Hi, im Tom. And i need some help... i have recently found a 1982 Corvette, and have inquiries....... unfortunately i know almost nothing about cars, much less vettes.... but am hoping to learn. I was wondering if anyone could answer some questions for me. I was wondering how they were as far as reliability goes? is it safe to ask if it's a reliable day-to-day car? that i can use everyday to get to work and/or school? The vette i found is being sold for $15,995. The ad says: New high quality exterior paint. Restored Dark Red leather power seat interior, am-fm-cd. 97,000 miles. Full power options, pwr. mirrors, tilt-telescopic, cruise, rear window def. Polished factory alloy wheels with new white lettered radials. Paint and trim numbers are correct. Serviced. but im wondering if it worth getting. Another thing is that to my understanding it's only running bout 200hp. Is that not low for a vette? I don't wanna trade-in my current vehicle for something less powerful, and if i don't know that it's reliability is worth taking place of my current vehicle. I guess i just wanna know if it's a hobby car, or a day-to-day car. Also, are they gas guzzlers? I have been trying to find car reviews and articles on C3's, but im having a hard time finding any kind of reviews, im assuming that it's b/c of the age. If anyone can try to help me out, i'd really appreciate it. And i do have a link to the vehicle if anyone can help out. Thx for the help.... and i hope to talk to u soon and in the future as well.

 

The price is way to high!
Look around for a 95 or 96 in good shape. I have seen those years in that price range.

Here is what I wrote to another guy on this site.

Hi and welcome,
I would not recomend buying a C3 fora daily driver. These cars have been around for quite awhile and need TLC. I have a 74 and I am working on it every weekend due to little and sometimes big things that go wrong. If you do buy one and you are not able to fix it yourself make sure you have a good mechanic that knows all about Vets. Also, make sure you have a lot of extra cash.
My advice is save your money and buy a newer one. I have seen some really nice late model C4 Vets in the 10-12k range.
Good luck,
Schoon

 

what would you say is the common/reasonable pricerange for a C3? I do have a trade-in to use, and they offered me about $4500 in trade-in......

 

Hi There.......I recently prchased a c-3 1982. I paid 8000.00 for it, but it had a complete new brake job from the master cyl on back. Lines and all. The bushings were all changed out on the rear suspention, and it has 76,000 miles on it. It came with the t tops , car cover, original radio, manuals, and the original owners manual. I found that parts are very easy to come by, and are very reasonable. If you are not a mechenic, the others are corect in saying that it will COST you. I studied the GM Service manual on this car, and it is fairly easy work. Keep in mind the 200 hp. It is lower than many others out there, but you can buy gas for this guy, and it don't burn much at all. If you are worried about power, let me tell you there is enough to get you in a whole lot of trouble. Vacume is, or could be a problem. LOOK under the hood at the rubber lines. Make sure they are in good shape. Turn the headlights on! If one goes up faster than the other, or will not, you will have a leak in the system. 1982 there where no options per say. all had the same engine power windows or no power, small stuff. They where mass produced, but if it is clean, it will turn heads. Look on the enet for pricing, you won't find a lot of the 82s for sale. It was the last year for the shark body. I believe it is a good investment if you find a clean one. I paid 8000.00 for mine, and could sell it to my neibor for 13000.00. Not bad, if I was sellig.......Good Luck to you.

 

kk, thank you for the advice. My only other question is whether or not it's safe to use as an everyday car?

 

kk well.... im going to go cehck it out in the morning, give it a check over and whatnot. Now, no, im not a mechanic, but im usually pretty good at telling when something isn't right. What are the main physical things that im gonna need to look for? Im gonna test drive it and all, im planning on having a REAL mechanic fully check it out before i make any kind of decisions whatsoever, but whatever i can do i will. Im glad that i found this forum, you guys have helped alot alrdy. Thx again.

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Hey Soldier.....Yes it was made for an everyday driver, but it is about 25 years old! Drive it safe, and stay away from the idiots..Gary

 

The Corvette is probably a more reliable daily driver than any other car that is 24 years old. If you expect it to be trouble free think again. Every part on that car is about 25 years old. The were not made to last 25 years. Most Corvettes were taken care of more than some other cars that were much cheaper but 25 years takes its toll.

If you want reliable transportation buy an econobox that is new or nearly new. It will be cheap to run and probably be dependable for a couple of years. If you want to have some fun buy a Corvette but be prepared to learn to work on it or pay someone regularily to work on it. It is not a good idea to purchase a 25 year old car as a daily driver if you have no intention of working on it. Unless of course you have the budget to pay a mechanic on a regular basis.

That price is very high retail for an 82. It should be in the $6000-$9000 range depending on condition. Don't believe the milage in 25 years the odometer has probably been played with several times. It is all about condition.