I will take some time off Monday or Tuesday and run the Vett down to the repair shop and let him connect it up to a scanner.  You said it is important not to turn the engine off after you have run it?  Or was that not to pull the key out?  

A second problem I have is the key does not lock the steering wheel and you can actually start the car without the key.   I got a club on the car and keep in front of one of my other cars most of the time.    That is an item to get fixed after I have it running. 

Lucky for me I live in SO Cal which is the part of the states high car theft area.  But no one steals corvettes to run drugs or illegal’s so it is relatively save.

Leave the car running before they scan it. Turning the key off will clear any codes it may have, then the scan will show nothing, unless there is a "hard" failure that is present all the time, such as something disconnected, or shorted, etc.

The key problem is the cylinder is worn, and needs to be replaced.

If one was to want to purchase a scanner does anyone have a suggestion and why they would choose that model of scanner?

sounds like something that would be handy to have in my garage.

I've got two different ones. Granted, I need them in my business, so I need the best I can get(IE: afford!).
I have a Snap-On MT2500, and an OTC Monitor 4000 Enhanced.
The MT2500 is pretty much the industry standard, but it has been superseded by the new Modis scanner/DMM.
All of these are over $1800 minimum, new. The Modis is almost $4000...not exactly shadetree friendly, fer sher.
I hear of some folks buying the MT2500 on e-bay fairly cheap, but...buying electronic test equipment used is a crap shoot, at best.

There are several smaller, affordable "code readers", available at most parts houses...some are around $60 or so. Don't confuse a code reader with a true scanner, tho. The reader will only give you the codes, and the definition. A scanner will give you live data, as well as codes, and troubleshooting tips.
So..depending on how many late cars you have that may need some electronic diagnosis, a scanner may be a good investment. For the weekend wrench, just working on one or two of your own personal cars, a reader will prolly be good enough, if you have the service manuals to guide you thru the troubleshooting sequence after getting the codes.
hth...

Joel,

[QUOTE=Crossfire 1982]Joel,
From what I understand the live data on the 82s was an ALDL code. Will todays scanners read this code and would something like the link below do the job?[/QUOTE]

The Assembly Line Data Link is simply the connector used to retrieve codes, and communicate with the ECM. There IS data available on the '82, with the proper scan tool. Granted, it ain't much, but then again, there ain't tha much on an '82 to monitor! You will have TPS, O2 sensor, temp, MAP, ISC, and other info shown as live data with a scan tool. Of course, a true scan tool is gonna cost more, too.

As I stated, a "Code Reader" will do nothing more than it's name implies..read codes, and give a brief description of the code. (example: code 23   TPS circuit fault)
The link you provided doesn't really specify if that tool will access the data stream, but it doesn't appear to.
Also, if you look at the "comments" section on it, one guy said " to pay extra to activate features that were needed to isolate an intermittant problem. Further, this is the final firmware verzion for this product and there will be no further enhancments. If you want enhancments you have to buy a pricery model. "
That is a decent deal on the tool, don't get me wrong.
Any scan tool/code reader you look at, be sure it will support the older vehicles...a LOT of them will not work on anything older than '95, when the OBDII regulations went into effect. So just be sure to ask that.

Can someone tell me what they think of the Innova 3120 link below http://www.iequus.com/news/news.php?id=22

It reasonable at a little less than $200.  Seem it would help on some of my newer car issues also.  But of course I'm currently looking at it helping me with the C3.  Again I do not have a hard failure because the check engine light is not on. 

Or maybe even the Innova 3140 which seems to be the one that will retrive ODB1 live data.  It can be had for $250 or so.