C.C.G.D. Who's Who - John Reis

I was just 17 I went into the military in 1974. I made $800.00 a month so the only Vette I could afford was a poor man’s Corvette a 1970 navy blue Camaro.  You know the one with 4 round brake lights just like the Vette. In 1988 I purchased a 1979 gray Corvette. I rebuilt the 350, did some body work, and painted it silver & black. I drove it until 1990.

I could no longer take the way it rattled my teeth so I traded it for a brown 1987.  It drove a little better but it had an ignition key problem and would not always start. 

Then I got a fire red 1990 Vette and I loved the way it looked and drove.  I liked the rap around front lights, the rear end, and the fuel mileage.  In 1993 Chevrolet introduced the Ruby Red 40th Anniversary Edition. I wanted one so much I could taste it.  But I could not get any good trade in value on my wife and three children.  So I had to wait until 1999 but they still wanted $27,000.00 for the 40th so I had to settle for a Plum Cola Red 1993.  Truthfully that Vette drove like a Cadillac. I liked the wrap-around dash. It looked like an F18 jet instrument panel. I drove the 93 until September 2004 then went to Jon Hall looking to buy a C5.  While making the deal the sales person only offered me $6,000.00 for my 93. I told him that it only had 90 thousand miles on it and my diagnostic computer connected to it at that time. So they upped the offer and gave me $13,200.00 trade and I made the deal. I put a lot of money into my 04 Mag Red C5 trying to make it a Greenwood Tiger Shark Vette for show purposes.

What I've learned is that with all the money I spent on this car I could have bought a ZO6 . In 2008 I inherited two 2001 trucks so in May of 08 I trade them both in on a 2004 black C5 Vette.  It’s great that now I pay $265.00 less a month than I did for the two trucks. That is where I am right now with my Corvettes. I would really like to have a ZR1 but that’s a lot-of-car, or should I say that’s a Lotto car.

JR.