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I'm blessed and cursed with being able to repair most anything on an automobile--body and paint excluded unfortunately--so I never shied away from a project in fact I would go looking for them. Inevitably, I would buy something that would take a lot of work and money and it would be months or years before I got to enjoy driving it.
When I moved to NC almost 6 years ago I brought 2 Avantis, a 2002 Thunderbird, a Hemi Magnum, a 62 Mercury Meteor S33, a 76 New Yorker Brougham, a Customized el Camino with a ZZ4, Ford 9" and a 1987 F250 Plow truck.
Within 2 years I had to sell everything ( I kept the New Yorker ) and except for reviving a 77 Dodge truck I haven't had anything really fun to drive. So I decided, based on the incredibly low asking prices for C4's to look for a Corvette that I would surely have to nurse back to health and spend too much time and money on.
Two weeks ago I picked up a 95 Coupe, 6 speed with 167,080 miles on it. I bought it from Strider Buick in Asheboro NC. It's my third Corvette the last being a '69 427 coupe back in 1975. I paid $5,000 all in.
So referring to the subject line---I fixed the non-working A/C with a $35 clutch hub and a new connector at the pressure switch, the cruise with a vacuum hose, the seat recliner with WD-40 and the difficulty going into reverse with topping off the clutch master cylinder. It does need tires but has an OBX exhaust, a full aluminum radiator, a new Delco battery and when I went to pick it up the surprise of a second 'glass roof' in the back compartment.
I've driven this car almost everyday. It is THE BEST $5,000 I've ever spent.
I hope I haven't jinxed myself but after 48 years of 'playing cars' I've finally gotten lucky.
It seems some C4 owners just want out of the Corvette world. That makes great deals for the Corvette wana-be owners.
Congrats 1964r2r5388 on your new inexpensive Vette.
I'm in it for the long haul with my 88.
St. Jude Donor '09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-'20
For some reason last night I didn't see the photos on my cell phone. A 95 with 167,000 miles for $5,000 from a dealer. I got to say that is unheard of around this place.
For what I can see, invest another $3,000-$5,000, and it will be a new looking car.
New carpets, and seats $2,000
New trim for those outdated wood ones: $300-500
Weatherstrip Kit: $500
All Fluids change: $150
Window tint: $200
New shocks: $380
New brake pads: $180
Used-good condition steering wheel: $50-$100
New shift ****: $70
New boot: $20
New Floor mats: $100. Contact Jon Hekking, he has the floor mats installation on PDF.
I'd get a detail job (or DIY), new battery, headliner if needed, and check the Freon level.
For some reason last night I didn't see the photos on my cell phone. A 95 with 167,000 miles for $5,000 from a dealer. I got to say that is unheard of around this place.
For what I can see, invest another $3,000-$5,000, and it will be a new looking car.
New Floor mats: $100. Contact Jon Hekking, he has the floor mats installation on PDF.
The opti rarely goes bad on 95 and 96s.
Very important to get the floor mats right. I would be happy to fly out and help with the installation.
Welcome to the forum. I have to tell my story here as well. I just picked up a 95 M6 coupe in yellow. Here's my story. My son saw a C4 for 6 grand and told me about it. He said it was a "rat", nasty interior, bald tires and just looked like it had been lived in. I discussed it with my wife and she said "OK". I figured, for 6 grand I could make a nice car out of it with a few grand more. I didn't have a contact number so I started looking at the local buy-sell-trade websites. I located in a rural community not far away and decided to take a look (and a checkbook). We spotted it at once in a town where John Deere and International were the common. From 100 feet it looked great but I figured up close it would be another story. I began to sweat. As I approached I noticed the tires were like new. And the interior was newar perfect. We looked at each other, he said "Dad, this is a different one". What are the odds. The car had been owned by the same guy for 10 years and he put less than 4000 miles on it. He needed cash. We concluded the deal at a few hundred under the asking price and I took my prize home. While the car is a repaint, it was the same color, Competition Yellow. Body is near perfect. Most interior pieces had been replaced or rebuilt. Only the shifter plate was broken. AC is out but everything else (except the PKE fob) is working. Car has 100k miles and mechanically it seems great, totally original and stock. I'm thrilled as I'm sure you are. Enjoy and keep us posted.
Out here it's pretty easy to get lucky. I bought this 94 six speed a little less than 2 years ago for around $6K. 120 K miles, runs great, everything works and not a mark on it. I've seen a couple better deals here since;
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Last edited by Jon Hekking; 01-18-2016 at 10:03 PM.
For some reason last night I didn't see the photos on my cell phone. A 95 with 167,000 miles for $5,000 from a dealer. I got to say that is unheard of around this place.
For what I can see, invest another $3,000-$5,000, and it will be a new looking car.
New carpets, and seats $2,000
New trim for those outdated wood ones: $300-500
Weatherstrip Kit: $500
All Fluids change: $150
Window tint: $200
New shocks: $380
New brake pads: $180
Used-good condition steering wheel: $50-$100
New shift ****: $70
New boot: $20
New Floor mats: $100. Contact Jon Hekking, he has the floor mats installation on PDF.
I'd get a detail job (or DIY), new battery, headliner if needed, and check the Freon level.
The opti rarely goes bad on 95 and 96s.
Thank you all.
Floor mats were in the car when I picked it up. Air blows cold, battery is new. I don't care for the fake wood either. My intent is to not make a great deal into a restoration project. Brakes are like new, shocks don't feel like they need to be replaced and don't look like they have been on there very long. Seats and carpets will get cleaned but that's it.
I spent 35 years in the car business and 25 as a Sales Manager. They had that car for 7 months. I made the deal toward the end of the month and the end of the year. The advertised price was reduced to $4995. It needs tires and I used that to negotiate the final all inclusive $5,000 price. Having run dealer sales departments I had a good idea of what they paid for this car, and how important it was for them to sell it before winter really set in.
My excitement comes from having an American icon for a great price without having to spend another couple of thousand dollars ( I consider tires an investment ) just to be able to drive it. I'm not real fussy about looks but absolutely fanatical about how a car runs. This one drives really well and I can live with a little "patina".
Out here it's pretty easy to get lucky. I bought this 94 six speed a little less than 2 years ago for around $6K. 120 K miles, runs great, everything works and not a mark on it. I've seen a couple better deals here since;
Welcome to the forum. I have to tell my story here as well. I just picked up a 95 M6 coupe in yellow. Here's my story. My son saw a C4 for 6 grand and told me about it. He said it was a "rat", nasty interior, bald tires and just looked like it had been lived in. I discussed it with my wife and she said "OK". I figured, for 6 grand I could make a nice car out of it with a few grand more. I didn't have a contact number so I started looking at the local buy-sell-trade websites. I located in a rural community not far away and decided to take a look (and a checkbook). We spotted it at once in a town where John Deere and International were the common. From 100 feet it looked great but I figured up close it would be another story. I began to sweat. As I approached I noticed the tires were like new. And the interior was newar perfect. We looked at each other, he said "Dad, this is a different one". What are the odds. The car had been owned by the same guy for 10 years and he put less than 4000 miles on it. He needed cash. We concluded the deal at a few hundred under the asking price and I took my prize home. While the car is a repaint, it was the same color, Competition Yellow. Body is near perfect. Most interior pieces had been replaced or rebuilt. Only the shifter plate was broken. AC is out but everything else (except the PKE fob) is working. Car has 100k miles and mechanically it seems great, totally original and stock. I'm thrilled as I'm sure you are. Enjoy and keep us posted.
01-17-2016, 09:41 PM
Sometimes you just get lucky
Thanks...I didn't know I had a short throw shifter. Just keeps gettin" better!