If the ‘78 Corvette was all about its 25th Silver Anniversary, then perhaps the folks at Chevrolet were suffering a case of late 1970s malaise when they rolled out a 1979 version with some minor tweaks, but not much else. The ‘79 featured a slightly boosted base L48 engine with 195 horsepower, new halogen headlights, and optional bucket seats. Still, even if the ‘79 ‘Vette was the equivalent of suiting up in last season’s bell-bottoms, we’re still talking about a Corvette.

The ‘78 Corvette was popular, so Chevy stuck with what worked—the 1979 version kept the ‘78’s fastback style. Changes were minor—Corvette added lighter and taller front seats and offered optional front and rear spoilers, which reduced drag and upped the Corvette’s fuel efficiency.

You can find a 1979 Corvette on the used car market, and what you’ll pay depends on the car’s bonafides and condition. A low-end ‘79 won’t cost you too much, but a higher-end Corvette can cost upwards of $30,000.

If you’re on the hunt for one of these plastic fantastics, the

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Ownership costs for a 1979 Corvette

Your costs of owning a 1979 will depend on its condition, the type of engine it has, and the style of Corvette—the Chevy, the Stingray, or the Corvette.

If you can find a bare-bones 1979 base model on the used car market, this will set you back about $11,500. If you happen across a 1979 Corvette in fantastic condition, be prepared to pay more, roughly to the tune of $29,400, but possibly more depending on any extras added or if—heaven forbid—a bidding war erupts for this 1970’s bruiser.

In terms of the real costs of owning a 1979 Corvette? Remember, we’re talking about a car more than four decades old. No matter how good condition the car is in, you will likely run into more problems on a quicker timeline than you would with a new car. Make sure you take a ‘79 ‘Vette in for regular maintenance by a qualified and licensed mechanic to ensure any potential problems are nipped in the bud quickly.

Where to buy a 1979 Corvette

If you’re looking to cruise down Main Street in this blast-from-the-past, get to work and start looking at

Edmunds

and

AutoTrader

, at least to start. You might also want to poke your virtual head into the internet’s Corvette

forums

and see what real Corvette nuts are saying about a ‘79 before you buy one.

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What does the 1979 Corvette bring to the table?

The 1979 Corvette can be seen as a souped-up version of the ‘78, though with much less fanfare, even though it did sell more than 53,000 units in the U.S. that year. On the ‘79 version, Corvette kept the ‘78’s fastback style, added black trim moldings around the rear windows and roof panels, installed new tungsten-halogen headlights, and more horsepower on the base engine, along with some interior and exterior stylistic enhancements.

Strengths and weaknesses of the 1979 Corvette

True, it might be the poor cousin to the ‘78 Corvette, but the 1979 version still has its good sides (as well as not-so-good sides, too).

The good: speed

A 1979 Corvette won’t beat a modern-day one in a race, but the ‘79 ‘Vette brought more power—10 horsepower’s worth—to the base engine, along with 225 horsepower on the optional L82.

The good: fuel efficiency

The 1979 Corvette offered front and rear spoilers, and these were more than just a super-cool stylistic flair—they helped reduce drag by 15% while boosting the car’s fuel efficiency over the ‘78 by as much as a half-mile per gallon.

The good: style

Even as a holdover from the ‘78, the 1979 Corvette kept the streamlined fastback design. They also added bucket seats that were taller and lighter than the ‘78—these seats removed as much as 12 pounds from the car’s overall weight.

The bad: 1978 all over again

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, other than some minor changes, the ‘79 Corvette was an awful lot like the previous year’s version. In other words, not too much to get excited about, which is a shame, at least on a year-by-year basis.

The bottom line—which 1978 Corvette to buy

The 1979 Corvette was offered in one trim line—the L48, and there was an option for the bigger engine on the L82 variant. The usual mix of reshuffled paint options and some minor options were offered as well.

Still—STILL—this is a Corvette we’re talking about, only one of the most exotic cars in U.S. automotive history. So if you can get your hands on a 1979 Corvette, we here at Jerry have no doubt you’ll have a great time. But remember—older, dreamy cars like the Corvette can hide problems lurking under the hood. So, do your due diligence and get it checked out by a qualified and licensed mechanic before you purchase one.

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How to save money on car insurance for the 1979 Corvette

So you’ve taken the plunge and gotten yourself a 1979 Corvette—now you gotta protect that mechanical animal with a robust and affordable car insurance policy by using

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