Better Beaters - Building Cars and Daily Drivers

 Thinking about Corvettes.

1968. It was a very good year.

Chevrolet Corvette.

The "it" car for my Boomer generation.

I was born in 1954, and I didn't become aware of the various models and types of cars until I was probably six years or so of age when my Dad bought a new '59 Chevy Impala two door hardtop that was jet black on the outside, and bright red on the inside. It definitely looked sporty inside with the hooded gauges, and sporty steering wheel. On the outside it was swoopy, and the nifty emblem with the Impala leaping over the crossed checkered flags set off some kind of awareness in my young mind; cars could be special and sporty.

The other incident was in 1963 or '64 when we attended the UAW union Christmas party. Besides the variety show, Pink Popcorn, and Christmas stocking filled with treats and little toys, we all received a wrapped present from Santa Claus himself. 

I received a model kit of the second automotive icon of my youth: the Jaguar XKE. These two cars, the Corvette and the E Type, became cemented in my mind as the ultimate automobiles. Dynamic styling combined with awesome power. They have lived in my mind for over sixty years. But I never made the move to try to acquire either one. They were both more attainable back in the old days. My XJS was kind of a descendant of the fabled E Type. Unfortunately my experience did not end positively.

This still leaves an older Corvette as a possibility. They have been in production for a very long time. Many older models are still available at a price level that is accessible to the average enthuthiast. 

1963

The C3 Corvette Stingray was released in 1963, and it was a huge jump in the evolution of the Vette, at least stylistically. It elevated the Corvette to a position above every other domestic automobile. It was a sleek, aerodynamic, fighter plane of a car, so different to the earlier versions. 

During my youth I was as car crazy as a young boy could be. What could be more feverish about cars than the discussions of six and seventh grade boys during the lunch hour?

At this age we could hold very strong opinions and loyalties even though we were quite a few years away from even getting our driver's licenses! Not to mention actually being able to afford any car.

But that didn't matter, we were picking our tribe; American muscle versus Europe's puny machines. If there were any Europhile car fanciers among my crowd, they kept that to themselves!

My question for the Day is; since the Corvette is an iconic car, one that captured my attention and imagination for so long, should I make it a priority to own one?  As I've written before, almost any model or year will contain the essence of "Corvette," so that gives me a lot of options. There are many years and different series that I can choose from. Any of those would probably satisfy my curiosity about the marque.

1977. The sharp lines were being rounded off.

The C3 Mako shark design started in 1968. This design continued for a long time, until it ended in 1983. The early years of this model are very desirable and therefore quite expensive. By the end of the run these were derided by the automotive press. It was true the design, which had been quite impressive at first, had suffered from reductions in power and facelifts necessary to meet newer regulations.

1982. This example looks like a fitting end to this line.

Over time various mandated improvements resulted in a watered down and gussied up car. The engines were detuned to comply with smog requirements and the larger engines were eliminated from the line up. The front and rear ends were modified into impact resistant designs.

Some of these models might be considered to be a shadow of their former selves. However this makes these models much more affordable. 

1984. The first modern Corvette.

Later designs like the C4, also lived a long life and normal depreciation has brought these prices down. There are always a few special models, and those will always be more valuable. The Crossfire throttle body fuel injection has had it's issues, but move up a year or so, and true port F.I. was adopted, which was state of the art.  The C4 elevated the chassis technology and improved the handling and braking. The later TPI fuel injected models recovered a lot of the Corvette's thunder.

1995

The C5 was another notable evolution of the marque. Since the oldest models are now twenty years old, depreciation has made them quite affordable.

1999. The C5 is a new benchmark.

My interest in Corvettes has to do with wanting to experience their mystique. I'm not interested in racing or Concours judging. I'd just like to see what it's like to own and drive one. I think that any Corvette looks pretty good, some look better than others but all still look like Corvettes. You couldn't confuse one for any other car.

I am certainly not in a position to buy a new or nearly new example. My price range would be between 10-20,000 dollars. I would have to finance the car at the high end of that range.

The whole idea of financing a car opens up a lot of alternatives.

There are some downsides to owning a Corvette.

For one thing, it's not a very practical car.  They are only two passenger vehicles with very limited luggage space. They are also very low and not easy for geriatric types to get in and out of.

On the plus side it is a fairly small car, especially compared to the Fifties and Sixties cars that I've favored in the past. So it will easily fit in the garage.

Insurance could be more expensive, but at my and the car's age, that shouldn't be a problem.

Several years ago, Curbside Classics published a multi part post entitled "Ten Corvettes in Ten Days."  

This was written by a young, 25 year old Europhile car guy who was curious about Corvettes and wondered if he could find a suitable Vette within his budget, to serve as his only car and daily driver.

While he was limited to somewhat sketchy examples due to his price ceiling, he does a good job conveying the inherent personality of the cars. Especially for someone that is unfamiliar with this type of car. One shortcoming of the series is that he gives many of the cars a young woman's name as an embodiment of its personality. Christy, Tiffany, Chloe, Fiona, and Ruth.

I found that silly, and I'm sure that some will find that offensive, but it does reveal how he feels about the Corvette. He thinks of it more as a lifestyle choice, like being with an attractive young woman that he can display on his arm to compliment his self image. It doesn't sound like he wants to own and drive the car as an enthusiast. 

I usually think about Corvettes as having a masculine personality, and of course they have a reputation as a kind of testosterone booster for the aging male. That lends a comic and sometimes tragic element to their ownership. Especially when the owner is an older retired guy. Most of the Vettes that I see on the road are driven by older guys. 

This makes a lot of sense, Corvettes are dream cars and it often takes a guy a very long time to fulfill that dream.

Corvettes are something that have been so desirable, and so well known, for so long, that almost any car guy will have very strong opinions about them.  Even if they don't have any real experience with them.

I had two cousins that bought them in the 1970's. One bought his after he returned from his Army service in Korea, his brother bought his after he returned from his tour during the Vietnam War. One was a big block and the other a small block. A red one and a yellow one. I was in high school and they never even offered me a ride in either one!

I might consider a C5 model from the turn of the Millenium, but that's about as new as I would consider or afford. Later Vettes have become quite good sports cars, but it still boils down to how much do I actually want one? 

That's what the equation always gets reduced to.

On one hand, it's not as though I have any concept of what a forever car would be. Maybe the entire concept of forever cars is just a distraction. It's not like I think that getting an old Vette would permanently satisfy my curiosity.

I should be a bit embarrassed to admit that I don't really want one... that much.

But I plan on putting in a lot of thought on the matter. After all, I am certainly not getting any younger!

However, they do have a lot of charisma. If I do decide to get one, you will hear about it here!