Discussion
RUST!!,,only joking,welcome to the CF.
When i bought mine 5 years ago apart from all the usual things oil leaks condition of parts etc i had one thing in mind to check and that was for signs of accident damage ,as the front end can sometimes be difficult to judge for some people.
Open bonnet and look at the front chassis rails,look at the way the panels line-up and take it for a test drive to see how it drives.
The C4 is quite a solid car and are plentiful and there are a lot of aftermarket suppliers of parts, also tuners aswell as 2nd hand breakers in the states.
The good thing about a vette is they are so easy to maintain yourself and there are tuners like Jeal&sons that supply you with parts,help and advise you with the more advanced stuff.
What year/type are you looking for??
>> Edited by ZR1427 on Sunday 11th January 13:13
When i bought mine 5 years ago apart from all the usual things oil leaks condition of parts etc i had one thing in mind to check and that was for signs of accident damage ,as the front end can sometimes be difficult to judge for some people.
Open bonnet and look at the front chassis rails,look at the way the panels line-up and take it for a test drive to see how it drives.
The C4 is quite a solid car and are plentiful and there are a lot of aftermarket suppliers of parts, also tuners aswell as 2nd hand breakers in the states.
The good thing about a vette is they are so easy to maintain yourself and there are tuners like Jeal&sons that supply you with parts,help and advise you with the more advanced stuff.
What year/type are you looking for??
>> Edited by ZR1427 on Sunday 11th January 13:13
I have owned both an early and late shape C4 and have found them both to be very reliable. The only parts needing replacing have been items such as tyres and brakes and the regular service items. These were both standard cars. You can pick up modified ones, but these can have problems (although not every one). The only warning that I can think of is on the LT1 engine (1992 to 1996) These were fitted with opti-spark distributors. They have a habit of getting wet, usuallly from a leaking water pump as they are situated right below it, and going rusty inside which results in no spark for the plugs. It is a straightforward but expensive fix (about £1000 with parts) that takes about a day to do. They have been known to fail again in a short period. Having said that, I have owned my 1993 for 3 years, covered in excess of 25,000 miles, used it all year, driven through floods, snow and the worst that the british weather can throw at it and not had it fail (I am holding a plank of wood whilst typing this) so you can never really tell. She is also parked outside all of the time as, until recently, I did not have a garage. Buy the best you can and enjoy it. 
Cheers for the help guys. Honestly there is no chance that I can afford a 'Vette right now.
But I hope to save and purchase a c4 before, say, 30 years of age. But it interests me to see what goes wrong on them and what repairs may cost.
What I would like is a 1990 Convertible with FX3/Z51 (Z51's available on the convertible right?) and a hardtop. When I was 12 or 13 I had a ride in such a car, I can even remember it's registration (G846 ETJ), it was Charcoal metallic with a saddle leather interior and both power seats and a 6speed ZF gearbox.
However, 1984/85/86 models attract my attention since they look essentially the same as 1990s but obviously 3 or 4 thousand pounds cheaper.
I've heard that red 84s have a tendency to turn pink?
But I hope to save and purchase a c4 before, say, 30 years of age. But it interests me to see what goes wrong on them and what repairs may cost.
What I would like is a 1990 Convertible with FX3/Z51 (Z51's available on the convertible right?) and a hardtop. When I was 12 or 13 I had a ride in such a car, I can even remember it's registration (G846 ETJ), it was Charcoal metallic with a saddle leather interior and both power seats and a 6speed ZF gearbox.
However, 1984/85/86 models attract my attention since they look essentially the same as 1990s but obviously 3 or 4 thousand pounds cheaper.
I've heard that red 84s have a tendency to turn pink?
Which early c4 would you recommend? Using my black book, it seems best to go the the newest I could afford. For example 86s and 87s have more horses, abs, tertiary stoplights, one or two switches are in better locations etc etc. Would you agree?
What kind of mileage could one get from these cars? Let's say around town and at 70mph in top?
What kind of mileage could one get from these cars? Let's say around town and at 70mph in top?
I used to have a 87 350ci TPI with a 4+3 box totaly standard ,cruise con,A/C,electric seats,removable top,bose sound system etc and it had 18,000 on the clock when i purchased it in 97 for 10 grand and the only thing i could fault was the laquer on the wheels had started to turn white in places which was easily sorted for around £200 at a wheel refurbisher.
I never really worried about mpg around town but on a run to Knebworth one year i got just over 30 miles to the US gallon which i think equates to around 34 imperial gallon.
The car was an absolute gem painted in silver with a silver interior and tinted windows.
I never really worried about mpg around town but on a run to Knebworth one year i got just over 30 miles to the US gallon which i think equates to around 34 imperial gallon.
The car was an absolute gem painted in silver with a silver interior and tinted windows.
stiej said:
30+ to a gallon?!!! My Escort Ghia 1.8 Zetec isn't that much better these days! That sounds nice. Do you miss it?
Explain to me the 4+3 tranny if you would? You can enter overdrive on 2nd, 3rd and 4th can you? So, this gives effectively 7 forward speeds?
five point seven litres of vee eight doing a ton down the M way in top gear and its purring so doing 70 with A/C and music you have trouble staying awake and yes i do miss it it was leisurly driving with grunt when you wanted it
You have a button on the top of the gear knob if i remember right ,1st ,2nd,2nd 0,3rd,3rd 0,4th,4th 0,if you relaxed too much you forgot what gear you were in
,i do prefer the ZF 6 Speed. The big point on a car like this is if you have got basic mechanical knowledge you could service it yourself in about the same time as an Escort,and you aint gotta worry about cam belts.
Why wait till you are old ! I had my first Corvette when I was 20 and have not stopped since....
As has already been expressed it is worth trying to get the newest that you can afford - but don't immediately dismiss the early cars. My first was an 84 and was a great car. The later cars had ABS which I think is worth getting if you can, but the big change in my opinion is that the 90 had the later dash - compared to the early dash it really is a big improvement. Overall though they are really reliable, pretty cheap to run, user serviceable and even insurance is cheap.
As has already been expressed it is worth trying to get the newest that you can afford - but don't immediately dismiss the early cars. My first was an 84 and was a great car. The later cars had ABS which I think is worth getting if you can, but the big change in my opinion is that the 90 had the later dash - compared to the early dash it really is a big improvement. Overall though they are really reliable, pretty cheap to run, user serviceable and even insurance is cheap.
Then, I have to make some money AND SOON!!!! I had an inkling insurance wasn't too dear. I did a quote some months back for myself (25 at the time) on a '90 convertible. Fully comp was £860ish. Didn't think that that was that bad since an under 20 year old on a crappy Corsa GSI would pay hundreds more. Besides I have no points whatsoever and full no claims.
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