Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve loved corvettes. My father would take me to car swap meets and yeah, some of the older cars caught my eye, but for the most part, nothing there ever really interested me. Except the corvettes — I loved all of ‘em. I even thought the boxy early C4s were sleek. So when my tan daily driver commuter (and any other synonyms for “ordinary”) Camry died a few weeks ago, my list of search terms for replacements wasn’t very long: convertible, corvette. In the end, I had to choose between a blue ‘99 Saab 9-3 convertible and a black ‘92 Corvette. Being an older car, the ‘vette lacked a little polish, and didn’t have so many nifty little perks as the Saab. But then, the Saab didn’t purr, it didn’t roar. I fretted over the decision for all of a day before my mind was made up. I bought her on a Thursday night, and during the drive home, she named herself when the first song played from her radio was Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Suzie Q.”
"That's the sexiest thing I've ever seen." - Saul Bloom
I’ve been a Corvette owner for all of five days now, and I’m already so smitten with it, I’m blogging about it. Because she was in my price range, the list of problems with her isn’t short, but it’s also nothing unmanageable. I’ve driven her over Highway 17 from San José to Santa Cruz and even all the way out past Auburn, CA, almost to the foothills. I’m planning to post updates here as work on Suzie progresses. Today, that consists merely of putting up a complete list of things that need fixing, or stuff that just plain needs to get done. So, without further ado…
Work To Be Done:
- Glue Loose Passenger Door Panel
- Replace Center Console Latch
- Replace Driver’s Window Motor
- Install New Stereo (Current CD Player non-op)
- Replace/Repair Weather Stripping on Windows & Hatch
- Hookup Rear Defroster
- Repair Antenna Motor
- Install No-slip Pad on Cupholder Cover
- Investigate Passenger Side Dash Rattle
- Replace Worn Emblems
- Take in for Oil, Filters, Tune-Up
I’ll keep the site updated as work goes on, maybe post a few interior pictures once I get it all snazzed up. For now, this picture will have to do, and I hope you’ll have a chance to go for a ride sometime soon.
Update: Just a few days after posting this entry, a coolant hose in the engine burst, spraying coolant all over the engine and helping me discover one of the major annoyances of the late-model C4 Corvettes. The C4 vette uses a special distributor called an Optispark that when soaked in water becomes completely useless. It also has a quirky placement just below the water pump. So, when my hose burst, my Optispark was shot. Repairs were pricey, but considering that it drives better now than ever, I’m still quite happy with my purchase. It just means that some of the minor repairs listed above will need to be put off a tad bit longer.
I was there when you bought it! Congrats dude.