Found a '90 Corvette, 350/6 speed in my price range. Going to look at it Wednesday.

Things I should watch out for?

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:
Things I should watch out for?

Cops?

Seriously, I would jump a Corvette focused forum for tips. Hagerty also has common sense (in case you're lacking when drooling over the car of your dreams) tips on buying/inspecting an older car.

Check past auctions on BringATrailer and read through the ads where buyers and sellers hash out the good and bad. You'll learn about options and known pitfalls of a given make and model.

I was looking for an affordable water cooled 911. I was on BaT and similar sites for over a year reading seller details and bidder comments to figure out the good, bad and ugly of the 996 and 997. When I found the car on ebay, I felt much more comfortable making an offer.

By the way, modern classic cars have cooled off 20-30% in the past year or so. You're in a good spot as a potential buyer.

Good luck.

The L98 - which is a shorter way of saying 350 tuned port injection - was a pretty good engine. IIRC, they had aluminum heads and a roller cam. Stock they made about 250hp and are a pretty reliable unit.

With all the fiberglass and aluminum construction, those C4s hold up remarkably well on the outside if they are garaged. Inside, the wonky digital dash and cracking plastic and leather interiors are fairly common problem areas.

My old man has a 94 convertible. They're a lot of fun to drive and they're surprisingly affordable right now. Partially because they were made for so long: 84-96 basically the same car/chassis, and partially because the C5 that came after was quite a bit better car as far as performance and handling.

If you're not a street racer that needs 500+ HP, and you can hold your own with basic maintenance, they're a fast, fun, and cheap way to get into performance cars.

Don't forget to post pics if you get it!

Quick phone pic from the current owner.

i looked at one, actually fell into the seat, which is lower than door sill, which made it very difficult to get out.

i ended up get on '04 c5, which which was easier to get in/out.

It's good it's the L98; I had the LT1 in a '92. I could never get the fool thing so stop leaking oil. I tried everthing I knew, took it to a couple of shops, including the Chevy dealer in area with mechanic that had best rep for fixing those cars...
Headlight actuators will fail. There's cheap hack for fixing those, can find the parts at local hardware store and fix them for less than a buck. The bolsters hold you firm in the seat but wear out quickly because you can't hardly get in or out without dragging across it.

Was a fun car; mine was a vert. Sold it when son reachted 16. Insurance!

Nice, Paul! Red on red, just like my dad's (but his is a white convertible top).

I actually prefer the targa top, and I definitely prefer the 6 speed over the 4 speed auto.

Good luck to you.

Look for damage from prior owners not knowing how to jack it up.

The electronic dash is flakey.
The security system ignition lockout is know to disable the care without notice.
Rear wheel spindles. The fiberglass bow spring will develop cracks.

quote:

Originally posted by ScreamingCockatoo:
The fiberglass bow spring will develop cracks.

Where is this bow spring? It is part of the suspension?

^^^ A fiberglass transverse leaf spring suspension, I believe on both ends.

Had a new C5 that was very good mechanically, brakes, engine performance, handling. Loved all of these attributes. Electronically it was a total disaster. Had it in for warranty work for electronics 14 times (yes, 14) in 3 years. Issues were pop up headlights that didn’t when needed and did when not needed, power windows, drivers sear adjustments, and a gas gage that failed repeatedly despite the efforts of two different dealers. Had the car for three years on lease and told the dealership where I leased it they couldn’t give me another one. Perhaps it was a one-year issue later resolved. Don’t know. FWIW, I’ve since had 5 Porsches between wife and me with no recurring issues whatsoever.

I had this '89 for 8 years with 0 problems. 245 hp/auto (out of the 4 Corvettes I owned it was the only auto). I had a good friend bug me for years to sell it to him. I finally did. He managed to wreck it. Not the car's fault!

A late model C4 is something I really want. I can't explain it but I want it. I saw a '96 in green with the tan leather interior but slept on it just before COVID.

Make sure you can get in and out of the car. Don't know your age but a lot of older people have trouble with this. Later years are not easy but are easier. Change out all fluids if they haven't been done recently. The car is very close to 35 years old and some parts may be difficult to obtain.

The L98 was a torque monster due to the long runners from the plenum to the intake. Peak torque was around 340 but it peaked early around 3200 RPMs.

Factory exhaust sounds kinda wimpy if that’s what is still on. Flowmasters sound really good on a C4.

The headlight bushings tend to grind down. IIRC, it’s a plastic bushing against a metal gear. They typically get grounded to dust and the flip up headlight won’t work anymore.

The C4 I had was trouble free with one exception:
The interior made a loud but intermittent creaking noise I could never track down. Made me even crazier than I usually am.

Watch out for the distributor as if I remember correctly the water pump leaked into this. Digital dash is expensive to repair.
God Bless !!!

quote:

Originally posted by PHPaul:

quote:

Originally posted by ScreamingCockatoo:
The fiberglass bow spring will develop cracks.

Where is this bow spring? It is part of the suspension?

In the rear if the car. The traverse leaf spring.
Look at the first 1/4 where it comes off the dif with a flashlight.

quote:

Originally posted by ScreamingCockatoo:


In the rear if the car. The traverse leaf spring.
Look at the first 1/4 where it comes off the dif with a flashlight.

Thanks. I printed out a RPO list as well and will be giving the car as thorough an inspection as I can manage.

Also calling my insurance guy today to see how big a hit that will be.

Tires appear to be in the $200/per range as I won't be needing Z-rated tires. Owner says mileage is in the 22,000 range and that makes me suspect the tires are 35 year old originals.