Hello folks,

I'm new to the forum, though i'm not a Corvette owner yet. I've been looking to get a C4 for over a year, but my budget limits my choices, and i want to find the right one for me: something to do a little work on, but nothing back-breaking, as i'm just an aspiring mechanic.

Today my attention was caught by a nice little red C4. I have several questions, but i'm just going to start by asking help identifying this beauty. All i can tell is that it's not an '84 (engine) and it's not anything past '94 (no airbag). Other than that, i'm too novice to recognize other changes. I know the wheels are different, but i'm not sure how many different style of wheels there have been after '88.



















The only issue i have with this car is that it's automatic. I really don't like the idea of having an automatic sports car, but i figure if the price is right and the conditions are acceptable, it could be a fun little toy for now and eventually sell it to purchase a manual C4.

Any thoughts on the year of this one?

Al

 

Looks like a '91 to me. A bit tired but might make an interesting project. Keep us posted!

 

What is the VIN #? That willl tell you exactly what you have!

 

Looks like a '91 to me too. And VERY tired. C4s can be expensive to work on, and you'll never get your money back. If you really want a m/t hold off for that. Lots of them out there, and in better shape than this one. Get what you really want.

 

Almost any Vette is worth buying IF the price is right. If you can buy that dirt cheap and if you enjoy tinkering, it might be fun. If you're looking for instant fun and cruising, that's not the car. What are they asking for it? Does it run?

 

Looks like a 1991 with 1990 Wheels on it..

 

Looks like a 91 too me and it does have am airbag.

 

10th digit in serial number !

 

Agree... a tired '91 with '89 wheels - should be retired.
['91 was the first year with the sawblade wheels. '92 was the first year LT1 engine]


[edit: Initially thought '90 for the wheels - was incorrect on that. Reconfirmed 88-89... corrected for accuracy]

 

Hobbs..Please Don't!!! keep looking...there are many nice examples out there...don't get a basket case that is going to be frustrating, and not what you want, you should keep searching, and if you are not mechanically inclined, the electrical side of these cars could be daunting. look at the two cars I own,



Yes I did major cleaning, detailing, some mechanical upgrades, some new wheels, alot
of elbow grease, but I just drove the black 86 to Fort Lauderdale, and never had a hiccup out of it,
the Dark Red Metallic 94, has taken trophies in its class in various shows.
both cars I acquired for a total of $8000. again, I put bucks into them to make them the way I wanted them, but they both were drivers, reasonable mileage for their respective ages, and both are sound Corvettes, I think any first timer would be proud to own, without major dollars invested....keep looking, they are out there, in pristine shape, for little money.
And these are NOT 20 footers, the paint, on both cars was in excellent shape, and required some wet sanding to correct the clearcoat, and three stage polishing,..no major repainting, no seals, no shock absorbers, etc., things I can see that car you posted needs just by reviewing your pictures, keep looking..a great vette is out there waiting on you.
Best, Derek

 

If you get the VIN, here's the decoder for the 10th digit.

Model year GM decided to give the car B = 1981, C = 1982, D = 1983, E = 1984, F = 1985, G = 1986
H = 1987, J = 1988, K = 1989, L = 1990, M = 1991, N = 1992
P = 1993, R = 1994, S = 1995, T = 1996, V = 1997, W = 1998
X = 1999, Y = 2000, 1 = 2001, 2 = 2002, 3 = 2003, 4 = 2004
5 = 2005, 6 = 2006, 7 = 2007, 8 = 2008, 9 = 2009, A = 2010
B = 2011

 

These wheels are 88-89.

 

If the price is right and you don't need it to be "perfect" I'd say its got good potential

Looks like its complete and with a lot of elbow grease I bet that interior comes up quite well. The paint would have to be sorted professionally so it depends if that bothers you. You probably won't see it from the drivers seat though

 

Those aren't '90 wheels and that's for sure. It looks to me like a 91 with an 88 or 89 L98 motor, just judging by the rocker cover colours.

 

How much do they want for it ? How long has it been sitting there ? For the right price you could rescue it, but it looks like it might gobble up your wallet. Don't rush into it, save up some money and buy the one thats really worth the price.

 

If the body panels are original than it's a 91. If not, it's a 90. The 90 and 91 L98s did not have a mass airflow sensor. The wheels are 88-89 vintage. Honestly they're better looking C4s on the market. I would stay away from that one unless your planning on building a drag car out of it.

 

wow, didn't expect this many replies so soon. Thank you all for your helpful thoughts.

Ok, so here's some answers and remarks:

About the car

-The vin was covered, and i forgot to take a picture after that
-it's been stored for three years so far, because the guy wanted to send it to Australia but for some reason they couldn't send it, so now it's sitting there. This is a facility where they ship vehicles outside of the country.
-I've been told that the engine runs, however the water pump needs replacing and the guy said it's inside the fuel tank (is that correct?).
-They have all the papers, but the owner of the place (not the car) was a bit busy and we were there for other errands, so i didn't get to see the year nor the mileage.
-The asking price is $4200 but the guy said it could probably go down to $3800. Personally, i'd ask him something less than that.

About me

-I am mechanically inclined. I love cars. I do my own work on my car, though i haven't tackled anything big like an engine rebuild just yet (though i plan to, sometime).The only time i brought my MX-5 (that's right...a MIATA! ) in for repairs was to plug a pinhole in a tire. I plan to do an engine swap to it one day and no, i wouldn't gut my future C4 for this.

-For me, interior is tertiary: 1) Mechanically sound 2) Outside looks 3) Interior. I can live with a raggedy interior for a while, until i decide and can afford to freshen it up.

-As much as Doc's Red Metallic C4 makes my mouth watery, i'm not looking to make my car a beauty queen just yet: i want it for the driving experience and, with time, i'll pretty it up. The C4 is one of my childhood dream cars and having that shape alone in my driveway would make me plenty happy. Paint can follow.

-This is the part i'm most embarassed to talk about: budget. I'd like to spend around $2500. $4000 would be stretching it, but doable if the car was in exceptional condition for that kind of money. What i've found so far for my budget looked even more tired than this one, which is why i felt inclined to post on the forum now. Maybe i'm looking in the wrong places? (San Francisco Bay Area Craigslist). I'm aware that there would be some other expenses after.

Doc, you wrote that you acquired both your cars for a total of $8000. So each one of those cost $4000, correct? Do you have pictures of how they looked when you purchased them?

I guess i should hold off for that manual transmission. I really want to feel a connection with the engine, and i can't do it with automatics. My girlfriend was getting happy at the idea though, as she can't drive stick.

 

it's a 91 with 88-89 wheels. the wheels are definitely not 1990. ASSUMING none to the body panels were changed, it's a 1991, and not a 1990. the interior has gray trim bezels - typical for the 90-91 model interiors. the comment about the valve cover color has me a bit confused - i have no idea where that was coming from. looks like just an aged finish on factory valve covers - typical for the L98 engine. that poor corvette is a real mess. it needs a lot of cosmetic work. if the the cosmetics look like that, i can only assume that the mechanics are a mess too. unless the OP has deep pockets, i suggest moving on. the price would have to be less than $2K to give that thing a second thought.

 

 

Frankly, I would suggest running away from this car. For the money you want to spend, there are a lot of C4's that you can climb in and drive away after buying it. And you can find a manual trans car fairly easy. Try looking through the C4 For Sale section of the CF.

Just looking at the pics, I would say that turning this car into a decent driver could cost you around $10K after the purchase price. If you could come up with something like $17K, that could be 1990 ZR-1 territory or even a C5.

Even if the engine runs, there still is the trans, differential and the rest of the drivetrain. Who know what condition they may be in. Bad water pump? It's on the front of the engine; the fuel pump is in the gas tank.

It looks like the one tire/wheel has to come off and have the tire re-seated. That's not a big deal, but the chances are the tires are dry-rotted from sitting. Figure $600 to a grand immediately.

The reason the car didn't go to Australia is probably because it would have to be converted to right-hand drive. That conversion alone can run well into 5 figures.