How to Buy a Used Corvette

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by Michael Hendrick

Buying a used Corvette can be a complicated venture, as there are many criteria to be met, and the price can be prohibitive. After seeing the price of some of the models in good working order, the temptation to purchase a non-running Corvette or one that obviously needs extensive work can be high. But, cars with these problems may not save you any money if you fix them up yourself. After the price of the parts and other expenses are added up, it would likely to have been cheaper to buy the car that was in good condition in the first place.

Now that you know what you need to buy, its time to find one in good enough condition to go the distance. The famous fiberglass of a Corvette means it cant rust, but the chassis certainly can. Before deciding on any used Corvette, you will need to get under the car and check for rust. The cross members should be checked for rust as well as the area of the frame in front of the rear tires. This area is vulnerable to rocks and may have damage or rust. The front radiator support is also a prime area for rust and should be checked. This is a part that is relatively easy to remove and replace, though the replacement part is expensive. Also check around the window frames for rust. These are much harder parts to replace and require a good deal of labor, as well as expensive replacement parts.

A car that has little or no rust damage may still have things wrong with it that can be ascertained by additional inspection, and the A-Arm shims are a good place to start. The shims on a car that has not sustained major damage in the past will be equal in number on both sides. If they are not equal, there may be major trouble. Many shims on one side and a few o the others means that there are some areas that were not adequately repaired. A Corvette that has sustained major damage and may have a bent cross member or suspension damage will have no shims on one side and a lot of shims on the other. A car with that kind of damage would be expensive to repair.

Once the outside has been inspected, its time to inspect the inside. Be sure to take the car for a test drive before any deals are made. The drive can indicate problems, and the inside features should be inspected. Make sure the window works, the heat and air come on and the windows will go up and down. Play the radio, adjust the seats- anything that you expect to use in the car should be checked. Even small things that dont work may be expensive to repair later. Some Corvette models make a whining sound due to a worn clutches in the positraction unit. This may or may not be a problem, depending on how loud the sound is. If the car will need repairs for this problem, be sure to keep that in mind when making the deal.

More indications of a used Corvettes hidden problems can be found with an inspection of the body of the car. Most of the time when a fiberglass panel has been damaged, it is replaced, leaving little evidence of the damage. But by inspecting the front bumper, you may be able to tell if the car suffered a collision in the past. Look at the area of the bumper that attaches to the fiberglass. If that area has ripples in the paint, it was likely repaired from a head-on collision or other major trauma. Collisions of this kind can cause unseen damage to the cars suspension, which can be costly to repair.

About the Author

Michael has written many articles on automotive topics, including 1963 Corvettes for Sale, General Motors Paint Codes href="http://www.musclecarforsale.net/chevy/index.php?q=1969&catid=6172">Used Novas for Sale</a>.

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