I have looked at adds and I am in the market for a fairly cheap car.Looking to spend 5000.00-6000.00 and I have found a few cars out there.I don't want an 84 model.Some of the cars have this 4+3 trans in them and I am just wondering if they are reliable and I should stay away from them on a car with 150+kilometers on it.The cars I have found have been 85-88 models and even a 87 conv. but I am afraid of the uknown with this 4+3 trans?Comments?

 

I would also avoid the 84. As you probably know, the 1985 was the first year of the TPI engine, and some of the other C4 bugs had been worked out by then. I owned an 85 with auto trans for several years, and was very happy with it. (Borla exhaust sounded great on that car!) Good luck, and good hunting!

 

You don't indicate where you live but since you quoted mileage in Kms I'm guessing Canada or Europe. The 4+3 trans is a good unit IF it was maintained properly. The biggest problem with these transmissions was lack of service for the automatic box (which provided the overdrive in the top 3 gears). If you're really concerned about that transmission look for an 89 or newer car, which came with the ZF 6 speed, or an automatic. With your budget you should find a fairly good one (assuming your budget is in US $). As with any used car, especially a Corvette, look it over carefully, ask for service records. If you're not sure what you're doing ask a member of this forum near you if he's willing to look at the car with you.

 

The 4+3 tranny is solid and durable, but must have the over drive unit's oil and filter changed on a regular basis, ie every two years or so. This is not a difficult or expensive job to complete. However, if the OD unit pan is not replaced properly and carefully, you can develop fluid leaks which can be a nuisance to fix. The pan is easily bent if over torqued upon reinstallation. Replacement pans are getting very difficult to find now. The other problem with these transmissions is that the OD button/switch will need to be replaced somewhere in the 50,000 - 75,000 mile range. This is not a difficult job, but one that is often mis-diagnosed leading many people to think that they have a failing OD unit when, in actuality, it is only a bad switch.

All in all, the Doug Nash 4+3 tranny is a solid Borg-Warner Super T10 unit which is fun to drive as a 5 speed and very strong & durable if properly maintained. However, that being said, if I were you I would look for a later model with a non-ZF 6 speed transmission. Also, you do not want to select a car with 16” wheels as tires for these cars are becoming somewhat scarce as BF Goodrich is the only manufacturer still making 16” Corvette tires. When they drop out, there will be very few tires left. 1988 onward have 17” wheels for which there is a wide selection of tires available. Finally, roller cams were installed in the L98 engine starting on 1987 and offer a little better wear rate and a little more horse power.

Good luck in your search. Let us know what you ultimately purchase….

 

OptiSpark.......

Avoid one of the most reliable C4s......

 

You might find an 89 with a 6-spd for $6K but it will be tough to get a good one for that. If I had a $6K limit I would look at everything from 85 to 89 and look for the best condition with the best maintenance record. With a $6K budget condition and prior history would mean more to me than whether it had 4+3. I would even take one with an A4 if the car was otherwise very good. Your best buy will probably come from 85 through 87 and the reason I say that is a lot of those early C4's were kept in garages as toys and driven very little. Owners are sure surprised they have a car with 30K miles worth $5K I bet.

 

So when you buy one, what are you going to do about your screen name?

 

I sell you mine for 8k and all the mods for another 5K.

 

 

 

85's still had an old timey gear driven distributor. Optispark wasn't on the L98.

Aside:
The people that pour a lot of money into keeping a car nice, aren't going to go for that "I'll give you $5k for it" nonsense; they'll keep it or wait for someone who'll pay more. I really want to see these low mile, mint, complete history, inexpensive cars. I know it is a whole lot cheaper to buy the obsessive compulsive's car than to fix every little thing wrong with one that wasn't perfect.

 

I am one of the obsessive compulsive types and I wouldn't ever consider anything under $12,500 for my showroom condition 1985 4+3 with only 34,000 on the clock. I laugh at those who quote me prices of 5 or 6 grand for the "market price" value according to them or the Autotrader magazine. Maybe someone is willing to sell their "beauty" for that but not me. Mine is worth far more to me because I know how well it's been maintained inside and out. I would have to wait for the right person willing to spend that much I realize, but I know the car is WELL WORTH IT.

 

I don't expect to get a 30,000 mile car for 5-6 grand but I don't have any interest in paying 12 for one either.If I can find a decent 120,000 k (yes I am in Canada)car for around 5 grand I will have one,if not oh well I can live very happy without one.Cheers

 

$6000 goes a long ways in places that have a lot of vettes for sale using the USD value here, but does $6k CAD buy a 1990-ish vette? I don't think everybody has a realization on how much more Canadians pay for vehicles, typically.

at least it is winter so there might be a motivation to move summer cars cheaper.

 

I would not criticize your position at all because you obviously have a very nice fussy owner type car in immaculate condition. If I was looking for a 1985 model the condition of yours would be more important to me than the price. The problem you will encounter should you decide to sell one day is there are not many folks looking specifically for an 85 anymore and $12.5K will buy a 1996 with 34K miles right now. They built a lot of 85's but you can never predict what values will be in the future; 84's turned the corner from the bottom of the depreciation curve recently and 85's may begin to appreciate soon too. The 84 is beginning to appreciate because it was the first of the "new" design and most of them came with the first version (translation: brutal) Z51 option. That's the one that won all the buff magazine skid pad tests but beat you up out on the road in the real world. The 85 might appreciate soon too possibly because it had the much improved engine with tuned port injection, though Z51 was considerably more tame in 85. "Life Begins at 150" said the 1985 advertising but C4's continued to improve with each new model year. Aluminum heads appeared in late 86 and all convertibles had them and roller cams made their appearance in 1987.

The problem we all have when it comes to buying and selling is Corvettes are toys and not really cars. Many were bought for the purpose of occassional driving only and have spent a lot of time in the garage accumulating very few miles over the years. The low miles Corvettes are definately affecting selling prices of the average or high miles cars. There are so many Corvettes out there stored in the garage with extremely low mileage that many buyers are realizing they can probably find one without too much trouble and simply will not look at anything with average or high miles. A 96 with 100K miles will not bring anything near one with 50K miles will; consequently you can find some bargains out there if you look.

 

Pay now or pay later. We all have learned that with Corvettes, or any sports car for that matter, there is a basic cost to play. Go in cheap and you will spend alot of additional money and time fixing the car. Spend a little more on a lower mileage, well maintained car and you will get more seat time. In reality most o

If you get an higher mileage car you could end up trying to "make her like new". You will spend alot of time on the sidelines watching other play while you continually wrench or pay someone to wrench on the car. Ask me how I know.... Be smart and weigh your options. Go low mileage LT4 if you can.

 

Tell me about it! A late 80's vette goes for about $15k here!

 

Low mileage does not guarantee a good car. I have owned many collector cars over the years and some of the most neglected and problematic cars were low mileage. Conversely some of the best cars were well maint. high milers. Just a thought to consider.

 

There is nothing wrong with the Optispark, just not as easy to replace, I would rather have a lt1 over the l98 just my 2 cents

 

Beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. I recently bought a 1990 with 349K miles on the clock. After driving it and getting to know the owner a little I knew what kind of car lover he was. The new (well not exactly new) ZZ4 crate motor has 80K miles on it and with some other well researched modifications he created one tough Vette. I have had it for 2 months and have put close to 1000 more miles on it with no complaints and only smiles. I bought the car to drive and as a 2nd Vette and that is what I plan on doing. $5000.00 out the door with some original parts that came along for the ride