Rennier

hello everyone. I am new to the whole car deal. I am a medical student so i haven't had much experience in car related subjects. I would like to buy a muscle car, more specifically a corvette ( 1968-1982). I would like to use it as a daily driver. Many of the ones i have seen have had their engine as well as other parts restored. What does this mean exactly. That the engine is like new? new? once restored how reliable is it as a daily driver? if not restored then what would be the approximate cost to do so?...thank guys any help would be appreciated..

gooser

1. your car will be at least 25 years old. cars wear out. parts that wear out can be replaced. that's the skinny of it. an older car can be as reliable as a new car but will require a great deal more maintenance. a rebuilt engine (if done properly) will have all worn pieces either replaced or re-machined. but that's only a small part of it. what leaves these old cars by the side of the road are usually bad wiring or connectors, leaking brake parts, leaky hoses or radiators and a ton of other things. engines themselves rarely "break" without warning.

2. a corvette wasn't really a very practical car when it was new. (no storage). you should be able to eliminate MOST rust problems however.

3. does a medical student have the time to research and learn how to maintain one of these cars? if not then you will have to find a reliable mechanic to do "check ups" from time to time.

4. not really familiar with corvettes but i'm sure that they're a lot like all classic cars in one respect. that is some years will have features that will make them more or less reliable than some other years. finally there's the question of styling........................................... ... good luck! i personally own a 70vw, a 66 mustang and a 74 mgb. they take a lot of my time. all 3 have parts readily available from several vendors and i suggest that the car you choose be likewise.

ky

why dont you look at a corvette forums about a vette instaed of a mustang fourm.

onegreedy

2 words MUSTANG FORUMS

IF YOUR INTRESTED IN A VETTE, try a vette site ! probly better info! !

Rennier

pardon me if i offended you by typing the word corvette.....i just happen to read these forums alot and believe some people here have great knowledge of cars and i thought they would not mind helping...thanks for the help

ky

we'll give you help but you'll recieve the most from a vette forum, duh.

gooser

i don't understand the flaming. general questions about rebuilding and reliability should be about the same for any classic car. i can guarantee that if anyone asked a question about a vette on a mg forum they wouldn't get treated like this.

i do have to admit that you would get better advice on a vette forum.

rmodel65

go to a book store see if they have any vette enthusiasts mags they will tell you what to look for like fiberglass stress cracks, structural problem, reliability. with that said an early mustang is alot cheaper car to get into, and maintain maybe pick up one then decide if you like old cars

HGC

Wait until you are a doctor and then buy all the classic cars you want. Seriously, a classic car and medical school is probably not a good match. Both can consume time and money....lots of it. If you do the work yourself you also run the risk of banging up your hands. Your residency may very well be in the heart of a big city. You have to think about driving, parking and protecting the car there. Corvettes really are a different breed of classic. They have advantages and disadvantages other classics don't have. They have fiberglass bodies...some have ridiculously low mileage, which sounds great until you actually start to drive it every day and find out that a car not driven regularly can have more problems than a car which has been excercised. Kind of like muscle atrophy. Honestly though, Corvette owners can give you better information.

falconfixer

Yeah, one more - talk to the other doctors who have done residency. Did they drive some reliable/vanilla [:'(]Corolla? Ask them why. Long hours/all hours and where i 'might' have the knowledge and enthusiasm to troubleshoot a 'no-start' in the parking lot and band-aid fix it - will you? Facing another 12+hr shift in 6 hours?

Perhaps buying the dream car should wait until your practice takes off. I do wish you the best of luck! Get a '63/'64! The Prettiest of the herd. Ignore that '70s and '80s junk!