Torqued84

I have come across an opportunity to buy an 89 triple black, @90k miles, automatic for $8K. Interior is great, no oil leaks, runs well. Wondering what people think about 89's. I would keep my 84 vette and sell my honda civic (hard choice :rolleyes: ) I want to think that 89's are known to be one of the faster years. Can anyone conirm? Opinions on 89's? Thanks!!

89vette

Personally I like the 89's. Last year for the retro dash (gotta love it), first year for 6 speed, and they had good suspension systems with 275's all around. The 89 will be faster than the 84 but its not one of the fastest years.

Vic'89

My 89 has been running strong since day 1. The 2 previous owners took excellent care of it. Mobil 1 every 3000 miles.

13.87 ET bone stock !
:yesnod:

Vic

65Z01

I agree here. At first I first wanted an '89 till I found my 35th. Though it seems that the '89s are typically a little stronger stock than my '88 was (it ran 14.0x sec).

The '89 has improved handling and the Z52 option brings quicker steering. It has the best L98 heads and is rather easy to enhance performance. It is the last year of the telescoping wheel, no air bags, the full digi dash and the MAF.

BTW, last year I paid $13.9k for my 35th, with 96k miles (had to have it). For that $8k price, lose the Honda and get the Vette.

Torqued84

Just curious, does the 89 have the Opti-Spark?

-=Jeff=-

NO, Optispark came out in 1992 on the LT1

Also the 89 is the last year for MAF but also there is no 9th Cold Start injector :)

Thumper

I love my '89. Wish I didn't have to sell it. Sometimes I think it handles better than my '95.

westifer

My '89 has been great!

If you like the digital dash, this is the year to get. There is something fun about lighting the total row of lights on the digital speedometer and watching the numbers climb :D !!

I bought my clean vert with similar miles this summer for $11K, so I think yours sounds great. Good luck with it!

6spd89

I love mine as well. Great price.
BUY IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
matt

*89x2*

I love my 89's and yes they are some of the quickest C4's built! One of the car mags had L98 cam selections as GM installed throughout the years and the 89 had the most aggressive cam then 88 and 90 respectively... I know that other yrs are rated at more hp but I have a hard time arguing w/ 13.5's on Gatorbacks w/ a Performance res. chip and Flowmasters :D BTW, mph was 105!!! I LOVE the flat dash and feel the 89 was the pinnacle of the C4's up to that point and I could argue my point on most other c 4's as well vs my 89's (I have both an automatic and a 6 spd)
$8,000 is a steal however, even though yousaid "triple black" - which is a convertible term, I am guessing that it is a coupe???
Go get it and bring her home or tell me where it is, and I will have 3 89's!!!!
regards, *89x2*

pablocruise

I like mine alot too. I kinda wished I'd gone after a 91 just for the airbag and analog dash (from a safety point of view). I put the 91/ up front & rear bumper covers to make it look newer. Just for the added safety of the airbag I vote for a 91 on up. Let us know if you swing the deal.

*89x2*

to each their own but, That is the reason why when I bought my second 89, I skipped all "newer Vettes". An air bag "may" be useful but, only if you crash :confused: ... Nothing beats the feel of an 86-89 steering wheel!!!
Later,


[Modified by *89x2*, 8:20 AM 11/17/2001]

pablocruise

Yeah, that's my point. That's exactly when I will need it. You do have a point on the feel of the wheel. :cheers:

traxx1

I love my 89 roadster,blk/blk/camel but after fighting a hard start problem after it gets hot im about ready to sell.

:jester :jester :jester :jester

phrogs

I love my 89 vert its been alot of fun with it even though I havent been able to drive it as much as Id like but I love it..got mine for 8,000 with 23,000 miles
the Japanese are sceptical about buying used cars so I got a monster of a deal..I say buy it and have some fun..
what other options does it have??

Torqued84

As 89X2 correctly guessed, it is a coupe so the triple black is deceiving. As for other options, the only one I know of is a glass top. No CD player, no special exhaust. I don't know about a K&N filter or any internal mods. The story behind this deal is my uncle has been in the car business (from mechanic, service manager, to salesman) for 30 years or so as well as owned a couple of corvettes himself. The dealer took this 89 in on trade and he can get it for me for what the dealer has in it, $8k. He says the car is in great shape, no cracks in the fiberglass, everything is straight, and the engine pulls exceptionally strong and has no leaks. My uncle and I are pretty tight so I know he is not trying to "sell" me the car. I haven't seen the car yet. I am heading down to visit him for Thanksgiving and will check the car out then, if they haven't sold it off the lot, they're asking $10k on the lot.

I was surprised to see several people who like the digi dash. I have had so many problems with my 84 dash and grounding problems. I have done the fixes I found on this site, they seem to work for a while and then it goes back to flickering :mad Thanks for everyone's inputs!!

Phrogs, I spent 2 summers at Atsugi. I can't imagine having a vette over there. Hopefully you get opportunities to take it down to Repongi:cheers: I think the reason Japanese are "skeptical" about used cars is they have very stringent inspection laws for cars over a certain age (5 yrs I think) and it costs them a fortune to maintain them to those standards.

miker61588

i like my 89

*89x2*

Sounds good!!! I have not had probs. w/ my digi dashes and have owned my black 89 since new. What town do you have to go to to look at it? I canot buy another Vette now so don't worry 'bout that! Check out the SouthEast forum on this site as I noticed where you are from... A lot of good stuff has been going on in the Commonwealth... :cheers: *89x2*
Hope you buy it!!! P.s., is it an auto pr 6 spd? what other options does it have? G92 if auto = 3.07 rr , fx3 is adj. susp. z51 for kindney killing susp. etc...

dppeaden

I love my 98 Conv. I would get it, Great price! It5s not the fastest on the drag strip but it rocks on AutoX ant the street. I would Sell the Honda. :D

black_89_vette

I love my 89. Well, it is my only vette, but I love the way it handles. I 'm a fan of the digital dash too. No problems whatsoever yet. Well, I shouldn't say that. It did throw a rod out the side of the block, so I put a 383 stroker in it's place. The super ram helps it out a bit too. All in all, 275's all around, 6 speed tranny and gobs of torque. Get the 89. I spent $16 500 for mine (Canadian), which is about $11 000 (USD).