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The backstory
10 years ago I traded my 1998 Supercharged Grandprix for a 1989 Corvette. This was my first Corvette and little did I know that a decade later my daughter would have a similar experience.
My wife Danielle grew up around cars helping her dad work on his various projects(mopars) and entering shows. Likewise, her mother did the same with her C3. So it was only fitting when we married her dad drove us off in his yellow 1970 convertible Hemi Cuda. To nobody’s surprise, when our daughter Jayden was born she would be around the family's passion of cars.
At two, she did her first oil change with my wife and I.
We attended several shows and had some fun:
A few months later I traded for our first Corvette.
The story of how I obtained my first Corvette
The week before Thanksgiving in 2008 I posted my GTP for trade on Craigslist. I was contacted by a man who owned a Corvette that was interested in trading. I was a little skeptical because who in their right mind would trade a car worth twice as much as as a GTP. The Saturday before Thanksgiving we met to look at both cars. At first glance I knew there was something special about the car. I was drawn to it and could visualize her better days. At first sight I wanted to cry seeing how she had been neglected. It would definitely be a project that would take some time to bring back those glory days. After test driving her I was hooked.
After exchanging a few questions back and forth I had butterflies in my stomach and was anxious to seal the deal. He test drove the GTP and seemed to enjoy her.
We both agreed to trade, but there was one problem-he had to get a hold of the title. I had a feeling I knew where this was going, but I figure it wouldn't hurt to hold off a few days to see what happens.
Waited the week of Thanksgiving and nothing. I called the Monday on the following week only to find that he was still trying to process the title. Called the next week on Tuesday and found out that the title still had a lien holder on it. To obtain a copy of the title, the DMV needed proof the car was paid off. Apparently the original lien holder had been bought out by another bank. Then that bank bought out by someone else. No records were transferred electronically so everything had to be pulled manually. At this time I was starting to lose hope. The story he was giving me seemed like a run around. I went ahead and put the car back up F/S or F/T. The third week went by and didn't hear anything. I was pretty sure it was a dead deal. Fast Forward to Christmas night and here is the email I received:
Dear Jonathan,
I understand we have each other's names for our gift exchange here on Christmas. LOL Well, the truth is I still believe that Christmas miracles exist because I FINALLY got my title! Yep, I now have everything we need to exchange our gifts if you are still wanting to do so. Please get back in touch with me, either via email or call me on my cell phone (XXX-XXX-XXXX) and we can make plans on when we wish to conduct the arrangements.
I do hope you and your family has had a very wonderful Christmas this year!
your friend, Gary
Made for a nice extra present I wasn't expecting!
The next day Friday December 26th, 2008 I dropped the GTP off and picked up the Corvette. Driving her home I decided to see how she did performance wise. Gave it hell from a low roll and was surprised that it had more power than I initially thought.
Got it home, washed it, put it back in the garage, and went to pick my two year old daughter up. The look on her face was priceless when I opened the garage. She was jumping up and down saying, "Ohhh look at that!" and "I want to go fast!" Brought a huge smile to my face, just wish I had gotten it on video. I would never make that same mistake again!
Of course it’s only fitting we get the kiddo in there for a picture:
Over time that 184k mile C4 became more of a financial burden than I anticipated and there was no way my wife and I could afford to bring it back to its former glory. We made a decision to cut our loses and move on. A decision I still regret to this day.
As time went on I graduated college and I knew it would only be a matter of time before another Corvette would be in my possession. That dream was rekindled 3 years ago when I purchased a 2003 Z06.
Fast forward to a month ago. My wife and I discussed that it was time to really start teaching our 10 year old daughter how to work on a car. But it couldn’t be any car, it needed to be somewhat modern and a car we all could have fun with. Something our daughter could be proud of, something she would put blood, sweat, and tears into like my wife and I had over the years.. Something she could eventually enjoy on the weekends and sunny days after she had some driving experience under her belt. Then I reminiscenced of when Jayden was two and that joy my 1989 Corvette brought her. Those times we cruised with the targa top off and our adventures to Corvettes of Dallas (now called Corvette World) to look at all the Corvettes together and her pointing at various ones. Yep, a C4 was in order.
So Danielle and I made the decision to sell her 1990 Ford Mustang. Just like a Corvette was my dream car, a 5spd foxbody convertible GT was hers. But like with all mustangs those dreams are only fulfilled temporarily. She is ready to move on to a Corvette and has been for the past 6 months, but has her eyes set on a C6 GS or a C6 Z06. She is bound and determined to have a Vette faster than my Z. As if that’s ever gonna happen.
While she has always wanted to own a foxbody she never really cared for this color, but did enjoy dropping the top and driving it on cooler days. For those not from Texas that’s like…….. never. We have two temperatures here: Volcanic and Arctic. In the three years we owned it she put a whooping 500 miles on it.
On Sunday a man came to look at the car and it was quite the adventure in itself. I met the potential buyer in a public place. He wants to take it for a test drive and I’m a little hesitant, but I thought what the heck since he was leaving me the keys to his truck. I get a call 10 minutes later saying it broke down during the test drive. My heart sank and I knew good and well that just killed any chance of selling it. The tensioner pulley had seized and shredded the belt. He told me to use his truck to pick up the parts and head his way. After arriving with parts and tools in hand I realized the belt was the wrong size since the smog pump had been deleted at some point in time. Again he told me to take his truck to go exchange the belt. Made it back and the belt was still a too long. At this point I was so frustrated and had to be somewhere I told him to go ahead and take off so I wouldn’t waste anymore of his time. To my shock he still offered to purchase the vehicle and gave me what I was asking.
Now the hunt for a C4 was on…..
Now that the backstory is out of the way….
I had been looking for a C4 while the ad for the mustang was listed. I was in hopes of trading the car across, but wasn’t having any luck. Shocker right? I contacted at least 15 people through Craigslist and Facebook marketplace. If you are in the DFW area and are reading this, chances are I contacted you about trading.
After the mustang sold I had two people in mind I wanted to contact. One of which I had contacted previously. The first Corvette was a 3 hour drive and the other was an hour away.
Both Corvettes were 85s, but they were completely different. The one 3 hours away was a 4+3 car with heads, cam, fully forged engine, and cheater slicks. It would make a fantastic street cruiser and pretty much a turn key car. I contacted the owner and spoke with him for several minutes asking him various questions about his pride and joy. The other essentially in stock form.
Bill, the owner of the stock Corvette I actually spoke with several weeks ago seeing if he wanted to trade. He showed little interest, but wanted cash on top of the trade. He was a retired deputy that had been shot in the back(now suffers from PTSD) several years ago and was about to go through another round of back surgery. Due to this, he was needing another vehicle since he would no longer be able to get in and out of the C4.
I contacted him Sunday afternoon to see if he still had the car since the ad had been pulled. As luck would have it he did, but he pulled the ad due to a driver cutting him off. This caused him to slam on the brakes, swerve, and sent him off the road and the front end of the Vette into a wall. Fortunately it wasn’t at a high rate of speed and he wasn’t injured. He agreed to drop the price for the cost of repair and paint of the bumper.
As luck would have it he was in Dallas meeting a friend who was discharged from the military (also suffers from PTSD, but is unable to drive) for lunch. We agreed to meet so I could see how bad the damage was. I arrived at the agreed location and Bill called about 10 minutes later because the car was starting to overheat on him due to one of the fans not kicking on. I asked if he was in a secure location and he stated he pulled over in a parking lot at CVS(12 miles away). I started heading that way, but he called 5 minutes later and said all is well and we could meet where I was. Hung out for a few then got another call with him saying that he was now stranded on the highway for the same reason. He had found one of two culprits, the first is that the car was out of water and the second was the fact that temperature sending unit wire had melted. My wife was just getting off work and met me where I was. I told her the situation and we took our vehicles and headed that direction.
One of the absolute worst places a driver can get stranded in DFW is highway 635. When we arrived Bill and his Corvette were pulled over just before an exit in the grass. There is little room along the shoulder and you have cars buzzing by you doing 70-75mph refusing to move over one lane.
The first words out of his mouth, well this is a terrible way to try and sell a car. I assure him that this is nothing shocking to me and that I understand it’s a 32 year old car. Danielle leaves and brings back jugs of water. After waiting quite awhile we get the water added and make it to the next exit to pull off so we can take a better look at the car. We look it over for 45 minutes and discuss a few things. Everything on the car looks fantastic, but the front bumper is holding us back. Bill is still an hour away from home and the only person he knows in the area is his military friend. I offer to follow Bill home to make sure there are no more issues. An hour later we arrive and the Vette drives flawlessly, a relief for both of us. Before I take off to head home he tells me he will drop the price even further. It was a fair deal, but I told him I wanted to sleep on it and I would give him a call either way the next day. He told me that he would be replacing the temperature sensor as well as the tensioner in the morning..
Arriving back home, Danielle and I discuss both C4’s and weigh the pros and cons. It was a difficult decision, but we opted for the stock one since it will eventually become our daughter’s car and is much more practical,.
C4 ownership is at hand
Yesterday, Bill and I exchange several conversations throughout the day. My sister picked me up and dropped me off at Bill’s. We fill out paperwork, he hands over the title, and I’m on the way. By this time it is already dark. My daugher had no clue what I was doing cause she thought I left to go help my sister with something. The C4 runs like a top and runs smooth as butter for the ride home. Temperature never got above 186 degrees
If you recall from earlier, I mentioned I would never make the same mistake again:
Forgive the mess as we just moved into our new house a couple of months ago and are still getting situated.
My daughter being crazy and hugging her new Corvette:
Pictures from ad
Welcome to your new home
Danielle backing the car out for some quick pictures for insurance today
About the 1985 Corvette
It’s hard to tell from the cell pics, but the clear is all there (minus the front bumper of course ) It really just needs a good buff job from the hood back I'll be posting progress and pictures as we move forward with the project.
New L98 installed 13,000 miles ago (receipts came with car for engine and work)
Rebuilt digital gauge cluster with warranty
New A/C
New brakes and master cylinder
Reupholstered seats
New carpet front and rear
New fuel pump
New sending unit
New tensioner
New thermostat sending unit
17” ZR1 wheels (pretty sure they are replicas)
Periodically I’ll be posting updates as Jayden begins working on her new project.
Our first order of business:
Make a list of anything that needs attention
Rotate tires
Show Jayden RPO codes and have her research and decode
Oil Change
All fluids drained and fresh fluid added.
Congrats to Your Daughter , very nice first Car , looking at your RPO lid didn't look that bad as far as a heavily optioned Car ! Which is very good for your Daughter ! Just did something similar with my son but he had just turned 16 so went 50/50 on a 91 gorgeous car low miles but Heavily optioned Car so the most $$$$ on every part 13" rotors the Bilstien FX3 adjustable shocks like $250 a shock ! But it all works out and I've been buying things last couple months for us to do to his Car I just bought Weather Stripping so that should be almost as much fun as replacing the plastic gears in the Headlight Motors w/ the Bronze ones 😱 Or we can change the Door light Switches on both doors Also scored some R12 to recharge AC System ! And if he does everything I tell him to with no Bi#€# ing we will Have a set of LINELOCKS in before he goes back to School ! Already telling him to pick up extra shifts at his part time job to Buy Extra rear tires ! There is a guy that makes a killer LINELOCK nitrous button Kit that drops right into the ash Tray Cup holders w/ a Gauge for the nitrous . Even if we don't do a small nitrous kit it looks so cool and no accidents with bumping LINELOCKS by accident . And this is totally a positive thing for your Daughter she will have plenty of time to see how Hard and Fast LIFE IS ! And when you have had nice things it only makes some one to Aspire to keep nice things and work even Harder for nicer Things ! The Best of luck for You and your Family 🍀🍀🍀🍀
Congrats to Your Daughter , very nice first Car , looking at your RPO lid didn't look that bad as far as a heavily optioned Car ! Which is very good for your Daughter ! Just did something similar with my son but he had just turned 16 so went 50/50 on a 91 gorgeous car low miles but Heavily optioned Car so the most $$$$ on every part 13" rotors the Bilstien FX3 adjustable shocks like $250 a shock ! But it all works out and I've been buying things last couple months for us to do to his Car I just bought Weather Stripping so that should be almost as much fun as replacing the plastic gears in the Headlight Motors w/ the Bronze ones �� Or we can change the Door light Switches on both doors Also scored some R12 to recharge AC System ! And if he does everything I tell him to with no Bi#€# ing we will Have a set of LINELOCKS in before he goes back to School ! Already telling him to pick up extra shifts at his part time job to Buy Extra rear tires ! There is a guy that makes a killer LINELOCK nitrous button Kit that drops right into the ash Tray Cup holders w/ a Gauge for the nitrous . Even if we don't do a small nitrous kit it looks so cool and no accidents with bumping LINELOCKS by accident . And this is totally a positive thing for your Daughter she will have plenty of time to see how Hard and Fast LIFE IS ! And when you have had nice things it only makes some one to Aspire to keep nice things and work even Harder for nicer Things ! The Best of luck for You and your Family ��������
Yeah the RPO codes show fairly simple options, but I'm not gonna tell her that. She's gonna have to decode it herself which I know she will absolutely have fun doing.
Sounds like a pretty sweet project you guys have going on yourselves Do you have a thread so that I can subscribe and check for updates?
We had a dinner meet with the club tonight. Danielle drove the C4 with Jayden riding shotgun of course.
Jayden has theater camp all this week which lasts all day. She has some lines to memorize and her play is Saturday night. She has been stressing about it, but once things settle down hopefully we can get started.
You sir! are the Coolest Parents Ever! And that's saying a lot because I thought My wife and I were the coolest Parents ever... LOL
It's funny... My son had just turned 15 when I bought my C4.. He had zero interest in driving...... Until I got a Corvette.... Funny How that works......
My Middle Daughter (12) loves it but won't admit that she does...
My littlest daughter (7) Jumps at every opportunity to go for a ride. As seen below:
You have a stronger stomach that I do. My oldest daughter is 35 and still has not driven the Vette, and she's the only one that can drive a stick shift. Ironically my 8 yr old granddaughter has already asked if when she has her license if Grandpa will let her drive the Vette (as she says - because Grandpa loves her).
At least if she knows some mechanical things, she has a better chance of bonding with the car and keeping it running right other than some who only know where the gas cap and ignition are.
You have a stronger stomach that I do. My oldest daughter is 35 and still has not driven the Vette, and she's the only one that can drive a stick shift. Ironically my 8 yr old granddaughter has already asked if when she has her license if Grandpa will let her drive the Vette (as she says - because Grandpa loves her).
That's great. So inquiring minds want to know are you brave enough to let your granddaughter drive it?
Originally Posted by hcbph
At least if she knows some mechanical things, she has a better chance of bonding with the car and keeping it running right other than some who only know where the gas cap and ignition are.
You're a good Dad.
That's what I hope for, it will also allow her to save some money in the long run when mechanical work is needed.
How do you get past the no airbags dilemma?
I'm not trying to criticize you, I dd an 84. But my wife is scared to get in (we're in our 20s, I'd understand if my mother was a bit afraid). Mind you, the top speed one can go in Portland is 60, and that's at midnight when the freeway is empty.
Great story
Last edited by ValourUnbound; 06-21-2017 at 05:47 PM.
Beautiful story! I have a similar story. I always wanted a Corvette since I was 8. Well flash forward 36 years, my parents chipped in and bought me a wonderful 94 Polo Green auto with 107000mi. He can't work on cars anymore but has a 2015 Stingray, so he watches as I work on my dream. I am going to surprise him with a family membership to our local Corvette Club. You can't buy the memories and experiences that you get from owning a Corvette and involving your family.
How do you get past the no airbags dilemma?
I'm not trying to criticize you, I dd an 84. But my wife is scared to get in (we're in our 20s, I'd understand if my mother was a bit afraid). Mind you, the top speed one can go in Portland is 60, and that's at midnight when the freeway is empty.
Great story
No harm asking and I have quite the thick skin even if you were. There are no laws in Texas mandating a child to ride in a car with an airbag. In fact, often times it's quite the opposite pending the childs height/weight when riding in a car with an airbag. When Jayden rides in my Z06 I turn the airbag off due to the very reason above. But, unless there is a law that has been passed there really is no dilemma for me.
If you are referring to fears of being in a car without an airbag my wife and I have none(we are in our 30's). Then again, it's Texas and where we live our highway speed limits are 70-75mph anytime of the day.
Originally Posted by Kens94
Beautiful story! I have a similar story. I always wanted a Corvette since I was 8. Well flash forward 36 years, my parents chipped in and bought me a wonderful 94 Polo Green auto with 107000mi. He can't work on cars anymore but has a 2015 Stingray, so he watches as I work on my dream. I am going to surprise him with a family membership to our local Corvette Club. You can't buy the memories and experiences that you get from owning a Corvette and involving your family.
Very cool and the Corvettes are absolutely stunning! I know he will be thrilled with the family membership! You should record and take lots of pics to post for all of us to see.
Originally Posted by BGC4
I saw that one on CL! Congrats!
Haha I was waiting for someone to respond with something like this. It was on Craigslist for awhile. He also had it posted on facebook marketplace for $6,000.
Well we had some time after her camp to get it washed today. But first.... her Corvette has to be backed out of the garage. Guess who backed it out?
When she was younger she used to sit in my lap and would steer in parking lots while I drove. Time for her to get behind the wheel all by herself. Daughter's first time backing her car out. You know I had to record this. Lesson time!
That's great. So inquiring minds want to know are you brave enough to let your granddaughter drive it?
Who knows, by the time she has her license I might need a chauffer
No matter what, Grandpa will be riding shotgun at a minimum. I'd wanted a Vette since I was 5, only took me almost 60 years to fulfill that dream. No one will bend it unless it's me and I've no intentions of doing that.
Quick story I love: Daughter is a single parent so when Amaya (granddaughter) was first in school, the school bus would drop her off at our place will the daughter got home from work. Wife would then take her home. Amaya was in Kindergarten IIRC, normal routine - wife sends Amaya out to the Van, locks the house and drives Amaya home. This day the wife gets to the van (out behind the garage) and no Amaya. Rechecks the house, backyard, neighbors - no granddaughter. One last pass through the garage the wife hears something. Here's Amaya in the Vette 'driving' it. Hands on the steering wheel making motor noises.
Got her started early, she loves going with Grandpa in the Vette, especially when it's a nice day and we can put the top down. She even had her own personal booster seat and could put it into the car and get herself buckled in. She's big enough now days to not need one but still likes to go for a drive with Grandpa.
Who knows, by the time she has her license I might need a chauffer
No matter what, Grandpa will be riding shotgun at a minimum. I'd wanted a Vette since I was 5, only took me almost 60 years to fulfill that dream. No one will bend it unless it's me and I've no intentions of doing that.
Quick story I love: Daughter is a single parent so when Amaya (granddaughter) was first in school, the school bus would drop her off at our place will the daughter got home from work. Wife would then take her home. Amaya was in Kindergarten IIRC, normal routine - wife sends Amaya out to the Van, locks the house and drives Amaya home. This day the wife gets to the van (out behind the garage) and no Amaya. Rechecks the house, backyard, neighbors - no granddaughter. One last pass through the garage the wife hears something. Here's Amaya in the Vette 'driving' it. Hands on the steering wheel making motor noises.
Got her started early, she loves going with Grandpa in the Vette, especially when it's a nice day and we can put the top down. She even had her own personal booster seat and could put it into the car and get herself buckled in. She's big enough now days to not need one but still likes to go for a drive with Grandpa.
Jayden did some detective work on her car today to see what options it all came with. First order of business was to figure out where she might find the RPO sticker at.
Imagine that. Found a link to redirect her back to the forum:
Nope nothing in the center console:
Not quite tall enough to reach over.
Found it:
Now for a snapshot of what she needs to decode:
Playing detective:
While writing down UU8- What's a cassette? Does this offcially put me in the old category.
Time to start checking fluids and other components to make a list of everything it needs:
On to climbing under the car and checking things out:
Taking a closer look at bumper impact driver side:
Gratz on the car! very awesome story...I'm excited to see more
Thanks, I'm subscribed to your YT channel as I'm sure one of your videos will come in handy.
New parts have arrived. I'm in hopes we can get on to this sometime this week.
I have also sourced a GM front bumper and impact bar. It's still on their car so looks like I might be making a little trip with some tools to pull it off.
Thanks, I'm subscribed to your YT channel as I'm sure one of your videos will come in handy
THANKS! Btw my channel is and will always be kid friendly. I wont be swearing or talking bad about police or any of the other shocking things some of these other vloggers do.
Anyways thanks for watching, I've also watched you're recent Corvette videos and think it's awesome what's going on with the car and your daughter! She seems to like it a lot!
Keep the videos coming!
06-20-2017, 06:11 PM
10 year old daughter gets her first Corvette
) It really just needs a good buff job from the hood back I'll be posting progress and pictures as we move forward with the project. 
She's gonna have to decode it herself which I know she will absolutely have fun doing. 
