blkvette85

I took my 85 on the Hot Rod Power Tour last year. Cleveland to Little Rock. The only problem I had was with the alternator. Corvette alternators are not the same as a standard GM alt.

No problems with the 4+3. Z51 was a little rough.

Midnight 85

I'm about 90 miles SE of Chicago, my '85 has made three trips to Atlanta and back with one alternator being the only casualty.

xrcrx

Drove my 125k mile 84 from Houston to Richmond Va. last year. Raced it. Drove all over the east coast , then home. 2500 miles in just under 2 weeks. No problems at all. Just make sure everything is working properly before you leave. then go and enjoy the trip!

5POINT7

fixed it for ya

70ZZ3 96LT4

Agree with previous poster, my 85 has the most comfortable seats for long trips, my wife agrees with me on this as well. The 85's seats were designed by a woman, she knew what she was doing.
I am still running the original factory installed serpentine belt. Have carried a new one in the 85 since 1991, easy enough to change on the road. I want to see how long the original will last. Have about 102K on it now. Still have original hoses as well. 85's are great cars.
Replaced the bearings in the alt a few years ago.

Sweet 90

skybolt31

I drove my 86 from Connecticut to South Dakota (Mt. Rushmore) and back a couple of years ago. Before I left, I checked all the fluid levels, hoses, belts, filters, etc and I had a box with a gallon of premix AF, jumper cables, flat fix in a can and an assortment of tools. Had no car issues at all. Issues with the SO, that is a different story..........

I also had a can of glass cleaner and a roll of paper towels, I like to start the day out with a clean windshield.

65Z01

Since it's low mileage and well maintained I don't see any likelyhood of problems.

In 2000 I took delivery of my '88 in Mesa, AZ (while working there) and, 3mo later with >96k miles on the clock, drove it back to SE NY in two very long days without incident.

rons85

The mileage is at Least that high - taking the original owner's word for what the car had on it when I bought it - 125k actual (although showing different - it was a Story..). That was in May 2000, and it's showing just over 270K now. I rolled the Odo to read what the miles were supposed to actually Be, not long after buying the car - easier to keep track of stuff that way.

The original (well, in theory) L98 lasted until spring 2006, when I pulled it at 225k. Still ran OK, used no oil and did not smoke, but there was a lower end knock when cold that was getting worse... The oil Pressure was a bit low, but I run the 0w Amsoil anyhow, so it wasn't That bad.

Upon taking it apart I found the bearings and crank to be OK, a Lot of piston wall and cyl. wear and All of the upper compression rings to be in pieces. One cyl. was gouged up from a ring fragment. None of the damage was "fresh" - no telling how long it had been like that. Prior to the swap I had found reason to suspect that the PO had a wet NOx setup on the car (removed before I saw it), and I wonder.. Surprisingly the Valve job looked very good, considering.

Anyhow - no evidence that the motor had ever been apart. The new Crate motor is a day/night difference tho! This is the "base performance" Vortec head HO unit. A Lot more than the tired L98 ever had.

Also - the 700R4 was (part of the Story) rebuilt "just before" I bought the car. Still working fine (knock on wood, although I have a "spare" going together as we speak at my buddies shop, just to be ready when the day comes), but I treat it as the "fuse" in the driveline now with the crate motor in there.

I replaced the diff (D36 with the 3.07 gear) last spring. The Original (again, in theory) is worn but useable, I was chasing a vibration I Thought might be the pinion bearings. It wasn't. The worst wear in the old diff is the side gears - they look Really bad. The Posi still worked seemingly OK. I'll send it in as a core eventually towards a New unit - the one In the car is a "low mileage" used one I bought nearby - it Looks to be as claimed, low miles..

Otherwise, the usual. Brakes, bearings, bushings, etc. Still on the OEM lower ball joints, which check OK, but are on the list (along with new lower arm bushings) for this next summer.

I replaced the steering rack about a year after buying the car, and then Again Last year (don't get me started on Reman quality..). The original radiator got swapped along with the motor, just as insurance - it was OK. The Same water pump that was on the car when I bought it - a GM pump - is Still on it. Likewise the A/C unit. I have replaced the P/S pump, and the Alternator. The AIR system is removed..

Oh - I've replaced Both door Latches, the drivers side particularly was becoming a problem. All of the door Hinges, however, are still fine. With as heavy as the doors are, that surprises me. I also had to R&R and weld repair the steering column when I bought the car - the PO apparently "leaned" on the wheel pretty heavy (and he was a big guy) when getting out of the car, the column tube itself was split at the upper bearing. Welded up the crack and it's been fine since.

All in All it's been a very reliable car, Particularly so when considering the age and mileage. It's Never left me stranded or had to be towed. That's luck, I had a fuel pump die right in the driveway, once.

Of all the things that Could cause a breakdown and a roadside assist call That's one item to replace every couple of years - the pump. Just because, and because it's Easy..

It's not done yet - I expect to continue adding 20-25k per year to this car for the indefinate future. Unless I use it up in a wreck it'll be what I drive for a long time to come. 500k is coming up, ought to be do-able

Demonic85

I drove 1000 miles round trip last summer in my '85. Problems galore ever since

sinatra vette

84 vette.philadelphia to warren ohio 6 hour trip, no problems what so ever! it was an ebay car too. i bought it sight unseen and drove her home.

Barbara_S

I entered the SCCA nationals in 2008 and took my stock 88 from eastern Massachusetts 1500 miles to Topeka KS in September. The night before I left, my 88 and my 91 ZR1 were on 2 lifts at my mechanics. He and my husband were fixing the car and swapping the rear end parts to get rid of an odd noise and were not stopping until the car was ready to race. My husband came home at 11 with the car and said the car was ready to go the next morning. 2 days earlier my mechanic said "you ought to get an extra key for this car, these resistors wear out and you'll never start it if this key goes". So, I tried the local Chevy dealer but got there too late to get an extra key before the trip.

1200 miles into the trip the car started having trouble starting. Once I got it started I did not let it shut off. With a cell phone, a best friend to help with communications in the passenger seat, my husband at home calling and making an appointment for me at a Kansas City Chevy Dealer, a credit card and a GPS system, I got the ignition system replaced and a couple of new keys made with enough time to actually make it to Topeka, register and race in the National event.

I love my 88!!!

-Barbara

Frizlefrak

If you're worried about a breakdown, consider this; I manage a car rental company for a living. Every day, I watch BRAND NEW cars come in on a rollback because they left somebody stranded. Yes, even the new ones break from time to time.

Maintain your car, do a solid preflight check, pack your cellphone and Visa card, load your luggage and hit the road in your C4. It's just as likely to get you where you're going as a new one. And easier to fix if it doesn't.

I've only done short trips in my C4 (100 miles and under) but I'd love to take it on a long trip. Comfortable and fun to drive.

MR NICE

Bought my 85 in Daytona had 130.000 mi, did a inspection and oil change drove back to Mi no problems.

nferr

Close to what I plan on doing this year in my 84. Probably Connecticut to Yellowstone N.P and back with some side trips. I want to stay largely off the major interstates and just take my time. I do the same thing with the glass cleaner and roll of paper towels. Amazing how much difference it makes when you're looking through a clean windshield. Hope to have the top off for much of the trip also.

coupeguy2001

A year or so back, I drove the 86 to California, 700 miles round trip to fix my mother's heater. We heard that it was going to rain the last part of the week on the way to Laughlin, NV at the Classic Chevy '55, '56, '57 show when I got home.
Sooooo......We left the '57 at home.

I took the '86, and it SNOWED!

What an great car in the snow. Drives straight, stops straight, and all told, I put 1200 miles on it that week.
Mine has 96 Collector edition seats, so comfy is the word.
Now if I could give the wife a quieter cockpit and more legroom, it would have endeared itself to her.
She doesn't like the crampedness and the exhaust drone and me shifting the 700R4 all the time.
She also doesn't like sitting with her butt so low to the ground at all....kept asking me to speed up when passing trucks.

On the bright side, The car didn't miss a beat, the air conditioning worked great when we got out of the high country, started every time, and the tires were balanced before we took off, so it was a smooth ride with a full tank and some luggage.
I had a bra on it, but the bra let some road trash in, and it fretted on the paint and made me wish I'd never seen the thing.
That's it besides 4 rather insignificant rock chips.
It didn't use any oil, and just the usual air leaks over 90 MPH. stable, predictable, fun to drive.

HlhnEast

Just drove from Alabama to NYC and back. The only problem is that if your trip is long term and has extra activity accessories, there aint alot of room. I spent 5 day hunting in VA along the way and that was a pain for firearm storage so if yer gonna ski or fish or camp, forget it but if its just clothes it aint too bad. I bought my C4 for road trips pretty much exclusively and I had alot of fun along the way until the wiper assembly stripped with 600 miles of rain left. After I pried the car out of my a** when I got back, I deemed the trip a success and plan to do alot more trippin in it. 23 MPG at 70-75 is great too.

Sweet 90

That's why God invented pickup trucks
Jim

BrianCunningham

I've driven all across the county in mine.

Careful packing is required.

Other than that

vader86

I put 700mi trips on it from LA to SC at least 3-4 times a year for the last 6 years.

If something is going to break, it will usually do so just after the trip. But during the trip its never failed me. I always take some basic tools, oil, fuses, and the Shop Manual with me but have never needed them.