Corvettes

[02SE]

It's a real shame that most Americans today cannot afford anything in the Corvette lineup.

Corvettes have always been essentially an expensive toy, that not everyone can afford.

 

[Elkins45]

Just one? I kinda want 2 houses. One to live in, and one to rent out. The rent money will pay for the home loans and eventually maybe a Corvette.

Off topic, but I read something recently (I forget where) that asserted most houses actually aren't appreciating assets when you add in the interest you paid over a 30 year loan.

 

[Kurtatron]

It's also a shame that no one dresses as spiffy as the factory worker in the photo, for example people shopping in pajamas. I guess the standards were higher in the factory at the time, who got rid of the uniforms? It appears now you can go to work in an Iron Maiden shirt and smell like a burrito.

I used to go work in holy shorts and a sweater, sporting flip flops and socks. I surprisingly got in trouble for this and had to make my attire more professional. The outrage! This was shortly after work from home ended. I was working a corporate job.

I dont mind dressing up, but for some reason our society sneers at people dressed in a suit for anything other than the most formal of occasions.

 

[captainbeandip]

Off topic, but I read something recently (I forget where) that asserted most houses actually aren't appreciating assets when you add in the interest you paid over a 30 year loan.

Also when you consider that all other homes have also increased in value just as much, so you really aren't getting ahead unless you plan to sell your house and be homeless someday.

 

[k1xv]

Many Corvette owners are on their final lap, spending cash that would otherwise be left to heirs.

 

[PF52]

Having been a resident of both Flint Mi and St. Louis, I was not aware of this.

Apparently in 1953 the Corvette plant was moved from Flint to St. Louis.
View attachment 197081

How many were actually made in Flint? Not many, I am sure.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

The first 300 Corvettes were made in Flint. Exteriors were Polo White with Red interiors. Production was moved to St. Louis for the 1954 model year and they were made here until the Bowling Green Plant was brought on line in 1982. I believe C3 production was supposed to be wrapped up with the 1981 model year, but the new C4 Corvette was significantly delayed, so the 1982 (last of the C3 production) was made at Bowling Green. The Bowling Green plant was a former Chrysler Air Temp factory were many AC components were manufactured. If you go there and take a plant tour the exterior of the building is still painted in the Chrysler blue colors.

GM had 3 major plants in STL. Corvette, Light Truck, and Passenger Car. At one time this city only rivaled Detroit for the number of autoworkers on the payroll. Chrysler had 2 plants here, and Ford had one.

The former site of the GM plants is now where a new Pepsi bottling plant is located. The Chrysler plant campus is now home to a large Amazon distribution facility and I believe the Ford plant is still standing but vacant as of this time.

I am somewhat of an auto plant junkie always looking to understand where any car was final assembled as I still have some ancestors who work in the Porsche plant in Stutgart.

If you want to learn more about Corvette production in STL, I recommend that your read this book written by a former assembly line worker that is composed definitely from his POV. He worked at the plant in the beginning heydays of the C3 Corvette production. He talks about the realities of working on the assembly line and building a car that was mostly hand-built with production of 10 cars per hour as compared to the sister passenger car line that was running 60 units per hour.

https://www.amazon.com/Factory-Dreams-Louis-Corvette-Plant/dp/B07KFNZH1V

Last but not least.....those thinking that a home ownership is a good investment must not be savvy to creative equity investments. My current house after 37 plus years is currently my worst investment...when insurance, upkeep, and repairs are all taken into account.

 

[PF52]

GM had 3 major plants in STL. Corvette, Light Truck, and Passenger Car. At one time this city only rivaled Detroit for the number of autoworkers on the payroll. Chrysler had 2 plants here, and Ford had one.

I remember seeing the Chrysler minivan plant, while driving by on the highway.

Where was the Corvette plant? I am assuming it was in the city, IE, not Wentzville.

 

[Wrenchturner44]

I remember seeing the Chrysler minivan plant, while driving by on the highway.

Where was the Corvette plant? I am assuming it was in the city, IE, not Wentzville.

You are correct on both assumptions. GM plant campus was located on Union Blvd in North City STL. Union Blvd was renamed Dr. Martin Luther King Blvd sometime in the 80s I think. I am old enough that I got to tour both plants, with the BG plant tour happening last year when I went with my friend for him to pick up C8 70th Anniversary edition via Corvette Museum delivery. Pic below is of last C3 manufactured in STL.

 

[dumkid]

Off topic, but I read something recently (I forget where) that asserted most houses actually aren't appreciating assets when you add in the interest you paid over a 30 year loan.

You rent the house out. The money comes from the renters. The house is just a tool that gets beat up and worn out but doesn't loose a ton of value.

 

[4WD]

Off topic, but I read something recently (I forget where) that asserted most houses actually aren't appreciating assets when you add in the interest you paid over a 30 year loan.

Well, cheap money and labor put dinks n dog in 4000SF boxes in the sun - now the electricity, taxes, and insurance come home to roost …

 

[SeaJay]

Corvettes have always been essentially an expensive toy, that not everyone can afford.

As far as some of the other toys like that on the market, Vettes tend to be a bit less expensive. Still above my paygrade though.

 

[Leo99]

Cars are depreciating assets. Pay off the houses and then buy the Vette. For cash. Go big or go home.
Another option is to marry up. Don't ask me how I know...

My wife and I have both agreed that the next time we're marrying for money.

 

[97prizm]

Having been a resident of both Flint Mi and St. Louis, I was not aware of this.

Apparently in 1953 the Corvette plant was moved from Flint to St. Louis.
View attachment 197081

Oh yeah. As a die hard Corvette fan not many know about this. I've been to the Corvette plant three or four times that I remember 1994, 1996 (they weren't doing tours due to the model changeover), around 2000. A few people that I talked to were irritated as GM stopped Corvette plant tours around the time of the C8. It was supposedly due to "paint system upgrades. " I didn't buy it, I knew at that point the C8 was going to be radically different.