How old were you?

[Terry M.]

Re: How old were you?

Have you checked to make sure it hasn't been resurrected as an L-88 since then?

He has, and he knows what happened to it. It no longer exists.

[Francis F.]

Re: How old were you?

Here goes,
A sunny sunday afternoon drive to the mother in laws (1976)
Look to the left and bingo...there she was.I pointed her out
to the Mrs.,no reaction..my son said it looks neat.(A freshly re-done
1960 black laquer,red interior).A quick u turn and I heard WHERE YOU GOIN?? I was 34 back then and a 60 vette was imbossed in my brain.
We all have our fav.year for various reasons.
Well it didn't take long and the keys found their way to my trembling
fingers,Off we went for the test drive..the sun never shone so bright.
We talked $$$$$ and at that point the Mrs.was sure I was in early
Mid-Life crisis.well off we went to Mominlaws for dinner.
The next day we began some serious serious..talk/negoations
and a few promises.It took about a week and all were convinced
that I was very serious about the corvette.
Looking back at the asking price it seems like a very easy decision,
but let me tell you,with two small children and a home the corvette
was a pure luxaury(not a necessary item @ this time).But we got-er
and had fun riding around,yes back then we (all 4)would pile in and go
to Grannys,(seat belts?, car only a two seater? whats up with that.
That is when I began to really learn about CORVETTES.
The story goes on..in 1978 (2yr,s later) a friend tells me about a
corvette for sale at a good price,but it is a 1966 and yes it has the
dreaded powerglide transmission.And it is not a conv.its a coupe,
auto tran/pwr window/pwr brk/tint glass/air cond/small HP engine?
WHAT KIND OF A SPORTSCAR is it?? The wheels begin to turn,hey
HON. this car would be just right for YOU. As Mike eluded to earlier
she took the bait and in a short time we bought our 2nd corvette.
A few things also helped this to happen,1st the 60 was going up in value,
2nd the 66 was actualy less money than the 60,so the appearence of
me loosing my mind was dimminshing.
In short the above are the THREE BEST things I hve done in my life,
what ? you only see two?..don't forget the MRS.....

Francis

[Stephen B.]

Re: How old were you?

19 years old and just finished my freshman year at UT Knoxville I purchased a 1970 Red/Red 350/350 convertible. It was a lot of fun and still is since I still own it. It scored 3rd flight at the Florida Regional a couple of years ago.

[Ray C.]

Re: How old were you?

I was 18 in 1968 and decided to drop out of college. "Not a good idea to drop out of college in 1968." I used the balance of my student loan to purchase a 1962 Fawn Beige Corvette. I had a great time with the 1962 until Uncle Sam decided to send me that draft notice. Sold the 1962 Corvette, spring of 1969, prior to entering the service. I spent two years in the Army with one served in the RVN. Purchased a Red-Red 1965 300-HP upon my return from Viet Nam in 1971.


Ray

[Valeria H.]

Re: How old were you?

My very first car that I bought by myself was and is my 1960 Corvette that I still own today. I just graduated from nursing school in Reading, PA. I was looking to buy an old sportscar. Several weeks after my search began the car that would become family to me advertised in our local paper.
Against my father's advise (a GM parts Dept manager) I purchased the car and drove it many years as my only car. God, I love Corvettes!
Valeria

[Valeria H.]

Re: How old were you?

PS: I was a virginal 24 year old!
Valeria

[Jim C.]

Re: How old were you?

It was 1984, I was 23, and I finally had ALMOST enough money to buy a Corvette. I wanted anything 1963 - 1967. My dad and I went to a Corvette show at the GM Tech Center in Warren, Michigan. I think the show was sponsored by the GMC Corvette Set (does that sound familiar to any one?). Anyway, we looked at a pretty nice '56, which I didn't know much about, because I had done my homework on the mid years. After looking around a little more we finally came across a 1966 Coupe, second owner car, POP, KOs, 327/300. I was a few bucks short, so my dad threw in the difference. We bought the car from a real nice guy named Dwayne Young. He owned the car for several years. Unfortunately, I ended up having to let it go in 1997. By then, I had a couple kids and was looking at a bigger house. I'm sure I wasn't the first guy to go down that road. Anyway, that was my first Corvette.

Jim C.

[Chuck G.]

Re: How old were you?

I was 20 years old in 1967. I was in college at the University of Pittsburgh. Bought the 63 roadster that I still have today right around my 20th birthday. That was and still is my first Corvette.

I was going to trade in my 63 Chevy Nova convertible for it, but sold that car to my brother and used the $$$ for a downpayment. I think the Corvette cost me about $2,200 back then. My brother promptly wrapped my Nova convertible around a fire hydrant, totalling it. I would like to have that car back.

Finished college, went to dental school, got married, had children, etc., but always kept the 63. I got involved in Corvette clubs early on, probably 1968, and that involvement kept me from considering ever selling it. Afterall, I needed a Corvette for club events.

I've had several others, a 72, an 88, a 92, and a 2000. Those have come and gone over the years. I also currently own a 69, which is actually my wife's car, titled in her name. We've had that one for about 12 years.

Chuck

[Jeff W.]

Re: How old were you?

It was 1977, 21 years old and bought a 1970, 454 loaded vert. Absolutely loved that car. 3 years later was moving to GA to go back and get my degree and figured no way I could keep the car and go to school. I still remember the guy that bought it in my driveway and his sisters taking pictures of him standing by the car. I actually started to cry. Well 25 years later after buying houses, filling up the furniture, making the wife happy with other things I finally got my second. A 72 vert and now it is the girlfriend that lives in the garage. This one is staying!!!

[Joel K.]

Re: How old were you?

In 1975, I was a 26 year-old Navy LT on recruiting duty in Chicago, met a gorgeous, long-legged woman Navy LT who had a red '65 roadster that she autocrossed. Wow, the ultimate babe!! Driving her car inspired me to find one of my own. Paid $2,600 for a '67 roadster that had clearly seen some better days. Black on black w/a red stinger, it had a NOM and some fool had ripped out all the underhood A/C components. It also had bolt-ons, a vinyl hardtop and speed warning speedo. The front clip had been replaced as evidenced by yellow paint underneath the black in spots where the black was peeling. But, it ran pretty well and I/we had a great time with it. Married the aforementioned lady in 1977 and kept both mid-years as daily drivers until the '80s. Around 1986 we decided to restore them and started out with the '65. Replaced the non-original rallye wheels on the '65 with correct wheels, and put the rallyes on the '67, planning to restore the bolt-ons later. About the time the '65 was done, we got transfer orders to Hawaii. What to do with two mid-years? Didn't want to risk shipping them -- heard lot of horror stories about great cars disappearing or suffering much damage in transit. Brother in law agreed to keep the '65 and I reluctantly decided to sell the '67. Thought I did well getting $8,000 for it (w/o the bolt-ons) then watched '67 prices skyrocket over the next few years. On return from Hawaii, kept looking for another '67 but other factors (job demands, family, etc.) kept it from being a real serious search. Finally sold the bolt-ons a couple of years ago for $5,500, so at least I got a decent return on them. The '65 got T-boned two years ago; fortunately damage was mainly to fiberglass and not the frame. After getting the damage repaired, had the body soda-blasted and am about to start a fresh restoration, doing it right this time. Meanwhile, I'm still looking for another '67 that I can afford...

[Chuck L.]

Re: How old were you?

I was 21 when I got my first one. This was after waiting 4 years since I first wanted to buy a used '58 270 4-speed. A dentist had one for $2300 and I was dieing to have it. My parents said it's the car or College, one or the other. Fortunately, I chose college. In the fall of 1962, my Dad's Popular Mechanics magazine had the famous 1963 Stingray photo with the Silver SWC and Riverside Red roadster side by side. I went crazy over this car. I talked about it so much my parents offered to go 50/50 on $200 payments for 4 years. This was also due to the fact I paid for all my education at General Motors Institute on the co-op program.

So, in December 1962, I placed my order for the Riverside red '63 roadster at a small dealer in Liberty, Missouri. Demand was so great it didn't get delivered until June of 1963! I was still at school and Dad got to pick it up for me at the dealer. He drove it for a month before I came home from Flint, MI. It was a red /red 300hp, 4 speed, with 2 tops. My mother is now 91 and whenever we drive by a certain park in Kansas City, she says " This is where we took your Corvette to the Sears picnic!"

That's why after 12 other Corvettes, I'm hanging on to my 2003 Torch red convertible with red leather.

[Steven S.]

Re: How old were you?

Born in 53, I loved the mid years when I was 10-14 years old, but by the time I was able to buy cars, they seemed like old beat up muscle cars and I got interested in BMW's. I had a 72 and 76 2002 with the 76 being new. Fast forward to 1996, the kids are grown and with a little more disposable income, nostalgia sets in and I love all things 60's. I found a great fairly original 65 Convertible in Nassau Blue and will have it forever. The only way I can describe it is that it was like Christmas day when your 5 years old.

[Michael D.]

Re: How old were you?

I was 18 in 75 I came across a 65 conv. in the paper for $2000.00 It was local so I went to look at it with my older brother. A pretty girl, older then me, owned it and didn't put antifreeze in it for the winter, couldn't get it started, she said it "leaked something" when she tried to start it after sitting all winter. I was a mechanic at the time and got the car running, pulled it out of the garage and that was it. It felt like the cockpit of an airplane. I wanted this Vette. I didn't care if it leaked water, what it looked like, I didn,t even care that my brother was trying to "hook-up" with this girl. I handed her the $2000.00. It was Mettalic Blue with a white top, black interior. After the car was home I found out it had four paint jobs, Glen Green, Black, Red and the Mettalic blue. The block was cracked and the freeze-out plugs blew out, but I owned a Corvette convertible..... In 75 $2000 was alot of money for a car that would leak water out as soon as you put it in, but it was a Vette. We got the Vette home and of coarse everyone in my family thought I was nuts for wasting my money on a car that needed a new engine. I still have it today, I'm doing a third restoration, this time the correct way to restore a 65 Vette. I can't wait to drive it again. I had a lot of fun cruising in that Vette. My brothers and sister have owned a few Vettes since. My daughter wants the 65 when I finish it and she gets older. We are a Corvette family

[Jim W.]

Re: How old were you?

My first Vette was a 1959 I bought in 1967 for the unheard of price of $1875.00. I wasn't in stock colors It was painter in a wonderful Mid-night metallic blue with a same color hardtop, and white coves, save for the right front that was in gray primer. Original owner met a parked car the hard way. God I loved that car. As I got I it, i had to "Detune it" as it had duel quads (Carters) and a 4:11 rear, a four speed, with a hurst shifer, which i kept. But there a hundred other jobs, Like pulling both doors and re fiberglassing them together again, and retouching up the interior to it's original color of white (I think) it was white, but what the heck, It looked Great.

I lived in Philadelphia and I had a great time taking down to the dragstrip at Atco, New Jersey and of course 'The wave' back then was almost a religion. And it of all of the corvettes I have owned, was pretty good in the snow ! I got drafted in 1969 and my father wouldn't look after it, so i had to sell her. I tried for fefteen years looking for her again in 1986, but never did locate it. The p.a. DMT records here in Pennsylvania only go back for ten years. So that's the one that got away.

[Wayne K.]

Re: How old were you?

I was 25 and recently married when I bought the first Corvette. It wasn't until I was married that I felt I could afford the insurance. I had wanted a Corvette since I was in high school. I had friends that had them so I knew it would be just a matter of time. We had a 69 & 70 Camaro when we were married in 1972 and the fall of that year I found a person that had a 14,000 mile two top Monza red with red interior 70 LT-1 and he was interesred in taking the 70 Camaro in trade. We kept that car for 8 years. It was the best small block Chevy I've ever owned. That little mouse motor really liked to rev. It was one of those "wished I would have kept it" cars. The feeling of joy was shared by my wife as she likes cars too.

Wayne