Not making fun of your Dad, very sorry to hear about his problem. Just trying to understand what you have in that thing. Afterall, I was just qouting what you said, you were'nt making fun of him were you?

 

As the others stated, save yourself some money and buy a nice car to begin with. The "bargain" Corvettes usually wind up costing a fortune to get sorted out. There are good deals on nice cars out there, just be patient and don't jump at the first car you drive (although it's tempting, because they're so much fun to drive )

Look for good interior, paint, and weatherstripping. Beyond that, if the car drives good, anything else can usually be fixed for a nominal amount of money.


Good luck on the search.

 

I almost forgot to answer the most salient question of your post.....

Buy the factory service manual, and you'll be fine. If you start to get in over your head on a repair, stop and post the problem here. All of us are good at something, collectively we're good at everything, and we'll be glad to help you out.

I've said it a million times....if you do your own wrenching, you can keep a C4 running forever for a reasonable amount of money. If you have to send it out every time it hiccups (and it will hiccup, sometimes frequently), owning an old C4 can bankrupt you.

It sounds like you've got that under control. Go for it!

 

I've owned a '85 and currently a '93. They both have their good points and bad points when it comes to maintenance. It sounds like you've got that covered, since you do your own wrenching. Check out different cars and see what appeals to you. It's hard to go wrong with the C4 platform. Enjoy your search and take your time.

 

I am going to check out the car 1988 35 aniversary driven from florida and only has one owner. However, the dealer selling it has NO SERVICE RECORDS. he said I was the first to ask for service records for a corvette even though all his porsche customers ask for service records lol. I am still going to check it out but im leaning towards a very strong no without good maintainance records.

What I have found that interests me even more though is a 96 corvette with 100k miles but the owner claims full service was done at the dealer it entire life and has all the receipts, but it just needs a new oxygen sensor to pass inspections. This appeals to me since I know its been driven (wont have all the 'garage queen' problems my miata is having) and it has service records at a good place (probably not anywhere near as good as a corvette specialist however)

im still looking around, thank you everybody for all the replies, this is going to be the first american car I have ever owned or driven lol

 

They are nice cars, here's one from our recent show;




Love that black halo..................

 

Service records meh..
Unless the owner watched the Tech do all the service work you dont know if it was done our not.

My vette has 0 service records but i have been around to see it all done : besides it 7=9 year garage sit"
The only way to make sure something is done and is done right is to do it yourself.

 

OK let’s answer some of the questions that you actually asked. My answers are based on the following limited (lol) experience:

1995 LT1 automatic 3.07 rear (vs 2.59) 75,000 miles over the past 5 years
The car is my only vehicle, I drive it EVERY day. It is dead on reliable.
Auto trans Gas mileage on highway = 23 city = 15

Opti on late model 95-96 is no problem. Do not hose down front of engine. Rain water is no problem it rains here 6 months of the year. My targa has never leaked.
With the auto, with 4 snow tires, driving in snow is no problem even going up moderate hills. However two caveats (1) The LT1 has less low end torque than the L98 thus it’s a bit easier with the auto trans to drive in the snow. (2) I’m from New England and I know HOW to drive in the snow (you don’t say where you are from)

This is not a low maintenance vehicle however if you have the time, the tools and the ability (and it sounds like you do) it’s not bad at all particularly because there is just so much expertise here on the forum to help you out. I simply don’t have the time and so I have mine expertly maintained at a specialty shop and I pay through the nose for it.

My advice to you is this …. Buy a high mileage late model (95 or 96) LT1. It is much, much less expensive in the long run to buy one in nice condition than to try and get it into nice condition as paint, body and interior are expensive to fix. My car will soon hit 115K and I fully expect to get 200K out of it. Service records are very important in my view.

There are a lot of folks on this forum that really know a lot about these cars … but as you can see there are also some wannabees who don’t really know squat.

Be sure to ask a lot of questions and be sure you tell us what you end up with!!

 

I'll answer the only question that hasn't been fully answered.

The LT1 will get better gas mileage. I average, city/highway, 16 to 17 but I don't baby it although I don't drive it hard either. That's an L98.

A manual will get much better mileage on the highway due to it having 6 gears. In town probably not a whole lot better than the L98.

I also have the 3.07 rearend which decreases mileage. The 2.73 will get you better mileage but lacks in off the line punch. it's what's more important to you I guess.

I have no personal knowledge but I've heard the L98 has more mod capabilities than the LT1 but that's not important to me so much. Performance wise the 90 L98 is rated at 5.7 seconds 0 to 60 although I've heard of them turning a 5.3 which is pretty close to the LT1.

either car will be a good choice if it's in relatively good condition. The rule as always is buy the newest in the best shape you can afford.

I do some of my own wrenching and some things I farm out. I've saved a ton of money by doing some of my own. I also have a mech who worked at a chev dealer for years and knows the C4 pretty well, so that helps also.

Good luck on your search.

Last bit of advice is if you find one, come back and describe what you have and get the experts opinions on it. There are plenty of knowledgable folks here and some you've already met.

Buy it, you won't be disappointed!!