bashcraft

How close is the KBB values for C4's?

Currently I own a '69 convertible which sits in the garage most of the time. I'm looking to buy a C4 for a summer daily driver.

I looked at a '90 Coupe, 78,500 miles, manual trans, very nice shape. The dealer wants $12,999. KBB says it's worth $9695. Who should I believe?

StealthLT4

From my experience looking around, book values are somewhat low for C4's. But a 90 shouldnt be $13k, especially with 80k miles. I'd say a little under $11 is a fair price. Check out the C4-for-sale section to gauge some relative deals also.

mikeb

It's at a dealer.
They'll ask some rediculous price, and there's usually a lot of wiggle room.

Is the price you listed for KBB the "expect to pay a dealer" price, or the "retail" price from a private owner.

KBB usually offers 3 prices, in 3 ranges ; excellent,fair,poor.

bashcraft

I realize there's wiggle room, but $3300 is a lot of wiggle.

It's the retail price in excellent condition, which is what you would expect to pay at a dealer. The other two is "trade in" and "private party value".

Matatk

I use autotrader as a decent gauge to see what cars are going for.

As far as that 90, I think 13 is high. The 6 speed is a bit more desireable by most, but still, not that much. Around me I'd say anywhere from high 8's to low 10's from a private party depending on condition, you will usually pay more at the dealer. Not sure where you are at exactly, so region affects prices slightly. If you keep looking, you can find a deal. Also depends on years and what options you want, ie if you like the digidash and older body style, newer body style, etc.

Good luck with your search.

Matthew


PS - I just checked and found a 90 with a 6 speed, zr1 chrome rims, flowmasters, stored winters, 79,000 miles on autotrader for $9,995 just to give you an idea.

thebeerman

My personal experience with Kelly is that it has always been high. If you are working with dealers, they will always reference the NADA blue, which is a compilation of all the selling prices quoted, so the numbers for averages are much higher and more reliable. I have found Kelly to be high by several thousand dollars in several different regions of the country. By the way, check the NADA at your local library which subscribes to the book, they have the column "trade-in" which shows the maximum a dealer will pay. The local bookstores don't have that important piece of info if shopping the dealer networks.

Tommy T-Bone

My 90 is probably worth 20 or 30 thousand dollars.(kidding). I think a real clean one should go for about 9k to 10k like what you mentioned unless it was a pristine garage queen. Then it would be whatever the market would bear. Go look at the prices in Edmunds. Take that to the dealer and negotiate.

LouisvilleLT4

That is a ripoff for an L98. They're capitalizing on the Corvette name and inflating the price to whatever they want. Unless it's already in showroom condition it is not worth 10k, much less 13k. Shop around and you will find an LT4 for the same price, same mileage, same condition. I got my LT4 for quite a bit less than that at a dealer, and it wasn't in terrible shape.

mikeb

Of course they are. It's a business.


When I bought my wife's van 3 years ago, I received a price over the internet before I went in to buy it.

When I went to sign, I told them I also had a 10 y/o van I'd like to trade.
They ran a KBB search on the van, printed it out, gave it to me to view it, and gave me the exact price KBB listed as a trade-in value.
I was OK with it.

What I have noticed about pricing a car on KBB that's sold by a dealer, is that KBBs price is just a ball-park figure, even though they state it as average. Looking for a commuter car for my daughter to go to school with, we looked at the same brand vehicle at 3 different dealers; 2 were below the KBB price, and 1 was above it, by 30%.
We bought the more expensive one, but only paid 10% above the KBB price.

Greg0u812

You can also do NADA's dot com site on the net.

I agree with previous posters that 13 may be a little high for a '90.

Something else to look at is doing an advanced search for completed listings on Ebay and seeing what these cars actually sell to the general public for.



BTW.......just did a lookup at NADA and HIGH reatail (ie......exceptional shape) is $11,500.

tonymax2

I've been using NADA, KBB & Edmunds for over 4 years as a guide to C4 market prices, both retail and private. The prices, highest to lowest, have always been NADA-KBB-Ed. NADA is the National Automobile Dealers Association and it makes perfect sense why they are always the highest listings-it's in the interest of their members to publish the highest prices they think they can without everyone splitting a gut . IMNSHO, they are an unqualified joke. It's been my experience that KBB has the closest prices to "what they actually sell for" over the other two. Ed is always the lowest and almost a joke in the other direction. If you buy a C4 from a dealer, you will pay $2-4000 over what the same car would sell for from a private owner and it's been my experience that dealers don't "deal"-they'll wait for an idiot or wholesale it to another dealer. If you actually find a car that's higher on KBB than NADA, please send me the details or send me some of that beer you're drinking!

GIMMESOME

Ok folks,here's the deal,I use to work for a GM dealership,and my motherinlaw works for a bank making car loans.There isn't one,and only one, Kelly blue book,or any other.There are many Kelly books issued to ,one dealerships,two,used car dealers,three,banks,four,insurance companies,five,salvage yards,and six every different part of the country.Everyone of them has different rates of what a car is worth.If you don't believe me,so be it.When you go on line to Kelly,and type in all your info,that dosn't mean squat.

Valeriea

I just bought my first Vette in July. Picked it up for $2000.00 Brought it to a Chevy Dealer who dropped a rebuilt Jasper in it and a few other goodies. I now have $6200.00 invested in it and LOVE IT! This winter she will get a new paint job. Keep looking there are some Good buys out there for those who truly appreciate a Vette! Good Luck

bashcraft

Thanks guys, I decided to walk away from that one. I'll keep looking.

malc

I paid 13k for a 90 convertible, semi-garage queen, 40k miles, hardtop, and the guy had just put in $2k on new injectors, and other work. The engine compartment looks like new. (New York region)

Other than a few buff marks, the original paint is in very nice condition.

I would expect to get a targa in same condition for about 3k less.


I looked at a 25k mile targa that was a garage queen for about 12k, but I could not fit in it cause I am 6'5".

Keep looking, and check CraigsList every hour or so.

xCCTer

What a Great idea! That's what I was thinking when I paid $6100 for my '88 Z52 auto Coupe 3 years ago (February) with 86k miles.

Best $6k I ever spent. 22mpg average, and tons of fun. Nothing sticks to the road like a C4.

I'd wait another 2 months so winter-time prices are in full swing. Could easily save you $1500 or more.

Keep us posted.

GREGGPENN

Dealerships always start high and settle for less. Don't let the $3k price difference scare you off.

Offer what you're willing to pay and see what happens. You might find that increasing oil prices (gasoline) and lowering demand for (perceived) low mpg cars might "encourage" the dealership to come your way. They also know winter is coming and the demand drops with it. You might not "win" the car this week, but maybe it will end up being yours before you find a better option. You can't win if you don't play....

People are starting to think about traction, FWD, and SUVs this time of year. You're buying competition isn't that big.

gp

abdo

I have been watching KBB prices for C4's for a few years and comparing them to the Price Guides in the Corvette magazines. KBB always seems to be a lot lower regardless of the catagory (retail, private party, etc.)

Shello

I had a 92 recently deceased by flood water in April this year it had 92K and was in really awesome shape- Ins Co paid me $14,800.00 for it- I looked everywhere for a repalcement for the 92 couldn't find one decided in July to look for a 95 or 96- found this Collector Edition with 57K miles from an individual got a smokin deal at $17,500.00...so there are bargains you just gotta keep looking! I love my new baby!

patsfan

Here's one in your state for a bit less then he wanted and its a LT4 to boot


http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show....php?t=1810000