And boy do I. These older Corvettes will require almost constant maintenance/repair when first put into DD duty. You're going to put money into this car or any Vette of this vintage. I've said it before but I have more in the '86 (in my avatar) than it's worth, it is pretty reliable now but I still have to do all the wheel hubs, the rear half shaft u-joints and brakes. Now all that work is for preventive maintenance purposes as none of it is an issue at the moment. It is however an indication of what you are likely to do with an older Vette.

That said I like the '90 model year as it still had the early body style and I just like the round not oval tail lights and the slightly concave real fascia. It also has the interior and instruments of the later year cars. This particular car is also painted a two year only color and is somewhat rare. This color is also one of my personal favorites.

As to price I think it is probably near its max value as it sits. I assume it is at a used car only lot. He'll have trouble getting someone financed on it unless its a pay here lot, in which case he will finance and repo it when the young guy can't make the payments. I'd let him sit on it awhile as I don't get the sense you're in love with this car or Corvette in particular. However generally speaking once you own a Corvette you will always have one.

 

It's a very nice looking car i'll give it that, and the price is not outrageous, but keep in mind there will ALWAYS be a better deal out there, I personally wouldn't buy from a dealer, but that's just me. The average person doesn't appreciate these cars the way we do, I wouldn't be surprised if that car sat there for a while longer unless the guy gets lucky. Since it is from a dealer, do your best to negotiate stuff like others have said, new tires and other stuff, or use that to your advantage to get a better price. Goodluck!

 

Bad mistake IMHO. Just do a little research on the opti-spark. That one thing alone would scare me away from using it as a DD. And there's plenty of other issues to consider as a daily driver. After all, it is 26 years old.

Good luck whatever you buy

 

Well, if he's looking at a '90, he wouldn't have to worry about opti-spark. That didn't come around until '92, but I agree about using a Corvette as a beater car. Corvettes are considered "high maintenance" cars. They like to be "wined and dined".

 

So you were happy about getting a clean beater (1990) now looking at a 2004 mustang.

My advice is to stop now. Just drive your good car and use the 8k on paying on the lease or what ever the issue is that keeps the miles off.

If 8k is the issue then don't forget insurance, etc...

It seems you are not a car guy so maybe stick with a camry or something for a 30 mile a day beater. You are either young or naïve to the car thing.

If you are trolling now is the time to drop some bombs and entertain us.

 

I was sort of wondering about the thing myself. There are a few posts similar to this one from member(s?) with similar questions.

 

I recently saw a red 1988 4+3 with 37,000 miles on eBay, for a buy it now of $7000. No one did. I talked with the seller by phone, it was a trade at an RV place, and they ended up giving to a dealer for $6500. Who in turn was asking something like $12K.
If no one bid on the car in a world wide auction for $7K, why the dealer thinks it will go for anything approaching $12K is beyond me. I've seen low mileage 88s and 90s advertised for well over a year on line at those prices.

I really like C4s, and have owned an 84 Z51, and 88 4+3 and still have a Red 1990. Realistically I would probably not pay more than the 7s for the car you are considering. But that's just me. If you like it and plan on keeping it a long time (and spending a lot of money fixing a 26 year old Chevy, as I've been doing) it may be worth something in the 8s or even low 9s. But beyond that you could get a C5, with all the more modern safety and performance features (side impact protection, dual air bags, rear transmission, and so on).

Be interesting to know what you eventually decide. If you get it I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoy my 90. These are really great cars and tons of fun to drive and (with the clamshell hood) reasonably easy to work on.