Anyone on here near Sudbury Suffolk? I still cant decide on whether i want a C3 or C5! I would love to have the opportunity to have a look at both and maybe a quick drive so i can make my mind up. i dont want to waste the time of someone selling one by going and looking with no intention of buying. I get that they are very very different cars which is why i would like to get a feel for both so i can narrow down my search to at least one generation of car! Obviously this would all be once current restrictions have been lifted and we are allowed to go out again!
C3 or C5 near Sudbury Suffolk
- Thread starter Andy J
- Start date
Vette Drivin' Vader
CCCUK regional rep
Hi Andy, it REALLY depends what you want the car for! I bought my C5 almost 7 years ago.... I absolutely LOVE it because I can use it every day, rain or shine, it's never let me down once, it's VERY easy to live with. I go to the shops in it, I've driven to Monaco & Barcelona in it covering 800 miles in a day, for £17k I bought a car that at 18 years old still has 341bhp, 360ft/lbs of torque and (on a dyno) hit 186mph!!! All that being said, a C3 is the iconic "Hot Wheels" Corvette, if it's for fairweather use and shows, then a C3 will be great.
I'm not sure this helps, but it's my experience
Julian
I'm not sure this helps, but it's my experience
JulianThis is the thing, im torn. To me the C3 is probably the most beautiful car in the world. Ive wanted one since i passed my test in 85. But i fully appreciate that they are now at least 40 years and wont feel like a "modern " car. The C5 however is much more "modern" and will be in all likelihood easier to live with. Im in Suffolk and my mums in Dorset, it would be nice to be able to take a run down there in the summer and i think a C5 would be happier doing it.
And to be perfectly frank, im very concerned that i buy a fabulous C3 that turns out to have a birdcage made of cheese! Or for that matter an early C5 that has an EBCM failure a week after i buy it! Or an i worrying needlessly?
And to be perfectly frank, im very concerned that i buy a fabulous C3 that turns out to have a birdcage made of cheese! Or for that matter an early C5 that has an EBCM failure a week after i buy it! Or an i worrying needlessly?
97BlackC5
CCCUK Member
The trick is to find a good one, be that a C3 or a C5. I've owned my C5 for 20 years now its a 1997 auto box (first year) & if you read the US forums these are the ones to avoid! Before that I had a 1975 C3 in white with a manual box. They are chalk & cheese, the C3 will feel very much like a 'classic' in the British classic car sense, where as the C5 still feels modern, with modern performance. Longer journeys will be a lot easier in the C5 but the C3 I guess has more sense of occasion. I enjoyed my C3 but I have traveled on numerous occasions to France (le Mans) as well as, like you, Kent to Dorset as I have family there too. I enjoyed both cars for different reasons, the one I have kept the longest is the C5, that must say something about the car. The C5 is very much becoming a classic in its own right now as well. Good luck with your search.
Chuffer
CCCUK regional rep
Taking a nicely sorted and sweet running C3 on trip from Suffolk to Dorset would have you smiling all the way . If it rained you might find that 40 plus year old windscreen wiper sytems are not as good as modern cars though . But I have taken mine on tours from the East Midlands and along the coast into the West Country and enjoyed every minute . Many others in the club have ventured much further afield than me . On the other hand , if you want a daily driver i would not choose a C3 .
Vette Drivin' Vader
CCCUK regional rep
My EBCM failed, guy in the states can fix it for about £250 (if memory serves) shipped there and back
No it wont be a daily, i have a 260hp Fiesta ST for that role! But it dont want garage queen either that looks good but doesnt go out much. From April to Oct it will be used and then put to bed when the weather gets bad and the roads are salted. But i would like a bit of go under the bonnet (hood?) So it would really need to be an early C3 or a later one with a different donk in it. That said, the 78 pace car really does float my boat.
Ive been playing close attention to Gavins offerings at EMC and he seems to prepare his cars with care and he wouldnt sell you a lemon.
There was a lovely C5 vert in red on autotrader last year and i was very tempted then but not being able to travel meant i let it pass and the money went on a new bike instead! But this year i think its Corvette time, if not this year then definitely in 2022.
Ive been playing close attention to Gavins offerings at EMC and he seems to prepare his cars with care and he wouldnt sell you a lemon.
There was a lovely C5 vert in red on autotrader last year and i was very tempted then but not being able to travel meant i let it pass and the money went on a new bike instead! But this year i think its Corvette time, if not this year then definitely in 2022.
I know the 2001 on ones can be sorted but i was under the impression that 97-00 were different and not able to be repaired?My EBCM failed, guy in the states can fix it for about £250 (if memory serves) shipped there and back
James Vette
CCCUK Member
I'm the same with cars. I've seen many people never use their classic even if it's in their garage and looks shiny it still gets no use which is why I wonder why not sell it and use the money on something else! Hoarders annoy me because they will regret not using it in their old age.
Chuffer
CCCUK regional rep
You will be looking at 345bhp from a bog standard early C5 and won`t get near that figure with a late C3 unless it had been heavily modded . C3`s were always more of a boulevard cruisier IMO unless it is an early big block or the the street / strip guys have breathed on one . If you really want a more `involving ` driving experience to your Fiesta ST for just the spring and summer months then I recommend a C3 . The lazy low revving torque of a 5.7 V8 will keep you amused . The newer generation a car is , the more it becomes homogenised like all modern cars . That`s what i like about classic sports cars . My C3 might leave leave me a bit shaken and stirred after a long drive but at least i know I have been on one rather than riding in a horizontal elevator . It was the same with my Marcos V8 , it was like a WW2 fighter that never quite got off the ground .
Although at 100 mph + it felt like having a damned good try My C3 has an engine swap to a higher compression 1985 Camaro IROC -Z 305 cu in with the Tuned Port Injection swapped for Edelbrock Torker 2 inlet manifold and 750 cfm Holley . It runs a 3 speed auto and 3.08 : 1 diff . It keeps me amused It`s the same with stamp collectors . They don`t lick and stick `em , they just sit and admire them !
Invetterate
CCCUK Member
Hi Andy,
I expect we can sort something out for you! Drop me an email - editor@corvetteclub.org.uk - and let's go from there.
Cheers
Mark
I expect we can sort something out for you! Drop me an email - editor@corvetteclub.org.uk - and let's go from there.
Cheers
Mark
Adtheman
CCCUK Member
I'm in Norfolk just south of Norwich. I should have my 75 C3 back in a couple of weeks. Happy for you to take a look and have a chat. Also there's a meet/show which i know a few members are attending on 25th April @Kersey Mill which is not far from you.
Hey! I appreciate that, i may take you up in it once the restrictions are eased. Unfortunately im working on the 25th or i would have been going.
Vette Drivin' Vader
CCCUK regional rep
Well he replied and confirmed that 97-00 are not repairable which is what i thought.Not sure about that Andy!! The website is www.absfixer.com message him and he'll let you know
Vette Drivin' Vader
CCCUK regional rep
OK, well I didn't know that, always learning!!
V5ETT
Busy user
Hi Andy.
I'm in Chelmsford and am picking a C5 up next week. You are more than welcome to see mine and then maybe look on Ebay or something once you make your mind up between a C3 or C5. Alan
Not a black vert by any chance? There was one not too far from me for sale but I see it's been taken off Ebay.