70RT440

I've been in the market for a nice C4 for a while and I found one that seems to fit the bill...but I want to make sure that the asking price is reasonable.

the car is a 1996 automatic convertible. 100,000 miles. The exterior is fairly spotless. Tires look good. The seats and carpet look really good. Undercarriage is spotless. Starts instantly and runs strong and the auto has good firm shifts. The two issues I see are a climate control system with a temperature down button that takes a lot of pressure and, of course, the steering wheel has the usuals up-and-down play which every corvette of that vintage has...but on the bright side...it's better than the other ones I've seen.

All of the weatherstripping is in good shape and tje top is new.

It has been garage-kept its whole life.

So what would you guys think is a fair price?

thank you for your help.

bobpur

This nice '87 went for $11,000 with 52,000 miles on it.

70RT440

That is mighty nice!

That gives me a good idea. The price he is asking seems to be reasonable...even good. I checked on KBB and the asking price is lower than their valuation, but at this point, these are special-interest cars and book values don't seem to mean much, so I thought I'd check with the experts. Thank you.

A Peter C4

Did you buy it? What was or is the asking price if you didn't buy? Any service records?

70RT440

I'm on the fence. The car is an absolute stunner. The asking price is under 9,000 dollars. My only issue is the lack of cargo space. With the top down, a weekend road trip with the wife is about the best you can do. I am weighing this against a 2000 C5 coupe. Its a little more expensive but much more practical. If I decide against it, I'll pass it along.

70RT440

No service records from first owner, the second owner bought it at Carlisle in the early 2000s and he has some records. Will still get a complete checkout prior to buying.

hcbph

Expect no matter what condition the car looks like to spend at least $2K+ for parts and repairs over and above the price of the car. The newest C4 is over 20 years old and the oldest over 30. Things both wear out and age out over time so parts and repairs are inevitable.

Storage in a convertible is limited. To have much room you either need the luggage rack or keep the top up. Obviously you want to use soft sided bags to allow them to fit in the space under the toneau.

Good luck, hope you find what you're looking for.

rfn026

That's one nice car.

It's never about he car you buy. It's about the ones you walk away from.

Richard Newton
The C4 Legends

BrandensBeast

It's hard to say without pictures what the car is worth, some of us can point out things done to the car (good or bad) that you might not notice unless you're very familiar with a C4.

Dt86

The car sounds like it has been taken care of. Have you looked it over mechanically? Checked fluids, looked for leaks, bushings, wheel bearings, etc. Is the play in the steering column "normal" or does it need to be fixed? I would deduct the repair costs off of the asking price and think that was a fair offer.

scuba717

Tough question! Date code on the tires is critical regardless of tread depth. Plan to spend some $$'s after purchase depending on your "skills" to establish a base line on maintenance items. The purchase price is only the starting point for your "investment". If you like it buy it and don't look back. There will always be a better bargain or someone who got a better deal!

Weck86

Sounds like a nice car, but as Branden said pics will help. Despite what we all wish, when selling, C4's have not yet made a move up in price. Location matters and vert do have a slight premium in early summer. Without pics I do think 9k is approaching, but not at, the top of the pricing range. Google the steering column fix, while it is doable I don't remember it being an easy diy project. Also the climate control is probably fixable but you're tearing the dash apart to get at it. Some of us think of it as fun, others not so much. As noted a Vert is an acquired taste and requires a my minimalist attitude for travel. Welcome to the Corvette community.

70RT440

This is the car. I didn't take any pics while I was there since, at first, the lack of luggage space made me turn the car down...but l keep going back to it because it was just so freakin nice!

I checked the car for leaks, none were visible. It tracked straight, brakes felt good with no issues, all trim (inside and outside) in good shape.

I'll be honest, pics don't do it justice.

mickey5

3 roadsters, same mid '90s year, VG+ to exc condition for mileage: 20K miles @ $16K, 60K miles @ $10K, 100K miles @ $7K. Options and color will effect price. ZF6 add 10%. JMHO

Dt86

That's a collectors edition. Looks nice.

Weck86

Now that I see a pic, appears to be a really nice car! Now need to see the engine bay, just kidding, sort of. But based on this one pic and your description I say that 9K is a fair to good deal. One nit pick, it looks like the front wheel is missing its center cap. Most OCD Corvette owners would have replaced that. Makes me want to look closer to see what other little nits have been neglected on an otherwise well presented car. As others have said keep in mind that the purchase price is just a beginning. No matter how nice an example C4s will need stuff replaced or repaired just due to age.

Now buy the thing, drop the top and get rolling!!! Best of Luck!

Mayor111

In DRIVER condition - the car is worth $8400

In EXCELLENT condition - the car is worth $11,000

Offer $7500 and see where you land. If the asking price is just under $9000 as you stated - that would be a fair offer and you would end up with a rare CE (Collectors Edition) convertible.

A Peter C4

That looks like a good deal but more inspection should be done. Most all C4's need something, make an offer you are comfortable with and let us know, it's more fun when your the owner.

1993C4LT1

Wanna buy my 93 Ruby with z07 suspension? 82k miles, lots of service records. And it has more trunk space than the vert

70RT440

After much soul-searching. I have decided to take a pass on this car.

There is nothing wrong with the car, I have just taken a realistic look at my financial situation and decided that I'm going to give it a few months and save a little more money. I won't buy a "toy" unless I can pay cash for it and buying this would deplete my fun money account which is also being used for the restoration of my '70 Charger.

So...it is with a heavy heart that I pass this one along to you guys.

I don't want to run afoul of the mods by posting the ad here, so I'll post in in the C4s for sale thread...or if you want the info, please feel free to PM me.

The asking price is $8,000.00, but I'm thinking that he will probably accept a reasonable offer.

The car is GORGEOUS and definitely worthy of consideration. Thank you for the input, everyone.