I am looking at a 87 convertible 30,000 miles for 12,000, owner is firm on the selling price. Two owner car, stored winters and has a new cloth top. I was told the car is in immaculate condition. Any thoughts on the price and year of the car? This will be my first.
Thank You,
John

 

Look in the for sale section of C4.I saw a 95 vert with 50,000 miles for $10,900.For the 87 it should be in brand new condition.Are you looking for a garage queen (driven to shows and maybe weekends) or a daily driver.

 

"I am looking at" and "I was told" - you're giving us mixed signals here. have you seen the car? if the car is truly immaculate w/30K on the clock, ASSUMING the car needs nothing, IMO, it's in the ballpark - maybe at the higher end, but in the ballpark. for me, every older c4, especially a 26 year old, will need something, so be prepared to drop a few dollars after the fact. as far as an 87, every c4 has it's good points, and usually, newer is better, although condition is more important. as i said, the car is 26 years old - it will have issues. first thing i can think of is the heater core. if it original, it's a time bomb waiting to blow. weather stripping is another area - you have to look beyond shiny paint and clean carpet. low miles doesn't always mean better condition. any significant mechanical issues can be costly unless you plan on doing your own wrench-bending. parts can pricey. cosmetic reconditioning is another area where you can burn through money real fast. don't jump at the first c4 - plenty of them out there. if you have any detailed pics, post them...

 

I think the answer would be both GQ & DD. I will only drive it weekends in most cases and have it on the road from may to Nov. I like the idea of lower miles and good condition but have never owned a vette so I am really in the dark on pricing and model years although C-4 seems to be where I am headed.

 

No I have not looked at it yet just getting started and someone gave me the lead on the car. I was thinking more like 8000 but I don't want to insult the owner. I am not a wrench so I may take your advise and try to buy something newer like a 96. I will keep reading and looking to try to get up to speed on C-4 & Pricing Thanks, for your help

 

It's going to be tough to get any firm pricing on this forum. Many different opinions are given from the guy who knows nothing other than what he reads here, and the guy who has owned a few and knows how to accurately appraise them. From my experiences here I see more low ballers on pricing. Some actually say they buy immaculate low mile C4's for $3000.00 or less. It would take me about 30 seconds to find the real reasons they got them for such low prices. Some people have very different standards on quality and value of cars. Mine are very high. The price you state seems a bit high, but after you look at more than a few of them, you'll be able to see why some are priced higher than others of the same year. Good luck with what ever you buy!

 

Well most have said 12,000 is high and I agree but I know he will not take 8000 so I will keep looking and get educated on the C-4. The funny thing about shopping for these cars is the amount that are out there. I think that has to hurt the sellers trying to get top dollar.

 

Where are you located? It might be a good idea to hook up with a member here and go look at this car. Look it over, drive it, and if it is as nice as it is supposed to be you can make an educated offer. Some people drive their Corvettes every day but the vast majority are fair weather only cars. This guy may have been fanatical about cleanliness and maintenance and that would make it a good car to pick up.

 

If the car is really nice, $8000 would be an insulting offer, it's almost certainly worth more than that. The suggestion to connect with a forum member in your area and look at the car is a good one. And don't be as concerned with low miles as with condition and history of the car. My 89, for example, had 97k on the clock when I bought it. But I knew the owner, how he took care of it, what he did to it, and I knew it was a killer deal at the price he gave me. Take your time and look until you find the right one for you.

 

Are you within driving distance of Rockford, Michigan? (just North of Grand Rapids). I recently looked at a red 89 convertible with 6-speed that had decent miles and was in pretty good shape for the age. Needs new seat covers and rear bumper repaint.
It was priced in your range. I was unable to test drive it as there was too much snow on the roads at the time.
This appears to be a good value for the money as it was exceptionally clean.

Here is the Craigslist ad which is current:http://grandrapids.craigslist.org/cto/3713628341.html

 

If you specifically want an 87 corvette, it might not be a bad deal. Make sure to verify the mileage, they are VERY easy to alter, and 20years ago it was done VERY often. There are a lot of later C4's and early C5's in the $10k range. Buying a 26 year old anything as a daily driver is a recipe for disaster. While a mint 87 might be worth $12k to the right person, an average one would be lucky to fetch half of that.

 

take a look at this 96 on the forum -

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4s-...y-7-995-a.html

 

Prices and opinions vary widely. A very, very clean early C4 that has meticulous records can be found and will be priced in the mid to high teens. Whether it is worth that price is anyone's opinion.

In that same price range, all the C4 years are available. You can even find a ZR1 for mid to high teens.

Low mileage is great on paper, but doesn't always make the car better. Cars that sit a lot or over long periods of time have problems of their own.

 

Agreed. Care makes all the difference. Personally, for someone who does not turn a wrench, I would look for a much newer C4 that has a history of being driven regularlly and knowledgeably serviced, with records. The Blue 96 A4 referred to earlier is just the kind of car I mean.

Good luck!

 

Thank you for all your help and advise I am moving on to a 96, I am going to look at the 87 just to gain some knowledge of the c-4

 

12k for an 87 is about 5k too high.
You'll find newer models in the same condition for less than 12 if you look around.

 

Any opinions on the 1996 collectors edition?

 

Nice cars. If it is a 6 speed then it has the LT4 which is 330 hp and you can get them in any color you like as long as its silver.....

 

I have the collectors edition. It is just a '96 with special badging on the outside along with special stitching on the seats that say "Collector edition" along with a A-mold (ZR1 style) wheels. It only came in Sebring silver paint with either black, red or grey interior. Otherwise it is exactly like every other '96. The engine on the '96's are LT1 with automatic trans or LT4 with manual transmission. I bought mine because it happened to be the best of what I had looked over the six months I had been shopping.

As for pricing, I agree with the other posters that you are not going to get a uniform response on here. Suggested values are going to be all over the place. Some here are lowballers and no matter what you pay it will be too much according to them.

Buy what you like at the price you feel is fair. But be aware of one thing - no matter what the condition seems to be, you are going to have to invest some money in the car for maintenance. Including tires I have put about $2500.00 into mine. Fortunately I read mosts of the posts on this forum and others to come up with a list of maintenance items and problem areas before I bought (I also told my wife which made my life much easier as she was already prepared for me spending the extra money). Research the optispark, HVAC programmer, and Bose problems among others.

I would also suggest that you look at least five (5) cars before you buy. I looked at many more and it helped make up my mind when I saw the one I bought. I still think it is a buyers market and unless the car is really priced low for it's condition, you'll have time to come back to almost any car you look at. The '96 is a good car - it has OBDII and additional sound deadening and anti-rattle strips.

Good luck with your hunt.

 

With only 30,000 miles? So, $ 7,000 ?