hello everyone im brand new to this forum.next week im buying my first corvette ever.i have always wanted one my whole life. i have already test driven it and im picking it up on monday.paying $8600
about the car its a 95 Lt1 coupe with 50,000 original miles black interior/exterior,automatic,The body and interior are perfect and everything seemed to work.started right up ran beautifully and shifting was tight,ice cold air,fluids were all clean,no leaks of any kind,looked under car everything looked super clean and tight. the car has been sitting for awhile. the guy who had owned it was a mechanic and did alot of the work himself but passed away so his brother is selling it or so the story goes.
heres what i didnt like about the car and need advice on. The car was very hard to steer it seemed almost like it didnt have power steering.the brakes seemed very weak to me the rotors and pads looked fine but it was almost like i had to put brake pedal to the floor to stop and the car honestly handled like a shopping cart on bumpy roads extremely harsh ride ,the seller said thats just how theses cars handle,i dont mind if i have to put a few bucks into it for minor repairs because im getting the car cheap but any info or advice would be helpful thanks !!

 

Sounds like a good deal change all your fluids take the knock sensors out to flush the cooling system and never get your opti wet get a fsm and start reading a lot here and there

 

Power steering pumps can go bad. It should steer only slightly harder than your last car.

If the pedal goes to the floor, the brake system needs to be bled. (I assume when you said all fluids are good that would include brake fluid.)

Corvettes have stiffer suspension than most cars, so a harsh ride on bumpy roads is to be expected.

My advice would be to drive at least two other Corvettes on the same route and compare the steering, brakes, and ride to the one you are planning to buy. Any noticeable differences should be a warning sign.

 

Harsh ride is most likely due to original shocks. Replace them with a new set of Bilsteins and you should see a big difference. Do NOT waste your money on Monroes or other cheap shocks, the C4 was engineered with Bilsteins and should stay that way. Far as the brakes a good fluid change should cure that issue.

 

Thank you guys for the advice. My daily driver is a 2014 Dodge Ram pickup and I've never owned a sports car so maybe the corvette just seems weird to drive compared to the truck. I plan on replacing the shocks and bleeding the brakes also checking out the power steering pump. I Live in upstate ny so I'm gonna drive the vette in the summer and garage it for the winter. One thing I'll say about the vette when I got on the highway and stepped on it I was sold very fast and shifted great I'm looking forward to being a corvette owner !!

 

Welcome!
Car is hard to steer like it has no power steering? Check to see if it has any power steering fluid in there. Is the level low? Bad seals on the pump, a bad steering rack, or a bad power steering hose can result in low power steering fluid levels that will result in those symptoms.

As for the brakes, if the 50K mileage is original, the car has obviously done a lot of sitting...guessing that the brake master cylinder may be bad or it could be lack of proper vacuum to the power brake booster from a loose or damaged hose. Could even be something as simple as needing the brakes properly bled too.

BTW, have you found a Lotus yet?

Experienced deja vu just now since I saw you on the other forum this morning.

 

At 50K miles, the shocks are likely original and after having sat for all those years, are most likely the reason for the hard ride. There is another factor as well. I noticed that the car has C5 Z06 type wheels on it which from the picture look to be 18" all around. On two C4s that I have owned, the one I have now, a '95, and also a '90 that I used to own...going from 17" wheels to 18" wheels makes quite a difference in ride harshness due to the lower sidewall (to cushion) and higher performance tire construction (depending on what tire you run). I was amazed at the difference on my two C4s as I juggled combinations from stock to aftermarket 17" to aftermarket 18". I am currently running 18" wheels with 285/35/18 all around on my '95 and the ride is considerably worse than with the factory sized 17" tires. 285/40/17 on the back rides so much better...the difference really surprised me. Regardless, I prefer the appearance and handling characteristics of the 18s so that's what I run.

If I were you, I would definitely start with the shocks first, but something to keep in mind.

 

im pretty excited about the car and think im getting a good deal.he was asking $9000 and he really wouldnt budge on the price so we settled on $8600.for a 95 the car is in great condition the paint and interior is pretty near perfect. ive seen these cars going with that mileage for 10-15 thousand so i feel pretty good about it.the seller gave me a carfax report and its had no accidents and the mileage is documented . Im definetly no mechanic but i did check all the fluids and obvious stuff. oil and transmission fluid were very clean and full.brake fluid was full and everything looked fine .brakes seemed weak like i said but im used to driving a 2014 pickup so maybe it was just me.im a tall guy 6'4 so its a tight fit but it works if i put the seat all the way back.i was looking at a 97 c5 but it was way more money with high miles so i think this would be a great starter corvette . what do you guys think about the price of the car is it a fair deal ?

 

Good deal on a nice car. Invest in some Hawk brake pads. A little pricey but you'll notice the difference immediately.

 

My 95 is harder to steer than my 07 Ram. Same with the brakes I have to use a little more force on the Vette. Probably nothing wrong with the car just drive it for awhile and get used to it. They are fun!

Rick

 

sounds like a good deal. 95's are a great year for corvettes. Id jump on it! Once you own it you can count on all of us to help you out with your questions. Heck, ask me. I own a 95 too!

 

Congrats. Do yourself a favor and read the owners manual, there are lots of peculiarities on a 95, compared to most cars. The parking brake, hatch buttons, remotes and arm rest storage are all examples.

 

Does the steering effort always the same? Or does it change when making a turn? Asking as the steering rack internal seals will leak and you lose the power assist.
If always the same, then yeah check that the power steering pump has fluid.
If the pump needs changing....a bit difficult as one special tool is required to get the pulley off...but obtained cheaply.
Let us know what help you need...that is what this forum is all about.

Later

 

W/O seeing it myself here is my opinion based on what you said:

- Steering seems normal.
- Brakes should feel typical old school GM but a little stiffer / heavier. Pushing that hard though... something is not right.
- Harsh ride.. my 95 was original tires and shocks. It rode like a go kart. Fun but at the same time horribly stiff. I committed C4 blasphemy and changed to Continental summer tires and KYB shocks. I can't express how much nicer it rides. IMO.. if your not a purist.. do the same. The tires stick like glue and the ride is 10x more pleasant. (both are much cheaper than OEM replacements)

btw, there are some typical things that break. Electric seat mechanism / rack, headlight gears, climate control doesn't work (easily fixed yourself), intake manifold gasket leaks, oil pan gaskets leak, door, top, and hatch seals go bad, headliner falls, typical GM build quality where stuff is just loose, ect...)

 

ok so i picked up the car today.It was about 2 hours away so i got to take it for a long ride.It ran beautifully and was a blast to drive.The steering,brake,and suspension issues weren't as bad as i remembered i think it was just a matter of me getting used to the car.
but there were a few issues i wanted to ask you guys about .

1.when i got home i brought it to the car wash to clean it up it was pretty dirty inside and out.I noticed while in the car wash it leaked a little water inside the car nothing major just a few drips .upon further inspection noticed that the weatherstripping was rotting in a few spots around the removable top .Id imagine its probably a pretty common problem with these cars but wanted to know if its an expensive fix or an easy do it yourself job?

2.car runs cool when driving it but noticed when it idols the temp climbs to around 215/230 range then goes back down when driving just wondering what the normal temp range on these cars normally run ?

3.front end shakes slightly at high speed on the highway tires arent the greatest shape front tires showing wear on outside edges but decent amount of tread still left could probably get through this summer but will have to replace soon.But could the shaking indicate any other problems?

4.considering replacing the shocks eventually the shocks on the car are yellow would that indicate that they are the original shocks or have been replaced at some point?

thank you guys for all your help and the car is awesome i'm really loving driving a vette so far !

 

If they car was sitting for awhile, it is possible that there is moisture in the brake fluid. This will cause "mushy" brakes so it is definitely worth flushing the brake fluid.

 

Use dieletric grease on the seals tires have flat spots from sitting shocks have 50 k at the most temp is fine

 

my 95 had similar issues, the weatherstripping is rotten to the core, but I ordered a new kit from Wilcox Corvette for a good price (check their promos you'll get a smoking deal for a quality product) I havent replaced it yet since I bought the car before winter, but the rotten weatherstripping is still on there and it does weep a little around the windows but not too bad. The tires shook so bad I thought the front end was going to come apart, but I had them balanced and the tires were off over an ounce on the front and rear all 4 so thats a cheap easy way to solve the shaking issue, also check the tire pressure, I haven't had the funds to replace the tires yet, the ones on there will do for now but they def need to go in a couple 1000 miles. The steering is heavier than your average car, but I like that it feels tight and gives good feedback. Check your steering wheel to see if it has side to side play, I have that issue and it seems to be a common problem because people use the steering wheel as a way to yank themselves out of the car and over time it breaks the column loose. Other than that your car sounds like a solid runner, I often debate if I want to keep mine or part with it, but for now I will just enjoy it even though I think I spend more time working on it than driving it, but like a wise man once said "it keeps us off the streets and out of the bars" haha. Post some pics, I am sure everyone would love to see it!

 

ok guys been driving the car for about a week now and got my first signs of trouble hopefully someone can help me out with this.
i was driving along on the highway and all of a sudden the digital display on the dash (speedodometer/odometer/fuel guage) started going haywire.The numbers were all jumbled up i was going like 60 and it was saying i was going over 100,etc ..i pulled over and shut the car off and let it sit for a few minutes and it went back to normal.However now the last number on the odometer doesnt work for example the car has 50790 miles but it reads 5097. just wondering if anyone has encountered this or has any idea of what it may be hopefully an easy fix ..thanks

 

I am having a similar problem with the digital dash in my 95'. It used to correct itself after warming up a bit, and driving. Now it is all scrambled up, and appears to be missing parts of characters throughout the display. Pretty much non-functional. All other lights and gauges work fine. I will watch this string to see if anyone answers you with ideas.