Say what you will about later C3 Corvettes, they certainly attract attention. That goes doubly so if the Corvette in question is decked out in bright yellow paint and polished chrome wheels. Take for example this 1980 Chevrolet Corvette for sale on eBay in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Purchased for the seller’s wife, she soon found this eye-catching stunner wasn’t all that she thought it would be to drive. Now this running and driving T-top beauty in excellent condition is available for anyone else who wants to scratch that C3 itch and can enter a bid somewhere north of the current third bid of $7,800. Is that bid in the ballpark for a car that may have just 63,400 miles on the odometer?
As stated, the seller purchased this stunning Corvette for his wife. While she surely loved the eye-catching combination of a bright yellow interior, polished chrome wheels, and a champagne leather interior, she found that driving it wasn’t as appealing. This is understandable, as one of the long-standing complaints about C3 Corvettes has always been seeing past the long, curved front end. It seems that with every styling update, Chevrolet made the curves bigger and harder to see over. By the time the last Corvette of that generation rolled off the assembly line, they were a long way from the taut 1968 models in terms of styling and performance.
Corvettes of the late seventies and eighties were selling well, but it was a stretch to consider them a true sports car by this time. The long-standing tradition of using an extensive options list to build the car you wanted was over. You could no longer check the box for all the performance goodies of yesteryear. Your limited option list still contained a four-speed or automatic transmission choice. As for everything else, the big decision wasn’t if you wanted a big fuel tank to cut down on pit stops if racing. You decided if you wanted a CB, 8-track, or cassette player.
There were other options, but the car had devolved into a stylish and luxurious coupe that was acceptably fast for the day. However, Corvette lovers haven’t shown a lot of respect for these later C3 cars as far as values are concerned. Later cars sell for more than mid-seventies examples, and they do make for great long-distance cruisers. Performance can also be added through either aftermarket updates for the suspension or by adding horsepower to the V-8 under the hood. They do share the same chassis as the rest of the 1963-1982 Corvettes, and there is little in the way of secrets regarding making a Small Block Chevrolet V-8 sing.
If you are looking for a good cruiser, then this may be the car for you. The seller tells us that the 63K mile odometer reading may be accurate. A look at the leather wrapping the steering wheel and the condition of the interior, in general, leads one to believe that the car hasn’t covered a whole lot of miles. Regardless, this Corvette came well-equipped. Among the options are a tilt/telescoping steering wheel, cruise control, power brakes, power steering, and power windows. The air conditioning works, but the blower motor will need to be replaced.
The seller also tells us that the car has been driven without issue for the past few weeks. The previous owner replaced the alternator, brake calipers, brake pads, master cylinder, and brake booster. The only glaring mechanical issue is that the tachometer doesn’t currently work. The paint is also good, but not show quality. One thing that the new owner could busy themselves on would be detailing the car’s engine compartment.
In all, this could be a great Corvette for someone who likes to be seen but doesn’t want to cough up C8-level money for a new car. Hopefully, it finds a good home and is shown on occasion.
What do you think of later C3 Corvettes? Are they a good value in the market today, or are they overpriced? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
Since assisting my son-in-law with his purchase of a 1976 Corvette a couple of years ago I have been following the C3 market. Prices are all over the place mainly due to the vast differences in individual condition. At the low end are the dreamers who want $5K for a bucket of bolts on up to the high end at over $30K. Pristine examples seem to be appreciating, albeit slowly. If this one stays under $8,000 it would be a no-brainer for a quick flip to double your money, provided the frame/birdcage are solid and the driver’s seat can be resewn.
It’s possible the current owner is short of stature. Corvettes are low cars and can be hard to see out of, especially if you’re used to an SUV or minivan. The front fenders can take some getting used to as well. After 15 years of driving a C4 & C6 I hardly notice them.
C3s are undeniably attention-getters. Not great to ride in, slow to accelerate, but every time you take it out it gets a compliment. Corvettes are made for ego gratification and they deliver. In spades.
I own an ’81 with 55,000 miles, I love that car.
These are remarkably ugly cars.
I guess to each their own. I always considered these to be the most beautiful Vettes ever.
The C-3 Corvette were all show and no go and drove like a tank. I wouldn’t pay more than $10,000 for one that’s in great to pristine condition unless the small block had upgrades to boost the pathetically dreadful 180 hp the later models came with.
Do you know anything about C-3 Corvettes? They were built from 1968-1982. You should look up some information on them.
Brings back memories of an old expression:
All Show & No GO.
To me, the 80-82 C3 was the best looking one of all the prior C3 production. I bought one brand new in 1980, nearly identical to this one. Golden Rod color, Oyster interior, but had glass tops. Paid $13,339.00. 42 years later bought a second one with 65k on it for nearly the same $$$ and dumped another 10K into it. Yep….the doggiest Corvette ever produced. Loved the looks and comments and cared less about burning rubber.
One of the nicest bodies they ever made imo
When I was in grammar school I had a shirt that had this same exact Vette on it, same color and all. It was my favorite shirt and I remember literally westing it out before I outgrew it. Even as kids we knew these didnt have the performance of earlier Vettes, but was still a really cool car at least to me as a kid anyway.
Bought mine in Jan 1980. Still have it. Still gets comments almost every time I drive it. Almost 200K – 2nd engine – multiple Trans rebuilds. Took cross country in fall of 1980. Paid for it multiple times over…
This is an identical car to the one my dad wanted to buy off the showroom floor of Chase Chevrolet in Stockton, CA back in 1980. Except…that one was a L82 (210 hp) and had a 4 speed, and had the rare gymkhana suspension package. This was back when most Chevy dealers got one, maybe two, Corvettes each year. Dick Sanborn, the dealer in Lodi, would actually drive his Vette six months before selling it.
He wanted to trade my mom’s ’76 Vette (he had bought it for her) on it. Since it was a 4 speed, she flatly “vetoed” that idea!
68,69,70,71&72 , then a jump to 1981, the models in between just do not get me going and the also must be topless …
YOLO
You can’t help but wonder how all the top brass over the Corvette div. at Chevrolet went brain dead for nearly a decade when it came to America’s sports car.
A lot of the folks who deride these as slow and/or ugly didn’t feel that way about them until auction show culture started telling them that anything after 1971 sucked. Unless they had owned or driven a so-called golden era model, how in the world would they have a reference point anyway?
I agree with you, TimS. These cars have to be taken in the context of the time they were out. Nothing was really a screamer out of an American auto factory in 1980. And in terms of looks, that is entirely subjective.
And I agree with both you guys. Context is the key here and this was a great looking car in 1980, and GM sold over 40,000 of them.
Non-working tach should not be an issue. Nothing to see there.
It was a product of it’s time. The realities of a changing world, eg. California’s new smog rules at the time. I think Chevy did a great job promoting the aging Corvette.
Does anyone remember the fold out sales brochure that showed a blonde lady posing beside the very same color corvette as this one ?
I had that poster on my wall dreaming of having one just like it.
The car, the lady, or both?
Both
SOLD for $9,555.
Nice Corvette for under 10K.