WebCars!: The Corvette Story

Corvette: Year by Year

1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965
1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978
1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014

Classic Corvette Purchasing Tips, Part I

It is not the destination but the journey.
A case in point. Jay Leno, well known car collector, wrote a guest editorial in AutoWeek a number of years ago. He spoke about a problem that often plagues celebrities: "hangers on" that do odd things to attach themselves to famous people. In his case, they will call up in response to an ad for a classic car and pretend to be his "representative" and will say something along the lines of "Jay saw your ad and asked me to call for more information". Jay wrote that if someone gets a call like that they are definitely talking to an impostor. He never has anyone call on his behalf when it comes to classic car shopping; if he sees your ad and he is interested, he'll call you himself.

Beyond saying something about Jay as a person, the article said a lot about the car collector hobby. It is fun. Lots of it! Researching and deciding what collector car to buy is fun. Shopping for them is fun. Buying them is a real blast. Owning them, maintaining them, driving them, preserving them, showing them and yes, eventually selling them is a source of pleasure.

As the saying goes: "It's not the destination, it's the journey!" Enjoy your search for a Corvette as it is almost as much fun as owning one.

Where to look?
You are best off if you can limit your search to locally available Corvettes. The logic here is simple: investigating and purchasing is much easier if access to the car and the seller can be easily done in person. But that can limit you if

You live in a sparsely populated area
You are looking for a "special" Corvette, i.e. one that is not commonly available

If your circumstances are such that you cannot find what you want nearby, then a wider search is necessary. Check out the list of dealers in the links page. There are also the many online auction sites, starting with the industry leader, ebay.

Next: Classic Corvette Purchasing Tips, Part II

Classic Corvette Purchasing Tips, Part III
Classic Corvette Purchasing Tips, Part IV

Classic Corvette Purchase: Which one? (part I)
Classic Corvette Purchase: Which one? (part II)

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Comments (2)

1981 corvette

How many 1981corvettes were produced with the charcoal paint,and silver interior? Cannot seem to get the actual numbers! thanks!

#1 - john jones - 09/27/2011 - 19:57

Dealers?

It has been my experience that a dealer wants more than the price guide and certainly more than an individual owner. They are my last choice. What is really irritating to me is that dealers do not show their prices in the trade magazines...they want you to call and waste your day. I've also both bought and sold at auctions. Trouble there is transport expense, buyers and sellers fees paid to auctioneer, plus travel, hotel, meals, etc. It really adds up to the cost of your collectible. Also you usually have to make a decision in a matter of minutes. Local newspapers are a very limited source. Suggest you contact the car club of the make you want. Their members sometimes have one to sell or know of someone who does. I have purchased cars on E-bay twice and have sold once and had good experience all 3 times. Sometimes I fly in and out to see the car if the situation warrants. That's my 2 cents.

#2 - Dennis Rendina - 10/03/2011 - 12:06


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