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What Your Vette Means... (12/22)
2/26/07 8:13am

dwright
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Victor, NY - USA

Vette(s):
2004 Commemorative Edition Coupe, Auto w/HUD. 13K miles in 2015. Sold 1982 Red Coupe

Joined: 7/12/2004
Posts: 6836

Questions:

1. What does owning my Corvette mean to me?

2. Why do I keep it around?

Answers:

1. It means EVERYTHING to me.

It means I have a reason to get up in the morning.

It means I have a purpose in life.

It means I can visit an on-line forum daily and learn all about C3s and life.

It means I can talk to other people who are passionate about C3s and life.

It means I can drive a unique American-made sports car.

It means I get complements from strangers about my ride.

It means I can drive hundreds of miles just to get an ice cream cone.

It means I can sit in a restaurant parking lot for hours talking to friends.

It means I can make a yearly pilmgramage to a museum in KY.

It means I can join clubs and meet others with my passion for a unique car.

It means I can collect toys and I am a GRANDFATHER!

It means I can spend money foolishly.

It means I can keep my daily driver outside my garage, in the snow.

It means I can lie on my back under a dirty, leaking chassis and scrap my knuckles.

It means I can swear when I find another thing that needs to be fixed.

It means I can be stranded out in the boondocks.

2. Beats the hell out of me.

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Save the Wave!
Support the National Corvette Museum

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What Your Vette Means... (13/22)
2/26/07 11:27am

DaveM

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Flanders, NJ - USA

Vette(s):
1982 Black, ZZ4, Hooker Side Pipes, 3.55 Rear, Rebuilt & upgraded 700R4, All new suspension, brakes, & new Charcoal interior.

Joined: 1/27/2004
Posts: 2552

Dave hit the nail on the head with his answer Clap

I graduated HS in '63 and my best friend got a '63 split window from his father for graduation (nice huh). We spent all summer cruising in it and I never stopped loving that car. In '66 I bought a new Austin Healy Sprite, figured that was as close to a Vette as I was going to get. I cost $1900, new. I later got a Austin Healy 3000 and then came the Army, then family, night school to finish up college that the Army interrupted. All the while I never stopped wanting a split window coupe, then the prices for then got way out of my reach. Finnally in 2002 I had the time & money to go for it.

I looked for 4 months and found this '82, not what I wanted, but it was in good shape and a good price and local so i could see & drive it. Well the rest is history.

It has changed my life, I've meet so many great people (mainly here)because of the car that I'll never get rid of it. Maybe get another, but I'll always have my '82.

Dave

______________

Lifetime Member #116
Dave's '82

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What Your Vette Means... (14/22)
2/26/07 11:35am

Autom8r
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Old Hickory, TN - USA

Vette(s):
1978 L-82 Silver Anniversary hotrod. /////////////

Joined: 5/26/2003
Posts: 599

DaveM,

Great deja-vu story... An HS pal of mine got a '63 roadster for graduation that would dust my '57 Ford. I ended up getting a surplus 1950 Milwaukee police Harley XLCH, which I chopped and built to run with his 'Vette.....

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What Your Vette Means... (15/22)
2/26/07 2:59pm

sundevil74
Former Member
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Leavenworth, KS - USA

Vette(s):
MM Red 1971 T-top,LS5,4-speed, black leather C5 seats, Hooker sidepipes. Previous: 64 Coupe, 65 Roadster L76 / N14

Joined: 1/24/2007
Posts: 426

Great idea, Larry! How can you pass up a cruise down Memory LN when the snow is on the ground and the salt on the road? Besides, I loved reading your stories.

My love affair started in college when I saw a black-on-black-on-black '69 vert with blue shadow flames in the parking lot. I was hooked on this object of art. This is surprising, because prior to that, I was a VW rodder and never paid vettes much attn (except in the rear view mirror). Rolling%20On%20The%20Floor%20Laughing

Enter my rich Uncle Sam and my first tour to Germany, where I bought a '65 vert from a fellow LT who couldn't ship it back to the States. I got it for next to nothing. It needed work, so I stored it in a German butcher's warehouse and set to work among the blood and guts. What a trip! It was a numbers matching car with a super HP 327, factory sidepipes, and an M-22 "rock crusher" 4-spd. Wish I still had it. Cry

While on an exercise near Munich, one of my scouts provided the coordinates of a shiny red C2 vette in a garage, since they knew I also had one. A week or two later I located the red turn-key '64 coupe. It was an export model with German dataplate and a speedo in KPH. Another 4-spd but a 350 SB. I shipped it back to Ft. Knox and performed a body-off restoration on it before driving to Monterey, CA in its new primer coat. There, I sold it to a Canadian looking to import a 60s muscle car. Cha-ching!

I remained "between vettes" until this past Christmas, when I got the thumbs up for my latest, a '71 coupe with a 454 4-spd in pretty fair shape. Currently, it's on blocks in the garage undergoing a few winter repairs. It shares the garage with a '56 Effie awaiting its turn for restoration (maybe), although I'm getting too old (or particular) to crawl under another hotrod.

Unless I get a deal on a '62 or a '67 L-88, this will be my last vette. I'll sell it when I can no longer crawl in, or see the lights change, and then we'll live happily ever after on the proceeds. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it! Wink

sundevil

______________

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What Your Vette Means... (16/22)
2/26/07 6:28pm

VETTERBOB

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DUNEDIN, FL - USA

Vette(s):
1969 COUPE CORTEZ SILVER, BRIGHT BLUE INTERIOR 383 cu. in. 512 HP. Hooker headers w/ side pipes PS PS AC AM FM STEREO. 68,000.MILES C5 5oth Anniversary Coupe , auto.350hp

Joined: 10/22/2004
Posts: 832

great stories! mine started back in `66 when i was 6 . i saw a 63 split window and went crazy.I was hooked. every time i went on road trip with my folks i`d pass the time away looking for vettes.I got my first ride at 8yrs old in new `67 427 coupe, my aunts new fiance, he was immediately accepted as my favorite uncle, he took me to his buddies who had a new `67 427 roadster. Now this is just too much for an 8 yr old to stand, 2 brand new Corvettes and i had to choose which one to ride in, no way. At 11 i drove my first vette A blue `71 coupe 350 auto. My uncle brought it over,knowing how much i loved these cars, I drove it a couple of blocks, smiling from ear to ear. I think I had my first sexual release right there! ooopss , sorry ladies.in 76 when i got my license ,my aunt let me drive her 69 vert, which became my favorite year. 2 yrs later a buudy recived a settlement from an accident and i turned him on to 69 vert. so he bought one.we had some fun in that.as the rest of the stories here life got in the way , wife ,kids houses. vettes started to increase in price. Then in `04 a friend of mine asked me if I wanted to buy a vette. So i aske ,is your brother selling his car, he had been out of work for awhile, and he said yes. I said get him on the phone, asked him a few questions, and when he said 10 grand it was all over.Made arrangement to get the funds to him and ship the car. Basically site unseen. So now i am putting together the corvette hot rod i always dreamed of .

So this car means alot , memories of my youth , never lose touch with you dreams you never know.

I have no intentions of ever getting rid of her. i`m in love.

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What Your Vette Means... (17/22)
2/26/07 7:39pm

kingkong
Former Member
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Berlin, NJ - USA

Vette(s):
74 Stingray, 454 cu. in.,hardtop convertible,373 posi rear,modified body,shaved door handles, roll bar

Joined: 2/12/2006
Posts: 21

I was 49 years old (now 50), and something tells me I won't live forever. So after all the years of regular suburban life, doing the normal wife, kids, house thing and working my ass off for it all, dammit!...I wanted something for ME!

I grew up in the sixties and seventies, when cars were cars. You could tell a Camaro from a Firebird from a Chevelle from a Nova a mile away. Now you could be sitting on a new car and have to look at the emblem to see what it is.

I spent most of my life eyeing muscle cars as they passed me on the road, always just glancing so they wouldn't see the jealous look in my eye. But when a Vette passed, my head would spin completely around, tongue wagging, drool flowing down my jaw.

Driving my Vette now brings me back to my motorcycle days, getting out on the road with no particular place to go, just enjoying the moment. The wife used to have to threaten my life to get me to do an errand that involved driving. Now, in nice weather, I'll take the long way around to the store to get a loaf of bread...one slice at a time.

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What Your Vette Means... (18/22)
2/27/07 2:20am

Norsky

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Burke, VT - USA

Vette(s):
SOLD - "The Toy" - '70 Convertible
SOLD - "The Beast" - '90 ZR-1 (#682)
SOLD - "Betty" - '28 Ford Model A Tudor
Still have - "BLKBRRD" - '78 Pontiac Trans Am

Joined: 1/23/2002
Posts: 7191

I've been crazy about cars for as long as I can remember. Never really had a favorite until "Route 66" hit the airwaves. That '62 droptop will always be the dream Corvette I may never own. The hook was set...!!! It didn't help that a friend of my Dad's had a big block '67 droptop and a high school teacher had a '66 coupe (both cars I had the good fortune to get rides in!).

But I've had my share of fun rides over the years. My first car was a '68 Chevelle (Mom and Dad were lobbying for the 4 door '63 Mercury Monterey), then a '69 Cougar, a '75 Corolla E5 and an '83 Supra. Mind you there were various sedans, wagons, and pickups scattered in there. But I've always had my eye on a Vette.

Late in the last century the family fleet consisted of a Toyota wagon, an Explorer, and a Chevy pickup truck. BORING...!!! But our daughter was in college and there weren't a lot of extra bucks around at the end of a pay period, even though all 3 vehicles were mostly paid for. The itch to have a "fun" car just got too strong. So I crunched a bunch of numbers and redirected some funds from my 401K program. In the spring of 2000 I brought home "The Toy", a high school graduation present to myself - 30 years in the waiting...!!! The itch was scratched - sort of...

Then a couple of years ago an ad in the Friday morning paper for a '78 Trans Am catches my eye and before you know it "BIGBRRD" is in the family fleet. Another itch was scratched - sort of...

An over sized two car garage is added to give the "noisy toys" a suitable place to reside and be taken care of. Life is good...!!! Another itch was scratched - sort of...

Then last fall an ad in the Saturday morning paper catches my wife's eye. A car like the one she fell in love with at a favorite local Corvette show is looking for a new home. "Can we go look at it?" I'm asked. "Why not, we can't afford it anyway so it can't hurt to go look at it." was my reply. So a couple of weeks later "The Beast" is in the garage. I think I have a problem...!!! LOL

But I'm also very blessed. I have a loving wife who understands my passion for "wheels". Through the cars I've met a bunch of wonderful folks who also share my passion (and problem!). I may not have that dream car sitting in the garage right now, but (IMO) there are three of the best examples of American automotive history sitting out there right now and I'm proud to be their current care taker.

Please pass the calamine lotion and ...

Save the wave!

______________

Jim Olson

"The Toys"...!!! Save the Wave!

Where I've been in a Corvette...!!!

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What Your Vette Means... (19/22)
2/27/07 3:31am

RADARB8

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Montesano, WA - USA

Vette(s):
had a really nice one. sold it to a good friend. Purchased 2004 custom coupe in Feb. 2009 did not tell anyone here until August 2009. BAD I KNOW.

Joined: 9/27/2003
Posts: 1931

Well, hate admit it, but do to the drug useage of past years, not sure when it happen, but i remember, seeing the movie "Corvette Summer" and remember thinking that was a hot looking ride and a guy could nail alot of chicks with a ride like that, hey I was a little horn dog. Well as I entertained life by living pay check to pay check, got sober, and drug free met wife, finally got a life so i let it happen, everytime i say a vette go by i looked and dreamed. Even when i had myself a 41 plymouth coupe i still looked at the vettes. So I bugged the wife for about 3 years and fher final gave in so the reseach and the search was on, wish i would have found this site before i bought, finally figured out what i wanted, she was leaning towards a C5, I wanted C2 or C3. C2 was a little above budget, so i studied the twin chromers and settled on the 1970 had to be a vert, 4 speed, and at first big block, little more research and it was the LT-1 i was gunning for. found serveral I was following on line, only problem was I could afford the vette, but not shipping and washington state taxes. so the looking continued, found one on ebay that was in oregon so i went looked, drove, and bought. never looked it over or anything just felt right, still does. I could right for days on what vette means to me, it is so much, some good and so bad, like showing my family that there POS son or brother "who will never amount to anything" is the only one in the family how owns a classic Corvette that is going up in price every year. it means that when every I am behind the wheel I am in another world. grinning from ear to ear. I still feel that same tingling when i go into the gargage an see it in there. well everyone this is all from me, let some one else have fun sharing, thank you. Larry

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What Your Vette Means... (20/22)
2/27/07 4:02pm

DaveM

[QUOTE=Autom8r]DaveM,

Great deja-vu story... An HS pal of mine got a '63 roadster for graduation that would dust my '57 Ford. I ended up getting a surplus 1950 Milwaukee police Harley XLCH, which I chopped and built to run with his 'Vette.....[/QUOTE]

Hey Dave, talk about deja-vu, I had a '57 ford then also! It was a 6 cylinder when i got it. One day I was at the junk yard and they towed in a brand new police car that had rolled. I bought the engine, 390 police interceptor, and put it in the '57, buy the time I was all done with it, it would take my friends vette! But it was still a piece of crap LOL

Dave

______________

Lifetime Member #116
Dave's '82

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What Your Vette Means... (21/22)
2/27/07 8:12pm

BlueX2

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Joined: 3/9/2006
Posts: 2168

I don't remember when I first when corvette crazy, but I do always remember wanting one. A friend of my brother had a 78 pace car, and watching that car on the road, I knew one day I would have one.

In 85, at the age of 21, I bought a 79, white with a green interior. I was a Lance Corporal in the USMCR. In 87, when I went on active duty, I traded the 79 in on a 62. It had chrome mags, a 327, and a killer candy brandywine paint job. I sported that car until 89, when I traded it in on a 81. (Wish I still had the 62!!!) The 81 was charcoal with a charcoal int. A buddy of mine had a fender-bender while I was overseas, and when I got back, I had the car fixed and changed it to light blue metallic. In 93 I traded that in on 91 convertible, red on red. I had that during my last assignment, Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. That car was made for the islands!! I got out of the USMC in 96, after a 12 year run, and got rid of my last vette then. I had a 10 year dry spell, and then bought the 72 in March of 06.

It feels great to be behind the wheel of a vette. There's nothing like it. It doesn't matter where I went in any of them, people have always wanted to talk about the cars. The people in the clubs have been great, and I've just had a blast with my cars.

That's my vette story.

Bryan

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What Your Vette Means... (22/22)
2/27/07 10:39pm

kstyer

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CUYAHOGA FALLS, OH - USA

Vette(s):
1975 C3 Red, T-Tops, Black Interior. All I need is time and money! Getting there!

Joined: 12/2/2003
Posts: 6424

My uncle bought a brand new 65, when I was 10. Once I got to ride in that machine I love it. I liked it before, but then loved it. In 68 a friend of my Dads bought a 68 yellow vert. I thought it looked odd. By the third time I saw it, it had really started to grow on me. Then I got to sit in it. I was in love. A short time later I got to ride in a blue 69 coupe. Up until that point it was the high spot of my life bar none. I could not stop smiling. Going down the road with those fender bulging really tripped my trigger. The sound, the feel, the experience. What machine could possibly be better?

From then I was commited, and always said someday I would own one of those. Life happened and it didn't happen. When I went to work for a Chevrolet dealer I found most of the guys did not like working on them. They though they were difficult to repair compared to the other Chevys. They were right but I loved them so much I didn't care, and did most of the repairs on the Vettes. This also allowed me to drive them on a regular basis. Granted it was just a test drive, but that didn't matter.

One time I got to take one to Toledo (silver auto) and bring a different one back (red 4 spd) for a dealer trade. That was a really great day!

Then I finally found a total basket case that I could afford. I said if it took my 10 years to get it done, I didn't care. It was my first E-bay purchase. It came home in boxes and on a car dolly. Nothing worked. Nothing. It's now been over three, but progress is being made. All I need is time and money, both of which are in short supply.

My oldest daughter, Beth, is 28 married and a english teacher. She has no interest in the vette. Meg is 17 and loves the darn thing. When I can no longer drive, it becomes hers.

The only way I wll ever sell it is if I absolutely need to do so. I hope that never happens. If it does it will kill a part of me. I will live, but a part will die. In my life anything is possible, who know what the future will bring. In the meantime I will keep plugging away. It will slowly get better.

I have gas in my blood. Cars are part of what and who I am. Period. And my favorite car of all times is a C3. Period. I truly LOVE these cars. It is part of me. Nothing dramatic here.

Makes me a bit pathetic. But hey, it's part of me.

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