Not4spd

A little backstory.....

My wife and I are are in the process of purchasing a C4 for our daughter (she will be turning 11 this year). Technically it will be "mine", but the goal is to teach her mechanics of a vehicle as the need arises over the next couple of years. Ultimately, she would get(when responsibilities are met) the car when she turns 16 to have as a toy/weekend cruiser. Our family loves Corvettes, I currently own a C5Z and my wife will be getting a C6 GS. My wife and I want to eventually start a new family tradition by attending a couple of car shows a year and showing all 3 generations.

I guess the real question boils down to what year would be the better buy? Condition of paint, body, and interior are similar as is the price of both. Both are also automatics.

1985:
Rebuilt engine with 13k miles
Suspension has been replaced
new carpet
seats recovered
custom exhaust
new fuel pump
rebuilt digital cluster
new master cylinder

1991:
150Kmi
new fuel pump
half shaft u-joints replaced
VATS disable switch
Instrument LCD screen cuts in and out

With all things being equal for the most part, is there any reason to opt for a later C4 over an earlier one?

Pic of my daughter when she was 2 sitting in our family's first Corvette:

Patsgarage

85-No ABS.
91-Roller cam, upgraded calipers.
The interiors are different, but those are the main differences I can think of off the top of my head. I am partial to the older Atari dash, but that is a personal choice.

ls777z

Just a thought here...why not begin with a c3? Less electronics to figure out, basic carb and fuel system and availability of parts. I think it would be better in the long run to teach her the basics of auto repair/maintenance with a more basic vehicle.
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pologreen1

A million c4s for sale why those 2 out of a million?

aklim

Pass on 85. I am not totally sure but it has definitely got an issue with people reporting that the scanner will not work on it. No scanner, big problem.

Not4spd

No reason those are just two that I came across while searching.


Hmmm. Definetly some food for thought. I might have to expand my search just to see what's out there

Not4spd

Who needs a scanner when you can jump terminals A and B on the ALDL.

Cliff Harris

I would go with the latest year that you can afford. Newer car with fewer worn out parts and the latest technology.

hcbph

You don't mention the mileage on the 85, you need to consider the rest of the drive train.
85 lacks abs (noted) but also have 16" tires and different offset than the 91. Replacement options for the 85 are available but currently limited on 16" tires unless a rim change is done. Can go larger if you can find the right rims or use spacers (spacers - I don't recommend that but that's a personal thing), just put proper backspace 18" on my 86. 91 has easier to find rim and tire options if you stay with oem sizes.
Both likely will need bushings replaced. U-Joints are easy to change on both.
85 would have a L98 engine - good basic engine. 91 I believe would be the LT1 with the Opti, many have had issues with inability to find a good replacement unit. L98 can run just fine on 87 octane gas. 85 would be cast iron heads and 91 would be aluminum. 91 would be a roller cam while the 85 wouldn't.
Both I believe would be OBD1 diagnostic connectors.
Because of the currently mileage on the 91 and assumed on the 85, I expect there will be some rebuilding of both drive trains prior to giving it to your daughter.
Both will likely take some work over time.

About all I can think of right now. Good luck whatever you do.

aklim

If only the ECM were sufficiently "smart". Unfortunately, it isn't.

JungleCat

Unless you're set on a particular year or body style, I'd go with the best conditioned car I could find. Newer cars are not always in the best condition, as I found out when I bought my '86. The '91s were the last year with the L98 motor.

v8vette84

Nope, still the same old L98. (There is nothing wrong with the LT1, people just like to hate on the opti because people buy cheap versions of the opti and whine when they fail) That last part was not aimed at you hcbph, just an observation.

One big difference I see is the interior design. The early C4's have a very boxy design where the later C4's are quite a bit more driver friendly and IMHO better looking. I personally want to get a late C4 interior but I can't justify swapping interiors unless I get one for next to nothing so I have been looking for a 91+ rolling chassis that already has the interior I want.

I also personally don't like the atari gauges. I replaced mine with a set of gauges from a 97' Camaro Z28. I like the gauges on the 91+ cars much better than the atari gauges. But again that's my opinion, many people love the digital dash.

v8vette84

QCVette

I also don't know why you are limited to only those two choices, but to answer your question of all things being equal which one...

I would choose the '91.

However, they are both very similar C4 cars.

There are some differences some of them mentioned above. Body style, analog vs digital dash, seats, motor is roller cam and one piece rear seal on the '91, the computer is better on the 91, the suspension was revised in '88 so the later ones are a little softer and use the more common offset wheels with 17" tires.

Although I am recommending the '91 if all things equal, I had an '85 for about 25 years and loved it.

On any used car, it really comes down to which one do you like the best and which one is in better condition.

Good luck choosing.

vader86

Get the newest you can afford.

But if you really want to teach how to work on a car, a Shark would be a good choice. Much easier to fix things in my opinion. I would pass on the 85.

mickey5

If you are considering a C3 I would recommend it over the C4 as iz777s suggests. They are great cars to tinker with if you have limited wrenching experience. The electronics in the C4 can be overwhelming even with a FSM at hand. Many electronic parts deteriorate with age and humidity (especially capacitors). I'd rather trouble shoot basic fuel and ignition.

HAD2HAV2

Some here mention C3's as being easier to work on and I agree. I would look for a 1980. Best over all outer appearance. Just my opinion.

aklim

For old men, sure. A lot of kids today are way more tech savvy than we can fantasize about being. Besides, they are going to have electronics in their cars so might as well get them used to the idea. If they swim, great. If not, perhaps they are not meant to handle cars, not that there is anything wrong with that. For instance, the wife has a couple of Masters degrees, makes life and death decisions. Can't handle her phone to save her life. Fortunately for her, I have the same phone so I can walk her through the process. She drives a Mercedes. 1-800-FOR-MERC is programmed into her speed dial (not that she is adept at using it either. She just uses the "contact list")

jdmtra

First time Corvette owner with a 85 C4 here. I'd recommend searching for better condition vehicles, unless you're sticking to a specific budget.

pologreen1

So you are going to take a remark about there being a million c4s for sale and turn it in to a fact session in statistics?

Way more c4s for sale than there are people interested in them.

We are talking about a car that is cheap when used and full of shared parts that go on cheaper vehicles like trans-ams, camaros, trucks and even vans. Not minimal production cars like exotics or vipers. 350,000 is a huge amount of product and the prices these days reflect it.

Nothing special about any mid to late 80's vette or any c4 really from the factory except the king of the hill zr1 and marketing packaged GS.

OP, I say do research and drive cars. At this point in age these cars can be low miles and still ride like crap etc from rotting parts.

If I was in the c4 market no question there are 2 I'd choose from. zr1 or maybe a GS. Decent zr1 for 15-20k. That won't last long.