Regen

I am looking for a used car to run around town in, maybe a hour long trip here and there, inexpensive and older is fine.

I just started looking at car sites yesterday and was just generally browsing. Was thinking about a Jeep Wrangler but those things really seem to hold their value. I noticed a 1993 Corvette though with the LT1 in it. I bit older than I was considering but it looked nice in the picture. The mileage claimed 87K and the asking price is around $10K. That seemed surprisingly low but the description claims it runs and drives fine. I sat that browser tab aside and kept looking, then I found another, 1994 corvette, same engine and the body looked ok in the pictures, 120K miles, $8K. Then another about the same...

I have never considered a corvette before, at all. Now I sort of am.. I mean they are really cool, no doubt. If I am going to buy an older used car, I am certainly not against cool as a bonus. I always assumed, even old models were fairly expensive, doesn't seem to always be the case. Obviously these sellers could very well be hiding some large issues and at the prices I am talking about, buyer beware is clearly the mantra.

That said, I might go look at a few of these so I have some questions:

1. I understand that at these prices, these are not going to be show quality cars, of course. Which is fine, I am looking for something to drive. I do have concerns about the prices though. Are they generally around this cost?

2. What should I be looking for? What are the known major and common problems?

3. I live in the Midwest. Born and raised here, drive in snow ice and slush for several months every year, not a problem. That said, I have almost always had trucks and 4X4 at my disposal, but honestly only used the 4X4 when I was lazy about clearing my driveway after a large snow. I assume these are going to be...a handful and rather finicky compared to a pickup or SUV in the snow and ice, correct?

4. How is the reliability? For example, if I buy an early to mid 90s model with say 130K on the clock, how much more life can I expect out of the engine, transmission etc?

5. It has been a few years since I have driven a stick but I have owned manual transmission vehicles on and off my whole life. In fact I learned to drive with one, it is not a problem. Are there any concerns or recommendations that are specific in terms of auto vs manual transmissions with these cars?

6. I don't know what I don't know. Please feel free to educate me.

Thank you for your time!

65Z01

1. The higher the mileage the lower the pricing.
2. I am biased because I love the late '80s style and performance. I have an '88 auto ($8k) 52k miles and a "new" '89 stick vert ($9k) 53k miles.
3. I live in SE NY and have to shovel out one of my Vettes to run errands. GY Eagle All Weathers are very good in <4-5 inches of snow.
4. Though I had put >210k (racing) miles on my prior '88, I looked for ~50k miles before buying my two current Vettes.
5. I prefer the 6-speed manual, introduced in '89 and continued through '96.
6. I strongly suggest you "try on" a few of different years to see what best suits you. Then start looking for the one you prefer.

Do you intend to turn wrenches or have repairs done by a shop? Some items are relatively expensive while others are rather simple and not pricy.

Good luck and have fun with the search.

FAUEE

I agree with what was already said. People will tell you that's too much mpney for a C4, and you could get a C5, and the C4 sucks for this or that reason... it's all noise really, dont pay it much mind.

The one thing i will add, get a good test ride in. These cars are not for everyone. I have a friend who cant stand to drive smaller cars, he can only do big giant 2500 trucks. If you were looking at a wrangler, a corvette is a big departure from that.

aklim

See what the last few months prices have been. Look at the "completed and sold" listings on eBay to see what it sold for, See the condition it is in. I don't care about your asking price. I care what people have paid for it. Also it might be a bit more because spring is here as opposed to someone who might have to store it and pay for storage, etc. If you can wait, I'd do it later in fall.

Before money changes hands, I want a complete Pre Delivery Inspection. That includes compression test and dropping the trans pan at the least.

Steves LS6

I am in a similar predicament. Ask questions here, study the market and google is a great tool to use for things like VIN numbers. Most Corvette owners maintain their cars so it makes it easier to find a good one. In my case I have a car that I need to sell before I buy but I will share what I learned so far. I wouldn't be scared of miles. In either case L98 or LT1/4 if maintained these motors will last a long time. You have to remember a similar LT1 and 700R4/4L60E was used in the Caprice/Impala. Up until recently you would still see those used as police/taxi cabs with a ton of miles on them. So durability is proven. The only issues I can see with an LT1 is the optispark on the 92-94's, most likely a car with higher miles would have this changed or upgraded. From what I gathered L98's are a little more dependable because it doesn't have optispark. 1991 was the last year of the L98 so if you like the later style 91 will give you both. 1996 have some different upgraded electronics so I consider 96's a one year only car. 96 was also the only year an LT4 was available (manual only) and those usually cost the most. If you find an LT4 car for less than 10k and it is clean/ maintained I would strongly consider one of those over the other years. 96's will cost a little more to maintain because they have many things that was one year only. The other common issues I see are weather stripping, worn seats, bad Bose amps, bad radios, and on the 84-89 bad instrument clusters. Check for rust under the battery. Tires are expensive. Run a Carfax and have a pre-purchase inspection done. Don't be afraid to buy out of state. If you look at enough cars you will be able to get a "feel" for what is good or not. Try not to buy from a flipper. As for the snow question the later ones have traction control and ABS. If you invest in the right set of winter tires you can drive whatever you buy all year around. I hope some of this stuff helps you out. Good luck.

FAUEE

The only unreliable thing about the optispark is its reputation and owners. People would let water pumps fail and leak on top of them, and never change them out. They would completely ignore that sort of maintenance and then be made it doesnt work forever. They would ignore the warning signs of issues, the trouble codes and everything and then be indignant over it. Then theyd make it out to be a hard job than it is to replace. It's an afternoon in the garage with a beer or 2 kinda job, it's easier to do than plugs and wires IMO. And I've done both.

Steves LS6

I understand that opti goes bad because of lack of maintenance or knowledge. I can't say for certain that it's common for it to go bad but most of the time people post their complaints not how great something is. The average person will ignore maintainence or keep driving a car even if they know there is an issue. Then they complain.

aklim

The average person is a moron as evidenced by advertising. They want to be lied to so they can feel good about not doing maintenance BUT they also want it to be true.

Mr. Peabody

If you really are considering a C4 corvette then:

(1) invest $20.00 and buy yourself a copy of Mike Antonick's "Corvette Black Book" to learn about all the changes that were made during the 14 years of production run of C4.

(2) go to used car lots and drive several different examples of C4 to see if if you like the ride.

(3) if you are not a mechanic or you are not looking to spend a lot of time wrenching on the car to maintain it and diagnose issues as a hobby, then before you buy look around the area where you live and see if there is a shop that specializes in corvettes. Stop in and visit with them and ask if they are familiar with working on and tuning C4's.

Most common mistake people make with a C4 ...... falling in love with the first one that they find ....... and buying it .......... without driving other examples.

The price of the car is not as important as the maintenance history. Thus you are often going to get a better (25 - 30 year old car) from a long term owner than a used car lot.

Just my $0.02 ....... best of luck and enjoy the search there are LOTS of used C4s out there.

scorpiofox69

what Mr. Peabody said......

aklim

I think the issue is more simply falling BLINDLY in love and buying it without having an independent set of eyes on the thing. I would have them do a PDI that includes compression testing. IF the seller is balking at it or just plain says no, be prepared to walk. Either they are so set that nobody other themselves touches Snookums and expect you to buy without having a professional looking at it or they are trying to hide something. If they say no over the phone, I just thank them for their time and hang up.