I had a 2003 C4 coupe that I bought new in 93 and then (sigh) sold in 1998 for all things a Porsche.
Always missed the C4 so yesterday I stopped by my local Caddy dealer to talk with the service guys and happened to notice that they had a C4 convertible in the showroom.
Looked good on walk around both exterior and interior. Salesman showed me a car fax with about 3 owners with the last owner being an employee of the dealership (parts guy). Unfortunately he was not there at the time and I did not have time to wait to talk to him.
Any who, I need help from guys here to refresh my old memory of things to look for when buying a used C4. The car is Ruby Red, Black Interior and I was told a black top. Mileage is around 20.5K.
I will hopefully connect with the owner soon to get more details.
I truly appreciate any help that you guys can give me.
Thank you.
VH

 

Sorry, forgot to mention it is a manual shift.

 

You must mean that you owned a 1993 C4 Corvette.

You didn't include the year, or the price of the C4 vette.

Is a maintenance record included? One would think that a parts person
would have taken good care of his car.

A dealership purchase should come with a limited warranty (30 days?)
That helps.

I would question the mileage ..... 20.5K .....3 owners - 24 years.

Definitely speak with the previous owner about the history of the vette.

 

Hey seabright. Yes I owned a C4 1993 Corvette.
The C4 Corvette that I was looking at is a 1994.
Price does not matter at this point. Condition will dictate what I will pay for it.
Hopefully the owner does have good records on the C4 Corvette and I agree that since he has some experience in the Auto industry that he would maintained the Corvette.
I agree that the mileage seems low, hopefully my inspection and research will help to validate it.
Yes, as I said I will talk to the owner and get as many details as I can from him.


Maybe I missed it, but as an example on the C5 (yes I own a C5) forum, there is a sticky covering what to look for when during a pre purchase inspection that is very helpful. I did go over some of the Tech Tip sticky and it was helpful but not specific to my needs with this inspection.
Again, appreciate any info from the group.
VH

 

With that low mileage it should take a few things off the list that are generally of concern. The Dual Mass flywheel used in the C4 manual trans cars is no longer available new or NOS - so when it's time for a clutch for these cars it's a little tricky but there are some good aftermarket solutions out there. At that mileage the clutch should still be very good unless it was a 1/4 mile or an autocross car at some point. Check the clutch fluid reservoir for burned or very dark fluid.

The headlights should rotate quietly and quickly and evenly. The optispark distributor is usually good to 70-100k miles, and is usually wiped out by a weeping water pump that sits directly above it. Check to make sure the water pump is not leaking any coolant, and the optispark housing is clean and dry.

At only 20k miles there should be very little worn out - any damage or issues the car might have will probably be more related to sitting. I'd check the condition and level of all the fluids, especially the brake fluid & coolant - see if there are any records of it being changed.

Tires are expensive and once they get past 8 years old are a crapshoot. Check the date codes and condition of the tires. Check the convertible top - if it was stored in the down position it could be damaged. Always store them with the top up and latched.

Hope this helps you. Good luck!

 

I too am surprised there isn't a sticky in the C4 forums about what to look for -- and look out for -- when buying a used C4. There really should be one, this question comes up all the time.

Do a search and you will find a bunch of CF threads on this topic. Also there are a few online articles addressing this exact question.

 

Thank you Biggus. This is great info.
Any comments on:
-Convertible top leak points, if any.
-Manual tranny Neutral gear rattle (issue on C5 not sore on C4).
-Engine rear main seal leaks or oil pan/other engine leak points.
-HVAC issues, heard of some issues with control head any comments.
-suspension/tire wear things to look for.
-rear differential leaks/issues.
-The Vette has a luggage rack on the rear (I think it is OEM) any stress points in the body to look for do to possible over/incorrect load.
Thank You again.
I am meeting the owner this afternoon to go over the Corvette from his perspective. In over the phone discussions he seemed pretty confident of the mileage being correct. Wear and tear on the Interior looked ok yesterday but today I will focus on the things that might look a little to worn for only 20.5K.


VH

 

I think with the '94 ZF6 transmission it could be a black tag or blue tag. The black tag transmission is a little stronger, but at certain speed/throttle combinations it is nosier than the blue tag. Not horribly noisy, but if you are cruising on the highway and hear some noise from the ZF6 it would be normal with a black tag ZF6 manual.

 

http://www.superchevy.com/features/v...-buyers-guide/

 

You'll want to inspect all the weatherstripping, too. It's not overly expensive or difficult to replace, but if it's in need, you can use it to negotiate a lower price.

Just my two cents, having purchased my 3-owner, 28k mileage, needed tires '94 from a dealership.

Good luck!

J.

 

Carfax only tells what someone reports and that is NOT mandatory so if my body shop doesn't report something, you get a clean Carfax. I'd take it with a large bag of salt if it were me. The guy at the parts store, he works for the place. Think he will **** where he eats? I doubt it. So again, quite worthless.

Find yourself another dealership and have them do a PDI that involves a compression test. Also because of the age of the car and the low mileage, most people thing it's all good. Well, yes, well, no. Things like bushings will not get better with age. Figure that you have to dump all fluids. If they are electronic shocks or if the car came with them, you might have to have new ones at about $200 apiece if they haven't been replaced recently. If they were deleted, well......

 

Like a doctor would know the health issues and avoid them? I doubt it. Trust but Verify.

Not sure. Mine have always had an "AS IS" so unless they missed something safety related, well. I had a dealership that tried to sell me a diesel vehicle and they were considerate enough to warm it up for me. When I got home, there were hard starts that I traced to air in the fuel lines from the leaks around the hose. I bought all the right formed hoses and yelled at them. They said they would fix it (2 hours away) but didn't have the hoses. I sold them the hoses I bought and had them fix it there and then. Moral of the story? Trust me is a polite way of saying "Fawk You up the azz with a red hot poker".

Why? He works for the dealership. What do you think he will say besides good things? I'd tell you the car was cherry even though a rod was sticking out since I work for the selling party. It might be said to be a conflict of interest.

 

And my fantasy is to be kidnapped by the Victoria Secret supermodels.

Not sure if there is a way to validate that. If he changes the CCM, could it do that? IDK.

My money is that he will only say good things or he might **** off the salesman.

 

Or brand spanking new fluid. People have been known to change these fluids at the last minute if they are trying to sell a bum car.

I'd figure the rubber isn't going to be good much longer unless it has been recently changed.

 

Best you can do is take it for a 20 mile run and see if anything leaks. Check for degreaser smell. I'd still take it somewhere else for a PDI.

If it had FX3 under the glove box, make sure they didn't dump the actuators. Figure that the shocks are shot and bushings too.

What do you expect him to say? "Oh, yeah. I suckered them into taking a POS off my hands. All kinds of issues. Glad I got rid of it. Please don't tell them I said it.".

 

If you were to look up in the "sticky section" you will find a link to the following:

http://www.corvettephotographs.com/c...repurchase.htm


Perhaps this will give you a starting point.

 

ruby/blk/zf/20.k/vert is very desirable imo if no hit and all original

since price not a factor, if you really want to get back into c4, want it and need it, then go for it.

i don't understand the over analyzing. OP is not new to c4 or c5, all those things listed tires/gaskets/seals/fluids/shocks need attention with any car, concerns are not deal breakers.

-Convertible top -ya it might leak, if it rains
-Manual tranny Neutral gear rattle -ya dmf tries to hide the rattle so what
-Engine rear main seal leaks or oil pan/other engine leak points -ya they eventually leak
-HVAC issues -seems ok 20yo ac might have leaks
-suspension/tire wear -ya aged and needs replaced if not already
-rear differential leaks/issues -ya might leak
-The Vette has a luggage rack on the rear (I think it is OEM) any stress points in the body to look for do to possible over/incorrect load. -nobody is overloading their luggage racks are they lol
doesn't the carfax show mileage history over the years?? ok to trust that.

if car was gone tomorrow, how distressed would you be? if zero, then pass on it. if it captures your imagination then make a deal. The car you're thinking about today, someone else was thinking about it yesterday and buying today.

Is the dealer selling this or on consignment from the parts guy? the caddy dealer will likely just wholesale out a pos tradein to get rid of and not risk their reputation on it. I'm surprised a caddy dealer has this on their showroom floor, out by the curb at the highway maybe.

no car buddy to go with you for objective opinion and talk sense??
post up pics, and price.

 

Again, only if you brought it to a service facility that reported it. Case in point. I am having major work on my Excursion. Rust all around, cracked paint, rusted rocker panel. The shop I go to doesn't report. In 2 years, that car can be said to be in perfect shape, garage kept, etc.

I have not met a car I would overpay for yet. I feel like I am able to let it pass if I have to as opposed to falling in love with it and buying it in haste and regret it at leisure.

Used car salesperson who is afraid to sully their reputation? I don't believe that but I'm sure there are a few honest ones. Not sure if they are in sales for long or making money.

Fair enough.

 

Hey guys, I did meet with the owner today and have a lot more details. I had a reply set to post this afternoon and when i went to review the site dumped it. Dang. I had a Corvette club meeting tonight so I will catch it all up tomorrow. Special thanks to Biggus, Kalimantan, Mr. Peabody, jimlentz, corvetteronw all with great info.
Another note, it seems that this thread is starting to turn towards that I have an endless pot of money to put in to this car, not the case.
When I replied to the question how much do they want for the car and I said that was not the
Point right now I meant after I inspect the car and determine what I think it is worth, then the point will be this is what I will offer for the car. Period. The seller will always be over if not well over what it is worth. Kinda car buying 101.
Again appreciate your help so I can conduct a good inspection and then put together a respectful offer to the seller while I protect my hard earned bucks.
VH

 

A ruby red exterior would imply a 93 40th anniversary - however the black interior dispels that direction. The only factory reds were 'Torch red' or 'Dark red metallic' in 1994.

With a car of that mileage - will tend to believe the most everything is OEM.

Are you looking into possible fuel related components having 20 plus years of rubber, plastic, and other rubber components aging out leaving you with an unreliable concern?

Been there, done that with a 93... from fuel injectors, plugs, wires, IAC, fuel pressure regulator, fuel filter, and fuel pump during my first 2 years of ownership.

Yes I said an OEM fuel filter that was 20 years old... with undercoating spray on it.

Having a low mileage car has the drawback of little to no maintenance history to it....