Hello, all some of you know im looking for my first corvette. Well ive got an email and will be talking to the owner of a polo green convertible about 125 miles away. It has 97,000 (ouch) automatic miles on it and looks pretty good in the photos. Is there anyting in particular to look for or just go with the flow. He is asking $9500 but im hoping to get it for under $8500. What do you think? Wait to offer until in person or how to go about seeing if he is negotible on the phone?
Drew

 

Drew,

I've owned 6 different vettes over the years and $9500 is not that outrageous for a convertible. Picture's can be deceiving though. Nothing beats an in-person inspection. Guess it depends on whether you feel you can trust the seller to tell you about wear and tear on things. How are the bolsters, carpeting, tires, power options, etc. What works, what doesn't. Tires are expensive. Spent upwards of 900 for new ones x 4 on my 1994.
Frank

 

Thank you!

 

Drew, I have a 1994 coupe. 97,000 on a well maintained 350 is a moderate amount of miles, it if was abused, and not properly serviced and neglected, like any other vehicle then buyer beware.
many things to consider here. majors:
is the car clean or do you see evidence of neglect, other than normal wear and tear on a car this old.
before you arrive, did the owner warm it up? you do not want that if you can help it.
you want to see cold fluid levels. oil, trans fluid, is it an auto? view and smell the tranny fluid, does it look, smell burned..ie not a clean reddish appearance, wipe if off on a clean white rag, do you see black streaking in the oil, evidence of aftermarket additives, that YOU do not need in the trans. Same with the oil. factory mobil one. does it have mobil one in it? correct viscosity?, does the owner have a paper trail of maintenance records to present to you so you can see that service?
when was the last time, the pumpkin, rear differential was serviced? new fluid and new antislip via gm added? as per all tech manuals?
now look at all the tires, evidence of over/under inflation...no cupping, etc.
how does the cooling system in general look, feel all the upper and lower hoses, look at all the hose clamps, are they tight, or overtight, bulging at the flange ends, evidence of softness, and wear, are they dry, and look worn, heat damaged?
do the headlight buckets roll over smartly, or do you hear the motors making unwanted sounds? evidence their bushings are gone? do you see any leaking under the ac/condensor onto the crossmember rails, evidence that the high pressure side of the steering pump is leaking?
bring a flashlight, look into the opening you can see between the radiator, and the condensor, passenger side of engine bay, is there enought stuff in there to choke a horse..C4's vacuum up ever light thing you run over..and deposit it between your radiator and condensor..
do all the lights work?
all turn signals
high low beams, under hood lights?
any evidence that a backyard mechanic did modifications
to any electrical system...do you see alot of black electrical tape
where there should be factory wraps..?
How long ago was the Optispark serviced? Waterpump with the Opti?
all fluid levels in all lubricant resevoirs up to proper fill marks?
do you see that the shocks are clean and no oil leaks..especially the rear shocks,
rear shocks are 80 percent or more of the ride in a C4..
does the car sit level...look from the rear..side to side..
C4s ride and roll best with a slight front ie nose down stance..should appear that way
when you view it from the side..ie rear spring should be adjusted to raise rear higher, normally. by about 1/4 to, in some cars a 1/2 inch..
Now..
does the PKE that came with the car have the fobs, and does it work?
once you are in the car..before you crank it..turn the key..to start pos. do you hear the fuel pump run, for about two secs? and stop? then turn it over..

how does it sound? does it run, buck, skip, chatter, idle high, low, not at all..
do not give it gas..let it struggle to warm up on its own..
listen to the engine closely..and the exhaust...do you feel pulses that should not be there..vibrations that you think are not correct? all of this is now seat of the pants..
and this is where you begin to negotiate price..
and maintenance records. does the car have new wires and plugs..?
is the idle smoothing as the car warms...new air filter..
you need to let the car warm to at least 220 degrees, and make sure the electric fan
comes on..on its own..and shuts down on its own...and then turn on the air, and see if the secondary fan turns on also..

Don't get the new car,,...Corvette Impulse buy syndrome...carefully and methodically look at all systems, and make sure the car is solid..before you drive off into trouble, with your newly purchased "Project Car" which is what you do not want..you want a driver..
and the ability to fix the lil irritations on weekends..in the morning, and drive it in the afternoon...don't get so enchanted that you jump without really looking

Love love love my C4...take your time, and you will too.. Best...Derek

 

All late C4s: spend $150 and get the car checked thoroughly at a dealer.

 

[I]Derek thanks for the great list of information!
1trul48 Do you schedule this beforehand or just bring it up at the time of viewing the car? In this instance the car is 125 miles away and the seller seems kind anti buyer asking cash only, no paypal etc. Guess maybe he has been burned before? what if theirs no dealer nearby?[/I]

 

Drew, you are welcome, and I also agree with 1truL48, a dealer will be a good bet,
but keep my questions in mind for the dealer also, especially the condition of the Optispark, and the waterpump that sits above it..the year you are looking at, does not have a vented Optispark, it relies on gravity to weep moisture out of the sealed case of the distributor, you do not want to get the distributor wet, ie, water shooting directly on it..its a beautiful auto, with a poorly designed location for the distributor, unfortunately, when all is right..it runs beautifully, when its out of spec, it runs like hell and you are looking at 500 to 1100 dollars, depending on your own mechanical skills, vs. having a vette guy or dealer remove and replace the distributor, and generally when they do the opti, they also replace the water pump. If you go to a vented opti, as in the 95-6s you have to buy an additional wiring harness, and splice it into your current harness from the ECM.

if you are unfamiliar with these terms, please research more, so you realize what you are dealing with, and how the engine management system on the late C4s function. all Great info here, ask a lot of questions, all the guys and gals here are more than willing to help you ..Best, Derek

 

JMO

I think the condition of the interior is important. It will let you know how the car was cared for. You have to live with that interior everytime you get in the car. If the owner didnt take care of it then there is a decent chance that he didnt care for the rest of the car.

It looks like a nice Corvette from that one picture.

A thorough test drive in different driving conditions freeway, city, let it get up to full operating temp. Check for leaks. Basic stuff you would do for any car.

Good Luck.

 

http://www.carchex.com/car-inspectio...nspection-FAQs

 

I agree with most of above, and a great list of items to check. For comparison, I just bought a 94 green convertible for $8500. It had 88k miles and was in above average condition. It has the FX3 option, and a few other other options, seats, radio, perf. axle ratio. (I assume most of these were not standard for convertible). However, I checked it the best I could before I bought it from a dealer that did not know any history. After driving for 10 miles, I watched carefully for leaks and found a tiny, tiny, weep from the water pump. I almost didn't buy it, but used the water pump to negotiate a lower price. Needless to say, I ended up replacing the water pump and opti in my driveway as my first project (not too fun). Hopefully yours has a newer water pump already. You should basically assume that it will need $1000+ of something, especially if the current owner has no records of what has been done, so check it out carefully. I would think that $9500 is a fair price if he has all the records and the car doesn't need anything.

 

I bought my 94 Coupe in January this year. I bought it cheap, it was a complete basket case when I got it, mechanically it was good (needed a serious tune up), the frame was completely straight and clean, the interior needed to be removed cleaned and put back (done now, damned mice), and it needs paint work. I am a body tech, so these things didn't bother me. I bought because I wanted something to work on for FUN. Just know what you are buying, and enjoy it. Oh, I paid 7000 for mine.

 

I bought the same color but not a convertable 3 months ago with 47K miles. Asked $12.5 Paid $11.8. Had a local Corvette place called Corvette connection check it out. Had a oild leak rear of engine. Said it may be rear seal. Does not lose enough oil to register on dip stick. Just stains my driveway so I am not going to repair now. Look for the possible oil leak. Have it looked at by a pro at least. DO NOT do what I did to clean the engine with a hose without covering the optispark, generator etc...

 

All good advice, and the price is OK for a decent car without major needs. The owner probably prefers cash to PayPal because with PP he would lose 3%, not an insignificant amount.

 

That sounds like a good price. Some really great advice that I'll keep in consideration when the time comes for me to upgrade to either a GS or ZR1.

 

There have been a lot of good things to check for listed already.

I think the best thing is to see it in person and make as many checks as you can. There are a lot of things that really don't show up in pictures like the condition of the leather being dried out, bad weatherstrips, the door panels loose on the doors, etc. etc. etc. Anything you find during an inspection and drive can be a negotiating point for a better price.

A lot of people suggest having a dealer check it out. I don't agree. I have had terrible experiences with dealers and they have no real incentive to do a thorough good check. Unless you have a good friend or someone you trust who also is a good mechanic, I think you are better off checking the car yourself.

It looks like a nice car. Good luck.

 

I would find a dealer who has certified Corvette mechanics. Their incentive (dealer and mechanic) is if they sign off an inspection, fail to note something major or fail to discuss it with you, they risk their reputation and possibly legal fallout if you want to take it that far.

I sold my 95 to a CF member rbrunner in Clifton Park, NY on June 1st. I recommended to him that he pay for a certified dealer to inspect the car since it was over 800 miles between NY and NC. I wanted him to feel comfortable with his purchase since he was buying it sight unseen. It also validated with him that I wasn't pulling any punches on my description and condition of the car and that my asking price was fair.

Be willing to negotiate before, during and after the sale if it is really the car you want.

 

good stuff here! Thank you all. a 1991 convertible has sort of found me! Looking at it this saturday!