Hey, just thought I would go ahead and create an account here because I figured I would be needing some help with a corvette I was planning on purchasing. I am looking at a 1985 C4 with mostly original parts (t-top, seats, paint) the car looks great, cosmetically, besides some weathering that still holds up but is not pretty. I was in the market for an older car for a while and settled on looking for a corvette because of the reasonable prices and the good looks. The car I am interested in is on a local lot I passed on the way to work and that’s how it caught my eye, I took a look with the dealer and asked to take it to my personal mechanic because I am not very knowledgeable in cars but he said he would have to check with the owner because the car is a consignment piece, I do not know much about car sales but that did put me off that he was not open to letting someone else look at it. I got in for a little and the car started, the car door had a different key from the ignition key which was different. Under the hood looks good besides a little dirty, the main thing I was able to gather wrong was the ac not pushing any air so when you mess with the dials, the radio did not turn on either and the previous owner had put something over the driver information center above the console. I do not think the dash was dim but I did see it has 68k miles on it! The car has apparently been field kept with a cover for a while and the dealer is trying to sell it for 4.5k which makes me skeptical. Other things are that the rims are the corvette saw blades and flaking a little, the tires need to be replaced because of dry rot but I was told it was driven to the dealer. I just want to get an opinion from some people who would know what to look out for before I go ahead with the purchase.

Thanks in advance!

 

Sounds to me like the car has problems with electrical in the center stack. DIC not working, Radio not working etc. Also I would look at the condition of the tires and drive the car. Driving it will tell you a lot.
IE: Does it run straight down the road, does it have power or is it stumbling,

 

Its an 85, there are supposed to be two keys. Is the piece over the DIC have the corvette emblem on it? If so its merely an aftermarket piece that can easily be removed. If the owner is reluctant to let you take it to your mechanic I would certainly pass. Or, have the dealer, who is going to make $$$ on the deal if he manages to sell it, should be willing to take it to the mechanic of your choice. A test drive and checking all the buttons/switches/etc will help you make the decision to have it checked out further or decide it needs more work than you are willing to get involved in.