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Hi Im thinking about buying 1995 with 54995 miles on it.
here is what happened.
Last week, I was this close to close the deal on red 2007 C6. I test drove the car, inspected the car, convinced the wife I needed this car, I had loan approval, and all I had to do was to sign it.
But at the very last min at the finance managers office, I backed out.
I just couldn't. With 2 young kids, mortgage and 2 car payments, I just couldn't not commit myself to pay $412/mo for 72months.
It was at upper limit of where I can afford, and if anything happened, Id been screwed.
So I went to look at this 95 instead. priced almost 1/4 of what C6 would have cost me, and monthly payment is less than half. I could confortably commit myself for 36 months payments.
So I had chance to look at it today from top to bottom.
I had the dealer lift it up in the air, and I test drove it on highway, city driving, hard braking, spirited take off and so on.
So here are few things Ive noticed.
Mechanically, I think this car is great shape. it drove straight. and it stop straight. It shift smooth(Automatic), kick down accordingly.
No odd noise or anything like that.
Ride was smooth enough(as far as 23y/o Corvette with original shocks goes).
all switches work
both windows work(Although, I don't know if there should be an express down on passenger side?)
all lights work
leather seats are decent condition with no rip/tear
Exterior paint is ok condition. Its no show car. one spot where clear coat is worn down, and one spot right behind the drivers door looks like may have been painted at one time.
So here are few negatives.
Oil leak - Looks like front main seal. possibly rear main too, but can't tell(No big deal as since I plan to replace opti spark anyway, I;; replace te front main then).
Output shaft seal on A/T is leaking(easy enough to replace. Looks like I have to replace the senter section of exhaust).
rear passenger side leaf spring bushing(Im not sure if that's what it called. its the rubber bushing on bottom of leaf spring in pic below that I found on internet) is crushed/ripped/destroyed. but I believe that's chea enough fix
Heater do not work. fan works, But when I set the temp to 90, and set it to Auto, it blew cold air even after engine temp was up(this could be as simple as needing to bleed the cooling system/flush the sludge out of heater core. Could be something else).
driver side door handle plate is broken(Discontinued from manufacture, but found it on e-bay for very cheap).
steering wheel is warped(again, found nice used steering wheel on ebay cheap)
dash pod by the center defrost vent is warped(again, I hound the entire dash pod for less than $200. But it says it only fit 1090~1993. I need to find out if dash was changed from 93 to 94...)
transparent roof panel is not all that transparent any more(I have found few on ebay, but they aren't cheap) its also missing the latchet to remove it. So I couldn't remove it today)
some water leak on passenger side(Presumably from window/targa top seal as they are BAD shape(will need to replace these before I wash the car)
Here are couple of pics. I was all sorts of excited that I forgot to take interior pics
So all this for $7295.
Car is sold as is. But dealer agreed with me to let me take it to my mechanic on Friday all day so that my mechanic can go through it with fine toothed comb until Im totally satisfied.
My main concern right now is no heat and water leak. Rest, I can replace/repair as I go.
First I will say to you that “I” think that 1995 is one of the best years for C4 corvette.
Next. Heater core. There is most likely a leak in the heater core. This is a common problem in cars of this age. The problem is that the heater core is not technically difficult but very labor intensive to remove and replace. Thus many owners simply disconnect the “in” and “out” hoses from the heater and connect the two hoses together bypassing the heater core. This is why you have no heat. Make SURE your mechanic checks this out and use it to negotiate the price on your car.
Next I would not trust this dealer to know anything about the car you intend to buy. Why? Their technician installed the front wheels backwards.
Also based on this picture you posted, you already have non-stock suspension components on the rearend of that car. One has to wonder what else is non stock on that particular vehicle.
Next. Do NOT replace the opti unless you have run diagnostics and determined that it is malfunctioning. Reason; with the relatively low mileage on this vehicle chances are the opti is the original OEM and thus has the (no longer manufactured) Mitsubishi optical sensor in it. Do NOT throw this away. Also opti is no longer something that you want to replace as a “preventative maintenance” issue.
If you intend to keep this car you would do well to invest in purchasing the 2-volume set Factory Service Manual specifically for the 95 Vette. The FSM gives you great diagnostic trees to evaluate the dozen or so various sensors that feed info to the PCM and CCM computers that control how well and smooth the engine runs. This is a car that is expensive to throw parts at in attempts to solve engine “issues” thus you want to make sure and diagnose that a particular sensor has failed before you start replacing things. The FSM is often available in the C4 parts for sale section or on flebay.
Since you are buying this vette from a dealership “as is” rather than from a long term private owner with maintenance records I would suggest that you budget (at least) several grand for general maintenance and component replacement that will be required over the first year or two of ownership.
Last edited by Mr. Peabody; 11-09-2018 at 06:30 PM.
Next I would not trust this dealer to know anything about the car you intend to buy. Why? Their technician installed the front wheels backwards.
I know you are excited about the car, but from your description it sounds a bit rough. Its easy for me to spend your money but for a couple thousand dollars more, you can get something much more squared away; you mention leaks (oil and water), need to remove the dash, potential heater core, door handles....etc. This strikes me as a lot of work.
Keep looking and you will find something cleaner.
Last edited by billschroeder5842; 11-09-2018 at 06:38 PM.
This one is in Central Illinois. I almost bought this 1991 Manual... it is a sweet car. Has a few issues, but the mileage and price is attractive. It road like new.. I ended up buying a 1995 same color automatic.
First I will say to you that “I” think that 1995 is one of the best years for C4 corvette.
Next. Heater core. There is most likely a leak in the heater core. This is a common problem in cars of this age. The problem is that the heater core is not technically difficult but very labor intensive to remove and replace. Thus many owners simply disconnect the “in” and “out” hoses from the heater and connect the two hoses together bypassing the heater core. This is why you have no heat. Make SURE your mechanic checks this out and use it to negotiate the price on your car.
Next I would not trust this dealer to know anything about the car you intend to buy. Why? Their technician installed the front wheels backwards.
Also based on this picture you posted, you already have non-stock suspension components on the rearend of that car. One has to wonder what else is non stock on that particular vehicle.
Next. Do NOT replace the opti unless you have run diagnostics and determined that it is malfunctioning. Reason; with the relatively low mileage on this vehicle chances are the opti is the original OEM and thus has the (no longer manufactured) Mitsubishi optical sensor in it. Do NOT throw this away. Also opti is no longer something that you want to replace as a “preventative maintenance” issue.
If you intend to keep this car you would do well to invest in purchasing the 2-volume set Factory Service Manual specifically for the 95 Vette. The FSM gives you great diagnostic trees to evaluate the dozen or so various sensors that feed info to the PCM and CCM computers that control how well and smooth the engine runs. This is a car that is expensive to throw parts at in attempts to solve engine “issues” thus you want to make sure and diagnose that a particular sensor has failed before you start replacing things. The FSM is often available in the C4 parts for sale section or on flebay.
Since you are buying this vette from a dealership “as is” rather than from a long term private owner with maintenance records I would suggest that you budget (at least) several grand for general maintenance and component replacement that will be required over the first year or two of ownership.
Yes I accidentally hit submit x2.
i took the car to my mechanic and he spent about hour and half going over the car today, and this is that he thought.
wet spot on passenger floor is definitely just water. Seals around windows and targa top are all in despicable shape. Cracked badly, and ripped in some areas. Confirmed after hosing it off with garden hose few min caused water to drips in from right at the corner of targatop.
Both inlet and outlet coollant lines do get hot once car is up in temp. My mechanic don’t feel that lack of heat is caused by anything to do with coolant line but rather, car has either bad HVAC control unit(parts with screens) or part that actually controls the part vacuume lines. He says broken HVAC control is very common with these cars.
tires are mounted backwords. It is annoying. But at least car comes with brand new Continental bExtreme Sport for front and rear. Can’t go wrong with that.
one thing on backwords wheel - I found the car in through CarGulu. 110miles away at this dealer “Sutliff AutoGroup.
they also had a branch in my home town. So I had them brought the car up for me to see. Car showed up with it mounted on backwords. So it was one of their boys that mounted the tires back on. This dealer has nothing To do with that.
oil leak is from valve cover he Feels. Guess we’ll find out
automatic shaft seal... it’s easy repair. But since mid pipe is in the way.
while car does only have 55kmiles, it is 23 years old car. I expected some leak is normal...?
mechanic feels if I put aside around $1000~$1500, I should be able to comfortably cover all tho little stuff that’s wrong with it
After speaking with dealer ship with all the little things we discovered, they marked it down to $6600.
Glad you had a mechanic check it out first, and the dealer lowered their price. Still makes one wonder, how much the dealer actually paid for your car and if they could've sold it for even less. That's part of "Buyer's Remorse."
tires are mounted backwords. It is annoying. But at least car comes with brand new Continental bExtreme Sport for front and rear. Can’t go wrong with that.
Those tires have a tread pattern that is asymmetrical, not directional. So you don't have to dis-mount the tires from the wheels. You just have to swap the wheels from side to side. Those are great tires, too.
Congratulations! You are going to enjoy your journey! I am still getting acquainted with my 1992 Roadster, Lots of fun and a labor of love for sure! I think you have half the challenge licked because you have a competent mechanic who is willing/capable of working on your classic Vette. Hopefully you reside in a climate which allows for an extended driving season. Have fun!
11-07-2018, 11:11 PM
thinking about buying 95 base...
