1982vette

So to make a long story short about a year ago I bought a 1982 vette it had been hit in the front and I had to replace the front end I had alot of fun doing it but as fate had it I was driving to work in my Honda civic and it had just snowed and someone ran a stop sign and totalled my car. So now all I had was my 1982 and as you all know vetts are not know for how good they are in the snow, I had to sell it and buy something else. So now I am back looking for another vette and I am thing about a C4. So any advice would be helpfull. I have been talking to a few members about there cars and am getting very excited but like I said any help would be great.

rzmnco

Anything but an 84. l98 85-91. sweet vette i have one love it , if you have the money (not much more needed) and want more horses (who doesn't?) go lt1 92-95, if you can afford a 96 skip it and buy a c5.

Step one - Test drive each of them.
Step 2 - Buy the one you like.
Step 3 - Drive it hard.

Z51JEFF

What exactly is wrong with an 84?Tell us about YOUR personal experience with an 84.

Frizlefrak

Agreed. Enlighten us why an 82 owner wouldn't like an 84.

A C4 isn't going to be any better in the snow than your C3. The C4 is a wonderful car for it's intended purpose, and they are a ton of fun to drive, but for trudging through snow, I would buy a 4WD pickup or a Subaru.

1982vette

I am not going to be driving this in the snow I have just been saving the last year to get another one I will keep my AWD car for winter but need something fun for summer!

LT4 F45

money talks in this economy you can get the one you like for less $$$ then last year so try to go for the later and better...

rzmnco

84 = Wrong? not exactly

but when you can get an l98 maybe a lt1 if you really lucky for same price, your f***ing retarded not to.

Frizlefrak - Why would ny one want to have the slowest of all the c4 corvettes, get picked on for it, have little/none aftermarket preformance capabilities and the oldest(making it most likely of them all to break.) of the c4 corvettes?

Z51JEFF - I have none. But I read alot about them on this forum, and it it not good. pretty much never good. lol. I have had a real in depth convo with the guy who work at and owns a corvette called Corvette Performance Center (who worked on my vettte) about them, he's not a fan. I'm going by what knowledgeable people say. The people who stick up for them are the people who are tuck with them.

Now question for you two in you honest opinion would you recomend a 84 crossfire over any other c4 to someone?

NEVRL8T

I wouldn't disagree with your views, Jeff. I have no experience with a 1984 at all but I would question the anemic horsepower one produces. Would I be correct to think this is why I should avoid an '84?

dlb435

I think you have two choices here. One is to find a really nice C4 in excellent condition and pay the $10,000+ they will be asking.
Two, find a project car for $1500~3500 and start working. Either way, you can end up with a nice Vette. Either way, it will cost you about the same over a three year period of time.
Check out the feature changes in the C4 over time. See what you want in a C4.
I have an 85 because it has no ABS, no air bags, no smart key, no keyless entry. Just a simpler car.
What do you wnat?

xCCTer

The basic rule of thumb is to buy the newest C4 with the lowest miles you can find.

Do your homework here first.

What are your "must have" items?

Crossfire/TPI/LT1/LT4/5?

ABS/Airbag(s)?

Auto/4+3 Doug Nash/ZF6spd?

DigiDash or Gauges?

Early or Late body style/interior?

Do you know what an Opti Spark is?

How about VATS/PKE?

Color?

http://www.corvettebuyers.com/c4vettes/prepurchase.htm

http://www.web-cars.com/corvette/index.php

xCCTer

I'll assume since you had an '82 that you don't have an aversion to the dual throttle body Crossfire, which all '84s have.

There are some one-of items (not many) that are unique to '84s.

The suspension on the first year C4s was rather harsh (stiff), and was softened over the years.

Like any car model, improvements are made year after year in the interior/power plant/drivetrain/suspension/ammenties.

Corvettes are no exception.

Iroc57

Just drive a couple of different years to find out which is your "taste" in the generation. Every year C4 is a real bargain right now so you will be amazed at how much car you will get for your $$$.

wayne lowry

Buy the newest cleanest lowest mileage car you can find is the best advice and be patient. Don't buy a mint 84 with an automatic because it's cheap. It's only a deal if YOU get what YOU want. I would suggest buying an LT4 car that has the typical mods already done. Gears, exhaust, hotcam. Buy someones baby who has moved up to a newer Corvette not someone elses headache.

techvette

Ahem...

It's all about personal taste/ preference. I could afford a C5, but I would rather have a clean, low mileage LT4 instead...And that's exactly what I bought...

65747785

Some people are still wet behind the ears. There's nothing wrong with an 84. So much has been written over the years about the bad, but anything can be improved upon. Such as the performance and the harsh ride of the 84s Z51 suspension. What most people don't realize is, the 84 is very unique. The only C4 with the cross fire and the only C4 with a unique hood. Lets look back at the 1963 coupe with a 250 hp 327. The 1984 is going to fool a lot of people in the years to come. When it climbs up in value.

I have an 85 and I think that's unique as it was the first to have the TPI L-98. The first and last year is usually sought after. The 84 was first in a lot of things, lets not forget that.

wayne lowry

The 84 Corvette is already 25 years old how long is this going to take for them to get back to sticker price three hundred years ?

1982vette

I just wanted to thank everyone for giving me a heads up. I have been looking at a 1996 CE with 140,000 miles it is in very good condition and it is with in the years I was hoping to get. Now comes the important question what should I pay for it?????

wayne lowry

Not much, too many miles really. I would guess if it's really nice $6K tops. You can buy a low mile car for $10K. The problem with a car with
140K is if you have it for three or four years and put another 15K on it the car will become almost worthless. Buy an earlier car with less mileage for the same price shop for a 92 or 93

NEVRL8T

140K isn't too bad. Its a lot of miles but from what people kick around on this forum is that the LT1 is a very strong motor and can take 200K easy. I bought my 1992 coupe in 2006 with 125ish on the clock. I think I paid $8500 for it. I have had a few problems and have had to get a few things fixed. I had to have a new torque converter and a new valve spring but other than that its just been things that you would expect to need repaired on a 125K mile car.

wayne lowry

It's not junk with 140K but the economy sucks and you can buy a low mile car right now for what you paid for yours in 2006. Buy the best car you can find. I would buy a mint L98 car over a high mileage LT1 or a MINT L83 over a high mileage L98.