Palatex

Greetings all, glad to be a part of you

I'm pondering the purchase of a 93 Vette convertible, 70K, Competition Yellow, M6, appears to be in great shape. Here's a link to it so you can see for yourself:

http://www.reliablenissan.com/used/C...13980b6038.htm

I need all opinions, good bad and ugly. Good price? See anything out of whack? I know the C4s weren't exactly Toyotas when it comes to reliability (and I already have a problem child 2007 BMW 335i - don't get me started lol), but I'm looking for just a weekend toy car (and occasional work car, 30 miles one way), not necessarily a daily driver.

BUT, I don't want to get stuck with a(nother) money pit either.

So whaddya think? A worthy investment?

Thanks all in advance.

AirForceOne!

Looks like it's in pretty good shape! Wouldn't pay $11,000, but's that's a dealer price! Offer him $9,000 and see what he says.

Don't buy a C4 for an investment, buy it to enjoy! They are not going up in value any time soon!

As far as relilability, your buying a 20 year old car, so it's a crap shoot! See if you can find the previous owners and talk to them about the car and it's history!

I suggest if your serious, find a friend who knows vettes and take it for a test drive! See if the dealer knows any of the maintenance history at all.

zr1fred

Retail price would be less than $11k depending upon area, history of vehicle, and time of year. It's 20 years old, there most likely will be problems (though not in the BMW's class). A terrible investment unless you get it for less than $6k. $11k , with due dilegence will get you into a C5. Yellow is a terrible investment color, 10% dearly love it, 30% will tolerate it, and the rest hate it. 93 is a not particularly sought after year. Once a car gets over 10 years old, mileage is one of the less important things to consider, and low mileage has probably burned more people than high mileage. Now if it's the year, color, options you want, and you expect to "lose" a little for the joys of ownership, that would be different. Most used cars will NOT appreciate, no matter how special.

silverja

Looks like a fine C4 from the photos at that price. Try some negotiating. Dealers add for negotiations. Convertibles fetch more money too. Have someone look at it who knows C4's. Or better yet, do your own research on them too. I doubt if this C4 will be sold quickly in our present weak economy.

Years ago I drove an exact duplicate of this one. The 6 speed manual was fun. It really accelerated quickly. The yellow and black color combination is very attractive. Color is an important consideration too.

Research the following items:

Optispark ignition
Fuel injectors
Tires
Clutch and transmission
Accessories
Convertible top and its frame

C4's can be costly to repair. But I have a "hunch" this particular C4 is worth considering. As a happy owner of a C4 convertible since 2001, I can attest to their driving spirit. Also, having a few hundred dollars in a reserve is wise considering any potential issues. It is 20 years old.

Best of luck and I hope it works out.

Palatex

I didn't exactly mean "investment" as hoping I could flip this car and make money, I guess I just meant was the asking price fair - from the research I've done it isn't out of line - not a steal but not a ripoff either.

I know buying any 20 year old car is a risk no matter what it is. The last ragtop I had was a 68 Firebird, a car that was a tremendously annoying pain in the *** but on a bright sunny day, there was nothing else like it.

zr1fred, you really think yellow is a minus on this type of car? Usually I'm a sucker for a rare color and this was the 2nd rarest color in 93 (behind dark red) - who knows, maybe it was that rare for a good reason lol.

Anyone else? Please don't be shy, speak up!

zr1fred

Yellow is a great color if you're someone who loves it. There is a reason that it is a rare color (and has always been, considering it has been around for years). I actually like it.

VeryUnoriginal

I have a White 1993 Corvette M6 Coupe. I love it! I actually just passed 66,000 miles this morning. I've had it for about 7 months now, and the only problem I've had with it is the slave cylinder went out a week after I bought it.

But looking at that '93 Vert, I really like it. Competition Yellow isn't a common color, and even more rare being a 6-speed and a Convertible. You even have the sport seats and selective ride control! You're going to love this car!

MRANT212

Car looks great and it looks pretty well together..see if you can nickel and dime them a bit. The price isn't out if line if it's a quality car. write the check and have some fun!!

jesredvette

Yes, it is a 20 year old car, but there are a number of C4 owners who have had great reliability. I have an '88 vert and it has never stranded me in the six years that I have owned it. A few expenses here and there but nothing major.

I think you should take a run at it, but $11,000 is a bit high. (A 96 that was body-off restored to mint with a brand new 500HP+ competition engine went for $16,000 recently on a Mecum auction.) The dealer probably paid 4-6 grand for the car. I agree with
AirForceOne; I wouldn't pay $11,000. Offer him $8,500 and be prepared to walk away if he doesn't take it or counter at nine. Give him your phone number and tell him that you are a buyer at $9,000 and walk away. Good chance that you will get a call within a couple of days.

This is a good looking car; if you get it for the right price I don't think that you'll regret it

gunnerjuju

nice looking car. love that it has the luggage rack. as someone mentioned earlier offer $9K

motor city dave

IMO 11 is to much. 8 is the most i would pay, if it is as clean as it looks in the pics.

Muffin

I agree with what has been said, especially about price. $11,000 is too high. Ad says it is an A4, not an M6. Pic are not overly clear but the shifter looks to be an A4.

tenaus

Maybe i'm missing something, but the ad says 4 speed automatic, not a six speed. looks like a great car to me. I don't know about down south but compared to prices up here in the north east seems like a good price to me. Love the color and luggage rack.

Kmcoldcars

The ad says automatic but the shifter shown is clearly a 6 speed, very noticeable in the picture taken from the driver's side.

Fredbird

For a 20 year old car... I personally would buy from an individual. Unless the dealer is giving you one heck of a warranty. Individual is going to be cheaper (usually) And the individual is going to know the history of the car. And you can look them in the eye and usually tell if they're lying to you.

My 91 runs great *knock on wood* but there are things that go wrong here and there.

Mileage may be higher... but it doesn't matter too much unless you want her to be a garage queen and impress people with how few miles she has.

So, in my opinion... $11,000 (If I were buing in Texas) - Pass... I can pick up a nice C4 for 7,000 - 9,000 any day of the week. Shoot for around 15,000 you could get a C5.

Palatex

Thanks for the comments so far, excellent observations and advice.

The car is a 6-speed, I'm in "talks" with the dealer at the moment but so far they're not inspiring alot of confidence - they list the car as an automatic when it isn't (which I can overlook), then I ask them if the car has the optional removable hardtop and initially they didn't seem to have any idea of what I was talking about until I explained it to them... so I dunno.

One of my new year's "resolutions" was that this year I was going to get another motorcycle since I haven't had one in quite a few years but I was going to wait till spring/early summer, but then this came along and I was thinking it might be a decent alternative. Of the 30 or so cars I've had I've never had a Vette - never had anything against them but they weren't for me (usually they were way too rich for my blood). So I'm still thinking...

Thanks again for the comments - again, feel free to jump in if you haven't commented already, I need all the advice and "devil's advocates" I can get!

mickey5

a 6 speed C4 Vert is not a common vehicle and yellow (if you like it) makes it more desireable to someone who does. Mileage is definately a factor (just watch the Mecum auctions) and 70k, which doesn't make it a collectible, is a good cruiser. I agree that $11K is a little on the rich side but I wouldn't walk away at $10 if its basically sound and checks out with a trusted, knowledgable wrencher or tech.

ch@0s

That is a nice car and you wont see that combo every day. Buy it before someone else does.

Txbobcat

I have a 92 convertible with 6 speed I also have a 70 and 72 GTO and a 65 catalina and a 64 impala ss. All different cars all great cars but my Vette is sweet. Nothing beats a Vet.
Not too many people looking for c4 vetes right now especially that old and a vert. Make him a $9000 offer and tell him he has all week to accept it or you are moving on.

Muffin

Correct. You have better eyes than I do.