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I agree for people on this side of the ocean. What do you do when an Opti goes bad overseas and Petris doesn't have any, the OptiDoc isn't fixing many and you have buy what you can get and, so like many folks here on the forum experience, the POS Opti goes bad in short order or is bad from the start ? Then you start shipping back and forth across the ocean. That can get real expensive and meanwhile, the car sits. We all know the weak point of the whole LT1/LT4 equipped cars, whether they be Corvettes, Firebirds, taxis, station wagons etc is the OptiSpark.
Otherwise the Gen2 engine is a good platform.
I've had good luck with cardone remans and parts store ones. I had a cardone remans that worked great until I sprayed it down with water troubleshooting and HVAC leak.
I think the optical sensor has just gotten easier to replicate over the years,. Honestly, they're easy to disassemble and rebuild DIY anyways. IMO, owning any classic outside of its home market, you need to be ready to DIY some stuff.
I'm almost determined to buy that second car. I just have a question, what could these marks/scratches be? Don't you think it's some kind of mechanical damage? I once saw a C5 with similar marks, it turned out that they were caused by a broken exhaust that hit the chassis.
I hate to say it, but any C4 is going to feel like driving a wet noodle if you're used to a C5 Z06. If you're going to go through the trouble and expense of importing a car, I'd save up little more money and get a well maintained Z06 or a C6 with some miles.
I realize that the C4 will drive worse than the C5 Z06, but:
1) I already had the C5, and I always liked the style of the C4 - I would like to try something new. I don't feel very good in C6.
2) I don't particularly care about extreme/very fast driving
3) The vast majority of vehicles on the local market are damaged, and I would like an accident-free car
4) When I import an accident-free car from the USA, I must aim for cars that are at least 30 years old. Then the tax burden is much lower. I would pay full price for a C5 Z06 imported from the USA. So, for example, a car for 27,000 dollars would ultimately cost at least over 50,000 dollars + certain costs related to initial service in Poland.
Unfortunately, this is what it looks like.
Does it happen in the US that dealers offer cars for sale after serious accidents?
I would be grateful for your ideas on what could have caused the scratch in the photo I sent. Perhaps I'm exaggerating, but photos are currently my only option to verify the condition of the car. Could these be traces of a past accident? Is it a part of the frame or some removable element?
Dzień dobry:
You are looking at the C-beam, which connects the transmission to the differential. Given the lack of any damage to the floor in the immediate area, I would speculate that the C-beam has been removed at one time (maybe during clutch replacement) and dragged across an abrasive surface.
Thanks for all the replies. So I won't worry about these scratches.
But there is still one issue left to be resolved: the history of this vehicle.
According to CarFax, it was serviced exactly twice. In 2000 and 2022. Dealer says it's because it was serviced at a shop that doesn't report to CarFax. Moreover, 21k miles of mileage were done by 2002. After that, only 7k miles.
Theoretically, the car is very nice, red, has a low mileage of 29k miles and is also well priced ($16k - a Good Deal according to CarGurus), has a manual, etc.
Meanwhile, the ad has been up for 161 days and no one wants to buy it :-)
That's a bit suspicious in my opinion, unless there isn't much demand for the C4 LT1 in the US right now.
Do you think it's worth the risk? But should you look for a car with a better documented history?
I am by no means an expert on all cars, but I do know my C4 very well and the mentality of other C4 owners like me.
If a car is low mileage, and shows no / few service records on shop maintenance, it could be because the owner did the service work themselves. Or because the car simply doesn't have enough wear to need new brakes / clutch / wear items yet.
Shops here that will work on C4s and do a great job for a reasonable price are rare. Many will just refuse to work on them because they are labor intensive and they can do other cars faster and make more money doing those.
I prefer to do all my own work because I know how, and because I'll do a better job that is not rushed. The last time I took my car to a shop or dealer for service was for warranty work in 1992. And the shop messed up some other parts of the car while it was there.
Don't let the lack of service records deter you. Find out if the car is driving well and running reliably. That's a better indicator of value.
Thanks for all the replies. So I won't worry about these scratches.
But there is still one issue left to be resolved: the history of this vehicle.
According to CarFax, it was serviced exactly twice. In 2000 and 2022. Dealer says it's because it was serviced at a shop that doesn't report to CarFax. Moreover, 21k miles of mileage were done by 2002. After that, only 7k miles.
Theoretically, the car is very nice, red, has a low mileage of 29k miles and is also well priced ($16k - a Good Deal according to CarGurus), has a manual, etc.
Meanwhile, the ad has been up for 161 days and no one wants to buy it :-)
That's a bit suspicious in my opinion, unless there isn't much demand for the C4 LT1 in the US right now.
Do you think it's worth the risk? But should you look for a car with a better documented history?
Carfax service records are garbage anyways. Most places don't get paid to upload them to Carfax, so they don't. Specialist shops, etc aren't going to take extra time to report to Carfax because time is money and Carfax doesn't pay.
Low miles is common, and I'm not surprised it's sat. The car market in the US is slow right now, we have new cars on lots for 1-2 YEARS now. So a higher end, older Corvette not selling that quickly doesn't surprise me.
Find out if the car is driving well and running reliably. That's a better indicator of value.
I would love to see this car in person and test drive it, but unfortunately I have the ocean and about 5,000 straight miles to get to South Dakota, where it is for sale ;-) So I have to rely on photos, dealer assurances, CarFax and my own guesses . Unfortunately, these are unreliable sources of information.
I would love to see this car in person and test drive it, but unfortunately I have the ocean and about 5,000 straight miles to get to South Dakota, where it is for sale ;-) So I have to rely on photos, dealer assurances, CarFax and my own guesses . Unfortunately, these are unreliable sources of information.
Put a post up on the appropriate regional forum here, or contact the local Corvette club or NCRS chapter and see if you can get someone to check it out in person.
Thank you for your suggestion, I posted in the Upcoming Events And Regional Discussion section (I assume this is the appropriate section, if not, please let me know).
Thank you for your suggestion, I posted in the Upcoming Events And Regional Discussion section (I assume this is the appropriate section, if not, please let me know).
I think that the assessment made by the members of the Sioux Falls Corvette Club could be biased - the club is sponsored by the dealer who sells the car ;-) Well, I guess I'll give up on the topic and wait until there is an offer for a car with a more reliable history.
The red 1992 looks like a really clean car, as it should for the mileage. If the interior and exterior and mechanical matches, hard to find something better than that for that model/year.
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