Fun to drive car

I'd say all of the chrome bumper cars are a blast and would not cut out some of the '73 to '82; from there on they become more of an automobile. The fun part is how it makes your ass and you feel when you put her on the road. A very nice driver in the C3 can be had most any place for that $30K, the C2 not so many for that price, C1 if you're living a charmed life.

If they have survived this long Texas can't be any worse on them. Saw a nice '71 454 coupe for sale at $19,000. A very nice '70 for $23,000.

The right club can be helpful, others are stuffy, like in real life.

Thank you Dad for the quick informative reply. Sounds like the ideal is to have a fun one for short drives and a fairly new one for long drives but I doubt I'll go that extreme :( . I'll stick to the fun one because if I bought a new one for the long drives I'll get too many speeding tickets (too much temptation).

'Am I correct from reading some earlier posts that the older Corvettes are more fun to drive; any particular generation or years? No argument here but may I ask why?'

REPLY: The answer would be purely subjective. Youd have to define 'fun' in particular, because all corvettes are fun to drive...its just that each has its own personality and idiosyncrisys. I have a 1970 built Big BLock T Top Coupe 4 speed , and, a 2006 Stock LS2 6 speed ; both are tons of fun to drive but each has its own personality. I like driving the 1970 because its a true Classic and makes lots of noise...whereas i like driving the 2006 because its very refined , comfortable, responsive on the steering, combined with plenty of power (and oh yes...has a/c too) . I think it would be fun to own a corvette from each generation because each would drive differently.

'Is it possible to buy one of those fun cars for the low $30k range in good shape and ready to drive? '

REPLY: Most definetely. IN fact, for awhile, i had my 1970 on the market for $32,000 rock bottom price but have decided to keep it for an investment plus ive spent hundreds of hours restoring it and putzing on it to get it to how i wanted it.

And P.S. , with the 1970 Big BLock having twin electric fans , ive never gone over 205 f. water temp., even in 95 f. outdoor temps. Of course it helps if you have a 4 row radiator, high capacity Stewart Water Pump, mostly distilled water with Water Wetter solution, and a super clean Cooling System.

I remember a co-worker telling me he had an older Corvette with a big block engine and that it ran hot enough that you could feel it on your feet. I guess he wasn't kidding?

Older Corvettes tend to be hot inside, especially the C3s ('68 to '82). Much can be traced to underfloor insulation being old, compacted, or missing. Occasionally, heat inside comes from missing rubber grommets in the firewall so that heat is actually blowing inside. You'd think that would be obvious, but it is surprising how many ignore this part. Many do a Band-Aid today by installing thin sheets under the carpet.

'I remember a co-worker telling me he had an older Corvette with a big block engine and that it ran hot enough that you could feel it on your feet. I guess he wasn't kidding? '

REPLY: It is true about Big Blocks, but, i put in alot of insulation under the carpetting as well as on the underside of the car near the location of your feet. My friends 2001 Viper is much worse...so much so that he burned his bare foot once .

Dave is right mostly here in that "fun" is subjective to each person. My fun and your fun is probably different than Dave's fun and each other's fun. So to tell you which one is fun is like telling you which place sells the best burgers.

Fun can be a light car nimbly twisting through the curves where the ordinary driving speed would be 25 -30 and you are doing it at 45-60. Fun can be launching from the lights to run the 1/4 mile in 13, 11, 9, or whatever number of seconds you get the most excited about. Fun can be cruising along a lonely country highway, top down, and a million stars all around. No doubt, Jack Tempchin had a convertible when he wrote that song for the Eagles.

In some cases, I find the C2s to be more fun, in others the C3. I find the performance of the C4s will shake everything before (I've never had time in the C5s or C6s, but they will shatter the C4.) but I'm not so sure that the feeling of "fun" is as much, as there seems to be more raw open feeling in the earlier cars. Still again, there will be those who disagree, which just reinforces how subjective this all is.

One thing not subjective is price. Few C4s will get close to $30,000. You can buy most in the $10,000 to $18,000 range. Many good ones for less, some incredible ones for more. C5s are down near the $15,000 on rare times, but most are in the $20s and up. Mid $20s is probably a safe range to consider.

C3s can go from $5000 to $40s and more on rare models. However, for your desires, you can figure that you can be $10,000 +/- $5000 for a rubber bumper C3 and $23,000 +/- $5000 for a chrome bumper C3. The issue of rust becomes much more important in the C3s and older Corvettes. You have to check the frames under the rear of the doors and the birdcage inside the body. The birdcage is a critical make or break a deal as you have a hard time finding parts to fix and it is extremely expensive and labor-intense to do so.

C2s can occasionally be found in the Mid to upper $20s for modified customs from long ago which serve well as drivers and fun cars, however, you will often take a lot of heat (not the temperature type) from other owners (and self-appointed experts) on how you have "destroyed" the car and how it is sacrilegious to have done such to a Corvette. Otherwise, you can frequently find them from about mid $30s up to $100,000 for most good C2s that are not some extremely rare beast, which puts most C2s out of your criteria.

C2s suffer the same rust issues as the C3, so learn these cars well or pay an expert to go with you to inspect one. $100 to $200 fee is not out of line and it actually a big savings, considering that without that guidance, you can easily make a $20,000 mistake.

Good luck and have fun.

Well as everyone said FUN has to be defined by each individual person...

I own 1 C2 and 3 C3;s plus a C5... ALL are FUN but the 4 older cars put a BIG smile on my face much quicker then the newer car will...especially on back roads that are not straight or heavely traveled...those kind of Roads where you can power off the curves are HEAVEN ... Smiles Per Mile is how I discribe FUN

Next week the wqife and I are traveling 450 or so miles one way for a Corvette Weekend in New York State.. . NO FREAKEN WAY will I take one of the older ones ... I do love the mechanical feel of the older ones, BUT after about 2 hours my rear end tells me to STOP GET OUT and stay out for at least 15 minutes... We will be taking the C5 very comfortable, rides like a modern car (even with the Z51 suspension) and The A/C throws COLD air...Wife will bitch butif the Temps get cool and the A/C is not needed the Top will be down

Good C3 Chrome Bumper cars can be had for under 30K most for 15-25 K

No not overlook the C4's... 6 speed cars are under 20K and are definately fun to drive .. and comfortable...

Bob G. Fair to Good

I ran a stock 69 350 and then a 71 454 4 speed (365 hp) in San Antonio, Texas in the early 70s with no problems. Speaking of Vettes for sale, I came across this dealer in Atlanta

You just described my 69 435 HP w/ off road exhaust. And it would give you a real headache on the highway.

Al

I had a friend with a '69 435 hp coupe with under car exhaust. It was basically a well-mannered car, not nearly as hot as most complain, even though the under car exhaust are supposed to be hotter (hot air trapped under the car).

The only real headache this one gave on the highway was gas mileage. 6 mpg with the 4.11 rear. The carbs would leak down all the time, if it was left sitting any length of time, like a month or more. It was definitely built to drive all the time, or it rebelled quickly.

When he drove it often, no issues. When he stored it for a couple of months between outings, the carbs leaked, the gas lines would leak, and so on. Several of us wanted that car, knowing it was going to be a winner in value. However, his buying price of $4000 was not going to be close to his selling, which was a bit over $10,000, and that kept most of us from picking it up from him as a third or fourth Corvette. Not to mention the 6 mpg made it a real sit around home car.

Joke about 10 years later was how he laughed all the way to the bank at $10,000, since in '91, those 435 hp cars were going around $100,000.

But fun, that thing was unreal. In the quarter mile we had measured, it would click through the top at 110 or over any and every time. It would smash you in the seat, just like all those car myths about not reaching the $5 bill on the dash. Some women would complain about their chests hurting, I guess from basically smashing their own breasts back into them. You definitely had your head against the headrest, or your neck muscles ached if you didn't.

Heck of a car. I always wished I had kept the VIN as it would be interesting to see where it is today.