what can you guys tell me about a 88 , its a 4 spd schtick/OD and very clean with lotta replaced parts thanx

 

What are you asking?
If its worth buying or?
Plenty of them made but good clean sound ones are getting scarce
make sure that od works they can give issues
Some ignore it others do 5 and 6 spd conversions doesnt come cheap

 

A dedicated Corvette mechanic at a local Chevy dealer I know told me the 87 and 88 were the most trouble free and best C4's in his opinion. After following this forum so long I think he could be correct. Those years seem to stay under the radar here.

 

My '88 with the 4+3 had 162k on the stock engine and the tranny worked fine. Just pulled the engine because it was slow. lol

 

Highly recommend. Miss my own 88 4+3, sold in 2014 for right reasons, but still a tinge of regret.
Great car, loved the digital dash versus 19th century display technology analog needles. Wish all cars were digital dash.
4+3 was great, best of all worlds, bulletproof 4 speed with the economy and low revs of an additional 3 overdrive speeds. Mine worked great.
C4s in my opinion are the most adult Corvettes with the slightly understated styling and no compromise handling. Sleek and clean with all the Corvette styling cues but less of the extreme touches (which I also love, I like all Corvettes and currently have a 78 and 90)
I would not hesitate to get another 88 and may yet.
If you found one that is in good shape, I'd say go for it.

 

My 88 has been a plenty surprise after years of GM cars. Very reliable. Weather stripping sucks as expected and build quality /materials very cheap compared to my same year Supra turbo. Real shame because in stock form the Vette is a much better performer.

 

thanx guys am ready to go for another C4 and was looking at the 95-96 but now leaning towards the 88 the square tail lights are kool on the later C4s but am starting to like the rounds ones as well, don't ask me why, just do...........keep the comments comin!

 

less stuff to go wrong, no std igntion system
for some less is more

 

when you say 4+3 you talkin about the auto or stick version? which one seemed to hold up better? I'm looking for an auto not a schtick

 

If you are looking for an automatic transmission 1988 Corvette, the 4+3 is not for you.

The 4+3 is a manual 4 speed transmission with an automatic on the back of it. In the car you shift 4 speeds manually, and the computer tells the automatic when to go to overdrive in the top three gears. The first time you drive one, it is definitely a new experience. You go from neutral to first, then first to second, the car then goes into a kind of second overdrive, you shift to third, the car goes into 3rd overdrive, you shift manually to fourth, and the car then shifts to fourth overdrive. If you pus down a bit on the accelerator, the car downshifts back to fourth not overdrive, the car accelerates briskly, and when it is ready or you let back off the gas a bit, the car goes back to fourth overdrive.

I personally liked it. The car is a hot performer with seven forward speeds, and good fuel economy for that kind of vehicle.

The ZF6 is a better way to go of course, less complexity, less to fail. And when the ZF6 finally became available, that was 'it' for the 4+3. But I would recommend the 4+3 to anyone who wants a manual in a 84 to 88 Corvette.

I have an automatic in my 1990, and it is nice too.

Of course, I've never seen or met or driven a Corvette I didn't like.

 

so your saying to avoid the 4+3 and go with an auto?? BTW I read up on the BorgWarner /nash tranny and they did have some problems

I just found this>>>>>>>>The 4+3, or as it was known by Corvette engineers back then, the "Doug Nash" was a four-speed manual transmission with an electro-hydraulic overdrive grafted onto the back. Generally the OD worked in the upper three gears, hence the name "4+3.".

When the Borg-Warner got out of the four-speed manual trans business in the late 1970s, it sold the design and tooling for the "Super T10" (used in the Corvette from about 1975 to 1980) to the DNE Corp, which was started by hotrodder Doug Nash.

Nash, sold GM and Dave McLellan on a slightly-strengthened version of the Super T-10 with an electro-hydraulic overdrive unit Nash marketed for RV applications.

Well, the end result was the 4+3 and unfortunately, it was a poor example of quality, reliability and durability. The gearbox section was a pretty good piece, but the overdrive unit was a disaster. The 84-86 OD's are notorious for problems. The 87 and 88s are better, but still a problem child, especially if the car is raced a lot.

 

I did not intend to suggest you forget the 4+3 and go with an Automatic. That's a personal choice. All I was trying to say was that I personally had a good experience with the 4+3 and enjoyed driving it.
I suppose like any mechanical system, if one doesn't take care of it or over-stresses it, then it can and probably will fail or have problems.
For my 4+3 and my 1988 Corvette in general I kept up with all the maintenance. I treated the car like the high performance precision machine it was and is. For things like the 4+3 I took the car to a local Chevy Dealership and made sure the people working on it were familiar with older Corvettes and that model in particular. I never had a problem with my 4+3 in the time I owned it. Just a lot of fun driving it.
If you want a manual transmission Corvette from that era, either the 88 4+3 or a newer C4 with a ZF6 are the choices. And as noted previously, I have a 90 with an Automatic I'm very happy with.
I've found my various C4s to be enjoyable whether they have an automatic or manual, tho most days I do like to drive a stick. All personal preference, go with what you like and enjoy...

 

Purely aesthetic consideration. I cannot stand the afterthought high mounted third brake light turd on the halo. Who decided it was a good idea to take a beautifully designed car and stick a big wart right on top of it?

If I had considered an 86-90, I'd have had to replace that hatch hinge cover with one from another year. That third brake light totally kept those years off my radar. Love the round and square tail lights - and the bumper mounted third brake light.

 

When the 86 roadster came out it was the first vert in 11 years. Never cared for the coupe so here was an excuse to buy one. Chose the 4+3 stick which retained the sloppy shifter but now had an overdrive button on top of the stick. The whole thing was clunky with a hit and miss shift arrangement. The wife liked it cause it would downshift with the press of the go pedal. She never did get the hang of using the OD button

When the ZF6 came out in 89 it was like a whole different car. The gates were shorter and well defined. Traded in the 86 on a 90 roadster which I still enjoy. The wife likes it better and drives using 1-3-5 shifts. After 50K miles it still performs like new.