KraigP

I've been out there looking for my first Corvette (C4). Been watching eBay for prices and trends also. It seems a lot of auctions on eBay are ending without hitting the reserve price the owner wanted. Do you guys see that the prices are a little high right now. Is tough to bid on a Corvette sight unseen and expect to get full price.

Anyway, I'm looking for a 86-89 convertible with manual transmission, mileage must be under 110k, and not looking to do any type of serious paint overhaul. trying to keep the price under 5k or 6k. I've test drove a couple so far but they have been in rough condition. Didn't even make a offer.

96LT4

My 2 cents...for $5K, you're going to get a car with issues, plain and simple.

Y-ME

You can get a decent coupe auto, but verts are worth 1-2k more and manuals go for more as well.

Raidmagic

You need to up what you are willing to pay for a nice car. You can get running projects for that or less but not a nice driver. imo

Old Ben

With the prices I have seen lately, 5K will get you a coupe that will need some repairs (normally interior). A nice one that does not need repairs will be around 8K. Add 2K for convertible and about another 1K for a manual.

Raidmagic

Just for the fun of it I just went and searched some of my favorite local car sale ads and the cheapest I found a nice convertible was $7400 and it was an automatic. Most all the others were between 10,000 and 12,500

AirForceOne!

There's a decent 92 with 92k you could get for $6000.

http://boise.craigslist.org/ctd/3178237618.html

Just remember you get what you pay for!

zr1fred

Prices are way up, and demand is way down. In a few months when summer is over and people figure out that if they want to sell, they are going to have to come way down. Figure 30%-60% down. The only people buying now are resale players, and they don't pay list! Buying an older car on EBAY is like playing russian roulette with 4 bullets in the chamber.

mrmtrtrnd

I bought mine off e-bay and knew it was a gamble even though the seller had a long track record of positive feed back. One thing you can count on is the car is very seldom as good as it looks in the photos. I speak from personal experience and from others I know. Not saying don't buy one off e-bay because I've bought two (my vette & truck) and both turned out to be good in the end, just not completely as advertised. Like it has been stated, many on line buyers are flippers or just not serious buyers so reserves aren't met. With your price range you will end up with a project car unless you look long and hard. There are a few members that have pick up a nice car in the 6k to 7k price range but you must do your home work. Good luck I hope you find a nice one.

ckwhite

.....with the above comments. I bought my '89 for $3500. Great mechanically, But lots of other "issues" (electrical & body). Will wind up putting another $15K into it before I'm done, but it is a labor of love and it will be a real sweetheart of a car when I'm done with it!

WW7

Why don't you just save more money and get a nice car to start with.. If you get a cheaper car your going to end up putting as much, or maybe more, money into it to make it nice...WW

PLRX

That would be the price for a project car. They do bring lots of joy and it becomes an addictive hobby.

ckwhite

WW7:
I LIKED the sucker! A car becomes an emotional thing, and I really wanted to fix this one up. I estimated it would cost another $7-8 K. So, I was wrong. Looking more at $10-15K. Still, will really feel great when it's finished. Doesn't anyone out there understand what I mean? Maybe I'm just a dumb romantic....

Mr. Peabody

This is great advice.

BlackbirdZ07

I think his post was in response to the original poster, not you. I agree though, half the fun is working on your car and fixing it up. You get the satisfaction of making the car better with your own hands and the peace of mind that everything you've done has been done right. I'm getting close to finishing a '66 Mustang project, and I don't know what I'm going to do with it when it's all done!