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The quest continues, help me out.

Zixxer

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 30, 2003
Messages
191
Location
Stafford, Virginia
Corvette
1982 Red Coupe
Well folks, my dream of purchasing a nice C3 is quickly becoming a discouraging one. My budget may be my limit (roughly 10 to 12K) but I think that's the market price for a decent if not nice C3...tell me if I'm wrong please. Anyways, three deals later and a drive to look at my new baby have all turned into terrible disappointments. I can begin to understand how so many cars are overstated by sellers. Looking at many many many sites on how to evaluate a 1, 2, or 3 (wouldn't consider anything lower) level car I believe I've only been seeing 3 and 4 that owners are looking for 1 or 2 level prices. Understanding emotions and of course lots of people sink more into these cars then they should ever hope to reclaim, any suggestions on where to look would be appreciated.

I've looked via hemmings, ditigal vetter finder, corvette trader, corvette trader online, this forum, ebay, local listings, cars.com, cnv corvettes, holts corvettes...the later two are really overpriced and a lot of the inventory is ebay purchased (I have proof if you're interested.)

I'm set on a 80-82, any color but browns, creme, tans, and green with no accidents or major body repairs...a rubber bumper fix is not a biggie...fixing cracked body panels from an accident is probably going to discourage me from looking at it. Thanks
 
Keep your chin up! You will find the "right " car. Remember that overstating a car's condition is not specific to any particular model year :L . I know from many wasted trips myself how frustrating it can get. I think you can certainly find a nice '80-'82 within your price range. I would probably forget about the dealers (I look at their cars for comparison's sake) and concentrate on the other sources you listed. I've bought and sold a few of these old cars in the last few years, and I've come to the conclusion that the best deals are usually in your own "backyard", so I would pay the most attention to local stuff. Talk to local car guys, clubs, look at the bulletin boards at grocery stores, etc. Auctions, which I believe have now evolved into better places to sell than to buy, shouldn't be ruled out. I was at the Mecum auction in October at Chicago, and a pretty decent '74 vert went through and was picked up for $10,750. Probably the biggest thing, and also the hardest, is to be patient.

Rich
 
I had the same problem awhile back. It seemed that all the C3s that needed work were way to expensive and the ones that were almost pristine were WAY WAY to expensive. My vette addiction finally got the best of me and I picked out a beautiful red 94 coupe. I am sure that eventualy you will find what you are loking for if you can fight the addiction. I could not wait anymore and got a vette. I love them all and still look at C3s but love my C4.
 
Almost too strange, I haven't looked locally other then what was listed in the major online sites. Today I found one 112 miles away...went and looked at it...so sweet.

There's a few things like a cracked t-top, small hit in the front bumper (you can't even tell other then a little crazing and he had to point it out to me). The front sits lower then normal and I was told it was lowered via some bolts on the suspension and could be readjusted back up. I suspect a weak or possibly cracked spring so I adjusted my offer to allow for an entire front end suspension rebuild and replacing the t-tops. We counter offered back and forth and ultimately agreed on a price. The car was located in a small town and not listed on major sites so it wasn't getting much traffic.

The seller was real nice and the best thing on the car is the paint is amazing. It was painted about three years ago and it's probably one of the nicest paint jobs I've seen on a car and I'm picky. It’s like looking into a pool of water.

Low miles (67K), clean carfax, new brakes, runs great and already had the A/C conversion. I'm knocking on wood that all the paperwork goes well given my issues with the last purchase and having to recall the loan checks.
 
So.... is it yours now? Let's hear details and see pics! I assume it's an '81 or an '82.

Rich
 
I don't want to jinx it yet....deal is made, have to work out the details with JJ Best as I had another car all wrapped up two days ago and we have to back out all of that paperwork. Shouldn't be problem, that seller actually sold the car later that day.

This one is a sweet 1982 Red with Red interior. Runs great, little soft on the suspension but exterior and interior are in really good shape. New paint, tires and brakes with updated A/C. Couple of things I adjusted for but the car is very solid and well taken care for the years.

I hope to have it by Friday...then I will post pictures. It's probably the cleanest C3 I've seen in the three + months I've searched less the normal wear. I will not be focused all week until I bring that car home.

The wife is currently driving the 96 due to a coil pack I have to replace on her Miata...I have a feeling we will be hanging on to that car too and selling the Miata...she really enjoys driving it.
 
Congratulations!
 
Finall!!!

I brought the car home tonight...what an adventure getting it on the trailer without rubbing anything :)

I'll have to look at the front suspension ASAP as I know it's too low and drifts too much for me.

I love the car and now I can start taking care of the little things.
 
glad to see the deal finally went thru. nice looking car and it has the glass roofs you needed also. good luck
 
The 82 in red is one of the nicest looking. Congradulations. You must feel like me when I got mine.

Take good care of it. Deal with any and all issues that come up with that Crossfire. If you maintain them and keep them tuned they will run forever.

Jim
 
Thanks guys, I just stare at right now with a big smile.

Already ordered the front springs last night so I'll have to get advice on installing them. All of the cushions seem fine so I'm not sure it's worth replacing any of that just yet. It appears the guy may have installed different springs to lower the front as I cannot see any other reason with it's dropped about 1.5"

Ordering o ring kit for the injectors, injector filter, plugs, wires, distributor cap, air filters, etc....just all the maintenance things I would feel more comfortable replacing up front. Idles a little rough as it's been sitting for about six months and only about 20 miles on it in the past year. 67,000 original miles and a super clean engine bay...less some surface dirt it's as clean as my 2002 Dodge Ram under the hood.

It's going to be a long day at work today waiting to get off :)
 
PS to 67Heaven....watching you build your car was just amazing. I was so hooked on watching for updates I kind of wish you would do another car.
 
I'll have to take a side shot...the front spoiler is literally 1" from the ground and within the front wheel wheel I cannot slide my hand straight in, literally no gap between fender and wheel. Everything else I've seen has about a 1 to 1.5" space and maybe 2.5" or more on the front spoiler....I could be wrong.
 
Zixxer said:
I'll have to take a side shot...the front spoiler is literally 1" from the ground and within the front wheel wheel I cannot slide my hand straight in, literally no gap between fender and wheel. Everything else I've seen has about a 1 to 1.5" space and maybe 2.5" or more on the front spoiler....I could be wrong.
I know mine can't be much more than an inch from the ground, and I certainly don't have much room between my fender and the tire either. I realize they're several years apart, but that doesn't sound abnormal to me. I don't know if you'll find these shots helpful or not. -John

<img src="http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/JJSalmon/101_0108.jpg" alt="Image hosting by Photobucket">

101_0105.jpg
 
Congrats - I really like the 82 style - suspension rebuilds are really worth it regardless of ride height, they provide a lot of peace of mind, stability and control. I replaced and performance tuned my 1978 and just cannot believe the positive result - would be glad to share the specs...congrats on a great looking ride...
 
Very nice car Zixxer.. Welcome to 82 world :_rock

Let us know what you find on the low front..

:w
-Stefan
 

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