What old Corvette for a first time buyer?

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Trooperdan

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I'm just in the dreaming/planning stage but what year Corvette should a first-time Corvette buyer be looking for? It needs to be affordable therefore old but I want a REAL Corvette, and, hopefully something that will retain it's value. And I have not done any price research, I just have a figure of about $15,000 tops, less is better! :) What years/models were dogs to be avoided and what should I look for in a candidate? If the area of the country matters, I'm in south Florida. Thanks guys!
 
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Everyone seems to have an opinion, or opinions, about Corvettes in general and which ones to covet or avoid in particular. The '67 427 makes everyone's "want" list, but I think you're around $50K, or more, short. In general, I think the later C3s (say, late 70s, very early 80s) are generally considered less desirable although I do really like the C3 body style. I've owned two C4s - an '85 coupe and '91 convertible - and both were a lot of fun to drive. I've always liked the C5s and, if I wasn't living out in the boonies on a dirt road (just getting over mud season here in central NH) I'd have one in the garage right now. Anything newer than that (C6+) just doesn't do much for me - obviously YMMV. For the money you have to spend, I think you should be able to get into a very nice lower-mileage C4, which is what I think I'd be looking for.

Here's an article that may be of interest:
Top 10 Worst Corvettes of All Time
 
Trooperdan said:
I'm just in the dreaming/planning stage but what year Corvette should a first-time Corvette buyer be looking for? It needs to be affordable therefore old but I want a REAL Corvette, and, hopefully something that will retain it's value. And I have not done any price research, I just have a figure of about $15,000 tops, less is better! :) What years/models were dogs to be avoided and what should I look for in a candidate? If the area of the country matters, I'm in south Florida. Thanks guys!
Click to expand...

The old ones C1, C2s and many of the C3s in any sort of decent shape are worth a kings ransom.

As a long time Corvette owner based on what you wrote I would think you should get a Late C3 or early C4. Parts are quite available and other than the Grand Sports and ZR1s are quite affordable and reasonably priced.

C3 late 70s early 80s, C4 1984-96 Check frames close as many are rusted especially if they came from heavy winter states.

Yes the Vettes body is fiberglass but they have a steel frame.
 
One to avoid is the 84 model. There are a lot of them and the least desired of the C4 generation due to suspension being extremely stiff. 85-96 will likely be your best bet. If trying to stay on the cheap, stick with coupe models. I've restored about a dozen older Vettes. They can be a money pit if you're not careful.
 
Over the last 50 years I have owned about 65 Corvettes. (I have no children) The oldest was a 1958 and the newest a 2007. Anything 1967 and back will dramatically exceed your stated price range. The driveability , comfort and performance have steadily increased from about 1996 on up. Convertibles cost more than coupes or targas. Try to stay away from high mileage cars or cars that have been wrecked or modified or cars with lots of owners and little history. Loaded clean cars bring the best money. This is probably the worst time of the year to buy that type of car. November-January is the best time. You might find something in around a 2000 model in that price range. Solid versions of these C-5's are nice driving and performing cars that get good fuel mileage driven conservatively. These cars can be very tricky to buy so take someone with you who is knowledgeable or you will have a bad ownership experience. I don't sell but feel free to PM me if you would like to talk. Best of luck!
 
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Didn't realize the C5's had gotten that cheap. One thing to be wary of on those is the electronic nightmare that can potentially rear its head. The door panel has more wires in it than my 62 fuelie had under the dash. More complicated too.
 
Huh. I was the one who posted that link and I just went back and tried it myself - came up fine in a new window.
 
I've had a couple of vettes over the years, and the newer ones are certainly more comfortable to drive, but there's something about the old steel bumper vettes that always makes me want another one. I like a 1968-1972 myself, and they'er a lot easier to work on than the new "electronic" vettes. Be sure to show us pictures when you decide!
 
my ex-BIL had a 1965 with the removable top. it had the 365 hp 327 , 4 speed and side exhausts. he let me ride around the block a couple of times but wouldn't let me drive it and I'm still mad about that. when I win the lottery that is my next car
 
Depends on how you plan to use it.

If you're looking for a fast comfortable modern car with minimal maintenance and great gas mileage, your $15,000 should buy a very nice C5 2000 or 2001 coupe.

If you want a more classic Corvette with less performance and comfort, and you want to spend more time restoring and tinkering, a late C3 might be more to your liking. Just remember that these cars are not like the cars of today that always start and stop reliably.

The C4s are the most affordable entry into Corvettes, but tend to have moderate performance and a firm ride but more than their share of electrical gremlins.

My strong recommendation would be spend some time on corvetteforum.com and conduct your own research so you can identify the specific model that fits your specific needs.
 
I have a 1986 Corvette Convertable I've been trying to sell.
Black with a sable interior and 34,000 miles on the odometer
1st year for the Convertable and is marked an Indy Pace Car less the decals,all converts for that year were tagged pace cars since it was the first year that they were used at Indy again. Runs well and was taken care of and not beat!;)
I'm asking $10,000 for it but everybody that shows an interest wants it for nothing.
My reason for selling,,,,Been there, done that, time to move on! I enjoyed it! :cool:
 
This is my current ride an 89 C4 with around 65,000 miles on it. It is in original un-restored condition drive train, paint , interior etc. and I intend to keep it that way. Right now your best deals are on C4s and C5s as they are what I call "Valley cars". My experience has been that Corvettes depreciate for the first 15 or 20 years and then slowly start to increase in price. The C4s and C5s are in a valley state right now.A LOT of Corvettes get run down or modified and are eventually junked reducing the numbers available
Additionally the newer ones are a lot more comfortable to drive.
I have owned Corvettes since the 60s and this has been my experience.
Jim

 
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I don't have the experience some of the guys do but I had a 85 coupe that I bought in about 90. When I bought it I test drove a lot of model years. The 85 was the first year with the tuned port injection and had a lot better power than the earlier ones. If you like to go fast get one of the newer ones.
 
I bought the 98' in 2000 with 27K on it which average about 3k to 4k a year. It's a fun car to drive and it handles great. It will get great gas mileage at 75 in 5th or 6th gear with the ac on. It's comfortable and it has less hp than most cars now.... to me it flies and even at only 345 hp all stock it can get out of its own way!
 
For investment purposes look for the highest condition, original, first and last year of a generation.
Look at the most collectible C2's , -- 63' and 67' first and last year of C2 production.

I currently have a 2013 Grand Sport, too new to be a collectible, but last of the C6's. Maybe when I'm long gone.
 
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