DATeem

I just traded a jet boat for a 89 convertible because I thought everyone should own at least one corvette. With only 68K on it the car runs pretty well but needs attention to detail. (previous owner took interior apart and did not replace screws etc.) Reading up on the C4, its maintenance and reputation it appears that this generation is the "red headed step child" of Corvette. My question is why? They do not seem to hold value nearly as well as previous or latter generation and it appears they are a maintenance nightmare. True or False? While it seems like there are a lot of the C4 out there they (several descriptions of "a dime a dozen") why do they get such a bad rap and is it deserved? I am trying to decide if I am going to keep or sell, trade up or trade down? The little bit of cleanup and repair I have done is not bad, but I don't want to sink a ton of money into it if the C4 is an albatross. Thoughts and comments please.

dbgoodwin

You need to change your thinking man! C5 z06 owner here, and the c4 is the next Vette I want. They have some definite gremlins but they're overall a solid platform.

ColaBear

Your C4 is 26 years old. I can’t think of any other 26 year old car that is not going to require maintenance and if the previous owner (or owners) did not keep it serviced, then it will require some repair. How much you do depends on what you want the car to be. I would assume that since it’s an 89 you got it for a pretty good price though you do not note that information in your post.

Pristine show car = a lot of time and money on any 26 year old car.
Nice clean car = some time and money, just not as much.
Daily Driver = fewer dollars spend and more time driving. Just fix the major items first and then the little issues as you want too.

Tom400CFI

No different than the C3 was, 15 or so years ago. The C4 is at the bottom of it's "value cycle". In 10 years, value will be on the rise, and C5's will be viewed the way C4's are now....maybe worse as the C5 and C6 are cheaper cars.



Well that's completely false. No different than any 20-30 year old car. I've had my 150k mile '92 foor over 5 years now, and out side of normal maintenance (oil changes, shocks/brakes/tires etc), it's needed a distributor and a radiator. Is that a "nightmare"?

crowz

Keep it in hopes it will go up in value = bad idea. It may one day but wont be anytime soon. Later generations are not hold value either though.

Is it a bad car vs other generations? Nope. Its a very good car. Will out preform anything before it handling wise.

Now looks etc vs other generations? That's in the eye of the beholder or in this case the owner. Only you can answer that one.

don hall

Not sure where you got your C4 information, but the
C4 is not the 'step child' of Corvettes. Have owned 2 C3s, 2 C4s, and a C5. My choice, based on affordability, performance, and styling, are the LT1 years (1992-96).

If your only complaint is the interior, you will find most components readily available, and relatively inexpensive (compared to engine and transmission)..... get acquainted with Corvette salvage yards.

The 1989 engine provided 345# torque - quite high at that time:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Corvette_(C4)

For comparison L98 v. LT1:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1989-corvette1.htm
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1992-corvette1.htm

Obviously, the more work you can perform yourself, the cheaper the restoration.

If there are Corvette clubs in your area, you might consider joining one. They usually provide restoration talent, and friendship.

This is my '92.... at 83, my last vette, and it will not have another owner until I'm gone:

Silver96ce

Car is looking good! Let's hope it doesn't get another owner for a long time.

Silver96ce

OP -

They are all garbage. It's best you get rid of it as soon as possible. Send me the title and I'll come and get it. My "nightmare" coupe needs a convertible to keep it company since it is always breaking down on me.

don hall

Thank you.......

Paul Workman

All Corvette series have had their turn "in the barrel". C5s will have their day too.

The C4 are long in the tooth, as they say. So, unless one is well cared for, then it is likely a candidate for some restoration like any car of that age.

Corvettes have far more performance and capabilities built in than MOST of the "experts" passing judgement have (in terms of driving skills), or are even aware of. So, where does that leave the credibility of the nay-sayers in the scheme of things?

dbgoodwin

Anyone who thinks c5/6 is a cheaper made car than the c4 is on drugs. My white z06 was purchased for $21k 2 years ago. The cheapest I have seen one sell with similar miles recently is 24k. Neither the c5 or c6 is cheaper than a c4.

crowz

Ive seen c5's around here as low as $12k and Ive seen convertible c4's go for over $14k so in Alabama yes you can get a c5 for less than a c4 in certain situations.

dbgoodwin

A beat up automatic c5 couple will obviously be less than a pristine c4 very. You're comparing the worst c5 you've seen to a nice c4. C4's got a bad rep from the beginning. Massively underpowered, not good on gas, difficult to get in and out of, and conservative looks compared to the c3. The c3 was a MUCH worse car, but it was aggressively styled so people liked it. I prefer the way the c4 looks to the c3.

Tom400CFI

What are you respopnding to? "Cheaper MADE"? Or "Cheaper"? I said "cheaper cars" and by that, I meant that they were built....cheaper. They cost less for the time, and the materials/fit and finish, content, etc is lower and/lower for the time, than a C4. For the TIME they were built, the C4 was more advance, used better materials, and had more content. That is why MSRP for my '92 (for example) was $33,600, and my '06 was $40,000 with some Paint ($800) and Z51 ($1200). The C6 was a cheaper car.

BTW, no drugs here. Not now...not ever.

Tom400CFI

Looks aside (a subjective thing), the rest of what you said is rubbush. Absolutely untrue. Time for you to do some READING Where in that article (an article about the C4..."from the beginning"), do you see any criticism of the power, gas mileage, or looks?

Fact is, The C4 has always been a leader in all of those categories. FYI, My '92 gets better gas mileage than my C6 did, so....

.

shootnstarz

I just got an 89 coupe 8 months ago, my first Corvette and my first "car" in over 31 years. I've owned nothing but Ford pickups.

Just last week I had the chance to run some curvy mountain roads with 15 or so other Corvettes, mine being the oldest in the group and the only base model C4. We dashed across the Tail of the Dragon at what I would consider a very fast clip, made it in 19 minutes.

That was the first time I had a chance to actually put the car on that type of road and really push it along. The handling ability of the car just blew me away, as hard as I would crank the wheel over in a curve the harder it would corner with not a hint of wanting to break loose. I kept up with all the Z06s, GSs and ZR-1s, GS in front of me was actually slowing me down.

I am even more in love with the car than before. It made the 1565 trip without a single issue, save for a faulty wiper blade. I love the lines and I love driving it, no need to speed or act crazy, it's fun to just drive around "normal".

Yes, I've put some money into it because like yours, it was neglected for many years and spent a large part holded up in a garage and only taken out on bright, sunny Saturdays. I know I'll never recoup what I've spent on it but if you add in the 'fun" factor it's a break even.

Rick

KYC4

Every generation has their pluses and minuses...but you did GOOD getting on the C4 train, my friend! Glad to have you with us.

later,

Lee

P.S. Got pics to share? We love us some pics.

dbgoodwin

The c4 had an anemic engine when it first came out. A few short years later fore put a v6 in the taurus that had more power than the original c4. C4's are known for being rattle prone, creaky, cheaply put together cars. All corvettes until the c7 are. The c5 and c6 were definitely improved over the c4 though.

dbgoodwin

To answer the OP's question though, they're great cars. The bad rep is almost completely wrong, though early models ran out of steam quickly, and they were rattle prone with a few gremlins.

Tom400CFI

Say WHAT!? ^^ Which argument are you making here?? Yikes.



No it did not. Did you READ the article I posted for you? Here are a couple quotes for you:
* "It is hands down the fastest American Automobile
*One of the half dozen fastest production automobiles in the entire world!
...just a pair of examples for you. IDK...sounds pretty good...FOR THE TIME.


Right...that could be said about virtually any year, of any car. It's called progress. "A few years after the C6 came out, Volvo has a 4 cylinder that makes as much power". What does that mean? Nothing. It's typical of what we call, progress. Doesn't change what the '84 did IN '84, nor what the C6 did in '05.


Only b/c of the improvements in the stiffness of the frame...not the interior quality, that's for sure.