1965kyzer

Have a chance to purchase a 96 collectors coupe auto. I test drove today and found a few concerns.

A/C quit blowing from the dash vents after a few miles down the road, it is Alabama and it was 100 degrees today.
Turned windshield wipers on and they wouldn't stop.
Drivers side headlight doesn't work sometimes.
Exhaust leak drivers side
Car feels rough when sitting at a red light just idling.

Just wanted to know if the car is worth it or am I buying a headache?

billschroeder5842

How much? Knowing the price and miles helps.

NoTyme

When I bought my 96 CE I first ran a car fax. Found I would be the 3rd owner of a 19 years old car, (not bad). Mileage and overall condition of vehicle was considered. Besides a few paint chips, tires, wheels, TPM sensors AC all lights and radio, seats everything worked. I found one well taken care of and in great condition... I paid 10,5 for mine. I even received the last 9 years’ service records print out from the Chevy dealer. I felt the price was justified.
Tell us more for our opinion...

Dad3Sons

1965 Kyzer -

My 2cents - I have a 96 Base Coupe with 125K miles. I bought it from a Forum Member in 2014. So:

It's a 21 year old car. It will need some work. If you have a garage to work on it in, and a fairly basic collection of mechanic's tools, and some slightly above basic knowledge of auto mechanics, you will be able to fix most things yourself. Most parts are readily available and not too expensive. Most Forum members are "good" to "expert" mechanics and willing to share information to make your experience enjoyable.

Owning a 21 year old car is an avocation, and you have to have some passion for not only driving it, but maintaining and repairing (and maybe modifying) it.

Good Luck!

1965kyzer

First off thanks guys. Car body has pretty high miles 164000, but has paperwork on an engine rebuild a few thousand miles ago along with transmission which is an auto. Car exterior is clean and so is inside, I can get the car for only 5K.
I just don't want to end up spending thousands on little things that keep popping up

confab

It sounds like the big stuff has already been taken care of, but like the other posters mentioned, it is an old car and most people here do at least some wrench work of their own.

The alternative is to pay to have it done, and little things like AC repair, weatherstrip, etc.. can add up. If you are paying someone to do the work, you can end up at a couple thousand bucks pretty quickly for a series of small repairs.

I don't know what your skill level is, but I would expect a few things to go wrong and need repair during the course of ownership, because it is pretty old.

One thing many people here do is get a copy of the Factory Service Manual. In it, every repair procedure is explained in detail, and it allows them to do simple repairs themselves and keep the costs down. A close second to this is an online subscription service like alldatadiy. Which has much of the same information in digital format. I think mine is 26 dollars a year.

As far as the price, if you like the car I think it sounds fine, and fair.

Good luck to you!!

1965kyzer

I have a 64 convertible and a 65 coupe just not real familiar with the c4's that's why I was asking.
Thanks again

johno504

CE is nice , auto lt1 not so much. $5k , that ain't much....

billschroeder5842

My .02 is get the best car you think you can afford and then add 2k.

It is a cliche that guys get into this hobby figuring that a 150k car for 5k will outlast/out perform/ be more reliable (etc) than a 70k for 10K.

You could get lucky but unless you get meticulous maintenance records, you really are rolling the dice. Plus, you allready have a list of "know" problems that will require attention and cash pretty quick.

My garage wrench philosophy is that to bring cars up to similar condition, it will cost about the same. You either pay a little more upfront to get it "mosty" squared away or you decide to "pay as you go" on parts and repairs.

Your call.

NoTyme

I will add this to my response. I drove my 96 CE for 2 years, with only oil changes and this year I decided to do plugs and wires. I didn't want to have the car sitting in the barn for a couple weeks while I did the work so I had a Chevy dealer do the work. Hey it summer and I want to drive the car to car shows and out to dinner with the better half. I will do the throttle body this fall and window guides over the winter. If I would have waited till winter to do the plugs & wire I may have tackled them myself.
If you don' mind wrenching on the C4 I'd say negotiate and pull the trigger. It would be nice to know who did the work before you and a bit of history on the car... That way you know if coolant needs changed, steering fluid and rack change, which made a difference in how my 96 steered.
Oh, I also did the sway bar and end link bushing and shocks this year and that made a remarkable difference in the feel of the steering wheel.
Best of luck on your decision.

mark970

96 CE used to be my dream car...i loved the silver with black but over the years i've decided the late model C4 doesnt look good in silver (the first generation C4's do..but they break up the color with plenty of black trim). and still to this day I LOVE silver cars, just not the 96 C4

just from the original post, it sounds like a money pit to me...i guess it would depend on your ability to fix things. sounds like a $3k car otherwise i'd walk. keep in mind those cars are usually loaded so if it has F45, it probably doesnt work. does it have a glass roof? AQ9 (sport seats) does the RPO say G92 G44? does it by rare chance have Z51? by default all 96-95 come equipped with J55 (hd breaks)...if it has most of these codes i mentioned, i would pay $5k (especially if it had Z51...i'm pretty sure you could get that with an auto???)

i will NOT buy an automatic C4 without having G92 G44 (regardless of how clean or low mile it is)...if it has GM1 i instantly lose all interest (with the exception of a convertible...you get G92 GU2) and that's odd for me to say because i'm not a "performance" guy but yeah, the 3:07 is VERY noticeable, it's just a different car than a GM1.

1965kyzer

I purchased the car today. Didn't look at the codes posted in the last post but, has both roofs, silver interior, had all the paperwork on engine and transmission and it totaled out to almost 5k in itself. Drove it home with absolute no problems and that was about a 50 mile trip. I'm not a big automatic fan but if my wife ever decides to hop in there should be no problem.
I love the car and as far as I can see it will be here with me for a long time. Thanks to everyone for the advise also.

mark970

GRATZ! glad you're happy!

the CE comes fairly well equipped so I'm sure the options arent a problem. i have a youtube DIY channel that has a 92 and 95 so if you ever needed to check up on some things i may have a video for you.

just that fact that it still has both roofs says a lot to the previous owners..typically they sell off one of the roof's because a person can get $800 for the glass roof

1965kyzer

thank so and I'm sure I'll be in touch.

ColaBear

Nothing wrong with the 96 automatic, as the 4L60E is one of the best automatics ever built. Unless you plan to Auto Cross or track day your 96, then the auto will hold up fine. You can't out shift it at the drags either.

confab

It really does get a bad rap. They made millions of those transmissions, and they see hard service in the trucks and hold up fine for 150, 170K. Mine has 270K on it right now, and it works like brand new.

It's a very customizeable transmission. It is easy to understand and to repair. Cheap to fix or hop up. There's a lot to be said for the 4L60/E.

billschroeder5842

Congrats! Now post some pictures and "get after it". You have a lot of people rooting for you!

1965kyzer

This is it, still dirty, been in a garage for a while.

billschroeder5842

Great looking car- those are great wheels. Congrats!

1965kyzer

Washed it off today