Ever since I was a teenager I’ve loved Corvettes and have aspired to own one. I would buy books and magazines to read up on them and to cultivate knowledge of the cars. After years of reading about them I finally set my sights on a specific year and set of options that I wanted. I’d always loved the third generation Corvettes, especially the first few years with chrome bumpers in the front and back. I had narrowed down what year and what options I wanted if I were to ever get a Corvette, a 1969 Corvette convertible with side pipes (only year for the C3 with factory side pipes!) & a 4 speed manual transmission. I was flexible on the engine and the color of the car because I didn’t want to narrow down my options more than I already had. I wasn’t able to afford my dream car in decent condition until recently. Along the way I had a few projects cars that I’d hoped would help me towards my goal, a 1965 Plymouth Barracuda and a 1954 Chevy Pick Up. Neither project ever received the proper attention from me, the Barracuda I had while I was a teenager and I couldn’t afford to fix it up so I got rid of it and the Chevy Pick Up I didn’t have the time to work on it due to my work schedule. In the end one of these projects did help me to my end goal. The 54’ Chevy in my garage, taking up valuable space, was a sore sight to my wife who hadn’t seen the progress she hoped I had made in the few years that I had it. She wanted our garage back and wanted it gone. I didn’t want to get rid of it. I got the truck from my uncle who had put a lot of work into it along with his family and I felt attached to it. After some discussion we came to the agreement that I’d give the truck back to my uncle under the condition that I was allowed to get another vehicle (as long as it was in driving condition)! That was when I started my search for my dream car! I spent months looking for a car that had the options I wanted, was in my budget (no 427 for me) and was within a reasonable distance to check out and pick up. After scouring the internet I eventually found a car that I fell in love with! It was a Burgundy 1969 convertible, side pipes, 4 speed manual with a 350! It was a couple hours away and within my budget. I reached out to the seller, messaged back and forth a few times and then crickets… I tried reaching out a few more times with no response. I didn’t want to bombard him with messages because I know how annoying that can be and I don’t want to push away the person who could potentially sell me my dream car. After 2 or 3 unanswered messages I gave up and decided to move on. It took me some time but I eventually found another car that matched what I was looking for. I wasn't as excited about this one. I wasn’t crazy about the bright red paint with red interior and a white top but I figured I could put some work into it and change these things as long as I got the car I wanted. Coincidentally this car was located about 45 minutes from the Burgundy Corvette I was hoping to look at about 6 months earlier. I decided that I’d reach out one last time, I explain to him that I’ll be in his area looking at another car but would love to check out his. Finally I get a response! I set up time to check out both cars on a Saturday. They’re located 4 hours away and in a different time zone. My wife and I load up and head out! First we look at the bright red Corvette, it leaves much to be desired. It’s located at a consignment dealership. Not only do I hate the color combination more in person but there seems to be a plethora of issues with it. Cracked fiberglass, misaligned doors, side pipes are mounted way too low, etc. I can tell my wife doesn’t like it. I ask the salesman if there's any flexibility with the price but he says the seller is firm and even plans to raise the price once the weather is nicer. I thank the gentleman for his time and let him know I’m off to look at another car and I’ll get back to him. We arrive at the garage of the gentleman with the Burgundy Corvette and meet the owner. He arrived in an F150 Tremor. He walks us into his garage and there are about half a dozen other cars in there! A GT500, ZL1, 70’ Chevrolet Chevelle SS, a newer jeep and a Harley. This is a car guy. He’s got a great collection of cars. We get to talking and I ask about his collection and why he’s getting rid of the Corvette. He has a few kids and wants to have cars that the whole family can enjoy, this is the only car that doesn’t fit in. He takes the cover off of the Corvette and it’s more beautiful than I had imaged! It’s in great condition! I get underneath the car to check it out and it looks great, it starts with no problem and everything is well maintained. My wife can see my excitement, this is THE car. I can tell she likes it too! We continue to talk and he gives the history of the car. He’s the second owner and has owned it for about 2 years. The first owner was an engineer at Firestone and helped develop the tires on the car! After a little more talking I tell him I want this car and we start talking price. We settle on a number that makes us both happy and he tells me what he plans to replace the Corvette with, a CTS-V Blackwing! We make arrangements to come back in a few weeks to pick the car up. The wait is excruciating! I have a buddy and fellow car guy come with me to pick it up. We get there and my buddy gets to admire the collection just as I had a few weeks earlier. We all talked for a bit before loading the car up for the journey home. I talk to the seller and he tells me he’s happy that I’m buying the car because he can tell how passionate I am about it and that he knows I’ll enjoy it the way he had. He also says that if I ever decide to sell it to let him know! After a long day we finally get the car back home and park her in her rightful space in the garage. It's beautiful and it’s mine! I’ve taken every opportunity to drive her, my wife loves her, the kids loves her and I couldn’t be happier!