Topic: What Your Vette Means...
in Forum: All Vettes Discussion
Already a Member?
Click Here to Login
Not yet a Member?
Click Here to Register for Free!
Lifetime MemberLanoka Harbor, NJ - USA
Joined: 12/21/2006
Posts: 828
Vette(s): 1975 metallic blue coupe with t-tops,L48, t/t steering, black leather interior. 1990 L98, white/red leather interior, auto,a/c
it took me until i was 52 to get the car of my dreams. since i was a
kid i always wanted a corvette (who didn't). 63-67 would be my
number one choice to own. when i went out to buy my first car after
saving up from jobs in the summer and on weekends, there was a brand
new 73 vette on the showroom floor priced at $6400.00. begged my father
to lend me $3000 to buy it but he wouldn't.
in 68 when they changed the body, it did take a while for me to adjust to the new look and they grew on me. i especially liked the 73. first year of the poly bumper and still had the tail in the back.
they go and change it again and again it takes a while to adjust. only thing was it was only half as hard as it was mainly the rear that changed. then the c4s were here etc.
to me the new ones really don't do anything for me like the old ones do.
past summer wife and i were talking and she asked me what i was going to do with a 66 mustang thats been sitting here for quite a few years as it needs to be redone. i said i didn't really know but i would like to get an older car, pre-computer as i could work on it and something that i could drive around while i am restoring it unlike the mustang.
i mentioned that i saw a vette for sale that looked in good condition and she turned around and said to go and check it out and if it was in good condition (mainly drivable) and not beat to the ground that i could buy it for my 30th anniversary present.
as i always do what she tells me to
,
my pf flyers (tell me i am not showing my age) were on and went and
bought it. for the most part it was in good shape. found somethings i
didn't expect but nothing to really sour me on it.
i am dressing it up with some chrome details and such so i am always busy on it. want to make it look great but not to where i won't drive it (don't get mad at me joel). when i do cruise in it, it feels great and i wouldn't trade it for anything (except if i got a really great deal on a 63-67).
i guess being something i always wanted and the fact that it was a present from my wife is what makes it special to me. btw...of course i had to come up with a present for her so when she commented on a 5 carat tennis bracelet in the store, i told the clerk to give it to her. both she and the clerk thought i was joking until i paid for it.
eddie20875 2007-02-25 20:33:45
in 68 when they changed the body, it did take a while for me to adjust to the new look and they grew on me. i especially liked the 73. first year of the poly bumper and still had the tail in the back.
they go and change it again and again it takes a while to adjust. only thing was it was only half as hard as it was mainly the rear that changed. then the c4s were here etc.
to me the new ones really don't do anything for me like the old ones do.
past summer wife and i were talking and she asked me what i was going to do with a 66 mustang thats been sitting here for quite a few years as it needs to be redone. i said i didn't really know but i would like to get an older car, pre-computer as i could work on it and something that i could drive around while i am restoring it unlike the mustang.
i mentioned that i saw a vette for sale that looked in good condition and she turned around and said to go and check it out and if it was in good condition (mainly drivable) and not beat to the ground that i could buy it for my 30th anniversary present.
as i always do what she tells me to
,
my pf flyers (tell me i am not showing my age) were on and went and
bought it. for the most part it was in good shape. found somethings i
didn't expect but nothing to really sour me on it. i am dressing it up with some chrome details and such so i am always busy on it. want to make it look great but not to where i won't drive it (don't get mad at me joel). when i do cruise in it, it feels great and i wouldn't trade it for anything (except if i got a really great deal on a 63-67).
i guess being something i always wanted and the fact that it was a present from my wife is what makes it special to me. btw...of course i had to come up with a present for her so when she commented on a 5 carat tennis bracelet in the store, i told the clerk to give it to her. both she and the clerk thought i was joking until i paid for it.
LIFETIME MEMBER #97
THE DYNAMIC DUO
THE DYNAMIC DUO
SPONSOR AD:: (Our Sponsors help support C3VR)
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.
Save the Wave!
Support the National Corvette Museum
Support the National Corvette Museum
Dave hit the nail on the head with his answer 
.
.
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 
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.....
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.....
Former Member
Send PM
Leavenworth, KS - USA
Joined: 1/24/2007
Posts: 426
Vette(s): MM Red 1971 T-top,LS5,4-speed, black leather C5 seats, Hooker sidepipes.
Previous: 64 Coupe, 65 Roadster L76 / N14
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). 
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.
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! 
sundevil
sundevil
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.
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.
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...!!! 
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! 
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
[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]
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
Dave
Lifetime Member #116
Dave's '82
in Forum: All Vettes Discussion
SPONSOR AD: (Our Sponsors help support C3VR)