For reasons I'll not get into now I've been thinking about buying an old 'vette for years. I joined here in 2017 when I looked at several corvettes, 2-C4s, 1-C3 but nothing came of it as the wife was 'displeased', but the desire hasn't left. In the meantime I've entertained myself with my 3 old Harleys which I enjoy.

For a number of weeks I've noticed a C4 sitting in the lot at a local gas station with a for sale sign in the window - RED - I'm a sucker for RED. I found myself wondering if maybe it was a stick . . . a Doug Nash 4+3 . . . forbidden fruit, poisonous! If it's an automatic, I'm not interested but the 4+3 . . . I'd better not stop -- and I didn't stop . . . and I didn't stop . . . and I didn't stop, for a long time, until today.

Today I stopped. It IS a 4+3 and I dropped my butt into the seat and forced my 66 year old spine to bend enough to get my head in which immediately sprung up against the T-top . . . that's not good! I tried to play with the seat controls but either I needed the keys to do that or the battery was dead so I reluctantly got out and told the guy manning the station that I couldn't fit, "Yea, you could never fit into that thing!" was his response. I was very disappointed, to say the least because the price was right.

After I got back on my '04 Road King and headed up the road toward home I found myself thinking, "maybe I can pull the stock seat out and install a minimal race seat to get the headroom I need. It'd be worth the discomfort to get my 'vette. Then I thought about all the hassle that would be, storing the stock seat somewhere where it would be safe so I'd have it if I decided to sell it, awwww screw it, I don't need a 'vette. But the thought wouldn't go away.

When I got home I decided to Google "can a tall man fit in a c4 corvette" and the first hit was here and I discovered that guys taller than me - and a lot heavier than my svelte 215 pounds - own and regularly drive C4s. That settled it. I went back and looked at it again. I still couldn't fit but I'm going to assume the seat isn't in the lowest, rearmost position and even if it is I don't care. If this car is remotely worth the money being asked, if it isn't a rust bucket, if it starts and drives, I'm going to buy it. If my wife leaves me - goodbye. If the sky falls - Oh Well!

Those of you who might read this, wish me well as I head down this road to purchase.

BTW, it's an '85 coupe, 2 door hatchback made in Bowling Green.

 

Check the seat adjustment, you may not have it all the way down or back as you noted. I've also heard of people swapping the power for manual seat tracks.
Now I have a convertible but I'm 6'4" and 220 lbs and fit into my 86, though it is a convertible.
Also check behind the seat to insure something didn't fall behind it, restricting it's movement.

C4's aren't the easiest to get out of but even a almost 70 yr old like me can get in and out of them. Just don't use the steering column to aid getting out of the car, it can be damaged.

 

You never mentioned how tall you are. I'm 6'2 and have no issues, i can even wear a race helmet.

 

Manual seats sit lower. Power seat needs to work if you are tall.

 

Thanks for the replies.

I'm about 6'6". I found the seat back release so I could rummage around in the back storage bins, there was nothing behind the driver's seat and it wasn't all the way back which is encouraging. I didn't notice if it has a tilt wheel though I'd be surprised if it didn't. A tilt wheel would help as well.

I'll learn more on Wednesday.

 

I'm 6'0" - 220lbs I know a lot of guys taller and bigger than me drive c4s. I find that with the power seat all the way down and back in my 94 it is very comfortable. That being said, my head is very close to the roof. The glass top helps with headroom. I have a couple inches between the back of my head and the halo in that position. I think the real solution here is to just take the targa out - unlimited headroom! I only say this half in jest - if this is a fair weather cruiser it is a viable option. I have my top out most of the time Also I believe pre-airbag Vettes have tilt and telescope steering wheels - someone with more experience can correct me if I'm wrong. Another thing to note though is that c4's have a tiny pedal box. There is not a lot of footroom in these cars. What size shoe do you wear? That could be another limiting factor.

 

My shoe size is 11 1/2, shouldn't be a problem. My head hitting the 'halo' (Is that what it's called?) IS a concern. I guess I just need to hold steady in my resolve and deal with the fitting problem if/when I own it. Assuming it's still there tomorrow and I can spend time with it and test drive it a lot will be revealed.

I watched a video yesterday on rebuilding the overdrive section of the 4+3 by Paul Cangialosi. I have a better idea of how it works and he mentioned a give away if it's failing that can be detected on a test drive. Going to be doing more research today.

 

I've got size 13's, they can be a boarder line issue at times. If they do then switch to different shoes or drive barefoot. Things like running shows have wider soles and can be a bit of a problem at times. I actually like driving barefoot and have for years. I think I have a slightly better sensitivity on the controls that way but that's just me.

 

Still researching. I couldn't find the RPO codes when I was looking the car over, tried a number of places that seemed logical for the codes. Didn't think of the console storage bin . . . live and learn.

How problematic are the fiberglass leaf springs as they age? How many of you have had to replace the front wheel bearings (and hub I guess)?

 

I just got back from spending some time with the car. It's got 35K miles on it. The guy working at the station knows the car and has done oil changes on it over the years. He told me he believes the owner had the heads done and a better cam installed. I'd say that
s correct from the test drive, it has respectable power. OD worked as it's supposed to. Everything about driving the car seems good though it hasn't been driven much for a couple years due to the owner's illness then death so at low throttle settings it's a little rough. Dash works well, all electronic gauges work, air conditioning works.

First thing I'd have to do is put 4 new tires on it. The current ones aren't worn out, they're dry rotted. Only a few things will need to be fixed, driver's side power window, outside remote power mirrors (It's probably a fuse or switch), did I mention some water leaks (it's a Corvette), I'd need to go over both seats, they need help.

Me in the 'Vette . . . ah well, I'd have to figure something out. The manual passenger seat seems to give me more room than the driver's seat, wonder if I could just swap them? Worst case I could leave the seat out and sit on pillows. [img]core/smilies/0/0/4/2/7/8/images/smilies/rolleyes.png[/img]

The widow turned down $4200 last night. She had to install a new battery so that's one thing I wouldn't have to worry about. I'm going back down in an hour or so and the guy working the station told me he'll put it on a lift so I can see the underside. If that's good I'll offer $4500 and see what happens.

 

Don't know about 85, but at 6' 2" I have no problem with head room in my 96. As others mention, just wondering if seat adjustment is stuck or something. Not sure what you mean with you head hitting, do you mean the A-Pillar? C4's don't have t-tops. $4500 seems reasonable for a car with 35k is that right? 35k is pretty low for a car 33 years old.

 

It's tough to be sure but I believe that was the real mileage. I had it on a lift and was looking under it, very clean. I can't be sure about the seat because they had obvious functional issues. My head hit the halo but it's not unusual for me to hit my head on stuff. I hit my head 4 or 5 times when checking out the undercarriage. The guy helping me out was walking around under it no problem while I'm wacking my head.

Anyway I stopped by here to close out this story. I didn't get it. I'm going regret missing this one for a long time. The car was very nice. While I was checking out the undercarriage, another guy was calling the owner with an offer. I missed out by about 5 minutes. When I talked to the owner I told her if the other guy doesn't come through to call me and I'd get the cash ASAP but I don't see it happening.

Guess I'll drop in here in another few years and tell you about the next car deal I blow.

 

Bummer you didn't get, but there are plenty of C4's around, best time to look though is Fall to Winter, generally Spring is higher priced for any sports car.

 

Dude.... good condition C4s are everywhere for around 5 grand.... just search harder and you'll find a good one. I saw a 32k mile car in the for sale section for $5000. just the other day.... Allot of the fun is the search... dont give up. You can find a good one and then youll look back and say man, Im glad I got this one instead of that other one.... happens all the time.

 

For you it is probably easy to find a good one at a reasonable price , but for a European buyer as me ( looking for a manual 1989 ) it seems to be more difficult 😏

 

I wouldnt dispute that at all. I guess shipping would be ridiculous also....

 

As long as the OP missed the deal I have a suggestion for him based on personal experience.

I bought an '86 indy roadster with 4+3 new and drove it for 4 years. Having had several earlier 4 speeds you get used to the querky, clunky, sloppy linkage gearbox. One day while getting the vert serviced at my Chevy dealer I was offered a test ride in a '90 ZF 6 speed roadster. It was love at first shift. To me it was the single best advance Chevy had done in several years.

29 years and 53K miles later, running the gears still puts a smile on my face. It truly makes the C4 a Vette.

My suggestion to you is look for an '89 and newer manual.