Oh don't worry, this one is staying here. I could never get anything good if I sold it to really bother. I was just outside cleaning the windows, greasing the chassis points I can reach standing there, greasing the hood latches, cleaning out the console, and tightening some loose interior screws.

The damn washer pump isn't working I just found out. Ka'ching!

 

I could rant too Brian, but then I'd be preachin to the choir as you know everything that is wrong with my car, not to mention the other things that some tinkering has done :o . The biggest thing that needs to be fixed on mine is the nut behind the wheel.

Here I thought you were posting that you needed a clutch hose and couldn't go racing

I am flat azz broke and unemployed at the moment so no racing for me. Hell, I don't even know if I'll put it back on the road this year .

 

I can sympathize, I know how much money you've put into it.

I've put nearly 10K into mine so far and its nowhere close to where I want it, and now its getting closer to 150K and I'm worried that the engine wont last long enough for me to save the $$$ for the new engine.

 

Now the SECURITY bulb isn't lighting up.

 

No more ranting for me... actually my Vette was a pretty decent ride..
but if you buy an older one prepare to fix fix and fix again..
I got tired of it and passed the torch...
To those who persevere you have my respect...

 

OK, nobody move...

 

Brian you know the deal; treat it like a s/w project.

Do a bottom-up analysis of issues.
Then catagorize them and set priorities, like doing at least some of the weather stripping before doing carpeting.

Once you have the list that makes sense, just knock em off as time and $$ permit.

Good luck.

 

My car became a little freakier when the new owner took it over. I think he said the radio bugged out on him once, it wouldn't start due to a blown fuel pump fuse and the high beam indicator comes on when driving at night with the lights on.

I pray to God in the heavens my C5 will be LESS quirky.

 

My 87 startedgoing downhill 2 years ago. Im fixing it in steps. First rear carpet (fronts protected) then leather. Next is door rubber and door rattles. One door at a time. That way I dont get that sticker shock that hits if you do it all at once. Also at only 104k miles its not that bad.

 

My list is kind of like yours except I now have done most of it on my 85.

New engine
rebuilt Tranny
Front and rear suspension rebushinged
U-joints and wheel bearings replaced
New Carpet
New Uphostery
Recovered steering wheel
Brake upgrade
Wheel upgrade to 17"
Paint

Starting to get where I want it. I try to do everything myself (except tranny which I know nothing about). I shop bargains on Ebay and on this web site. I figure this car is good for another 200K miles.

Yeah I probably have a little more in it than it is worth, but it has been a fun 3 yr project and I have something to show for it. So I figure I can justify part of the cost as entertainment since I enjoy working on it. My buddies that spend all their spare time at the golf course have nothing to show for their entertainment expense.

It has also been an educational experience for me. I took a machine shop class so I can fabricate parts when I need them and I took 2 semesters of paint and body, so I can do my own painting.

My wife likes it because when she needs me I am just outside the utility room door in the garage.

I guess it comes down to what you like to do. I have friends who have the bucks and drive C5 Z06's and don't have to spend all the hours of work that I do, but I love seeing the car make progress and the satisfaction of having done it myself.

The only agravation I have is that I hear all these guys with over $20 invested in a car that is only worth 12K. WHERE WERE YOU GUYS WHEN I WAS LOOKING????

 

I came to the conclusion that you just can't ever do enough.

Somebody suggested some sort of prioritized list...I tried that.

You could fix 5 things in the amount of time it takes to update and reprioritize the things that broke between fixing #1 and #2 on the list. What gets fixed any given w/e depends what bugged me the most last time I drove it.

Was I embarassed by the squeaky belt at a stoplight?.... or pissed when it sounded like my sway bar was gonna come through the fender when I hit that bump because there is nothing left of the bushing?? Oh I know, none of that matters because I STILL have a major frickin misfire after replacing a rotor broken off the distributor shaft, a worn out bronze gear, and disconnecting a shorted tach circuit. It just slightly changed its behavior. As if what I did was of no consequence. (I lose 500-1000 on the tach when it happens, it used to jump ALL OVER the place)

So the dashtop, breadbox, center console, hush trims, passenger seat and those pesky seat belts (I use my harness, PIA) collect dust for another......

I came to the conclusion that you just can't ever do enough.

 

my beast has 72000 miles on it, so it doesnt show the wear yet. but when it does reach high mileage i'd imagine i will just start to replace stuff over time. i truly love my car and after i do the heads/cam/intake on her, i wont be selling it. brian, i am about to change the shift ****, because i bought a new one from ecklers, so i guess things are wearing down a bit, how does that sucker come off?

 

144K on my LT-1 and the first 80K were very hard miles with 4 different owners.

Poor thing. My paint is horrible. Bushings are shot and just about everything Scorp listed as interior problems I'm right there.

I have many plans for this car but Sometimes I just start thinking about ripping out the entire interior, throwing in two racing seats and just saying to hell with that part of it.....

 

Well, I also own an 87 and Scorp has always been one of my CF heroes over the years. When I hear him even thinking about "packing it in" I can't believe my ears. Someone on here once said that assuming you own one of these cars outright that it will cost you $3000 per year in maintenance to drive it. That has turned out to be pretty true in my case and when you consider that you are averaging $250 per month to drive a car with the abilities of a C4 you only have to look around to see that to match it will cost $500-$600 per month in payments (not counting the attendant higher insurance cost) and that if you drive it as much as you do your C4 it will run out of warranty very soon. I know that all of the others have their problems, at least we know what can go wrong on the C4, and, by sticking together we seem to get them fixed. I do believe that you have to somewhat enjoy doing most of your own work for these cars to make sense.

 

Hell no, man, don't you worry about that. I won't be packing it in any time soon.

 

understand the angst... but...

I actually did an analysis of the cost to maintain/upgrade what you got vs. buying new. Came to the conclusion that if you are into a certain level of car (sports, family, minivan, etc.), it is almost impossible to spend enough money on what you got to overcome the cost of depreciation on a different car (this is assuming that you do most of the labor yourself).

A new vett is upwards 50 large (not including any financing cost that most of us humans would get stuck with)... you can bet that over 4 years the depreciation is gonna be in the area of 15-20 large... what if you spent that on your car over that time?

Upshot is that a car is an expense, almost never ('cept for a lucky few) an actual investment.

My family made the decision to keep and upgrade my '95. We are pretty damned sure that we will end up coming out ahead and I continue to get to drive a car I love to work.

Just my .02

 

Scorp, I know exactly how you feel. I am the original owner of my 89, and I have the fortune (or misfortune) of remembering what the car was like when it was new. My car actually has very low miles (48K), but I've had most of the same problems that everyone else in this thread has had. This thing has been a serious money pit the last 4 years or so. It's been unreliable to the point where I've only been able to average about 500 miles a year, and if I can get it to run, I won't leave the house unless I have my cell phone and I know my wife will be able to come get me when it stops running (notice that I didn't say IF it stops running. Many of the problems that we all have, especially interior and wiring, are more due to age than they are anything else.

I've keep threatening to sell my car, but I just can't bring myself to actually do it. Up until a couple of weeks ago, my plan was to fix some known issues when I got it out of storage and put it up for sale. I got it out of storage last weekend on a beautiful 80 degree day, and by the time I drove the 3 miles home, I was eagerly planning the list of what I need to fix this year. I'm going to keep it.

I tell you, it's a disease.

 

Actually more like an addiction, there are cures for diseases.

 

Given the various shortcomings, I still second that emotion.....That's how I know this is the right car for me.

I have 90 BMW with 135,000 and everything is still tight, if it wasn't, I'd sell it.

 

Yep thats for sure. Plus the outside isn't so bad. Maybe I'll just get limo tint any not allow passengers. Oh yeah... I do use a car cover if I won't be driving it for more than 24 hours. It was under a cover all winter.

A couple minutes ago....