Hey all! Car noob and also have never owned a Vette. I’m looking into buying a Vette from a personal seller but have no idea what red flags to look out for, if it’s fair value, common problems it may have, ect….

 

make sure every light, button and switch works. electrical issues might not be expensive but can drive you insane trying to track down the problem. and the usual runs, drives and stops. cosmetics are expensive but it depends on are you looking for ready to go or weekend toy to work on?

 

I’m looking for ready to go. It’s currently listed at $9500. It has 100,000 miles.

 

Nice looking car . Check the date on the tires and for cracks , do they all match ? A good set of new tires will set you back at least $1000.00 and those seats will cost around $800.00 for new covers and even more for new foam if needed . The miles aren't bad . A person buying a Corvette better be handy with a wrench or have deep pockets to pay for up keep .
Dealer of origin was in Alaska ? Interesting .

 

Kinda steep but conditionis where its at. Fairly rare color combo and looks to be in nice shape
Some sellers dont want you going far on your drive. Tell them you want to get it on the hwy feel for vibrations, watch the temps to make sure it doesnt get hot.
Does it run smooth top and turn ok? Ac cold, lights work etc.
If you post your location many times theres a member in your area that can look at it with/for you.

Try here or run a 2nd one in the regional section. Ive had guys in different states Ive never met offer to help out.
For that kind of money it should be a needs nothing or super minimal car.
Find out how old the tires are..over 6 and they should be replaced soon regarless of how nice they look.

 

I’m in Birmingham, AL. What are some other questions I should be asking the seller?

 

Biggest red flag to me is 100k miles. Find out what has been replaced and read more post here on what can go wrong and cost to repair.

 

Check all the functions on the seats. This includes all of the 6-way power seat functions on both sides. Since the car has sport seats, check all of the sport seat functions including rear seat-back tilt, side bolster movement, and most importantly, check to make sure the lumbar function works as it should (all 3 air bags, both sides). If you can't fix that yourself, it will be expensive to have fixed.

On a car with 100K and an asking price of $9500 I would expect everything to work...no exceptions.

Oh, and if you're buying from a location other than where you live, don't take the sellers word as gospel on anything. Unless you can see it, inspect it, and test it for yourself, you have no way of knowing the actual condition of anything. If you have to travel to inspect it, do it. If you can't travel, hire a professional inspection service to go over the car. If it turns out to not meet your criteria, the money you spend for the inspection (or travel) could put you money ahead in the long run.

I sold an '87 to a member in Atlanta a few years back. My car was a turn-key, drive anywhere car. I made it very clear to the buyer that if he came out to buy the car, and the car did not meet his expectations based on my descriptions, pictures, etc...that I would pay for his return flight home. He flew in, I picked him up from the airport in the car, we drove the 45 minutes on the interstate back to my house where he spent another couple of hours going over the car. He purchased the car and drove straight through back to Atlanta. He was very happy with his purchase.

That's how a transaction should go.

 

Id feel better if the car had like 80k maybe you can make an offer, if everything checks out ok on the car. its a nice car, i'd feel better at 7 or 8k

 

One of the things with those 80’s Vettes with Auto transmissions, many of them could have transmission failures. Ask the owner if it was ever rebuilt. If not, You may need to have it done.
I had an ‘89 that needed a rebuild around 60k miles.

Also, ask the owner how long he has had it and what work has been done.

 

Don't forget the headlights, flip them up/down several times, make sure they work smoothly.
Check heat works, A/C works (typical used car things).

Ask for maintenance records. If provided (better be), note dates, etc.

Price, hard call. Would think a bit high, but many are mentioning C4 prices are rising. Up to you to negotiate.

 

Check the floor for damage, nobody ever mentions the floor when it comes to inspection advice.

 

Good point, one idiot jacked up my car using the floor, took the wheel off and was poking around the brakes, phone rings so goes to answer it,
next thing car starts moving and jack goes through the floor.
Would have fallen on his head if the phone had not rung.