Good morning! I’m writing this from the bedroom of an Airbnb in Portland, Oregon, and we’re back in town for a wedding because my brother is finally marrying his partner of twelve years. It’s going to be a hectic weekend, and it doesn’t stop there: Right after we get back to Maryland, we’re off to see The Warning in concert in Baltimore. All very cool stuff, but it doesn’t leave me much time to write. However, I know I owe it to you, faithful readers, to keep providing you with a steady stream of poor automotive life choices, so we’re going to do things a little differently this week. I’ll explain in a minute.
On Friday, we finished up a week of exploring the Facebook “Underappreciated Survivors” group, and I asked you to choose which car out of the four winners was most deserving of more attention and appreciation than it gets. And you chose the Audi A6. I can’t disagree with that; it always bothered me how 60 Minutes did Audi dirty, especially right before it built some of its best cars. This A6 is at least as nice of a car as the contemporary BMW 5 Series, but because of the scandal, hardly anybody bothered to find that out.


Though considering that the Fiat 850 came in a strong second, I think some of you ignored the brief and just picked your favorite. And if that’s the case, then I still choose the Audi. That’s a hell of a lot of car for $4,500, and while it might not be as set-and-forget reliable as an Accord or Camry, it’s nowhere near as fragile or finicky as the Audis of a few years later.
All right. Since I’m going to be all over the place for the next few days, I won’t be able to check results and then write the next day’s Showdown like I usually do. Hell, I might not even have time to read comments. I’ll just have to squeeze in writing whenever I can, like now. So I’m going to front-load most of the week, without any analysis of the results at the top, and then on Thursday evening, from the comfort of my own sofa, I’ll check all the comments and results from the week, and we’ll do a four-way shootout. Sound good? We’ll start off with this pair of Little Dead Corvettes.
1979 Chevrolet Corvette – $2,200

Engine/drivetrain: 350 cubic inch OHV V8, three-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Urbana, IL
Odometer reading: 76,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and… drives? Not clear
The fourteen-year run of the C3 Corvette could be called “The Decline And Fall Of The Corvette Empire.” Its wild “Coke-bottle” shape, based on the Mako Shark II show car, caused a huge stir in 1968. It looked like a rocketship, which is fitting, because it was the Earthbound ride of choice for Apollo astronauts. And it was no slouch in the performance department either, with a variety of small- and big-block V8s propelling it to ill-advised speeds. But as the 1970s wore on, new regulations and requirements had their way with the Corvette, as they did with all cars, and… let’s just say Chevy engineers did the best they could.

Horsepower in this 1979 model was actually up from its low a few years earlier, and the Corvette was still one of the quickest cars you could get that year, but these days you’ll be embarrassed by pretty much any minivan. Its 350 V8 was available with either a four-speed manual or a three-speed TH400 automatic; this one has the automatic, as did most ’79 Corvettes. The ad’s description is terse, but if I’m reading it right, this car starts and runs, and just had new brakes installed, which I guess means it’s drivable? It’s hard to say.

A lot of old Corvettes with low miles have been babied, and are kept meticulously clean by owners who hardly ever take them out of the garage. But late C3s are nearly always the exception to that rule. You see some nice clean ones, certainly, but you also see a lot of them in various stages of dereliction. This one looks like no one has cared about it in a very long time. It’s filthy inside, the dash is cracked, the horn button is missing, and I don’t even want to know what that pile of stuff in the passenger’s seat is. Best not to dwell on it, I think; just shop-vac it up, unbolt the seats, burn them, and replace them with something else.

The paint is toast, and it seems to ride on a hodgepodge of wheels and tires, but it’s undamaged. Obviously the fiberglass body isn’t going to rust, but the steel frame can, so it’s worth an inspection to make sure everything is up to snuff. It looks like it’s missing some trim: the emblems are gone, and it’s missing the rocker panel trim strips (probably removed to repaint it, then lost), but Corvette restoration outlets sell those.
1984 Chevrolet Corvette – $1,000

Engine/drivetrain: 350 cubic inch OHV V8, four-speed automatic, RWD
Location: Reno, NV
Odometer reading: 94,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives – but has no title
The all-new-for-1984 Corvette appeared to huge fanfare as well, after Chevy skipped the 1983 model year. This car, along with the third-generation Camaro and Firebird, and the revived Mustang GT, heralded the end of the malaise era, at least when it came to performance cars. Finally some real horsepower was back on the menu, along with high-tech gadgets and a chassis that actually liked to go around corners. Us 80s kids knew this car marked the end of something and the start of something better, and we snapped up posters and model kits and toys of it like there was no tomorrow. This is still the “new Corvette” in my mind, forty-one years after the fact.

The engine and transmission were actually carryovers from the final-year C3, a 350 V8 with “Cross-Fire” dual-throttle-body fuel injection and the new TH-700R4 four-speed automatic. The famous Doug Nash 4+3 manual was also available, but not until later in the year. The Cross-Fire fuel injection system has a bad reputation – some wags call it “Cease-Fire Injection” – but this one runs and drives fine, according to the seller. So why the low price? It has no title. There are a few ways around that problem: you can find out what Nevada’s rules for applying for a lost title are, you can take it to another state that doesn’t issue titles for cars this old, or you can use it as the basis for a track-only race car, which rarely have titles anyway.

The interior of this one is pretty trashed as well, though it’s nowhere near as gross as the C3 inside. The seats could use reupholstering, and the dash has some cracks – and once again, the horn button is missing. What’s with that? Do horn buttons fall off old Corvettes, or do people steal them out of derelict cars for the emblem? Inquiring minds want to know.

Outside, the paint is chipped, and it has one mismatched wheel, but it’s not in terrible shape. In fact, if you can get the title sorted out, this could be a good way to experience Corvette ownership on the cheap. These early C4s are only a step above late C3s in the minds of most Corvette people, so you needn’t worry about restoring it. It will never really be worth all that much. It could be a lot of fun for a little while, though.
The world of old Corvette ownership seems like a strange place. Too many people take them way too seriously, which is why it’s refreshing to see a couple of cheap running examples like these. They’re supposed to be accessible; “America’s Sports Car” and all that. They were never meant to sit in garages while old men fawn over them. They’re meant to drive. And with a little work, these could both be back on the road. Which one would you rather put the effort into?
Hard pass on both.
As a former owner of an early C4, my vote is easy – last week’s Plymouth Acclaim.
See the rust on the C3 steering wheel and shifter? I don’t think the window is down, I think it’s missing. I have never bought a car from someone who won’t even clean out the litter. I would offer him $50 and a used bong. Next to this, the C4 is looking pretty good.
Vette kart for the ’84.
Roadkill had some genius ideas.
There is nothing about that C3 that is worth any money whatsoever. That should be a free car, and asking $1,000 for it is just insulting. By default, the slightly less crappy C4 wins this contest.
The C3 isn’t $1000, the C4 is. Somehow they’re asking $2200 for the C3.
My brain refused to even process that.
C4! It’s clearly way cleaner than that nasty C3, even though those are cool classics…that one is too far gone to choose (It still could be restored though) Even though the C4 doesn’t have a title, I’m not too worried about that and it’s still the better choice
Yeah the C4 is a good start to a track car. Pity it doesn’t have all four Salad Shooter Vette rims. Still weirdly futuristic even now. (Or, I guess, horribly ’80s if you were an adult then, which I was not.)
I’m voting C4 because it is the better call no matter how you want to roast your marshmallows over a roaring fire.
If the C4 has current registration (my fingers are not crossed thanks to the lack of plate), then registering would be fine here in the great state of Massachusetts aside from the whole dealing with the RMV part of things. I see keys and mismatched Corvette rims which is… you know what? I’m going to be a good sport and say that is a good sign.
Both are midlife crisis cars of someone who’s retirement account is a truck bed full of Keystone light cans they’ll take to the recycling center next weekend, for real. They’re crusty, ugly, deeply flawed, and likely smell funny. One is technically better and that is the C4. Winner.
What the heck is up with the glove box on the C4? It looks 9 months pregnant.
That’s where the cocaine goes
Would prefer neither, but under duress I would take the C4 and track it.
Oh, I thought the opposite: time to get serious about car hoarding, so the obvious answer is both!
4 > 3
If only we could combine the C3’s styling with the C4’s performance.
“No title” doesn’t scare me, but C3 is the only generation Corvette I would entertain owning, and this one is several model years, a design change, a transmission, a lot of rust, and a lot of damaged fiberglass away from being that C3.
Kudos for the headline. Much better than either of these Vettes. If ever there was a need for. “Neither” button, today is that day.
Yep, it’s neither for me as well! (I withheld voting)
That C3 is an overpriced mess. How do you make a fiberglass car look like it rusted? How? HOW?!?
…unless the owner is Tavid Dracy (not his real name).
You’re in for a rude surprise as not rotted C3s of any vintage are dangerously close to cresting the four figure mark
This does not change my assessment. Too much for a steaming pile of poo.
Love the rear tires on the C3. Where can I get me some Torque Twisters?
And look! these are the new improved Torque Twister II s. LOL ????
A couple years ago I was looking for the next “toy”. I had a few choices: 944 (ended up finding a turbo), C3 Vette, A turbo/surpercharged Miata, etc.
I tried a C3 that didn’t look too bad in the ad, reasonable $, and met him at the IN border about 1/2 way for each of us. Didn’t look bad but it stalled 4 times before I could get it out on the street. Then it swayed and rocked side to side on every little turn I took. I was polite and looked it over a bit at the end, took a few pix, and left. Never to return.
But, I still feel like a good C3 would be cool. Just not that one. (A late C4 could be ok.) But no title? No sale.
C3s are great-looking trash, mostly. A pretty great sports car for 1955, very innovative.
By their baroque period, they were not very good. An inverted bass boat on top of Malibu parts. No thanks.
The C4, on the other hand, was LEGIT.
That one is pretty much garbage, but at least it’s a better car, for less.
“An inverted bass boat” is the very best description for the C3 Corvette that also explains why they look best with a candy flake paint job, and why I low-key hate them.
You can’t legally own a C3 without an open shirt and a gold chain. Platform shoes are thankfully optional, but the only other option is a pair of white New Balance sneakers.
I started joking a few years ago about my plans for my midlife crisis, including needing to buy a Corvette. And slowly, over time, that became much less of a joke plan and more my actual plan. Now I’m scanning Autotrader and Hemmings for reasonably priced C4s and C5s.
But not either of these train wrecks. For today’s purposes, though, if you put a gun to my head, I would choose the C4.
I’m right there with you. I regularly search for early C4s because I want the uniqueness of the digital dash, I would choose either of these, because of I’m buying a “fun” car, it has to be a manual.
My current fantasy is an 84, with the 4+3, but the crossfire replaced with a modern aftermarket fuel injection, but The existing air cleaner setup to look mostly correct, and a reworked center stack to run carplay with a filter to make it look like a monochrome crt to make it look more period correct because I’m a nerd.
I don’t buy cars without a title, since I don’t have space for a dedicated race car, and I’ll do most things to avoid the specific brand of soul-crushing bureaucracy inflicted by the DMV. C3 wins by default, and even though they aren’t my favorite Corvette, I don’t understand all the hate. Those big dramatic fenders are beautiful in their own way.
I’ve always heard never touch a car without a title, but recently bought a car from a family member who had lost it, I was there when she bought the car, I know it was titled and just got lost over the course of the last few years, so I didn’t care. I was shocked at how easy it was, literally was no more difficult than buying it with the title. Having said that, with a stranger you never know if it’s even in the right name, see SWG’s 2CV article so it’s still a can of worms I would hesitate to open again, but in this case it was easy.
In your situation, I could see making an exception, but I had two friends buy untitled vehicles and try to work through the lost title process and in both cases the sellers ghosted them. One was selling a car for a deceased father (we found the obit), they filled out the lost title paper work, then when the DMV asked for a death certificate the seller blew him off. The other one was probably a stolen vehicle.
Yeah my situation was definitely the exception to the rule, and I don’t know that I would dare do it again, but I did have a momentary freak out when they said they couldn’t get me the title, but it worked easily enough fortunately.
In my state (NC) a lost title is a very easy problem to solve, the registered owner(s) just need to come to the plate agency with you, they can pull up the info on the computer and as long as their isn’t a lien on the vehicle the seller can sign a combo lost title/title transfer form and you’ll walk out with plates that day and they’ll mail you a new title in your name.
On the other hand, if the seller isn’t the registered owner – run away. At best, you can get a new title by going through the bonded title process which will take months and require you to outlay cash before you know if you can even get a title in your name (a lien, for instance, negates being about to do this.)
Let me add my little note to all car buyers – put the car in your name as soon as you buy it. I don’t care if it’s a project vehicle you don’t want to register right now, most title problems I see are people who didn’t put the title in their name, they lose the title, and it’s still listed under the old owner’s name. Now you have to track down the old owner and hope they’ll be helpful, or go through the bonded title process.
Yeah same here, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that in Utah you don’t even have to go in to do it, I was able to submit everything online, which then provided a temporary plate immediately. The new title, plates and registration docs were all mailed to the house a few days later. I was very impressed.
Ew.
When we got to the interior of the C3, I heard the Psycho theme playing in my head. C4 for me.
I remember when the C4 came out. I was in high school, and I loved Corvettes. There was an article in one of the car magazines that had a fold out with layers and cutaways, much ado was bad about the wheels. The first one I saw in the field was in the parking lot of Pizza Hut; my Mom had stop me before I started touching it or sticking my head into the cabin.
That mismatched wheel on the C4 is a 35th anniversary model wheel. It’s 17 x 9.5, which is crazy for a production car. I traded a rifle for a set and I’m gonna put them on my BMW e36 this week. Two of them are painted black and two of them are glow in the dark. I don’t even care, they rule.
I will not buy a no title car even if I don’t have a reason to believe it is stolen, so the C3 wins by default.
This C3 is overpriced and terrible, but I could see having fun with it. I would add a 4 inch lift, off road tires, a rattle can camouflage paint job, and flame throwers for the exhaust. I would also replace the doors with some custom tube doors. For the piece de resistance, I would remove the rear window to add a rotating turret for a mounted machine gun (just for show of course – it wouldn’t be functional… for now).
Yeah, this is a stupid idea. But since the C3 has no economic value ($2200, really??), why not do something ridiculous with it?
I am intrigued by your ideas and would like to subscribe to your newsletter.
I’d go with the C3. I’ve never see a pair of Corvettes that look this bad. Reality says they both need an engine swap, maybe even a swap to a manual transmission as well, but I have no idea how difficult that could be.
I toyed with the idea of getting a C4 at one point in time, someone about a hour away had one at a reasonable price, pics looked good. Once I got there I realized why the pics only showed one side of the car, the other side looked like it had been through a hurricane (which is possible in my area.) I did a courtesy look around, but knew immediately I wasn’t buying it.