First Corvette

Hi, I'm new to the forums and have a quick question. Right now I drive a v6 Camaro and have decided that I want to bump up to the Corvette. What is the best generation and/or year Corvette to start out on, and most importantly. which ones would be cheapest seeing as how I'm still in college.  

If you're looking for a budget Corvette, you need to look at an early (non crossfire) C4, 85-89. You can find them in decent shape for under $5k, they have a ton of performance potential, and are good looking cars.  

Thanks, that's mostly what I've been seeing in my price range. Do the cars hold up well after a lot of miles or would some kind of engine rebuild be in order to allow for performance modifications?  

If you're going for the cheapest route, you're going to be looking at either a late C3 or an early C4.  Either generation you can get a running car in decent enough shape for around or under $10,000.  It all depends on which you would rather have.   There's pros & cons to both, the primary being age alone.  The older something is, generally the more work it will require, even if it's been garage kept.  Providing you're planning on modifying it & driving it instead of a trailer queen, there's plenty of options for both.  The primary thing to remember is, if it's rubber, you'll probably need to replace it immediately.  Belts, hoses, tires, seals, etc.

The C3's are plentiful, have the nice curvy body, decent interior room, and are very easy to work on & modify (tho probably a little more difficult than a Camaro).  But the suspension is the older 3-link independent rear (still a vast improvement over a solid-axle) Still, for minimal effort, you can replace the springs & shocks cheaply, and have a very tight cornering vehicle.  GM Performance Parts has a number of cheap smallblocks with more power than these cars came with stock, and you'll get a warranty with those engines too.  Keep in mind, the C3's were also designed with big-blocks in mind, so although it may take some extra effort to put one in a late-model C3, you can still do so fairly easily.  Another thing to look for, will be the transmission.  Most likely any C3 you'll find will have an automatic, which will likely be a TH-350.  Something to consider upgrading to would be a TH-700R4 overdrive transmission, which you can have one built to spec. for your needs.  The overdrive will help your gas mileage immensely, and they're simple to have installed in a C3.  Pre '77 models are slightly roomier seating area than '78+ models due to the dash design, and the seats are generally more comfortable as well, but '78+ models will get you a glassback cargo compartment and a glove box.  T-tops are easily removable for open air driving, but tend to leak if the seals are in poor shape.  And also remember, sidepipes are illegal on 1975+ Corvettes due to emissions laws.

The C4's are also plentiful, have the flatter body with the lower drag co-efficient, very tight interior, and have the 5-link independent rear suspension, but are more difficult to work on & modify because of space issues alone.  Same as the C3's, you can replace the smallblock cheaply with one from GM Performance Parts with one more powerful than stock with a warranty.  No big-blocks for the C4 though unless you like punishing yourself.  If you get an automatic, it'll be the TH-700R4 mentioned above, but it may need rebuilt/replaced depending on condition if it's an early model.  Later models tend to hold up better, but if you get over 300hp you'll probably be shopping for a new one in short order anyway.  If you get one with the Doug Nash 4+3 manual it will cause you lots of headaches if it's not in good working order.  If you're lucky enough to get a later model C4 with the 6 speed, you shouldn't have any problems.  Just remember though, TH-700R4's are cheap & plentiful and can be built to withstand 500+ hp.  A good replacement 5 or 6 speed manual can cost you around $5000.  Other issues with early C4's are the digital dash gauges.  Make sure everything works before you buy.  Later C4's went back to an analog look (1990+), and they appear to be much more reliable.  The roof panels aren't as easy as T-tops to remove, and without the roof panel the body will flex unless you get an aftermarket t-bar to counteract.  The removal tool kinda sucks too, so you'd probably want to buy an extra ratchet for that alone.

Parts are very plentiful & generally cheap for both models though.  Either route you take, I'm sure you'll find more rewarding than a V6 Camaro as a driving experience.  I would highly recommend sitting in and driving both generations before you decide, providing exterior looks do not matter to you.  If the exterior does matter, then it's just your own personal preference.  

Thanks for the info. You guys are a lot more helpful than the guys on the Camaro forums lol. I like both styles but I especially like the curvy lines on the C3s. The Camaro isn't horrible but it feels lacking so I would really like to upgrade. Anyways, thanks for the info on the cars, I'll definitely put it to good use  

That was great information on the c3-c4 vettes, wanted to ask the same question.

Thanks,

newbie-Paul