I'm looking for a small sports car. I have owned many cars in my life and it literally several dozen motorcycles. The only sports cars I have owned are a 1987 Toyota MR2 and 2000 Toyota MR2 Spyder.

Both of those cars were incredibly fun to drive. I have never driven a Corvette but there is a nice 1990 with about 100,000 miles for sale. It appears to be in good condition and the owner says it has spent most of his life stored indoors.

I am planning on going to look at it tomorrow morning.

Can anyone point out a few specifics that I should look for? Well this will be a second vehicle for me, I don't want it to be a money pit. I want to buy something that I can just get in and drive.

Also, having never driven one before, I have been searching for driver reviews online but haven't come up with much.

I live in northeastern Pennsylvania where the roads or hilly and curvy and a lot of fun for a sports car. But being that we do have some harsh winters, the roads are not always smooth as glass.

The MR2's that I've owned handle these roads great although they were a bit harsh over bumps. I am assuming the Corvette will be similar experience.

The owner is asking $5000 for this car, slightly negotiable. Based on other C-4 Corvette that I see for sale, this seems like a fair deal.

Right now I am primarily just looking for advice on what to look for and some driving reviews of this particular model.

If I do end up purchasing the car, I will be sure to check back here and show it to you!

 

Being no one has responded, I'll add a little here based on my own experiences.

Paint condition including clearcoat: what condition is it in? Paint can be expensive to redo.
Maintenance records: how has the car been maintained?
Fluids: how do they look? Kind of adds to the above.
Get a Carfax report. See what's shown though this isn't 100%
Look underneath at the jack points. Some have been improperly lifted and the floorpan has been damaged.
Lift the car and check the wheels for play in the wheel bearing assemblies.
Check the U-joints in the rear for play.
Tire and rim condition.
Check the weatherseals for condition.
How's all the instruments and interior condition. Especially the electronics in the dash and a/c.
Check the tailpipe on cold startup for any smoke and it's color. Some engines have headgasket issues.
Pull the plugs and see their condition and color.
Look for any indication of previous body damage or repainting.
If everything seems good so far, now it's road test time.
How's it drive when cold along with hot. Most of these cars have some moans-and-groans but you don't want them excessive. Be sure to test everything electrical and turn off the radio so you can hear anything unusual. Hopefully you can have someone follow you and keep an eye out for anything unusual while going for the drive.
Take it through a car wash and look for leaks.
If it gets this far, then have a qualified mechanic give it a once over.

That's the short list but hopefully it will be a fun, inexpensive car for you. Good luck.

 

Remember the owner is only asking $5000.00 or less. Don't expect a perfect car or one that won't need attention. Usually a $5000.00 Corvette needs another $5k worth of repairs and restoration.

 

I'll add that 1990 is a transition year in the C4 progression. It still has the L98 tuned port injection motor. While not high HP by today's standards, it does have gobs of low end torque which should make it very fun on your curvy PA roads.

The 1990 also transitions from the earlier "Star Wars/Atari" dash to what GM called a hybrid dash, mostly analog gauges with a digital display in the center for speed and miles driven.

The 1990 is the last year of the original C4 body. The later body's look the same as the original to the untrained eye, but as get more experience you'll easily recognize the differences.

Lastly any competent mechanic can work on the L98 engine, it's just a Chevy small block with a fancy TPI induction system on top of it. But its that TPI that gives it the torque and the fun I mentioned.

As was already said it's a $5000 used car. Do your due diligence. Sounds like you've owned enough vehicles to know a sound one when you see it. Best of luck and come back to show it off to us.

Rock On.

 

" Can anyone point out a few specifics that I should look for? While this will be a second vehicle for me, I don't want it to be a money pit. I want to buy something that I can just get in and drive. "

I will just point out the obvious here from your statement. You are talking about a car that is 26 years old and 100K miles. You will have things to do on this car and things will come up each year so you need to go into this understanding that if you want "to buy something that you can just get in and drive" any 26 year old car let alone a vette might not be the best starting point.

The C4 has a lot to offer in today's market but as I have said many times a $5K C4 may seem like a great deal but often the one for $7 to $8K offers a great deal more value and will cost much less then the $5K C4 when it is all said and done. Do not underestimate the cost to bring a tired example up to what you will be happy driving including interior and exterior issues let alone mechanical s.

 

As others have said, it's an old car with a lot of miles, the car is going to need work at some point. Are you capable of maintaining the car yourself? If so, this will save you money, but if you need to pay someone, then obviously you will need factor that into your cost.

I also live in Pa and yes, our roads are horrible. I have a 95 Vette and you will know when you are on lousy roads. You'll want to look at the tires on the car and see if you'll need to replace them sooner than later. See how the car shifts when driving it. I have just over a 100 thousand on mine, I also just had the tranny rebuilt because the 3/4 clutch pack went out. That cost me $2700, that is something that you want to keep in mind when buying an old car. Fortunately this is not my daily driver, so I was able to leave it parked in the garage until I had the money available.

Just go into it with an open mind knowing that with the price point that you are looking at, you are not getting a garage queen. Whatever you get is going to need work to some degree, but they are loads of fun to drive.

Good luck in your search for a Vette.

 

OK, so I went to see the corvette and thevMR2. . Both are beautiful.

The mr2 is basically perfect I would call it above average condition. Japanese reliability and excellent handling.

The corvette is very nice also. I'd say for the asking price, it's a great deal. I actually have him at $4600. He has two c4's. He bought this off a friend who needed money and he's happy to just get his money back.

The car has been stored indoors most of its life. The paint, weather stripping, tires and interior are all in excellent condition. The engine looks fine but certainly not detailed. I didn't see any obvious fluid leaks.

I arrived at his storage garage before him so the car was dead cold when he started it. There was just a short wisp of blue smoke at startup that lasted half a second at most. The car was under a cover when he opened the garage.

Every single thing on the car works. Radio, lights, heat, ac, seat electronics, etc. The oil on the dipstick was a light brown, not dark at all.

This car has the switch for different suspension settings such as sport & touring. Does this indicate a particular model or trim level or did all '90 c4's have that?

He wouldn't let me drive it but took me for a ten minute drive. There were zero creaks or groans. The car seemed very solid and seemed to shift smoothly. He accelerated briskly and used a healthy dose of brake and everything seemed fine.

I'm very torn between these two cars. They're both great cars at similar mileage and price.

Do I go for the simplicity and reliability of the Spyder or the "character" of the least popular (but still very cool) 'vette?

I don't mind working on my cars & bikes. I actually enjoy it. But I'm terrified of a money pit that'll have me spending more time at the auto parts store than behind the wheel.

Here's a few pics. What do you guys think?

 

That's the FX3 adjustable suspension. If it's still working great, but otherwise very expensive to fix, and replacement shocks are $1k. Most people will just replace with normal shocks instead. Just an option has nothing to do with trim level, as there were only two options; base, ZR-1.

If your really terrified of a money pit, then the MR2 is for you. But your on a Corvette forum after all, so my vote is for the C4

 

Buy both of them!!!!!!!!!

 

I'd buy the Corvette. An MR2 has zero appeal to me.

Curious why he would not let you get behind the wheel.

 

During the drive, I asked "do you trust me behind the wheel if I stay under the speed limit?" He said "absolutely not." I even told him he could hold the envelope full of cash I brought with me.

I didn't press the issue, although I was slightly disappointed.

I don't think he was trying to hide anything. He's an older gent who's a bit over cautious I guess.

If I decide to buy, I'll insist on a proper test drive.

 

What's the easiest way to determine if the fx3,suspension operates properly?

 

Here's a trick to try. Go to a party. Stand near some ladies. Use an opportunity to work "I just bought myself a car" into the conversation. Now, when someone asks what you bought, say "a Toyota MR2". Gauge the reaction.

Repair to another area of the party. Repeat. However, substitute the word "Corvette". Compare your two reactions.

The Corvette is the great American sports car, and at $5000 you'll never get better bang for the buck.

 

That doesnt make any sense to me, the vette owner refusing the test drive. Its not like its a ZR-1 or a pristine midyear.

That 90 does sound like a good deal though. In my neck of the woods people ask $2k more for that. No sign of rattles and lists of small things like weather stripping in good shape generally hint at a well taken care of car.

No comparison to me: Vette all the way. After all, youve been there done that with the Spyder.

Just make sure to find out what you can about that wisp of blue smoke.

 

The car doesn't get used often. Maybe the wisp of smoke was just because it sat for s bit. It really was quite minimal.

 

Must admit based on the photos of the vette it appears to be in great shape for $ 4600.00.

I would trust your heart and get what feels right to you. You already are familiar with the Toyota so that is a plus for you. In the end you will live with the car not us but you are asking vette owners what we think and of course we are going to say "get the vette".

The Toyota would probably be a more get in and drive it car so that is something to keep in mind.

 

I'm leaning towards the vette...

 

Build sheet under the center console lid.

Fx3 = adjustable ride control. Start in "tour", while driving switch to "perf" you should feel the ride stiffen. It also adjusts automatically dependent on vehicle speed.

Z51 is performance handling package.

J55 is HD front brake package = 13" front rotors in place of 12" rotors.

Sport sets have adjustable side bolsters + triple lumbar etc.

Drivers air bag is 90 model only = no spare parts & no tilt wheel.

Right side radiator fan is controlled by AC high side pressure not coolant temp. Jumper the fan relay ground wires together = both fans operate with the AC or @ 228* coolant temp.

Tons of info in the owners manual.

Triple black looks good, stock wheels on the correct way.

If for some reason you do not like this car I doubt you will loose $$ on it.

BTW they do not like snow & get a bit tail happy in the wet if you lack throttle apply skill.

Good luck

 

There's a dash malfunction light in the center section, "Service Ride Control". Make sure it flashes during initial start up.

I had FX3 on one previous C4, and honestly, I couldn't tell the difference between Comfort and Performance. It was originally a $1,695 option!

 

Go with your gut