Hey, welcome to the site. Whatever you buy, definitely look at it in person, even if you need to fly out to see it. At least have someone knowledgible check it out. Also, consider location. You don't need to spend $1000 or so to ship it cross country. If you pick it up in person to drive home have some emergency funds for the trip. I'm fond of the 78/79 style so I'm always checking the different web sites and Ebay to compare prices on those two years. If you have $10-$15K to spend there are a lot of low, low mile examples available. For under $5K figure on putting a lot of additional money into it. High mileage means suspension, differential, motor and trans. work will likely pop up sooner than later. Figure brake repair for ANY Vette you buy. Paint done well is expensive, interior resto could run $2K. As for Ebay, lot of cars don't get anywhere near the reserve. I purchased 2 of mine OFF ebay. I found them there and after the auction I contacted the seller and talked. Went to see the vette(s) myself with an agreed price IF IT MET WITH MY EXPECTATIONS. No additional negotiations by either of us. Flew 1000 miles to look at the white 79, bought a round trip ticket just in case($325). Money well spent. Decided not to buy it, just wasn't sure. No more negotiating, that was the agreement for me to make the trip. Well, seller knew I had a return ticket and cash in my pocket and HE wanted to reopen the negotiations. He made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Drove it home, no problems.  Buy the best you can afford, for a start I'd concentrate on the rubber bumper Vettes. A cheap chrome bumper car is gonna cost a lot more to fix up.   Mike

Welcome to the C3VR forum where a great bunch of people hang out. I have a 76 which I found local here in Central Washington. It was in good shape for having 125K miles but still need some work that could be done during the winter months. It was only $6500 two years ago. If you take your time you should be able to find a good deal. Make sure you check the Vette over real close before you buy. One thing to watch out for is rust. No, the fiberglass doesn't rust but the steel frame, bird cage and floors do rust. Check the windshield frame, door posts, and where the trailing arms attach for rust. Repairing these areas can get expensive. Good luck on your hunt.

Glen

tvalenziano,
Welcome to the Shark Tank, the best resource for C3 info.
I think what Adam's Apple might have been referring to is the "rule" for free trial memberships. See RULE.
So tell us about yourself and your Vette.
What's that?
You don't have a Corvette?
You're just looking?
I wouldn't consider those technical questions.
So I think this thread is OK.
But if you find one and want to know how to fix something, invest $10 in C3VR. It will be the best $10 you ever spend toward your new hobby.

As for a driver, you should be able to find lots of choices in Florida. Just heed everyone's advice.
I looked for mine for over a year, reading up on all the differences between 1968 and 1982.
I started out looking for a 75 because they are the lowest price range. Found an 82 in great shape for $9500.
I put another $2K into it fixing little things and personalizing it.
The more time you spend looking, the more knowledge you will have and the happier you will be when you find the right one.
Happy hunting!

Yeah......What he said!!

Welcome to the site. Do what I did, find your Corvette and come back and sign up as a Gold or Lifetime Member, its worth ever penny   I searched 3 yrs for my Pace Car and as soon as I found it I went Gold   Larry is right though, the later C3's will cost you alot less and you'll still get a beautiful Vette.

I have purchased numerous vehicles on Ebay including motorcycles, trucks, race cars, and yes Vettes.  Not to scare you, but if you are going to buy a Vette off of Ebay you need to really educate yourself on BOTH Corvettes and Ebay. You can learn tons of relevant info on the C3's right here.
Ebay does have buyer protections but you almost need a lawyer to sort through all of the descriminators. In other words you must be very careful that you understand the process. Also look at the sellers "feedbacks". If they have negative feedbacks then stay away! Also I encourage you to shop other areas such as the newspaper or autotrader.
A nice 73-77 "driver" will probably start at around $6500.00 and go up from there. It all depends on what has been spent by the previous owner doing restoration or upgrades. Bodywork and interior can be very expensive. In my opinion, motor and transmission is the least of my worries from a future investment standpoint when I,m looking at the car.

If it were me and I were planning to buy something that I could drive across the country immediately, then I would plan on spending around $8500.00 to start.
There are plenty of C3,s out there for that kind of money. Just be careful of bad frames and winshield frames.
Have fun!
Scott

Pick up a copy of "Corvette & Chevy Trader" magazine at one of your local conv. stores. It will give you an excellent idea of what different year model 'Vettes are selling for. The '75-77 models are among the cheapest to buy, and most of them really don't need too much work. Be carefull of any 'Vette that needs paint. A good quality paint job will set you back $3000-$5000, easily.

Here is the NADA link.

 http://www.nadaguides.com/ClassicHome
Gene38606.6583912037

Gene,  A little help on your post.   

http://www.nadaguides.com/ClassicHome.aspx?LI=1-10-0-2111-3- 102-26529&wSec=12&wPr=0&wPg=2002&

I can't offer up anything new and anything I would say would just be a repeat of what others have said... but...

Welcome to C3VR.