bmwgsa

Hi all,

Great forum for info - like reading the posts a lot.

I've got a question for the 84 owners out there.

I just got an early 84 with 89k on it from a friend. Overall condition was good (needs painting, leather repair, etc...)

I wanted to make sure that all was well with it, so I took it to a dealer and told him to go at it.

There's been some suspension repairs, the tranny needed resealing and needed hose replacements on the engine.

The repairs so far are at $2800!!??!! And they're not done yet.

They now want to rebuild the distributor (something about slop) and rebuild all the throttle bodies (just add another $2000). However it passes smog.

On another note - the dealer I'm working with is Martin Chevrolet in Torrance - any thoughts about them (basically am I getting a royal screwing?).

Thanks -

Brian

jabez

I would say.....YES

EPiC Vette

Welcome to the Club!!!

'Vettes can be expensive. But you gotta keep in mind you have a 20-year-old sports car. Things go bad. If you wanna fix everything that is worn, you could go broke quickly .

I'd look at things that, if they broke, I'd be stranded. Not everything that's old needs to be replaced or rebuilt. Does it start right up, or do you have to crank it a couple times? Do the brakes feel tight, or spongy? Any looseness in the steering? Smooth idle?

Preventive maintenance is one thing, but it shouldn't be at the expense of the "fun" aspect of these cars.

They REALLY Rock!!!

Oh, and be sure to !

SilverBeast

Tell them to finish what they've done and you'll bring it back later. Then take it home and drive it and enjoy it. Fix a thing at a time, or a couple of things at a time. Buy a maintenance manual and fix stuff yourself - it gets addictive! Plus, most things are easy to fix, just time consuming. Good luck with your new baby.

LangstC4

I also just got my first Corvette, an '85 (84's close cousin) about a month ago. It had a newly rebuilt engine and over all pretty sound condition. Still ....I have spent more money in the past month on the 'vette than all my other cars combined in two years (new battery ( ), & charger, replaced worn seat belts, dead horns, window chips, new horn button, new torx head wrenches, etc). But I have had more fun driving (and waving) than any time in my life. Money well spent!

mikey whipreck

get it back from the dealer... they're screwing you... anyway, replace one thing at a time, when you have the money. You'll learn alot about your vette, you'll have some fun, and you'll save a ton of money... it's the only way i can keep my '85 going... it needs a new battery alternator and fuel pump... that'll take about 3 months to do

bmwgsa

Thanks all for the replies -

I told the dealer to STOP! Finish what you're doing and get it back to me. I think I need to take somewhere else for a second opinion anyway.

EPic - It starts right up, just needs a few minutes to warm up before moving.

I agree that this is another expensive toy (I've also got 3 BMW M/C's) - but to put in 1/2 of what I paid for it before I've even gone thru a full take of gas??

We'll see....

I have another question - do all the '84's have the instrument console flash out on them (goes off, looks like it resets and comes back normal every once in a while (not constant)) or do I need to start tracing wires and find a short?

Thanks again...

Alcee1

I, like you have an 84, I take my car to J&D Corvette in bellflower, they know everything about Vettes, plus they are alot cheeper than the dealer. I also agree that if you try and fix/repair everything at once then you will go broke pretty fast. I know about Martin Chevrolet, they are good people but they are still a dealer and charge crazy prices. My car has over 200k and runs really good, J&D rebuilt my motor (check sig) they also paint and do total restores, I've been going to them about thirteen years. Theres another place on Rosecrans west of Hawthorne, check around but IMHO stay away from dealers.....

mikey whipreck

You'll learn the dash is a love/hate thing... looks awesome when it works... but when its not it can drive you crazy.. My 85 has the exact same symptons you describe, I believe it is my charging system. You said you're alternator and battery were replaced right? See if that fixes the problem. If not, get ahold of me, i've been through absolutely everything trying to fix my cluster...

flannel_man

It shouldn't flicker, that or mine is weird since it doesnt. Just fix what you have to. Dont worry about the cosmetic stuff till later. You'll probably change your mind by then anyway. Some people dont understand how I can spend the same on my car with repairs as what a new cheap Carolla would be, but given the choice of the two..................

EPiC Vette

Best thing I did was join this Forum. I've had my '89 for just about a year and, even though it's a blast to drive, it was definitely a LOT more needy than my Toyota Pickup .

Got on here and found a lot of people with issues similar to mine, some better, some worse... and came to realize it's not about the destination, it's about the journey.

That said, the people here are great and all share the same passion. I'll say it again:

These cars ROCK!

bogus

sounds like you need to come over to my drive way and save yourself a bundle of cash, dude.

polish41

I just rebuilt my throttle bodies myself. Including new injectors, diaphrams and gasket sets it was about $250. Most of the projects that you have in mind take some time and money. Not as much as a dealer would charge though. There is alot of help here and on the Crossfire Injection forum. All you have to do is ask and someone will have an answer. Congratulations on your investment.

Wayne88

If you think your Vette needs repair, search the archives of this forum & learn to make the repairs yourself.
Or at least to diagnose the problem yourself.

Z51JEFF

GO GET THE CAR.You gave them a blank check,what do you expect.

skateparkdave

Also, the more of yourself you put into Vette the less cash, and the more you will become one with it and you'll love and appreciate it even more when you know you fix it. Become one with the Corvette Grasshopper!

silver84

What was wrong with the suspension?

bmwgsa

Bogus - I got the beer, where's the driveway?

Silver84 -
Well, so far it's been the right rear hub (complete), all ball joints and u-joints (they said I had some 4 in of play - bit I never felt it).
Add onto that the tranny seal kit and labor and that's how we get to our total so far.

that I need to spend some time in getting to know the new beast, but it's a new toy and all I wanted to do at first was grip-and-rip.

I've put about 200 miles on it, and I don't feel any loss of power at all, so I question the throttle bodies needing a rebuild.

And there's no backfire at all, so I question the distributor rebuild as well.

I've told the guys to finish up, melt my CC and return the toy. I'm just going to pay more attention to stuff and fix it as it goes.

The cosmetics are at the bottom of the list. She could use a paint job, but with my luck someone would bang into it after I get it done (or I'll hit something with it's long nose).

The driver seat has a tear, bit I got sheepskin covers for it and I'll sew up the tear.

All I want is a mechanically sound machine, if it looks like hell then so be it, just so long as it ROCKS!

We'll see - I hope to get it back by Thursday.

bogus

Right up from Martin Chevy... just off of Carson and Anza.

Alcee1

Brian and Bogus, if you guy's get together I would love to come meet you both, since Im only about 15 min away. Always like to meet other forum members......