manicturbo

Hello guys, I like many of you have been mesmerized by the c4 corvette and may potentially purchase one in the near future (hopefully ). I am going to be using it a a daily driver averaging 40 miles a day 5 days out of the week. I am looking to purchase a 90' and up only. What are some things I should be looking out for during my quest? What are some issues that should/need to be dealt with on a vette nearing a 100k? Is it going to be a reliable dd? lastly I am looking to spend 10 grand or less, what are my best options? How expensive is it to maintain these things? Any other information would be extremely helpful! Thank you in advance.

Philsphan

Mines an 88 but I'm gonna give you my experience... Bought in November 2012 with 81k miles now have about 86k... My only car was in navy for 1st year so no miles put on...but came home 3 months after I bought it 136 fuel pump parts n labor... 5 months later can't start at all when I'm home get it towed... Shady mechanic which I didn't know at time... 1,000 dollars replaces starter, starter assembly, icm, tune-up, ... 3 hours later serp belt cracks on highway... Car overheats blows head gaskets warped heads... Head gaskets and heads 2400.00... 3400 in less then a year... This year not as bad alternator powermaster 180.00 had a buddy put it in... Tow when I failed in a wal mart parking lot 60.00... Belt tensioner n labor 165.. I still need master cylinder, new cat, digi dash, smog pump, weather stripping, tires n bushings... That's about 1800.00 right there in all that.. Don't let me scare you... I would say 95 percent of guys on here better experience then myself...

Philsphan

But maybe consider a beater you can give 2 sh..ts about as a daily and maybe save to get a better c4... The ones I see for 10-13k look real squared away electronics wise and cosmetically

84wuzmy1st

You can find a good C4 for under 10K, just be patient. That being said having a 20+ year old car as a DD can cost more money to maintain then a newer, less expensive option, like a used Chevy Spark :P

fl_799

For 10K, you should have no issues buying a low mile, clean garage kept C4.

Maintenance and upkeep is indeed higher than a modern car. Age and time does odd things to fuel pumps, injectors, electronics (Capacitors dry out), and rubber items. Not hard or too expense to handle, just something to be aware of.

If I was willing to accelerate the wear and tear on my '89 C4, I'd have no issues driving it daily or taking on a coast to coast trip but I did put the time and effort in to make it that way.

FOURSPEEDVETTE

Would anyone actually buy a 24 year old car, of any type, to drive as an every day car? For $10.000.00 someone could buy a 4-8 year old car that will likely be more practical to be used for everyday commuting and gas mileage.

MRPVette

I would not buy one as a daily driver personally.

Greg Gore

A few important points to consider:

1) Have you ever owned a Corvette before?

2) Do you have the tools, knowledge and experience to do most of your own maintenance and repairs?

3) Most common mistake made when purchasing a first Corvette is to seriously underestimate repair and refurbishing costs and miss finding items which will need expensive repairs until after you get it home. Usually the first Corvette for many is an expensive lesson.

cv67

x2
Used an 89 as one for awhile but at the time I had 2 other cars in case
They are good cars sorted out but you will be working on them at some point....if you have to pay someone sit down.
As said its not the cars or motors so much its all the stuff attached to them. Build quality isnt something real synonymous with Corvettes of any Gen. Fun, but little higher maintenance thats all.

1993C4LT1

Well, it's not like he's a buying an old AMG Benz to use as a daily
OP, you'll find a nice C4 for 10 grand. Be patient and drive a couple of them. I would suggest in buying a '92-'96 C4.

Philsphan

Lol... I described how much money I've spent... Haha I'm sure it's all a drop in a bucket compared to a 7-10 year old AMG Benz even.. I've always read the most expensive car is a cheap Mercedes

FAUEE

Agreed. I wouldn't buy a C4 as a DD. I wouldn't buy a Corvette in general as a DD.

If you can only spend $10k on a car that will be your everything car, don't even think Corvette. Sports cars that are 20+ years old (sports cars in general) are expensive to operate and make for expensive DDs. 20 year old ones break, and when they break it is expensive since its a sports car.

I love my Corvettes, but I have a different DD to drive daily.

GKK

I've used my 91 Vette as a daily driver for the past 10 years with just regular maintenance and it's been a very reliable and fun vehicle to drive!...

I like the 91 C4 because it's the last year with the L98 TPI engine which is less complicated to work on than the LT1 in my opinion and has the newer interior and exterior body style.

Always, buy a C4 Vette that has been Well maintained inside and out and you will have a reliable Vette. $10k will get you an Excellent condition C4 Vette with nice paint and interior.

I spent over $500 (work done by myself) when I first bought my 91 Vette, changing all the fluids (Oil, Transmission, Radiator coolant) Brake pads and doing a complete tune up.

My 91 has over 145,000 miles on it now and performs as strong as ever!...Of course over the last ten years I've replaced regular wear items such as, Starter, Battery, Fuel pump, Fuel pressure regulator, Radiator, Water pump, Fuel Injectors, Spark Plugs, Shocks and Tires but, that's to be expected on any 23 year old vehicle.

Hope, this helps!

Heysailor

Manicturbo... You're asking a pretty broad based question. I have an 96 Lt1 with 83K on the clock and I bought it brand new in Dec. of 1995. It has been well maintained, garaged and is a great car. I've had very few problems other than normal maintenance and it obviously looks great inside and exterior.

That being said, I don't use it as a DD and as I live in the midwest rarely drive it in the winter months... no go on the snow! As many of the guys have posted, you're dealing with a car 20+ years old... it's gonna have issues that need attention. IMO you should stay with a 96, but then I'm rather biased.

Good luck with the search... these are great cars with an iconic style !

ricasso

I've worked out I've put 10,000 a year on my 94, (70K) still runs as strong as ever, used EVERY day no matter what the weather, I cant see why people seem so scared of using these cars, bottom line thats all it is, a car, keep it maintained regularly and you stand every chance of having a good'un..it's probably had no more issues than any other 20+ car, I had several big Jags of a similar age before my Vette, same situation with them, look after a car and it'll repay you, the Vette is probably the most fun car I've ever owned, even the most basic drive across town will have me smiling! I've never regretted buying this car and have no intention of getting rid of it any time soon

1993C4LT1

Don't be one of those people that say"I waited too long to buy a Vette." If you can, go for it. Every car will give you problems.

Deakins

I've had them both for the weekend and as a daily driver; I would have one as a daily driver again if I didn't need the ability to haul a bunch of gear around with me. But with that said a lot of it comes down to how mechanically inclined and trained you are with cars. Most of the events that happened to the owner in post number 2 would have been much different if not avoided had I owned the car. It's not a knock against that person, it's just that having gone through a bulk of the GM tech program when I was younger none of that work would have been done by someone else. The belt would have been inspected prior to operation so on and so forth. Be honest with yourself about what category you fall into and see if it's the right move for you. Just my .02

QCVette

I was looking for low cost daily drivers. I was putting 100 miles per day on my commute to work.

I bought an '88 A4 and drove it for about 2.5 years and 45k miles (sold it at about 120k miles). I wanted a 6M so I sold the '88 and bought a '94. I also drove it about 2.5 years and 45k miles (sold it at about 145k).

For me they were great daily drivers (all year, even in winter) that got about 30 mpg on the highway (most of my commute) and were fun to drive.

The maintenance/repairs depend on what you are willing to do yourself and what defects you can live with.

The only repairs on my '88 were an EGR valve and valve cover gaskets. I chose to ignore a few things like the antenna that wouldn't always go all the way down and a door panel that had a loose top (although I glued it back down).

The only repairs on my '94 were the rear wheel bearings and new muffler eliminators when old ones (aftermarket eliminators) rusted off, and a center front air dam that I broke when I couldn't avoid a big chunk of ice that the truck ahead of me dropped in my lane. And more than the price of the car to repair it after I hit a deer at about 65 mph. I chose to ignore some wear on the seats until the drivers lower section split an was catching my pants. I bought a used lower from Vette2Vette pretty cheap and all was well.

Other than those, it was just normal maintenance like oil changes etc.

I bought them both pretty reasonable and after 2.5 years and 45k miles I was able to sell them for almost what I paid. They were two of the least expensive drivers that I have ever had both for purchase/sale price and for gas mileage and repairs.

Like others have said, if you are not going to do the work yourself you should be prepared to pay more if something fails on an older car like these. They are getting older, so some things you need to decide if you will fix or not. If you are wanting to keep it perfect you will spend a lot of money, but if you can live with a driver class vehicle issues like the antenna or headlights making some noise, or some wear or age on interior parts then it can be a very inexpensive driver.

For me they were great daily drivers. I don't have the same commute, but still have a C5 for my daily driver (but not in the winter if there is salt on the roads).

Good luck with your choice.

FASTAZU

All good advice so far...But the DD part I have had many as DD's. I will say that I live in a part of the country that the weather is nice most all year. My wife has over 200k miles on her 95 as a DD I have put well over that on a few and yes they are getting older but with good maintenance they are reliable.

The biggest plus looking forward to the drive everyday.

QCVette