dizwiz24

I always see these posts about someone cheaping out somewhere, whether it be:

cheap epdm china weatherstrip
chinese optisparks
chinese waterpumps
cast china replacement slave cylinder

and then having problems vs. spending some money to fix the problem right.

why, oh why do people act like this is a cheap , crappy car unworthy of $$ .

how about treat it as the great car it is, get the right parts, the right mods , and bring it to modern day glory.

jv9999

It's not just C4s, it's the auto industry in general. Trying to find quality replacement parts is a real challenge even when cost isn't a factor.

Blackcorvette_85

What replacement parts arent made in china? Most of the ac delco stuff I have bought lately all says made in china and honestly the quality seems lacking. Pretty sure Ive bought my last ac delco part after my last tune up, just wasn't impressed, well at least when I have a choice. Would be my guess that most of that stuff is all made in the same factory anyway and just branded differently..

aklim

Because people want to think they can get $100 worth of product for $10 or less?

Because they are stupid and it bites them in the ***?

Because the "sold" value said so?

"was", not "is".

aklim

I disagree. It is the people in general and not just the Auto, roofing, house building, etc, etc industry. Quality products are a thing of the past because we, the consumer told the manufacturer that we don't want it.

aklim

Be care of what you wish for. You might get it.

Patsgarage

The C4 is a cheap car. We may love them, but to many they are just a sub $10k used sports car.

aklim

At 30 years old, what do you expect?

d4d4u1

I agree, China is destroying our cars with cheap replacement parts that either fail after 1 year or do not fit correctly to begin with. If you buy something that is cheap it will not last half as long as if you bought the US made part for more money. Even parts from other countries like Mexico or Canada are far better than the crap from China. I have seen this first hand with weather strip replacements kits. Where the Door weather strip does not fit correctly.

aklim

So last year, Canada and Mexico were the whipping boys. Then Mexico and now China, Vietnam, etc, etc. So if you are overweight, who is responsible for destroying your health? McDonald's that set up a fast food joint or you, who insisted on shoving 3 Big Mac Meals into your pie hole 3 times a day? They put cheap crap and we buy it thus WE sent the message that we don't want stuff that lasts. We want cheap junk even if it costs more in the long run. Sorry, we, the consumer were driving the bus so don't blame the bus for where it leads.

Edit. BTW, it might be too late since they have switched directions and made cheap crap but that is the bed that we, as a society, have made so guess what we get to lay in? Go look at all the threads. Basically, a lot of "I want to go fast but must be cheap". I want to buy a set of tools but must be cheap. They obliged and now you have the gall to grumble and blame them for your stupidity? I think not.

TorchTarga94

FAUEE

You guys are all missing the root cause. Things got offshored not because people demanded lower prices, but because the finance industry demanded increasing profits.

Wall Street is the underlying issue. Say your company grows 5% one quarter, really a great achievement. Well Wall St says they want you to grow 6% next quarter now, since you hit 5% last quarter. Or, more accurately, your company makes 10M in revenue and 5M in profit for the quarter. Well they want you to do 15M in revenue and and 10M in profit next quarter. But that math doesnt add up, even if you gained the 5M in revenue it wouldnt all be profit, how does one do this? Cost cutting is how. You reduce cost in materials, in people, etc. So they relocate plants to lower cost areas, they sub in cheaper materials, they focus on output over quality.

And since at the end of the day, large investment banks sit on the boards of these companies, if an executives were to not follow these plans, they would be ousted. The underlying issue isnt consumers, they're not seeing some huge (or any) price break due to offshoring, it's the financial markets.

Kevova

IDK my C4 has been pretty reliable even at 25 years old. So I haven't had to replace many parts. OEM parts particularly electrical have been coming from Asia for decades. Quality varies by brand and many times it's reflected in the price. I'm just happy someone is making reproduction parts. I had a few vehicles that obsolescence moved me into selling them.

Gashousevette

Just think.....one day we might not be able to get half of what we can get now!....so for now I'm thankful

85WHITEZ51

Has nothing to do with age as there are dozens of cars made during the same time period that have held their value MUCH better. Supra, Gen1 and 2 Viper, 300Z, NSX, etc. The Corvette is a dime a dozen car mass produced to the max for what it is. It's over saturation that drives the value of these cars into the tank. Factor in that the C4 is the least desired platform at this point it's obvious why they are so cheap. Just not a lot of people out there that want one.

FAUEE

I maintain the reason they're cheap is they were too good. They didnt dist away like a 300zx. They didnt all get blown up like a supra. They actually sold well compared to nsx or viper.

It isnt that there arent buyers out there, it's that the supply is still huge. It will take a few more years for cars to get removed from the supply pool to really spike.

And honestly, I think part of it is attitudes. A lot of guys on here are very "they will never go up like my old ones". They complain about every little thing. They undervalue the cars constantly. That sort of stuff doesnt help. It may not have a huge impact, but it doesnt help.

Another thing i thought about is the muscle car market spike. They spiked HARD some years back, and i think collectors are sick of hearing about vettes. When you're trying to build an industry around collector cars, you have to have trends. Trends get people to buy a new collector car, so the industry makes money. So right now the old SUV and truck market is hot. The early 2000s euro market is hot. People dont want to hear that vettes are hot, because they did that too recently. Maybe in a few years, the vette market will be hot again, but right now I think the industry is making its money in utility vehicles and euros like the e46 m3 and 996. And of course the fast and furious era cars like Supra, NSX, etc.

2LZ

Because China makes everything including probably the keyboard your typing on and the cellphone you may be using.
Do we really know where any of these parts are made???? We THINK we may know because the ink on a box the part comes in tells us so.
I ordered a Delco waterpump. It had a large chunk of crap inside it from the factory. I ordered a Gates. No problems.
Even expensive Optisparks (MDS) are a crap shoot. I ordered the Sac City unit, put in my known-good Mitsu sensor and sealed it up. Probably the best I could have done with the lack of brand new Delco units.
The problem is also this. I bought a dang nice 96 C4 for 4500.00. Why would I spend almost 30% of the cost of the car on a Melrose top? To do this, a guy has to understand that it's a toy and you'll never get that money back. Some of us are fine with the hole in the driveway, Others would rather not throw big money down it. To each their own.

81c3

Good God, weve been over this a dozen times already....

aklim

That's my point. It IS a run of the mill car. If you ask me to spend $5000 or more on an excellent paint job, it's a hard sell so I will opt for the Maaco special. OTOH, if it is worth $50000, I might consider it. If it is worth $100000, definitely. Right now, most are spending premium money only on sentiment.

cv67

x2 car guys in general are cheap....afraid we are at the turning point of not having choices much longer. The more people buy china stuff the more US companies fold.

Seems to be todays 3rd world mentality thinking where paying more for something good isnt practiced anymore. Many items the "good" isnt available.