Ozman

I have to say that I'm really getting sick of my 93 Ruby. It only has 47,000 miles on it (had 32,000 on it when I bought it in March of 2001), but I've sunk a bunch of money into it and still have a lot more to go. It's been even worse than the 90 Infiniti Q45 that I owned, as far as repairs go.

The latest is the $1200 I have to sink into it because of my accident 2 weeks ago (wasn't my fault). My insurance has $1000 deductible so I'm going ahead and pay for the whole thing. This, of course, is not the car's fault. But I also have to take care of these items:

1. oil leak - caused by the intake manifold gasket. est. $250
this is my fourth oil leak that I have needed to fix.

2. Center console cover is broken and needs to be replaced. est. ??

3. Weatherstripping - In bad, bad shape. Est. $800 alone for the weatherstripping!

4. Driver side lumbar support - Only fills up middle lumbar. I blew into the tubes and was able to inflate them all. Is this a motor problem?

5. New Tires - $700-800?

6. Something is creaking behind the driver side seat. Sounds like it could be a shock.

7. Driver side seat is worn on the entry side and has a small tear, thanks to the previous fat-butt owner.

8. Actually needs a new paint job to get it looking good. Many chips, fiberglass crack and faded rear bumper from sitting in the hot sun.
Also, looks like bird crap was left on it for some time, resulting in permanent scarring of paint. (again, previous owner)

9. Fat-butt previous owner used steering wheel to get himself out of the car. Now it has some play in it. Probably cost a few bucks to have this fixed.

10. Various squeaks and rattles that are driving me nuts. I'm trying to tighten everything down, but it's tough finding where these are coming from.

11. I wanted to change the gearing from 2:59 to 3:73's for better performance. Now that idea is shot to hell because of the accident. I don't have another $1300 laying around right now. I'm not at all satisifed with the 2:59's.

There are other things I know I'm forgetting.

I knew Corvettes were expensive to maintain, but this is ridiculous! The weatherstripping was the most shocking cost. $800 for pieces of rubber??

First of all, I blame myself. I should not have bought the car in the condition I found it in. It only had 32,000 miles on it, but looked like double that. I didn't realize it had all the paint imperfections until I got it home.
I bought it from a business associate of my wife down in El Paso. I was under the impression the car had been stored. The only place it had been
stored was outside in the elements. I thought I could fix it up for less than what I have put into it. I was naive about Corvettes and what it cost to fix them. I have some mechanical knowledge, but not enough to save myself a bunch of money.

I'm also sick of the automatic trans. I like doing my own shifting. I've looked at 6-speed C4's, but because of my height (6'4") and shoe size (15), I have trouble working the pedals with the limited amount of room.
The C5 is much better for room, but out of my price range for now.

I'm sorry for the whining, but I just had to vent. Seems like this is still a rich man's car, even when it is a few years old.

rocketfinger

Aw, c'mon, it's not that bad is it?

Most of what you've mentioned is par for the course on any used car. Lord knows I've been through most of that stuff on mine. Weatherstripping is preposterously expensive to replace on ANY car, you just hear about it more from Vette owners. I guess we pay a small premium for belonging to a fairly exclusive club, but I've been through restos on several Japanese GTs and believe me, working on a good ol' Chevy is a welcome relief to my wallet.

No problems with the pedals, I'm 6'3" and usually wear big head-stomping boots although my feet are a dainty size 12. Gunboats like yours might require some precision footwork.

On the bright side, I saw a fairly rough '93 yesterday on a pot lot priced at $33,500. 'Guess C4 prices have finally turned around.

Take 'er for a spin and you'll feel much better. :yesnod:

Bender

Wow Ozman, I don’t know what to tell you.

It’s always dangerous in the first place to do personal business with friends and or associates.

You might be better off to fix up the car a little and dump it. You need to figure out what the car is worth in the shape it is in now versus what you could get for it if you invest some money in it. I would think that fixing up the interior would bring the most bang for the buck. You could probably find some good used parts to do that pretty cheap.

It sounds as if you know now that you should have bought one in better shape.

I hope everything works out well for you. :cheers:

skills68

im up to 9 grand hows that feel :rolleyes: :yesnod: :rolleyes: :yesnod: :rolleyes: :yesnod: :rolleyes: :yesnod:

Mr Mojo

I've got almost $10,000 in my '95 and she's still stock!
I have $3000 in my '93 and that's made a 100% improvement so far.

Between both cars(including purchase price) I only have just under $50,000 invested. I could've bought a Z06 instead, but I'd rather have two C4's than one C5. I also could have bought my dad's house(long story), but that is next on the list.

After I buy the house, I'll be on the market for either a new truck or a C3 convertible, I've even thought about a C5, but let me tell you now, these will be additions, not replacements.

Looks like I'll need to buy a garage instead! 4 cars + one garage= :(

Bones LT1

Tires:
Kuhmos mine were $500.00
I've had my high mileage 93 for a year now. 94k when I bought it.
Repairs:
New battery $55.00
New serp belt $44.00
New tires $500.00
New plugs and oil change $60.00 I brought in the plugs.
Thats it.

The top leaks so what, they all do.
Wear on the drivers seat, again they all do.
A little peeling in the clearcoat, oh' well its a 93.
Weather strip? Who cares it leaks anyway.
The Bose CD does nothing, most don't.

Buy another, you bet this is number 8.
Fun to drive, you bet.
Fast, you bet.
It has a few flaws but so does my dog, and I love my dog.

Wasemiller

Sounds like a real piece of c rap, I'll give you 5K for it :lol: :lol: :lol: :yesnod:

91Vette

It sounds like the 93 is getting to you. Maybe a C5 would cure your blues? On the next car, whatever it may be, try to get exactly what you want. Settling gets old pretty quick.

Corvette Kid 92

I'll give you $20 for it :jester

morphious

For me it became a love. When I bought mine it was kinda crappy, but I figured if your going to buy used then have cash ready. I have done a lot to my car. I restored the interior, and did exhaust, shocks, rims and tires, alarm, stereo, and many more things. I look for good deals, and jump. Needed rear gasket for the hatch, but didn't want to spend $250 so found one for $100. I learned that don't do it all now, but this is my 2 cents. :cheers:


[Modified by morphious, 5:53 PM 6/3/2002]

VetteBabe1

I had the same problem with the yellow 90 I bought last year. I should have looked it over better, but I trusted the seller and that ended up being bad news. I paid $11k for it (just found out the seller paid $6800 for it two weeks before I bought it, that is about what it was worth)....then had to do the

clutch slave $130
clutch itself $350
clutch master cyl $85
new door panels (ones I was given did not fit) $300 off ebay
intake gaskets $75
tires $900
fuel injectors (had sat for 2 yrs I found out, rusted fuel lines clogged everything!!) $250
fuel pump $150
cap/rotor $35
spark plugs $30
plug wires $50

Total: $2355 (approx....think it was actually more, I am sure I am forgetting some things). And these prices don't even include labor, thank god...my fiance did all the work. It would have been twice that at a shop. :( I am a college student and therefore in order for me to even be able to drive it, my fiance paid for most of the fixing, poor thing. So I had a $13,355 car that I had to sell for $9500 3 months ago, because really that was all it was worth, even still. $7000 was the right price for it. I was very stupid and paid the price dearly! So I can sympathize with you....the car was finally right when I sold it but I had such a bitter taste in my mouth from it that I just wanted it gone. And it was a 6-speed!!

:U Makes me sick to think I could have been $4000 closer to my ZR1 if I could have held onto that money in theory....now I just have a bigger loan :(. But I LOVE my new car, it's worth it!!!! :yesnod:


[Modified by VetteBabe1, 8:55 PM 6/3/2002]

GoodbyeGirl

I think most of us are in or have been in the same boat. I have about $8K into my C4. I'll never get the $ I have in it back, but I don't care - I love the car! :)

Ozman

>>Sounds like a real piece of crap, I'll give you 5K for it <<

Hey! Don't make offers like that right now! In my frame of mind, I might just accept it.


[Modified by Ozman, 3:48 AM 6/4/2002]

Ozman

Yes it is. I really don't think the guy thought it was in bad shape. He wasn't trying to screw me. He was just a rich guy from a rich family that just wanted to drive a sports car for awhile. He also has a 25th anniversary Mustang convertible that he thinks he is going to get big bucks for someday. He has left this out in the elements also and it looks like crap.

Yes, I do. I will never buy another used car without having someone more knowledgeable than I with me, or I will have it taken to a mechanic for an inspection. The problem with this deal was that he was 800 miles away. The pictures he sent made the car look in good shape. When I got there, he hadn't even cleaned it for me. It was covered with dirt. When he took his possessions out of the car, he must have had hundreds of coins in the glove compartment! How could someone drive a car with all of that rattling around?


[Modified by Ozman, 4:03 AM 6/4/2002]

MinnesotaWhite

The car is almost 10 years old...doesn't sound unreasonable.

Remeber, the less you drive them (32000 miles for a 10 year old car) the more they break...right Mojo!

Ozman

Guess I'm not as laid back about flaws as you are. I don't need it in car show condition, but I would like it to look nice. The weatherstripping is what is bugging me the most. It looks horrible, leaks and I think is responsible for many of the creaks and rattles which seem to be coming from the front of clear top.


[Modified by Ozman, 4:13 AM 6/4/2002]

Ozman

I think I was somewhat blinded by the fact that it was a Corvette and had low miles on it. The car was dirty when I went to see it (traveled 800 miles),
and I didn't make him wash it. Guess I couldn't believe that someone with so much money could neglect a car like that.

I will definitely not be as easy going and trusting with my next car purchase.

vader86

You think YOU have problems, i'm 6'5.5" and wear an 18

Wasemiller

I was just kiddin with you :jester I love my car, wouldn't trade it for anything short of a C5 that hauled a ss :seeya

Ozman

I know you were. I was kidding too....kind of. $5000, eh? I may just.....um, nevermind.