Just thought ide throw my two cents in...ive had my 92 for about 10 years. Buying one with low miles is a good idea but its still an old car with age dependent parts. Mine has 96k on it but damn near everything has been replaced..ive spent over 10k on it through the years so whoever buys it..uf anyone ever does will not have to worry about it...and it would cost half the cost of a low milage one...something to think about..

 

I bought my '95 five years ago with 10K on the clock - a flawless garage queen, sort of a brand-new 15-year old car. I've added about 5,000 miles per year since then. Stone chips start to show up. The clear coat disintegrated off the tinted targa top. The tires turned to rubber bands. And a tiny little vacuum valve gave up the ghost and stopped the blend door from working.

S--- happens. Another forum member on another thread awhile ago reminded me that ultimately it's still just a car. Don't get me wrong. I love this car more than any other I've owned. I gave up a cherished Mustang convertible that I'd had for 10 years. I will probably be buried in my Corvette.

You're probably not going to find a 20-year old car that doesn't have some issues. The one in the pictures is beautiful and most likely hasn't been flogged to death. Use the flaws as a negotiating chip. The owner may be more motivated than you think. Buy it, Drive it, Love it. There is nothing like a Corvette.

 

Worst case, hoods for these cars are dirt cheap. After that it's just a matter of alignment, and blending in a paint job, or repainting the car.

 

Yes, I know what you guys mean. I'm not ruling out the '93 Anniv. completely yet. I'd buy it tomorrow if it weren't for the hood fracture, but I hate to put a grand or two into body repair & paint, and still risk having it be noticeable, possibly affecting resale value. The seller is sticking to 13K, which would be fine if not for the fracture. I'm more inclined to search out a low mileage C4 with excellent original paint, even if I have to spend the couple grand extra up front, and deal with maintenance / mechanical issues as needed.

With my daily driver / work vehicles, low miles and good bodies have gotten me great resale $$ after driving them 3 or 4 years, often selling for close to, and sometimes more than I paid. I paid 9k for my first Vette, a '77, drove it 24k miles in 21 years, and sold it for the same 9k.

I do love that ruby '93, but also, I'm feeling not quite ready. I found it just as I started reading up on newer Vettes, and it's the first one I looked at. I'm prepared to take my time, and travel a little if needed. With the number of these models produced, I'd think there would be quite a few low mileage specimens out there with good original paint, for $15K or so.

On the other hand, if this one doesn't sell, maybe the seller will call me back with a better price, and I'd of course reconsider. I don't know, I'm up in the air about it ... I may try to have a body man look at it and give me an estimate. I'm out in the sticks and don't know any good Corvette guys who could do the hood alignment / shimming, etc. I'm just getting back into Vettes after some time away from them. Will update.

JT .... PS: Mav, when you say hoods for these are dirt cheap ... how cheap, and where from? Thx.

 

Tell me where this car is and I'll go buy it.

 

I've seen hoods go for as low as $125 on ebay. The average is usually around 400 to 800. It's probably cheaper just to get a hood than it is to have one repaired on these cars. Brand new hoods usually run 800 to 1,000. Aftermarket hoods also hover around there.

Definitely use the hood and the coming paint job that comes with it in price negotiation. 13, is at the upper reaches of a C4's value and as such the car should be in showroom condition. (as in New Parts not just old new parts)

There are also usually hoods for sale in the Parts forum
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-p...ale-wanted-55/

 

Scotty, it's not near you. It's in timbuktu, haha.
So you would buy it for 13K? Just curious ... what would you do about the hood?

I'm thinking those prices aren't so bad for a hood, but getting a good matching paint job, and installation would be costly I'd think.

The seller said he never worried about the fracture, and hardly anyone but me noticed. I wonder if the duplicolor wax would make it less noticeable?

JT

 

There's a couple problems with hoods. One is shipping, another is that it has to be a 88 or 89 up, earlier ones won't fit, and most of the cheap ones are the earlier ones. A lot of sellers will tell you its the one for your car, but lie (really). Another is previous damage. A lot of used hoods have been repaired, and have multiple layers of paint hiding flaws or flaking, with multiple different colors. Generally, you are better off just fixing the one you have, its really a simple fix, and no alignment necessary (big job)Your alignment problems are not with the hood. ... look at your door gaps, and bumper alignment, better than average.

 

How does one go about adjusting that lower body panel behind the wheel well where the hood is rubbing on that corner?

And what type of repair / adjustment is needed where it's rubbing up by the A/C line / radiator shroud in the one pic? I'm not sure if it's cracked there or not.

I may go for another look tomorrow. He was going to take it to a local car show yesterday to see if he got any bites. If not, he may be more motivated.

JT

 

My 91 has the same "injury" in the same spot. Looks like someone prior to me left the oil fill or coolant fill cap on top of the coolant tank and dropped the hood.
The big problem will be getting the paint on the repaired area to match the faded original paint. Some body guys can do this but many cannot.
If you shop around you should be able to purchase tires for a decent price.
Show the owner this post and he might be a little flexible on the price. We here have no dog in the fight. I am seeing some good, unbiased advice here.
C4s have hit the dip in their price cycle now and these Ruby cars are for sale all over the place with prices all over the map right now.

 

Yes, there is some very good advice here, and I appreciate it, folks.

And yes, as I search Vettes for sale, I'm seeing many of the ruby red ones, maybe too many. Actually, I figured out today that a fellow just down the street from he has one! Saw him make the corner while I was mowing, and chased him down. Not easy keeping up with a Vette on a Cub Cadet. Caught him in the garage and he let me check it out. Keep in mind, I live in a one horse town, less than a thousand people, and here's a ruby anniversary within walking distance. Surprised me.

I agree about the difficulty in trying to get the paint matched up. May spend alot of $$ and it may or may not match. The small crack would probably be better off left alone, if it doesn't get worse. Either way, I'll most likely move on. The search continues.

JT

 

Just my humble opinion but, $15,000 cash and a fair amount of patience should get you a 95 or 96 C4 in great condition with reasonably low miles, maybe even an LT4.

 

Or a grand sport! Two of them for sale on the forum in the 15k price range

 

Don't under estimate the cost of the hood repair...

After the crack in the hood is repaired and the immediate surrounding area is filled, primed and block sanded smooth, the entire hood has to be prepped and masked off for the "Color Blend" and then the entire hood will have to be clear coated.

Also, if the underside of the hood needs to be repaired and painted black, the cost could be as high as $2500-$3000.

Body work, would be a deal breaker for me on any older vehicle regardless of how low the miles.

Just something to consider...

 

I think considering how clean the car is, the low mileage, and that it's an actual ruby red 40th anniversary car. I would pay 13K for it. Yes.

First thing I would do is get the hood alignment taken care of. Then I would have the hood repaired by a reputable bodyshop who at the same time would repair the rub spots where the hood closed.


If the cost of the hood repair became too crazy I would just leave it alone as is.

 

It is a nice looking car ! But I would not pay more than $6500-7000 tops. I see very nice condition LT-4 powered 1996 C4's selling for $8500. My friend sold his BEAUTIFUL 600rwhp 1996 C4 LT-4 for $15,500. There are just too many of these cars out there to justify $12K or more. I see nice C5's selling for that price. The C4 is a buyers market.