January 7, 1992 was a special day for me. I became a Corvette owner. For someone like myself, whose life revolves around the automobile hobby, it is hard for me to describe just how significant this event was. I was finally able to join that "Special Club", and life was good . . .

I was also especially proud of how I joined the club. In the days before the internet, I used to pick up the Auto Trader Magazine at the grocery store and search the ads. Sure, the dealers would take out a 2 page ad packed full of high priced cars. But, my Corvette was tucked away in the “Ads without photos” section waaaay in the back of the book. The words “Garage Kept” and “Mint Condition” caught my eye. However, the asking price that was several thousand dollars less than anything I had seen previously for this class of car was what made me call.

I vividly remember the day I drove 198 miles to see this car on a rather mild Saturday during the Winter of 1991. There before me in the owner’s garage was a mint condition 63k mile car that was completely original except for a respray and the radio, (and even that was a GM unit). He was selling the car because he was moving very soon, and was about to lose his storage. The car was spotless, and had no puddles of anything underneath. The pouring rain outside meant I was not allowed to take a test drive. But, it ran perfectly in his garage. A quick look at the title showed that this car was truly "Garage Kept," for only 300 miles had accumulated on the odometer during his 3 years of ownership. The more I looked, the more I saw something too good to be true, only it wasn't. It was real.

The following Tuesday, my first wife and I returned to Dalton, PA to sign the papers. I was about to drive this car 198 miles back to Altoona, knowing that it had only traveled 300 total miles in the last three years. After checking all the fluids, adding some fuel system cleaner and checking the tires, I headed for home, never losing sight of the fact that I did not drive this car before I purchased it.

The ride home was a wonderful experience. The car tracked straight and didn’t vibrate at speed. The brakes felt good, the steering felt good and the cruise control worked perfectly. It drove down Interstate 80 like a brand new car, although with a little firmer ride than I was used to.

However, once I got the car home and began to actually drive it, the effects of sitting for the past three years began to show themselves. Within the first month, the new for the 1980's "Check Engine" light came on. Electronic items like the mixture control solenoid in the carb, the coolant temperature sensor and the oxygen sensor don't take too kindly to extended periods of inactivity. As I would replace one sensor, another one would fail shortly after. Thankfully this primitive engine management system didn't employ too many sensors. The final step in this process was a complete carb rebuild, which kept the "Check Engine" light off for good, and made this car one of the best I have owned.

Unless you belong to this club, it may be hard to understand the fascination with an early 80’s Corvette. It wasn’t particularly fast, feeling like a 16 second car. Even though I never took it to the track, the 190 hp rating seemed to support this prediction, (in all fairness, the relatively high torque number of 280 ft-lbs came at a low, low 1800 rpm, which made for a decent mid-range punch). It didn’t ride very well. If you ran over a quarter, you could tell if heads or tails was facing up. The oxcart suspension coupled with the limited ground clearance meant things like potholes, parking space stops and steep driveways were to be avoided at all cost. It wasn’t very spacious inside, (DO NOT take this car to the grocery store if you are hungry !). It did have a modest cargo area. However, the only access to it was from the front. And, it wasn’t very economical, (I averaged 10-14 mpg combined, not too bad for a 3345 pound car with only 3 gears and a 2:87 rear axle).

To be honest, I wasn't concerned. I had other cars that did those things well. This car was a Corvette. It was supposed to be a fun cruiser whose only real purpose was to induce a smile on the face of the driver, which it did. The 1980-82 C3 body style is my personal favorite from a styling standpoint.

Yet, in one of my most memorable "Are You Kidding Me ?" decisions, I traded my 70k mile Corvette in March 1995 on, of all things, a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee. My first wife loved her new Jeep. However, I felt strangely empty inside . . .