Door Frame

I'm not mechanically inclined at all but I'm learning btw.


What am I in for? I'm looking into a c4 1989 convertible manual transmission. The mileage range I'm looking for is around 15-35k miles.


What are some common problems? So far people on other message boards, people have told me about the body flex ( is this prevalent on the convertible, does the cross bar eliminate the problem? ), the doors never closing right ( not sure what this means ) and the top does not seal correctly.

canuck buick

You are in for a whloe lotta fun. Make sure the heater works no leaks from the core.

sluggballz

Besides having a lot of fun, just general everyday old car stuff. I have a 95 convertible. My first vert ever, and I love it. Bought it with 85,000 on the odometer 4 years ago. I have changed the weatherstripping, and I am in the middle of recovering my seats. It all depends on how well it was taken care of before you get it. I've done the normal , oil, coolant, brake fluid, and rear end fluid changes. The body does flex, but I don't track the car and only have ever really been able to tell that it did flex when I was pulling into a parking lot that had a steep grade from the road to the lot. You don't have to be ASE certified to work on these cars. And the smile that is on your face everytime you take her out and droppa da toppa is worth whatever you pay for it!

MRPVette

If your not mechanically inclined have a mechanic or someone look it over before buying even with the low miles.

jv9999

I have an '87 convertible with 63K. Being that it's 27 years old, it's been pretty reliable. The usual stuff like weather stripping, seals, bushings, etc that need attention from age. Some brittle plastic issues and electrical annoyances that have been sorted.
I have never driven it with the top up. If it isn't convertible weather I don't drive it. The biggest negative is the lack of storage space.

Patsgarage

We have an 89 Vert with almost 80k. The car has been pretty reliable, just routine stuff and an alternator. It does flex more compared to modern convertibles, but less than the land yachts of the 60's. If you want to autocross it maybe look into a factory hardtop, it does stiffen up the car considerably. If the top needs replacing you can do a later C4 glass rear window conversion to get rid of the plastic one.
Problem areas ? Make sure the cluster works completely, the Bose radio can get expensive to fix correctly, and I don't know about the first year of the 6 spd manual. Maybe someone else can chime in on that.

DinoBob

The lack of mechanical inclination can turn a good deal into a nightmare. I strongly recommend buying the very best car you can afford, and enlisting the assistance of an experienced friend as you shop.

Door Frame

Yeah, I plan to take it to a reputable mechanic wherever I buy it so they can have a look at it.


Also, another question for the folks here. Is there a difference in speed between the 6 speed and the auto for the '89? Do I need to get one with a high performance rear axle? I read that the automatic with a z51 package has almost identical 0-60 times than a manual, is this true?

guno89

I have a 89 vert w/ 41k miles on it.

Weather stripping is always an issue, mine needs replacing but I just crank the radio and I don't heat the wind when the top is up!

Intake manifold gaskets are a lock to leak at some point, chances are on a car this age they have been repaired already.

The multec injectors are a lock to fail also, once again these have probably been fixed already.

I have replaced my damn clutch slave cylinder 2x in the past 6 years.

as canuck buick said the heater core, not sure if this is common. Mine started leaking so I bypassed it using a u shaped hose and clamped it total cost $6. I no longer have heat, but I also don't having fogging windows!

as Partsgarage said the bose system is a known issue, each speaker has an amp and they fail and you get static. Many people say you need to change the wiring. I had a shop put in a pioneer deck and adapter plate for the smaller deck. It's a simple radio the LED lights match that of the dash so it doesn't look out of place. I replaced all 4 speakers using the factory wiring and it works fine, you can convert the rear speakers to 6x9 by using the factory box. I think I jammed 5 1/4 upfront using some shallow speakers.

Other than that these cars seem to be pretty reliable I have owned mine for almost 11 years now.

If you buy a 89 PM when you get it I have the FSM in PDF form I can email you it.

Door Frame

How much was all that stuff to fix?

And how 'easy' was it? I'm not mechanically inclined but I'm learning and hope to get as much hands on experience with this car as possible.

Also I'd like to keep the car's interior as stock as possible. One of the big reasons why I'm choosing an '89 model is because it's the last year of the retro-futuristic dash. The only thing I'm looking to change are the speakers really.

guno89

Weather stripping is around $250-350 you can do it yourself.

Intake gaskets $700-1000 (shop price) parts are under $100 it's all labor.

Injectors $250 for a set allot of people just get them repaired a few vendors on here do them and you can install them yourself.

clutch slave $300ish part is $60 on amazon if you can get under the car it's a real easy job.

I live in the NYC metro mechanic prices are sky high here chances are labor is less where you are.

Patsgarage

Also I'd like to keep the car's interior as stock as possible. One of the big reasons why I'm choosing an '89 model is because it's the last year of the retro-futuristic dash. The only thing I'm looking to change are the speakers really.[/QUOTE]

If the car was originally equipped with the Bose system you cannot change out the speakers or head unit alone, they all must be replaced together. Also, new wires must be run to the speaker locations, as the stock wiring only carried a signal to the Bose speaker/amp unit.

As long as you go in to the purchase with your eyes open to the fact that you will be the owner of a car that is a quarter century old, it will be a lot of fun. I don't want to discourage you, but just keep that in mind.

hcbph

If you don't already have them you want some basic hand tools like sockets, box and open end wrenches, jack stands and floor jack and most of all a factory service manual. You'll also want to start making friends with people familiar with Vettes, you might be able to trade some labor for some learning time. You might check out your local Corvette clubs along with people on the Forum also.

I admit I'm still learning about my 86 which I've had for about 1 1/2 years now even though I've worked on cars on-and-off for a lot of years. Of course every time you fix something it's a step to building up your knowledge for more complex repairs.

guno89

If the car was originally equipped with the Bose system you cannot change out the speakers or head unit alone, they all must be replaced together. Also, new wires must be run to the speaker locations, as the stock wiring only carried a signal to the Bose speaker/amp unit.

As long as you go in to the purchase with your eyes open to the fact that you will be the owner of a car that is a quarter century old, it will be a lot of fun. I don't want to discourage you, but just keep that in mind.[/QUOTE]

I have to disagree with changing the speaker wire,I had the Bose system and installed a new head unit and speakers using the factory wiring and it's fine, I installed everything in 2009. IIRC I cut the wires going to the amp spliced them and just put them into the speakers. I used a a cheap $100 pioneer deck with rockford fosgate speakers 5.25 up fornt 6x9 in the back.

shootnstarz

Well this is perplexing. I'm going to change out the barely working, static riddled factory stereo in my 89 soon and if I have to run new speaker wires I think I'll do without music. That sounds like a hell of a lot of tedious work to route new wires to the rear speakers.

Rick

hcbph

I have not done a radio changeout so I'm pulling this off some of the things I've read on the subject. In addition to the radio and speakers, you have to add a resistor to the wiring to eliminate the SES light staying on IIRC. It's been documented here, so do a search and I'm sure you'll find the reference to it. Sorry, best I can remember at the moment.

crowz

You mentioned the z51 part. On my 86 coupe the z51 package made the car ride like a buckboard. Felt every pebble in the road and every crack in the pavement. HATED IT. The 87 convertible I have now doesn't have it and it rides great in comparison. Much softer and better road manners. The 86 coupe did do better in the curves but not enough to justify the damage it did to my back