Joe C

on the other side, and my 2 cents - i have an 85 - have it now for 9 years. bought it with 33K miles, and now have 97K. other than routine maintenance (tune-ups, cooling system service, transmission service, brakes, tires, etc) i've had to put new u-joints and a steering rack in it. as far as dependability, the thing has only let me down once. the fuel pump went out 75 miles from home. had to have it flat-bedded to a local chevy garage. i consider my 85 as a very dependable car, and daily (spring/summer/fall) driver. any other $$$ i've had to put into it this been cosmetic. in the 9 years of ownership, the service engine light has never come on (and yes it does work!). 'bout the only thing it needs is new valve seals. everything is original - engine, transmission, and interior (and the original leather is still in great shape). the car has no bad habits - digital dash works perfectly, no problems with the headlights, electrical system, etc. at any day of any week, i wouldn't be hesitate to drive this thing across the country. this is such a great corvette, i can't part with it.

redwing76

I agree Corvettes are good cars and the 85 is one of the better ones.

Moxxi

You take your chances, buying a used vehicle.

I have had my '85 for 2 1/2 years now.
I have had only two electrical problems.

My headlight motors have always worked.

I had to replace my tranny April 2004.

Not a problem here. (Minor leakage.)

Probably will, but hasn't yet. Keeping my fingers crossed.

I have let her sit for 2 weeks, with no problem starting up. Of course, I live in the south, where we don't have hard cold winters to contend with.

I had heard that the '85s had a whole mess of problems, but I still wanted the car.
I have replaced the tranny (already mentioned), brake booster, master cylinder, fuel pump and sending unit, a handful of relays, engine computer chip, burn off module, EGR Valve, MAF, and the left wiper arm.
(Before long, she'll be a new car.)

It all boils down to:
- how good the previous owner(s) took care of the car;
- how much you are willing to put into the upkeep of this car. (You will learn how to do a lot of your own repairs, or it will become a money pit, quickly.)

Get a CarFax, visibly check out the car yourself, test drive it, & go with your gut instinct.

BTW, this is my daily driver.

Good luck!

onetrackmind

Sounds like problems with that specific car and not 85's in general.

RIISITAS

Be patient...There are great deals out there on early model C4s. A friend of mine here bought an 85 Vette last month from the original owner. The guy was retiring and moving up North to Utah to be closer to family there. The guy had receipts from day one of all maintenance done, 63K miles, near perfect paint, leather near perfect, cold AC, runs great, everrything works on the car, passed the smog check easily. The only thing it needs is new carpet (faded in the hatch area) and the wheels could use a refinish. He bought it for $3500. It's a great Vette and a real bargain.

rocco16

Apparently, not very.

I bought the first one I looked at. It was that nice and the price was not refuseable.... The car has been absolutely faultless.

I hear that all the time: "don't buy the first one you look at"
Come on, that is disregarding the car itself.

Look at it this way: if you should never buy the first car you look at, why bother wasting time looking at the first one? Wait and go right to the second one!!!


Larry
code5coupe

eptaylor

YEAH !!!

redwing76

brian pinner

Pros and cons all around, but I believe I would have had less problems with my '85 if it had been garage kept. It sat outside all the time and I think the weather took a toll on the grounding points in the electrical system. So, how many of theses GREAT '85s are garage kept? I took great care of my '85 (well, except for not having a garage), so I may have just had a tempermental one, but if you had seen that mess of wiring, and not the physical wiring, but the mess of chasing down the electrical gremlins when my mechanic got into it, you would have gotten rid of it also.

cmashark

i have an early 86 and i know it has been garage kept since 1994. the wiring and such under the hood looks beautiful. i just wish that the previous ower wouldn't have had the belt line trim painted to match the car. i guess he had new vette-itis or something.

chris

abdo

I also have an early '86 that I bought new. It now has 75K miles. I have had to replace the starter, alternator, mufflers, ECM and the tires. The valve guide seals need replacing. Otherwise, it is a great Corvette. By passenger car standards, it probably has not been as reliable, but I enjoy the car.

ruffneckxx

I love my '85 but wish it had a 6spd instead of the a4 and an ls7 instead of the l98

avideo

If you're looking for an early C4, I would suggest you look for a 1987 model. My first Corvette was a 1987 Coupe that was loaded with both roof panels, chrome factory wheels, and every power option put into that year's model. I also looked for nearly four months on every weekend to find it; and probably looked at something like 40 cars before I bought it. I owned the car for nearly five years and won a shelf full of show trophies, as well as driving it 6-8,000 miles every year.
The 1987 models were the first C4s where the production numbers started to go down. They are harder to find and will comand a better price that an 1985 or 86. They also had aluminum heads in the engines and roller rockers which make for a relatively quiet car compared to the earlier models. The alternator is a weak link in the 1987s. I would suggest you upgrade to a newer model alternator if you buy a 1987 and the alternator fails.
When you look for a 1987, check to see that all lights work and that the main display is uniformly bright. Look the car over for bady panels that don't line up correctly. A "no-hit" car will rarely have gaps or misfits in the body panels. Check for service records. Did the owner actually change more than the oil regularly? I used to change all fluids at least every 12-15 months. Look for smoke from the tailpipe when the car is started up. Don't let a small puff of WHITE smoke on start up put you off. It's normal on a L-98 engine with some miles on it. Most of all do you LIKE the car and does it look "right" to you.
One last thing, when you look, don't forget to check out ads from local Corvette clubs. Right now lots of people are moving up to C5s and C6s from C4s; so some decent early Corvettes will be on the market. Good hunting and good luck!