Discussion
I've heard about this article from a friend who gets it - and I'm dying to read it.
Anyway - C4 values have dropped a couple of grand over the past few years, and the subject of what to look for etc. is huge - although people on here will give you plenty of advice.
Personally, I would say that for £4k don't expect to get a well looked after car. I've only ever seen one or two cars at this level and they have been shocking. Costly items on Yanks are the trim and while all of us with our track day hats on may ignore cosmetic appearance somewhat, wrecked door/targa top/window/boot seals will set you back upwards of £500 to replace. Seats are typically £500 upward to get sorted. And electrics - the C4 had a lot of toys for its day, and around 15-20 years of aging does not make them reliable! Expect non working AC, ABS faults and so on, if a seller says these are 'easily fixed' be wary. They often are, but only cost effectively by people who know Corvettes (not the keep-swapping-bits-til-it-works brigade of 'specialist).
Also crash damaged cars, the frame on the C4 is not difficult to bend in a medium shunt, so accident repairs need to be thoroughly checked.
All in all, I reckon realistically you need to look at spending upwards of £6k - know the cars you are looking at (many options, some completely changing the character of the car, e.g. Z51 suspension, performance axle ratios etc.) and expect to see lots of cars before finding one of the right standard, remember there is lots of overpriced, poorly maintained stuff out there claiming to be meticulously looked after!
Hope this helps - they are great cars to own and use, certainly unique in the 'experience.'
Anyway - C4 values have dropped a couple of grand over the past few years, and the subject of what to look for etc. is huge - although people on here will give you plenty of advice.
Personally, I would say that for £4k don't expect to get a well looked after car. I've only ever seen one or two cars at this level and they have been shocking. Costly items on Yanks are the trim and while all of us with our track day hats on may ignore cosmetic appearance somewhat, wrecked door/targa top/window/boot seals will set you back upwards of £500 to replace. Seats are typically £500 upward to get sorted. And electrics - the C4 had a lot of toys for its day, and around 15-20 years of aging does not make them reliable! Expect non working AC, ABS faults and so on, if a seller says these are 'easily fixed' be wary. They often are, but only cost effectively by people who know Corvettes (not the keep-swapping-bits-til-it-works brigade of 'specialist).
Also crash damaged cars, the frame on the C4 is not difficult to bend in a medium shunt, so accident repairs need to be thoroughly checked.
All in all, I reckon realistically you need to look at spending upwards of £6k - know the cars you are looking at (many options, some completely changing the character of the car, e.g. Z51 suspension, performance axle ratios etc.) and expect to see lots of cars before finding one of the right standard, remember there is lots of overpriced, poorly maintained stuff out there claiming to be meticulously looked after!
Hope this helps - they are great cars to own and use, certainly unique in the 'experience.'
franv8 said:There should be copies in WH Smith but I imagine that you'd find it pretty light-weight if you know about the car already... I could have done with more info tbh.
I've heard about this article from a friend who gets it - and I'm dying to read it.
I've asked about C4s on here already but baulked because of the practicality aspect. I've solved that by buying an old mk2 golf gti to carry my kayaks around on and my cr@p in so now don't give a stuff about practicality. The downside is that I've reduced my budget a bit but could push to 6k.
It occured to me after looking on ebay and at a website of a company called bonsai cars that if I displayed a level of patience I'm not normally associated with then I could end up with a newer car than if I bought in the uk. If anyone has any information on either importing from japan or the states it would be most welcome.
Thanks very much for the info.
Regards,
Mark
I'm sure someone on here'll fill you in about importing, you do need to be careful about imports from Japland (as with any import) that who you get it from is reputable etc. etc. Expecially if you are entering into a contract to buy based on a photograph...
Practicality - apart from the 2 seats, boot on a C4 is pretty spacious (unless you are Gixer...) - but I've got a bike rack for mine that fits on the rear hatch (was shon on a Vette on the box...) that takes 2 bikes and Ecklers will even sell you a concealed tow bar....
In all seriousness, taking the economy aspect out of it, it is a more practical car than my Mk1 MX5.
Practicality - apart from the 2 seats, boot on a C4 is pretty spacious (unless you are Gixer...) - but I've got a bike rack for mine that fits on the rear hatch (was shon on a Vette on the box...) that takes 2 bikes and Ecklers will even sell you a concealed tow bar....
In all seriousness, taking the economy aspect out of it, it is a more practical car than my Mk1 MX5.
From Corvette Fever is a reply to queries about faults to look for on C4's:
The writer of the query identified flapping door panels, paint problems , failed shocks, power window and antenna problems, ultraviolet damage to carpets in the cargo area and defective digital instruments on earlier models.
The reply added Bose amp issues, cracking on the outside seals. By 1989, most issues had been worked out but mass air meter issues still arise. 90-91 cars switched to speed density thereby overcoming those issues but had occasional airbag problems. The 92-94 had problems with the Opti-Spark and the 95-96 cars were the best of all but won't be £4k.
My own experience of a 1985 car was paint problems - bubbling on the bonnet which is caused by hot air coming through perforations in the fibreglass apparently and also from oil and chemical reaction. My instrument panel went AWOL and had to be replaced. The heater core leaked and had to be replaced (check the mats) and the handbrake cables have a tortuous run through the sills and tend to seize up because people use Park instead of the handbrake. The other thing is headlamp gear wheels which strip and spin. These can be replaced on earlier models but I believe it's harder to get into the headlamp motors on later cars. You'll also get the usual earthing problems if the car has been poorly maintained.
All early C4's are loosely screwed together and due to vibration and flex, the screws have to be ritually tightened. The interior is not particularly durable. Apart from that, I owned mine for 3 years and I loved it.
Only other thing to mention is that the 1984 is a 205bhp Crossfire Injection system which was never very fast. The intake design is poor and it only has two injectors so it limits performance. The ride was also rock-hard and was softened in 1985 (to extremely hard). The 1985-on cars are Tuned Port Injection and are far faster. Basically it starts at 235bhp in 1985 and moves up to 250bhp by 1989.
The adage to remember is that bargain cars always seem to cost more in the long term. I bought my 1985 at a bargain price and wish I'd bought a better one. Having said that, if I hadn't bought my '85, I might never have bought one at all and that would have been tragic indeed.
The writer of the query identified flapping door panels, paint problems , failed shocks, power window and antenna problems, ultraviolet damage to carpets in the cargo area and defective digital instruments on earlier models.
The reply added Bose amp issues, cracking on the outside seals. By 1989, most issues had been worked out but mass air meter issues still arise. 90-91 cars switched to speed density thereby overcoming those issues but had occasional airbag problems. The 92-94 had problems with the Opti-Spark and the 95-96 cars were the best of all but won't be £4k.
My own experience of a 1985 car was paint problems - bubbling on the bonnet which is caused by hot air coming through perforations in the fibreglass apparently and also from oil and chemical reaction. My instrument panel went AWOL and had to be replaced. The heater core leaked and had to be replaced (check the mats) and the handbrake cables have a tortuous run through the sills and tend to seize up because people use Park instead of the handbrake. The other thing is headlamp gear wheels which strip and spin. These can be replaced on earlier models but I believe it's harder to get into the headlamp motors on later cars. You'll also get the usual earthing problems if the car has been poorly maintained.
All early C4's are loosely screwed together and due to vibration and flex, the screws have to be ritually tightened. The interior is not particularly durable. Apart from that, I owned mine for 3 years and I loved it.
Only other thing to mention is that the 1984 is a 205bhp Crossfire Injection system which was never very fast. The intake design is poor and it only has two injectors so it limits performance. The ride was also rock-hard and was softened in 1985 (to extremely hard). The 1985-on cars are Tuned Port Injection and are far faster. Basically it starts at 235bhp in 1985 and moves up to 250bhp by 1989.
The adage to remember is that bargain cars always seem to cost more in the long term. I bought my 1985 at a bargain price and wish I'd bought a better one. Having said that, if I hadn't bought my '85, I might never have bought one at all and that would have been tragic indeed.
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