oldguy'sc4

Help me out guys. Thinking about upgrading from my 85 to a 96 CE that is for sale in my neighborhood. The car is an LT-1 automatic with black interior and 35,000 one owner miles. Never driven in winter weather and looks very good as it has always been garaged, plus good service records. Only drawback I can see is that it still has original tires that look surprisingly decent. I guess that is a testament to it being an older person's summer cruiser. Anyway, he is thinking around $11,000. Seems a bit high, but as I look at blogs and websites, maybe not. Would very much appreciate your thoughts on the price.

vetteLT193

That's probably the least desirable combo for a CE value wise anyway. Not that means it's a bad or anything.

You will need new tires but they aren't that expensive.

Does it have both tops or just one? Outside of that they pretty much came loaded. The other options you might want to check just for curiosity sake are the suspension (FE1, F45, Z51 can't remember if the Z suspension was available on auto cars, but the wheels match front and rear on Z cars which is nice). Also the G92 performance axle was an option. All of the options are listed under the rear compartment lid storage in the back hatch area

If it is that nice I think the price you posted is fairly accurate. If the miles are too low then you can't drive them and they fall apart. Having been used lightly but regularly is the way to go.

QCVette

I can relate to your tough choice.

Last year I sold my low mileage '85 Blue Z51 4+3. This year I bought a low mileage '96 CE LT4 6 speed with a black interior.

For me I am happy with the trade. Mostly just personal preference about the later C4 vs the early ones, the interior color and seats, the dash, and the performance. I was planning to do some mods and I thought the '96 would be a better platform than the '85 especially the transmission, the one piece rear main seal, the better choice of wheels/tires, etc.

I had my '85 for 25 years, so I really thought about it a long time, and I still miss it, But I have started working on the '96 and think it will work out pretty good.

Good luck with your choice.

rkj427

Already mentioned, the black interior and LT-1 with automatic are the only items which detract from the value of this CE. Preferred choices are LT-4 with silver or red interior, but the pricing mentioned is very fair if the car is clean and needing nothing. You may be able to negotiate a little better price due to needed tires, but I also would check and make sure the brands and sizes needed for this CE are available, as those sized tires also were becoming harder to find.

avipan

It's a tough choice but I think you will be happy with the 96 CE LT1, I think the price is fair especially since the miles on the car a fairly low based on a 20 year car and it sounds like the car has been well taken cared of.

Just my opinion:
I am not sure how long you have been looking but I have a simple philosophy in that unless it is a killer deal, wait and keep looking for 6 months. This looks like a fair deal but not a killer deal, fair deals will always be there.

bumperkar kid

I.M.O....96 C.E. best year for the c4's. 1-owner. 35K miles. service records. always garaged. $11K. I could keep going, but what the HELL are you waiting for?

95celgt

seems like a steal, the black interior to me personally would be a plus...i cant stand the grey interior thats on most of them...red being the best.

1Silver96LT4

Sounds like a fair value and a nice car... I just sold my 30K mile 96 CE LT4 for just over $17K. That said, one owner low mile cars sometimes come with their own baggage and expenses... original tires needing replacement is just one, orig cooling system fluid/hoses, serp belt, brakes, trans/diff... while all original are also 20 years old and will probably need some level of service if you want to have piece of mind on long trips.

Vetteblack-96

My insurance company paid me $10,675.00 for my '96
vert which was totaled. Car was black w/ red/black
interior and 44,000 miles on it. Just for your comparison.........

It exists as my avatar only.

QCVette

I like the black interior the best. I specifically looked for a black interior and bypassed the others.

DinoBob

The price seems right on. Not a steal, not inflated. No one will call you a fool for it.