Hello, I am new on the C4 thread. I was previously active on the C3 thread but that car has been sold to help my daughter purchase her first home which she lost in a divorce 6 months later! Bummer! . Anyway.. I am interested in a C4. Been looking at all years from 1984 thru 1996. I test drove a 1996 automatic which was very refined and I missed the manual. My C3 was a 4spd and so much fun to drive.. I realized I HAVE to have another stick car. So... after lots of research I am pretty much settled on wanting an L98 with TPI. I also want that 6spd so the 2 years I am looking for are 1989 and 1990. Every one I find with the ZF6 6pd has a tremendous amount of miles on it. The 2 I found both ran excellent with no issues but the thing that blew my mind is both of them had the original clutches in them and burned no oil and virtually no leaks. One has 160K on it and the other has 172K on it. The one with 172K is a 1990 convertible. Runs like a champ, clutch feels good and grabs low, no shakes, hardly any rattles and the motor runs smooth as silk. Even the digital dash on both cars worked perfectly.
So... with that said... is 172K something to RUN AWAY from? My gut feeling from being driving for the last 45 years is to stay away from ANYTHING with that many miles but most of the vettes around here that are L98 powered all have super high mileage on them. Neither car was original owner, neither car has any service or maintenance records but both cars are really clean. The only things I know that were replaced on the 1990 with 172K on it is the top is new, it has an aftermarket exhaust that sounds amazing and it has brand new Eagle F1 tires on it but the clutch is original with 172K on it!!! . Any suggestions or advise is appreciated.

 

It all depends on how they were taken care of. A 160K car can be a better deal than a 60K one if it was maintained. Regular oil changes, suspension parts, wheel bearings, pretty much everything that moves wears out eventually. If the previous owner kept ahead of these things it wouldn't scare me if the price was right. Besides, the odometers on the early cars are very easy to mess with. A least you (probably) know they are honest. If your not sure about what you're looking at, have it checked over by someone that is.

 

I still see more than a few low mile examples pop up on BAT. It kind of depends on your budget and patience. Hope you find what you are looking for.

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I do not shy away from high mileage cars. Company cars are usually hidden gems. A meticulously maintained 150k mkile car is a much better deal that a 50k mile car that been flogged on. Years ago we regretfully sold a Saturn manual car with over 200k miles on it. Original clutch, burned no oil. Bought a Pontiac minivan (kids) with low miles and was a total POS.

Have the owner stater the car COLD while you stand out back and watch for unusual smoke/color from the tail pipes. Look at all the fluids, have they been flushed and kept up or is everything muddy, look at the serpentine belt, wear is one thing, looking like its original to the car is another. Get on your hands and knees and look at the front tires. Are they wearing even or are the wheel bearings shot? You get the idea. I've bought plenty of cars with over 100k miles on them and walked away from 60k miles cars. Good luck!

 

I hear you. I have bought and sold probably around 50 cars over the last 40+ years of driving. Been wrenching on all of them since I was a teenager back in a time where a hammer, a pair of vice grips and a roll of duct tape could get you out of almost any jam.
It is just shocking to me that any 1990 C4 Vette with a 6 speed could have the original clutch at 160K to 170K miles. It doesn't even seem possible. With regular oil changes and maintenance a 350 block could last for upwards of 250K but a 6 speed in a Vette I would think 80K to 100K would top of the mark.
My old Vette was a 77 C3 with an M21 Muncie 4spd. It had 80K on it. The clutch went at 78K and was replaced. I understand that the ZF6 clutch is a hydraulic clutch. Is that the reason they last so long? I thought the hydraulic part of the clutch was just to ease the pressure required in depressing the clutch pedal making it easier to use.
Does the hydraulic part aid in extending the life of the clutch itself? Or is it the CAGS. Both cars clutches grabbed nice and low and I assumed that means the clutch in both cars is good but I read that even if the ZF6 clutch is on its last legs it will still grab low as if it was new.

 

Agreed, extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence!

Where are you located? Lower mile versions (100k ish or less) of exactly what you are looking for seem to pop up around me fairly regularly (Ohio/MI) and two recently for SUB 6k.

Oh and “nice and low” can be a bad thing. If the hydraulics are failing and have air in them, the engagement moves closer and closer to the floor. C4s tend to have a fairly high engagement point anyway… it makes it very hard to judge. The absolute best way is to put it in 5th at a slow speed and hammer it to see if it slips. Everything else is guessing.

Honestly you care more about leaky hydraulics or poor synchro engagement…that’s the trans killer.