Still working on the price. 93 Ruby with 8000 miles and second owner has only had for less than a year. The car is perfect no ware on the seats or carpet and it has set of Goodyear tires. My concern, I wish I knew more about this , is the low mileage a potential for problems such as seals, hoses or anything that could fail from low mileage or sitting for extended time. He started at 22K and he is down to 18k which I know is still high, but the car is near perfect. Thanks, I'm looking for any techinical advice I can find to help me make the decesion.

 

Yes, seals and anything rubber dry rot (look at tires for cracks, window seals, intake gaskets leaks, oil) and deteriorate over time. I would ask the owner of his habits while owning (how it has been stored, some guys have heated garages, car up in the air ,tires removed, and load up window seals w/silicon grease etc.) , starting, driving, maintainence, documentation etc. Sounds like a cherry, with some more information it could end up being a fine piece and pretty hard to tell w/out seeing it.

 

When the present owner purchased the car, the original owner just replaced the tires. The now owner said he has had the car for about one year and each week, if it had not been driven, started and ran around the block for a few miles. Then back in the garage. I guess if the car had 20K or so, I would feel better. Only wish I had more experience with this. Thanks

 

I don't think $18k is necessarily too high for a flawless, 8k miles Ruby. You may be able to negotiate a further price reduction with the seller.

There are some potential issues with a 13-year-old car that's only been driven 8k miles since new, and it's wise to consider that. Seals can dry up and leak, brake systems can suffer if the fluid hasn't been flushed periodically, etc. But, having said all of that, I'd MUCH rather buy a super-low-miles C4 than a high-miles C4. Either case can present its own set of issues, but a super-low-miles car that's been babied, garaged, and well maintained is a FAR better bet than a high-miles car, and will likely require far less to get it into prime condition, and far less, in the short run, to repair and maintain.

I bought a '94 with 19k miles on it last year. I have zero regrets about the purchase. It's a great car, and is in excellent condition. I've had a lot of fun with it, and would do it again without hesitation.

As with any used-car purchase, the most important thing is to avoid surprises. So long as you know what you're buying into, you can make a good decision without a lot of anxiety. It's the "unknowns" that cause us all of the worry when buying -- and often lead to problems soon thereafter. So, the key is to avoid unpleasant surprises. Check the car out as thouroughly as you can before you negotiate a deal, then as a condition of sale, make a final closing of the deal contingent upon your satisfaction following an inspection/evaluation of the car by an expert.

When I made an offer on my '94 last year, I told the seller I'd close the deal only after I'd had a chance to review the results of such an inspection. The seller agreed, so we took the car to Tony's Corvette Shop in Gaithersburg, and had it looked over top/bottom/in/out. Even though I spent several years working as a mechanic when I was young, I gained a lot of peace of mind from having the inspection done at Tony's. I was able to see the underside of the car while they had it up on the lift, etc, and it removed a lot of the unknowns.

I'm very satisfied with my purchase. I paid top-dollar for the car, but it was well worth it to me. I've put a bit more $ into it to get it to where I'm happy with it, but, I'd have poured a lot more post-purchase cash into most higher-miles cars if I'd bought them instead.

Good luck and let us know how the story ends.

Be well,

SJW

 

SJW thanks for the input. We have a shop here in BelAir that does restoration and general repairs on vettes. He is a good mechanic, not cheap , and worked on my 88 several times. I was always satisfied with his work. I'm going to see if the owner will agree to have the car inspected at his shop which will give the mechanic an opportunity to evaluate the car for me.

 

That will certainly help, it might cost anywhere from 50-$100. but you will have a good idea of what you are getting into.
I think that SJW brought up a good point in saying ALL have issues and I am sure you will probably end doing some things but the lower end of motor and drivetrain should be solid.
One thing I forgot to mention was to pay a $25 fee and get a car fax(good for as many as you want for a month) not only will that give you some other input, but their claim is that if you find out the info is not correct (accidents etc. ) they will buy the car back from you with in one year. I try to do as much homework as possible good luck I hope it works out for you

 

is the low mileage a potential for problems such as seals, hoses or anything that could fail from low mileage or sitting for extended time.

When I bought my 1988 about 5-6 years ago, it had mainly sat in a garage for about 3-4 years with maybe a couple hours driving every couple months. Total mileage was around 90,000. I drive it as a daily driver. About a month after purchase it seemed nearly every seal in the water system gave way under the heat and pressure. The car was hemmorhaging like the Exxon Valdez. :o Since replacing every gasket in the cooling system (including R&R the TPI/Manifold) the car has been fine. I also had to replace both headlight motors within the first 6-months.

A cherry low mileage Corvette is a major plus, however, sitting around-non use is a negative. Machinery, rubber, gaskets, oil and especially fuel deteriorate if it just sits around. I do not know about the cooling fluid and inside the radiator, waterpump, etc from lack of use. This could be very similar to some drop dead beautiful women. Wonderful to look at and play with but maybe useless for daily utility purposes and expensive maintenance.

 

That prices seems good for that particular vehicle. If Roger's Corvette had it, it'd probably be in the $25k range. (see http://www.rogerscorvette.com/showroom.htm)

Here's what I'd plan as a minimum: replace all the hoses (150) and flush the coolant system, if automatic flush the transmission fluid and replenish. The latter is also best done by the dealer. Also consider draining and replenishing the fluid in the rear end. If it has the original wiper blades, consider the arm and blade upgrade to the 96 model (stops the collision). When you need tires I recommend Goodyear F1-GS-D3s. Two options you may consider after purchase is Corsa exhaust and cut-lid air filter cover and perhaps a K&N air filter. Areas to monitor, the water pump. It has a weep hole on the bottom and you can fit you hand underneath. At first sign get it replaced as it will damage the opti-spark that year doesn't have the vented opti.

I'd probably consider a brake fluid flush.

Give it a break in period, you should get many miles of fun. Other than that you'll just deal with the problems as they come up. Concerned about oil leaks, the LT1 has a history there, more than likely the intake manifold because the front and rear seals to the engine with RTV. So it tends to break down over time and cause a messy leak.

Buy the GM Service Manual.

Good luck.

 

Take a look at this buyer's guide. It's a good one although geared toward the Grand Sport. A lot of the info applies to other C4s though. Sounds like a nice car!
http://www.grandsportregistry.com/GSBuyersGuide.pdf

 

 

Very good. Sounds like you know what you need to do. Let us know how it turns out.

Be well,

SJW

 

HG, these are some of the best and most concise pointers I've seen. It sounds like you have a very good car. I can't recommend much more to you and the price may, in fact, not be that far off. Good luck and stop back soon and tell us how it all went, esp. after your tech/mechanic looks at the car.