Welcome to CorvSport’s Curated Video Series, where we summarize videos in an easy-to-read format to fit your busy lifestyle. In today’s timeless video, enthusiast and YouTuber TheCorvetteBen used his experience to develop a list of rules for any enthusiast looking to buy their first third-generation Corvette. I’ll tell you from experience that I sure could have used some of these pointers when I bought my first C3 in 2019, a 1979 L82 with the 4-speed manual that was a 10-footer I bought off eBay–we’ll save that story for later! [Author’s Note: This article is FREE and not behind a paywall. If/when any popups occur, please click to make them disappear and continue enjoying the article. One requires two steps–first, the arrow on the left, then the x on the top right.]
Today’s featured video has garnered 379,000+ views over the years, and now it’s your chance to tap into Ben’s insights. Ben isn’t your ordinary YouTuber–he’s a young enthusiast who also wrenches on his Corvettes, many of which are project cars he buys off eBay. In the last decade, Ben has built his reputation and now has over 89,000 subscribers.
Now, without further ado, here are Ben’s Ten Rules, which are fully credited to TheCorvetteBen. Have you broken at least one before buying your “dream Corvette?” Guilty as charged here!
Ten Rules For Buying Your First C3 Corvette
RULE #1: Before you even think about buying a C3 Corvette, you must know two VERY important facts:
- No matter what condition of car you buy, no matter the amount of money you spend, your car WILL eventually need work.
- NEVER NEVER buy a Corvette without looking at it in person. EVER! If you must (like if you live overseas) only buy a car that you have received sufficient picture documentation of the problem areas listed below. If you don’t have positive proof, stay away.
Do not expect just because you spent $50,000 on a vette that you will never have to put more money into it. Remember, the newest C3 Corvettes are still 43 years old. If you can accept the fact you will have to put additional money into your Corvette, continue reading.
RULE #2: Decide what kind of C3 Corvette you want before you buy your first one.
If you don’t, you will always wish you had bought ‘that chrome bumper car’ or ‘that ’75 vert’ you always wanted. Decide which year Corvette speaks to you. Here are some general examples:
Chrome bumper VS Rubber Bumper
All Original VS Custom
Big Block VS Small Block
Coupe VS Convertible
Automatic Transmission VS Manual Transmission
Flat Rear Glass VS Bubble Rear Glass
RULE #3: Before you buy your first C3 Corvette, you need to know your personal mechanical abilities.
Are you a complete novice when it comes to turning wrenches? Do you have a mentor or teacher that can teach you skills if you can’t afford to have other people work on the car for you? It would be wise to purchase a C3 Corvette that falls within your mechanical ability to restore. Many people buy a car, and then find out they are in over their head to complete their project.
For example: Buy a car that is what you want. i.e.
-Buy a show car if you want a show car.
-Buy a car someone drives every day if you want something to drive.
-Buy a project if you want something to work on.
RULE #4: Know your financial ability to pay for a car, and your financial ability to put money into the car on a monthly basis.
How much can you spend on the car per month? Also are you able to put money into the car if something drastic goes wrong? It’s always a sad thing to see a project Corvette sit in the garage because the owner ran out of money to put into it. Of course some of these situations are unavoidable, but wouldn’t you want to avoid it if you could?
RULE #5: When you find a potential project Corvette, there are a few main condition-related items that your car should have if it is to be considered for purchase.
Your car should ALWAYS have a solid frame, birdcage, and suspension. First let’s talk about the birdcage. Here is a picture of the Birdcage removed from a C3.
In simple terms it is the metal frame that surrounds the cockpit area of your C3. It is vital that you have a solid birdcage because it supports a lot of your car. An easy way to check the condition of the birdcage is to remove the kick panels near your feet.
Here are some pictures of how the mounts SHOULD NOT look like:
If you find a Corvette with body mounts looking like this, RUN. They are a pain and expensive to fix, and there is always cars out there with sound birdcages for sale.
A second area of rust that you can find on the birdcage is around the windshield. These areas can be accessed by removing the chrome trim and weather stripping around the outside of the windshield.
Here are some pictures of what your windshield frame SHOULD NOT look like:
A simple test to see if the birdcage has rust around the windshield frame is to place a white towel in the foot wells of the car and slam the doors a few times. If there is major rust it will have fallen onto the towel and you will be able to see it.
Frame:
Another important area to check for rust is the metal frame that makes up the support for everything on your car. Find a car with a solid, rot-free frame. This means less money and headache to restore the car. It can be very costly to repair or even replace a rusty frame.
Here are some pictures of what your frame SHOULD NOT look like:
A good technique to determine if the car you are looking at has a good solid frame is to take a coin like a quarter and give the frame a few good taps with it wherever you can reach. When you hit the frame, hear a metallic sound, and only put tiny nicks in the metal, than your frame is good. If you can gouge deep in the frame and/or poke holes into it, then the frame is not what you want. You can also put your fingers into the “eyelet” holes long the frame and feel inside for rust and scale. The same technique can be applied to later model cars that have metal floors in them.
Suspension:
Since C3 Corvettes are so old, the suspension should almost always be overhauled as a safety measure unless you can verify it has been done recently. Get a reliable mechanic to check it out if you can. As a general rule to the suspension AVOID suspensions that look like this:
RULE #6: Before buying your first C3 Corvette, another important area to look closely at is the condition of the fiberglass body.
It can avoid you headaches in the future if you can find a body that has not had the chance to be poorly repaired by bubba. Tricks to seeing if you have a fiberglass body in good condition is to move your fingers around the inside lip of each wheel well. They should be smooth with no cracks. You can also look at the condition of the inside of the wheel wells. Also, check for cracks where to body mounts to the frame in the wheel wells.
Body mounts SHOULD NOT look like this:
Also avoid cars that have large damaged areas on them. Yes, they could be easy to repair, but you never know what kind of botched past repairs lurk underneath the paint, especially if the car clearly shows it’s been neglected.
RULE #7: When searching for a car, try to avoid cars that have been left outside or in a field for a long time (especially if you live in colder climates).
Cars outside deteriorate very very quickly, plus 99% of C3s leak. Also avoid cars with windows that have been left open for extended periods of time. This will ruin any chances of usable interior parts, or hope of a solid floor.
RULE #8: Familiarize yourself with the different options and small changes that occurred to C3 Corvettes over the years.
It will increase your ability to determine what is stock or not, what has been replaced or not, and what has been “bubba’d” or not. A quick way to tell if bubba has visited your C3 is by looking at the engine compartment. Lots of vacuum plugs? Twist ties? Crusted on oil? I think it’s so simple to just pop the hood, and can pretty much gauge the “bubba”ness from what that compartment looks like.
DO NOT buy a car if it looks like this:
RULE #9: Write down the VIN number and also the trim tag information to determine some of the options the car came with, such as interior color, exterior color, and engine information.
It is also a good idea to bring a Black Book with you to check the correctness of the VIN, trin tag vs colors and engine data. Also, compare the numbers on the block to determine if the engine came with the car or not. This might be a deal breaker to some, but might be what some others want. Also, try your hardest to bring someone who knows Vettes, especially C3s, and can be your second set of eyes while you look at the car. SEE VIDEO BELOW TO LEARN HOW TO CHECK IF YOUR POTENTIAL PURCHASE IS NUMBERS MATCHING. [Author’s Note: This video is below the featured video]
RULE #10: After looking at the car you are contemplating about purchasing, make a list of items you think will need replacement.
Take a look at catalogs and Corvette supplier’s websites at prices for these items. This can give you an idea of what certain repairs will cost you. Also, after you go and look at the car, post real detailed pictures of what you saw so we can tell you if you should buy it or run away.
Featured Video Introduction From TheCorvetteBen:
“In this video I talk about the ten things you need to know when buying your first C3 Corvette. It is very easy to pay too much and buy a car with major problems, but with this video you wont have to worry about that again.”
Top Remarks From The 349+ Comments:
- “Great video, very informative. thanks for that.” @chrisyoung1478
- “Thank you for your insight. Very helpful…” @leonelhinojosa6009
- “Sound advice there, Young Man. Thank You!” @LarsAnders54
Video #2
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