Is it wrong that JG and I have been discussing 1978-'82 Corvettes?

I would go with the 82. I think the look better with the rear spoiler and deeper front bumper, and I think the collector editionis the only one where the rear hatch opens making it easier to store the T tops.

I have a good family friend who is selling their 2 owner (the first owner was his brother) 1978 Silver Anniversary Edition 4-speed manual Vette.....

Trans_Maro wrote: I like C3 corvettes. The C4 is ugly, unless you manage to buy a 1983 of course.

There were no Vettes made for 83. The plant was shut down to retool for the 84's as they were so different from the previous model. All of them sold as 83's were over run 82's.

I agree those are cool collector cars, symbolic of the era. But there are so many pace car and limited edition Corvettes, sometimes I think the rare one is a regular Corvette with no special badging. It seems like everyone who bought a 1978 pace car put it away as a collector car, so there are literally thousands of them out there (originally one for each Chevy dealer). As a result, three decades later, they are still not high-dollar cars, and people are starting to drive them.

It depends on how much chest hair you have, and how you look in gold chains.

I think you will be fine.

Well now I don't feel so ashamed to say I really liked the 78s. I know the nose on the later models made it was more stable at speed, I just like the nose on the 78 and the glass in the back. Plus there was a really hot bank teller here that drove one.

I had planned on a day of mindless day dreaming, but that serenity is shattered with the incredible task of weighing and calculating of which Corvette I prefer.

Not easy, working on it, will get back to you later.

Wally wrote: I would go with the 82. I think the look better with the rear spoiler and deeper front bumper, and I think the collector editionis the only one where the rear hatch opens making it easier to store the T tops.

Let's explore this tangent again:

SVreX wrote: It depends on how much chest hair you have, and how you look in gold chains. I think you will be fine.

Damn beat to the punch!

Streetwiseguy wrote: Golly, the least desireable vintage of the least desireable body style. Lets go with, "Spend the money on pizza instead."

Or you could read it as "the best choice to cut up for making a really insane track car." I like the looks on the C3, but they need a lot of help in both the horsepower and handling departments. This would need to be a tech packed, over the top build, or at least finding ways to really dial in what's already on the car, not a near stock restoration.

In reply to Kia_Racer:

Yeah, I got that, was trying to make a funny but you missed it.

MadScientistMatt wrote: Or you could read it as "the best choice to cut up for making a really insane track car."

Exactly. I'm not a fan of the car stock, but I could cut up a 78-82 or 84-91 Corvette and absolutely not lose a wink of sleep due to remorse.

I am guessing those that are haters have never driven one. The view from behind the steering wheel of a C3 under acceleration looking over those fenders is one of the BEST views on the planet.

I like the color scheme of the '78 Pace Cars. That color scheme looks good on pretty much any GM product of that time period. I've seen it applied to 2nd gen Trans Ams and it looks great.

I do like the body of the '82 better though.

The flat black one with the flares looks hot. If it was basically a ground-up mechanical redo of the entire car I suppose it would be pretty awesome to rip on too.

The stock ones and mildly "fluffed" ones I see for sale all look like E36 M3ty kit cars to me. It would be fun to pick one up cheap and go nuts on it like I'd do with a chevette, pinto, manta, etc... but otherwise... do not want.

I've been thinking about this all night, why I don't like the C3. I came to the same conclusion as GPS. It looks like a kit car. It's a big fiberglass blob.

If I wanted a Vette, it would either be a C2 convertible because of style or a C7 because of awesome.

Agree, the C2 is my favorite body style. If I wanted performance I would only be looking at C5 on up depending on how much cash I wanted to spend.

MadScientistMatt wrote:

Streetwiseguy wrote: Golly, the least desireable vintage of the least desireable body style. Lets go with, "Spend the money on pizza instead."

Or you could read it as "the best choice to cut up for making a really insane track car." I like the looks on the C3, but they need a lot of help in both the horsepower and handling departments. This would need to be a tech packed, over the top build, or at least finding ways to really dial in what's already on the car, not a near stock restoration.

This times a million! I've never understood why some poorly engineered E36 M3heaps coughFoxbodycough are viewed as a perfect basis for a racecar despite having almost nothing good to start with, while others are "oh no, those suck, start with something else"

NONACK wrote: This times a million! I've never understood why some poorly engineered E36 M3heaps *cough*Foxbody*cough* are viewed as a perfect basis for a racecar despite having almost nothing good to start with, while others are "oh no, those suck, start with something else"

Probably the biggest thing C3s have against them is their curb weight, which ballooned to over 3600 lbs by the mid '70s. You could get a stripped down mid '80s Caprice with a lighter curb weight.

The '80 and later ones are supposed to be a bit lighter. And, of course, modern pony cars are heavier than a C3.

Streetwiseguy wrote: Golly, the least desireable vintage of the least desireable body style. Lets go with, "Spend the money on pizza instead."

+1

MadScientistMatt wrote:

NONACK wrote: This times a million! I've never understood why some poorly engineered E36 M3heaps *cough*Foxbody*cough* are viewed as a perfect basis for a racecar despite having almost nothing good to start with, while others are "oh no, those suck, start with something else"

Probably the biggest thing C3s have against them is their curb weight, which ballooned to over 3600 lbs by the mid '70s. You could get a stripped down mid '80s Caprice with a lighter curb weight. The '80 and later ones are supposed to be a bit lighter. And, of course, modern pony cars are heavier than a C3.

high curb weight, a chassis as rigid as a wet noodle, mediocre ergonomics and bad suspension geometry. What else do you need?

In reply to Bobzilla:

500 hp

just don't open the doors with the t-tops off on a lift..... you'll crack the body.

Bobzilla wrote: high curb weight, a chassis as rigid as a wet noodle, mediocre ergonomics and bad suspension geometry. What else do you need?

Wait, now I can't tell which late 70s/80s American car we're talking about