engine, AC components and installation labor. Once the money was saved, the actual work only took about a month. Paint was 6 weeks and the exhaust took 1 day.
Every other type of work is done by us here at home. We change the belts, hoses and other accessory parts, always checking for wear. When an item begins to look worn we change it out. If you change it BEFORE it becomes dire, it will rarely leave you stranded.
I don't know that I would continue to keep an older vette if I had to rely on a dealership or a mechanic for its' maintenance upkeep.

I will say, that for 25 years of use and for the last 12 being daily use...she has held up remarkably well and I anticipate driving her for many more years. Even her high miles do not detract me. They represent many reliable smiles per mile that were put on by myself. I have always been leary of older, low mile vehicles. Things tend to dry out and give you problems later on.

Greekman, I'm sorry you have such trouble with yours. I think you would have better luck keeping your 79 on the road if you didn't have to rely on the dealership. We are always able to find parts at our local auto parts houses and Kenny does most of the work (for beer) so I know it is done correctly.
Perhaps you could find a more reasonable mechanic in your area or would you be interested in doing any of this work yourself?
Heidi

 

[Zarkonan]

Thanks!

Thank you all for the fantastic advice- it was exactly what I was looking for. You can read all the technical information you want, but personal experience from people who have owned, driven, and worked on these cars beats it hands down...

-z

 

[Stallion]

Re: Thanks!

Thank you all for the fantastic advice- it was exactly what I was looking for. You can read all the technical information you want, but personal experience from people who have owned, driven, and worked on these cars beats it hands down...

-z

Exactly!! That's what makes this place the best for Corvette advice/suggestions/and just general talk. Welcome and enjoy the stay!

 

[silver 80]

stallion,
how is your vette doing?
I never did hear about what happened about the leak.

 

[Wolverine]

If you buy an old Vette, you can expect that you will be constantly dealing with oddball things that go wrong with it-even if the car is in great shape. You will need to be willing to do a lot of the work yourself to avoid a lot of down time in the shop (and $$$). For me, figuring out how to make necessary repairs has been a rewarding challenge, but some times it gets to be a real pain.

Keep in mind that these are really 25-year-old Chevy's.

If you want reliability, great performance, and don't want to spend your time working on it, buy a low mileage C4. They're a real bargain these days. I think about it all the time, but don't know if I could really part with my shark. You can't beat that "cool" factor.

Brian

 

[Stallion]

stallion,
how is your vette doing?
I never did hear about what happened about the leak.

Due to the weather and snow, my garage doesn't have enough room and it's not heated. So right now I'm ordering the service and assembly manuals just so I familiarize myself with what I have to do in preparation. Then when the weather warms up, I'll change the intake gasket. That's my plan of action. Can't wait to do it, either!!

 

[Greekman]

Heidi...

Sounds like you and Kenny have a pretty good Vette there! I can only hope mine will do as good on the road after a year or so of replacing parts and checking everything out.

On the parts, I think because maybe there aren't too many Corvettes here in this state with this climate that maybe the Chevrolet dealers just don't stock many parts for them like the SUVs.

I do prefer to do my own work, but I am a bit rusty on fixin them since I've been out of "Corvetting" awhile.

I too think that low milage cars do seem to have as much problems if not more because they sit so long.

Thanks,


.

 

[SLICKMAN]

All the advice above is good and you will find no better than here at CAC. Keep one thing in mind as you look at Corvettes, you get what you pay for.. If you go and get yourself a Vette for say $6,000 – $7,000 odds are you will put another $4,000 to $7,000 into it to get it were most people want it. If you are looking for a car to build yourself and get your nails dirty and your pocketbook clean, go for the lower priced cars (which in most cases are high mileage cars as well).

A car that needs almost nothing and is in GREAT shape will run you about $13,000 to $22,000. The latter being a NCRS TopFlight car. Just my two experienced cents.

 

[Dave L.]

Mytoy - 127 miles? That is amaising considering it has had 3 owners. Do you have pictures? I saw a 78 pace car with 300 miles for sale for $28,000.

Dave