Should we take a chance on this C4?
 

Haven't been here for about 3 years since my husband lost his '93 in an accident. He has been looking for another C4 and we found a nice looking one but I have concerns. It only has 38000 miles on it. In the last 6 years it has been driven less than a total of 1000 miles. There are no maintenance records available, and it is "as is". There are some "bubbles" under the paint in the drivers side rear quarter panel, which we were told, is in the area that the plastic and fiberglass pieces are bonded together before the whole piece is installed. There are no reported accidents. My husband will be driving this daily, so what can we expect as far as leaks? We certainly will do an oil change, probably drain the radiator. What else should we do? What should we look for? We know of a couple of things, like the headlight motors that need gear replaced. We have also looked at a '96 collector's edition that has 81000 miles but has been serviced. Both are about the same price. Any thoughts?

What is the asking price ? Year ? Does it have any specialty options such as a Z07 optioned car or an anniversary year, or just a base coupe/vert ?

Things can go wrong. Seals dry out. I bought a '96 that had sat. I was prepared to fix some issues due to the extremely low mileage. Such things as the seals in the bearings. The rears on mine were leaking grease.

How about tires ? Sitting for 6 years implies tires that are 6 years old. Tires do age. Expected tired life diminishes if they are stored in a climate controlled area with no UV.

Google up DOT codes and learn how to decode them for how old the tires are. At the end of the DOT code is a four digit code that tells month and year of manufacture. You could have the expense of new tires.

Why has it not been driven ? This might or might not indicate an underlying issue.

Bubbling paint sounds troublesome. I have seen lots of older C4 cars, none with bubbling paint. Faded, sun damaged paint and pealing clear coat, but not bubbling paint. That needs investigated.

Stick or auto ?

The 96 has the updated Optispark which is a super plus in the plus column.

Check the HVAC responds to all commands on the 96. There is a 1 year only issue, but is fixable if he can do his own mechanicing if the problem is there. Make sure it shifts to defrost, heat, hi-lo etc and that it cycles through from A/C to heat and such.

the '95 is just a base model. The '96 is a collector's edition. Both are $11K. Both have some issues, but we know what they are. It's the unknown...

I think $11k could be pretty fair for the collectors year given the mileage - but difficult to say without pictures and more information, etc...

--Then again you mentioned it would be a Daily driver, If I were sinking 11k into a collector's year with low mileage I would not be DDing

11k for the base is on the high side unless it was absolutely in flawless condition IMHO...

What are the issues that they have ?

As far as the unknown, you have unknowns even on a new car.

The REALLY big question, are you folks able to handle your own repairs, or do you have to pay others to do them ? If paying others, list the known issues out and price what it will take to fix what needs to be fixed.

Also, as I said above, you need to find out about the bubbling paint. That is indicative of either being stored underneath a cover for a long time, forcing moisture into the body and it is working out, or a repair job with contamination.

Some may disagree but you better have a big cash reserve and/or know how to work on C4's if you're planning on a 20 some year old car DD.

The CE car is over priced. I paid $7500 for mine with 91K miles

BS. Likely an accident repair.

lt4?

With these older cars you need check all items functionality when cold/hot.
Taking it to a trusted mechanic would be a good idea.
Check condition of all weather stripping, interior, glass and paint.

If the car is very clean and everything works $11k isn't bad for the low mileage one, tad high for the higher mileage one, IMO.

Id buy the 38k mile 95 way before the 96 with 81k miles. Its not even a question really.

I'll take an 81k car with records over a 38k car with no history and obvious problems every time.

:iagree: But, I've guessed wrong before too. But, the explanation IS:iagree:

I agree with some others. A car requires periodic maintenance whether or not it is being driven. SEALS dry up, tires dry rot/become "brittle". deposits in the fuel fall out of suspension and clock injectors, water condenses and corrodes fuel system/regulators, and bushings too harden and take a "set" and may need to be replaced.

The price would fit a low mileage car that has all the maintenance done and is driven some, i.e., doesn't need anything - at least not right away. Right off the bat, you're looking at new tires. Add $1000 ±. Fluids (all) to be changed, including brakes and clutch(?) hydraulics. Does it need brake pads while you're at it??

The 96 has more miles, true. But, it has been driven and it has the vented Opti too. And, being a CE, the price is more in line. IF the 96 has the LT4/M6 transmission...there's no question in my mind (at that point) which to consider.

But! I ain't there to see them both. You'd definitely want to drive them and do a few WOT spurts to see if everything is as it should be. Also, if you have a trusted mechanic who can do an evaluation of condition/maintenance...THAT would help with the decision too.

I'm leaning toward the 96. The mileage isn't that much different, especially considering there was NO periodic maintenance on the other car while it sat for 6 years. (And, why did it sit for 6 years???)

My 'gut' says the low mileage car is going to cost $2-3k in addition to the purchase price, not to mention possible body/paint repair. So, unless the 96 is really becoming 'thread bare', I'd be seriously leaning that way - IOW the mileage difference isn't that much when considering the amount of time the one car sat.:lurk:

Agree.. I think this is correct. ^^^^

Saw it all over mine and it is a common issue that results from improper repair.

Specifically, using incorrect fillers that then separate and the result is a bulged or bubbled appearance under the paint (Some can be quite large)

You can grind it out and fix it, so it's not like it is hopeless.. But that's not something you want to do with a car you're paying a lot for in the first place. It's a repair reserved for the bargain bin vettes.

Good luck!!!

:cheers:

The part in the rear where fiberglass meets plastic is the rear bumper. The rear bumper unbolts. It is separated by a trim strip that also unbolts. The body is 100% fiberglass. Paint did not bubble from the factory on fiberglass. They are definitely hiding a repair. Clear coat fading is another story.

We decided to go with the '95 with 38000 miles. Got it for $9500 and drove it 70 miles home. Ran without a hiccup! Going to change the oil, drain the coolant. We have the key fob from our '93 but it doesn't seem to link with the car. We have the instructions, so maybe the remote needs a new battery. All in all, hubby is happy and I will be his assistant in the minor repair department. I was happy the antenna went all the way down. That was a problem with the previous '93. We do need to rebuilt the headlight actuators, but that seems doable, if not tedious. So for all of you who gave your opinions, I want to thank you. She is safe in our driveway for tonight. Tomorrow she gets to go into our garage, after we do some rearranging of crap!

congrats! :cheers:

now post some pics !!

Woot!!! :cheers: