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I wonder how many c4s are out there? I think I heard it said that over 150000 were made? For years and years I have been told my car would never be worth anything. Usually any car guy that sees my c4 sitting under the shed proceeds to tell me that its the least valuable corvette made, will never be worth anything. But those same guys always ask if I wanna sell it. I wanna tell them to go to h#ll but I politely tell them she is not for sale and will be with me till I die. I have seen these cars torn apart and made into Frankenstein junkrods for every bit of 15 years now so I wonder, how many are left? till this day they are still junking them out, now to rob parts for mid year resto mods. So this lends the question, you can still purchase these cars for as little as 3-5k dollars running, how much longer can that be the case? Will these cars soon rise up? With a new vette north of 60k how long can these old vettes stay at rock bottom prices and how long before there are no more to tear apart and junk out? Our cars become more rare by the day as far as I can tell....
These car's wont be worth anything for another 20 years (besides zr1 and grand sports etc, 40th anniversary and 35th anniversary editions) The average c4 is worth 5-8k on a good day. There's one of these threads every week at this point these car's won't be what an old camaro or mustang is for quite a long time. C4's will be very affordable for (my guess) another 5-10 years no problem. There is many clean examples left, and also VERY MANY non clean examples left still holding on to getting back on the road, or barely on the road, once those cars are done the price will go up.
Last edited by BrandensBeast; 03-01-2017 at 12:25 PM.
I feel like they will eventually rise in value. I have no idea how long but how many times have you heard the old timers say "Man I should have kept that car, but back in the 70's they weren't worth anything" Everyone says the C4's are worth jack which is currently true but every car depreciates before it appreciates. Look at the C5, you can pick those up for like 7k now...
Granted with how many were made I doubt they will ever reach C2/early C3 price levels unless its a Grand Sport or ZR1 but who knows.
If you are looking for an investment, the C4 may never be right for you. If you are looking for pure fun, welcome aboard. I have a 84 that I enjoy the heck out of. Yes there are the folks that keep telling me, that it is not the most desirable vette made and that's ok. Most get into their Prius or Honda and drive away. I'm not trying to go 200 mph, parking in a distant lot to protect my ride. I enjoy getting it out and having fun. Where else are you going to get this much car, for this value. Just my 2 cents.
C3's made a turnaround a few years ago but my 73 is worth about what I paid plus what I put into it. While the L88's and such continue to climb the stock L48's and such will not be worth big bucks in my lifetime. C4's have bottomed out, in my opinion for several reasons. Here we go. Depreciation is no longer a concern. Regardless of the year it all depends on condition and model. A Calloway, Lingenfelter or some other "tuner" special will always have some higher desirability. As will theZR1. I doubt that Gran Sport models will ever climb into the stratosphere simply because, while they are limited in quantity they are also limited in demand. Truthfully, they aren't that much better than any other C4. We are nearing the end of people scrapping them out or piecing them out for more money. I'm going to speculate that if you want to just get rid of it undrivable C4's can be sold for a couple of grand. I doubt that the parts are worth much more. Those backyard and barn finds that are low mileage but otherwise "all there" are few and far between. If there are 150,000 still out there on the highways that leaves over 200,000 that are not in the system and are crashed, junked, parted or buried. That's a lot of cars. As to value, you can pick up a nice C4 of any vintage in the $8 to $10k range. With some looking you can find one a lot less. In todays market a crappy Accord or Taurus sells in that price range. A decent motorcycle is $10 grand. I don't see where C4's will go much lower unless there is a motivated seller. In conclusion, if you are hanging on to your C4 waiting for it to increase in value I hope you are very young. If you are worried about it dropping lower, perhaps you are becoming motivated. With Craigslist and the variety of web outlets, if you are reasonable you'll get it sold. If you own your C4 and it needs some $$$, decide if the pleasure is worth it. If not, sell it. Nothing about C4 values approaches what C6 and C7 buyers face with the prospect of a mid engined C8. Enjoy your ride and stop worrying about your investment. Remember, a car is not an investment, its a depreciating asset!
If you are looking for an investment, the C4 may never be right for you. If you are looking for pure fun, welcome aboard. I have a 84 that I enjoy the heck out of. Yes there are the folks that keep telling me, that it is not the most desirable vette made and that's ok. Most get into their Prius or Honda and drive away. I'm not trying to go 200 mph, parking in a distant lot to protect my ride. I enjoy getting it out and having fun. Where else are you going to get this much car, for this value. Just my 2 cents.
So add 1 to your count - 1984 C4 proud owner
I bought my '84 solely for the fun of it. I don't much care if it only has 205hp. It will still keep pace or pull ahead of most anything on a winding road. Getting behind the wheel always brings a smile to my face.
I'm just about '65 and have previously had a C3 many years ago. Not many things on my bucket list but owning another Corvette was one of them.
I could care less what happens to the value of it. If it should ever appreciate in value it will be my son that reaps that reward.
I have less in the Corvette than in my previous two toys, a 450hp ground pounding '76 Camaro and and '89 unmolested IROC Camaro. Neither as much fun to drive as the Corvette.
Everyone is right...the C4's might be old, they might even be considered "classics" in terms of Insurance and DMV - but they certainly are not "investments"... I agree, in another 7 to 10 years the C4s will go up in value for sure...
BUT - if we truly want to "rise up" then the message should be - TAKE CARE OF YOUR CARS. It kills me to see what used to be a gorgeous Vette, sitting in a pile of mud out in some field, just rotting...why? Its insulting to look on CL and see someone asking $9,000 for a C4 that hardly has any paint that shines, ripped interior, cracked targa, and 150k miles...who are they kidding?
How hard is it to keep it washed or buy a cover? The investment starts with US...the current owners.
If we don't take care of the C4s today...when we sell them down the road - they wont be worth anything and the market will NEVER bounce back.
If you are looking for an investment, the C4 may never be right for you. If you are looking for pure fun, welcome aboard. I have a 84 that I enjoy the heck out of. Yes there are the folks that keep telling me, that it is not the most desirable vette made and that's ok. Most get into their Prius or Honda and drive away. I'm not trying to go 200 mph, parking in a distant lot to protect my ride. I enjoy getting it out and having fun. Where else are you going to get this much car, for this value. Just my 2 cents.
So add 1 to your count - 1984 C4 proud owner
My '87 is stock now, but I will change that very soon. The reason being is, I love that car to death and I don't ever plan on selling it. If something goes wrong, I'll put something bigger and better on her. For me. It's not what it's worth in the end, but the memories you make along the way.
Is it already time for the monthly "Did I make a great investment or what" thread? How has it been since the last thread discussing/proclaiming/praying that the C4 has bottomed out in depreciation and the value will start climbing up, up and away? This has been beaten to death time and time again. You'll get opinions from "yes" to the "sky's the limit" to "never", "soon", "someday soon", "10, 20, 30... years", etc.
As for how many were made - approximately 360,000.
Has it bottomed? Who knows.
Will it appreciate significantly soon? Probably not.
My '87 is stock now, but I will change that very soon. The reason being is, I love that car to death and I don't ever plan on selling it. If something goes wrong, I'll put something bigger and better on her. For me. It's not what it's worth in the end, but the memories you make along the way.
Mine has had a transmission upgrade, SS brake lines, Banski Suspension, C6 Z06 rims and tires to name a few things done to it. I likely will never get out of it what I'll ultimately have it, but then again I'm not planning on selling it. It's a driver and I plan to do just that.
Go ahead and get behind the wheel and do what it was designed to do - go out and drive it.
I watch the sales regularly and noticed lately that the good ones are creeping up in price. I believe in the next 5 years they will be worth significantly more than today. most of them are long junked by now and you really don't see many of them on the road.
just purchased a 1996 ce lt4 , 87k miles . stock except for borla exhaust for 10,000 . i am 67 and plan to drive this one till i drop. 10 grand ? thats almost chump change. go get ya one.........
haha jk OP. I dont think it will take 20 yrs for these cars to appreciate. Ppl don't want to take care of cars anymore. There will be a lot less good running models every yr that passes. many will go to crap just sitting in bad weather.
Maintaining an older car is a big *** hassle to most ppl today. They want to just put in gas and go until a nicer model makes them trade in for a Never ending car pmt! You should hear my friends in their 20s talk about cars. "No I don't want to deal with changing out that window motor.." They'd rather just pay 120+/hr for easy work at the dealer or not fix it at all.
Btw not saying C4s will appreciate a lot in less than 20 yrs. It wont be much. They def can't go any lower!
Is it already time for the monthly "Did I make a great investment or what" thread? How has it been since the last thread discussing/proclaiming/praying that the C4 has bottomed out in depreciation and the value will start climbing up, up and away? This has been beaten to death time and time again. You'll get opinions from "yes" to the "sky's the limit" to "never", "soon", "someday soon", "10, 20, 30... years", etc.
As for how many were made - approximately 360,000.
Has it bottomed? Who knows.
Will it appreciate significantly soon? Probably not.
wow didn't realize that 360,000 were made. after all the years of wrecks and parting out I guess it is up in the air as to how many are left on the roads. sorry about the repetitive nature of my post; I have owned my c4 corvette for 19 years but have just recently joined the forum so the things that I have long pondered and would like to discuss have probably already been mulled many times over. I love the c4, but to be honest with you when I purchased mine long years ago I did so because it was the one I could afford, and it seems that after all these years this car still remains that car, the one that almost anyone can get into regardless of financial status.
wow didn't realize that 360,000 were made. after all the years of wrecks and parting out I guess it is up in the air as to how many are left on the roads. sorry about the repetitive nature of my post; I have owned my c4 corvette for 19 years but have just recently joined the forum so the things that I have long pondered and would like to discuss have probably already been mulled many times over. I love the c4, but to be honest with you when I purchased mine long years ago I did so because it was the one I could afford, and it seems that after all these years this car still remains that car, the one that almost anyone can get into regardless of financial status.
No apology necessary at all. I think the main thing holding back appreciating value on this generation of 'Vettes are the electronics and lack of engine aftermarket support.
Early computers, only one year of OBDII compliance and a lot of "gee whiz" electronic gadgetry (such as the temp, volts, gas, oil pressure, trans temp, MPG readout, etc) are involved that can go bad at any time. Mods to increase horsepower usually require re-tunes that involve chip programming. There aren't many tuners out there doing that anymore and old computer/electronic tech is different than old mechanical tech. You can always find someone to work on a small block V8 made from the late 50's to the 80's. But to get someone to the mechanical work and also the electronic work is difficult and getting harder all the time. C3's respond well to traditional hotrodding techniques. C5's are more powerful out of the box and LS engine upgrades are easy to make as there is a lot of aftermarket support. Not a lot of aftermarket support for the L98 years and even less for the LT1/4 (Crossfire nearly non-existent except now the Renegade seems to be actually available).
Will they go up in value? Absolutely but the real question is when? And that, no one really can predict.
P.S. And unlike many, I don't want them to go up in value anytime soon. My wife has already told me that when our finances ease up, I can get another 'Vette - told her I want a '89 convertible which is the last year of the early interior/exterior.
Last edited by Silver96ce; 03-01-2017 at 07:04 PM.
I feel like they will eventually rise in value. I have no idea how long but how many times have you heard the old timers say "Man I should have kept that car, but back in the 70's they weren't worth anything" Everyone says the C4's are worth jack which is currently true but every car depreciates before it appreciates. Look at the C5, you can pick those up for like 7k now...
Granted with how many were made I doubt they will ever reach C2/early C3 price levels unless its a Grand Sport or ZR1 but who knows.
Yeah I have been looking to pick up a few more c4s to play with and was pleasantly surprised to see those c5s that cheap. I may have to get a c5 instead if I can grab the right deal. Finding a true low mile c4 is getting harder but is still doable, there's a 96 on craigslist in Atlanta right now with only 6000 miles for 11k. The c5s that I am seeing for 8k are loaded with miles.
Yeah I have been looking to pick up a few more c4s to play with and was pleasantly surprised to see those c5s that cheap. I may have to get a c5 instead if I can grab the right deal. Finding a true low mile c4 is getting harder but is still doable, there's a 96 on craigslist in Atlanta right now with only 6000 miles for 11k. The c5s that I am seeing for 8k are loaded with miles.
Wouldnt trust a C4 with only 6k miles for only $11k. These cars are cheap but not THAT cheap. Probably an accident, salvage title, etc.
I think we've reached Trench C4. I think that some of the cars that had been previously undervalued due to a depression in the C4 market have rebounded back up some, but I don't see this as a "C4s are increasing in price" thing. I think they have reached a point of stability, and won't be dropping more. The good news is that you can buy one, and it won't lose you money, especially if it a bit higher mileage and it won't matter how many miles you put on it. If it was super clean and low miles, and you put a ton of miles on it, then you could maybe lose money on it.
It'd be smart to buy a clean and decent running C4 as a daily driver right now, drive it for several years, and never lose a dime on it. Automatics C4s can be had for damn good prices nowdays.
03-01-2017, 11:03 AM
C4s rise up? are we at a turning point?
these car's won't be what an old camaro or mustang is for quite a long time. C4's will be very affordable for (my guess) another 5-10 years no problem. There is many clean examples left, and also VERY MANY non clean examples left still holding on to getting back on the road, or barely on the road, once those cars are done the price will go up.
I bought my '84 solely for the fun of it. I don't much care if it only has 205hp. It will still keep pace or pull ahead of most anything on a winding road. Getting behind the wheel always brings a smile to my face. 
