Just out of curiosity, how common or uncommon are '81s with 4-speeds?

I thought they would be fairly common, but in reading sigs and looking at other cars on this site I'm not seeing many.

 

1YY87 Base Corvette Sport Coupe 40,606

MM4 4 Speed Manual Transmission 5,757

5,757 / 40,606 = 14.18%

(most sharks are automatics :nonod: )


[Modified by wcsinx, 7:55 PM 7/24/2003]

 

I guess what I really was asking is, do you see many around? Are they in much demand?

Guess I should give the full story:

I have an '81 w/about 100k miles, 4-speed, matching numbers, CA emissions, power everything, everything is stock as far as I know other than the cam, cat and cat-back, power antenna, water pump and clutch fan. I've always thought of it as a low-demand car that wouldn't really have the value affected if I swapped out parts for non-stock upgrades. I THINK I'm the 3rd owner (I bought it around the end of '94 from the "second owner"). Paint is ok, at least 10 years old, and the body is perfect. It's the common cream exterior, camel interior (whatever the actual colors are called). I doubt it's ever had even a minor fender bender.

To be honest, I haven't driven it since I moved from Oregon to Florida (it's still in Oregon) 3 years ago. :cry I had a hard time finding it in the first place 'cause I wanted a late model C3 with 4-speed so I really don't know what to do with it now. It will definately be at least a year before I either ship it here or (my preference) move back West someplace and drive it to my new home. If I sold it now I could quit paying insurance on it (my dad drives it fairly regularly), and I could use the money, but then I wouldn't have it and I don't know how hard it would be to replace. Interior wise it looks rough at first glance, but replace the carpets and it's pretty nice. Dash/etc. needs re-finished, but no cracks or damage of any kind. As a CA then Oregon car it has little or no rust. Engine, suspension and front end have been gone through and it drives great.

I'm not really looking for advice (feel free to give it if you wish), and this certainly is not a for sale ad. I'm really just trying to get an idea of how hard it would be to replace it, and if I modify it (EFI, brake/steering upgrades, heads, etc.) will I be messing up the value.

 

well you could think of throwing the stuff in a bag and stuff it in a corner somewhere. Maybe in another 10 or 15 years the 81 manual will be worth a pretty penny. I doubt it though. Not much else really running for it as far as value goes. Basically a manual tranny 81 gets you maybe 500 to 1k more for the value. Basically the cost of the tranny anyways.

 

I see them here and there, but not often. There is some demand as most of the post '72 cars are automatics, but I don't think you can really command much of a premium for it.


[Modified by The_Dude, 4:58 PM 7/24/2003]

 

I think there are 4 or five on the forum including me. I wanted a 80 or 81 with a four speed. Found a good 81 first. :cheers:

 

i run across them for sale locally every once in awhile, but not often. mine's an auto :smash:

 

Good, this is about what I expected and what I pretty much wanted to hear. While higher value would be nice, I'm want the car to drive, not look at, not as an investment. I want to be able to modernize it and improve it without feeling guilty about hurting the value too much. And if I decide to sell it I should be able to find a similar replacement with a bit of patience.

 

'80 with a 4 speed. . . well origionally a 4 speed here. Modernization is GOOD! :thumbs:

 

I have one.

 

a 76 with 4 speed would be nice :rant:

 

:D Yes ... yes it is. :D