I've not previously owned a corvette. Hot rodded a 69 327 camaro when younger. Then family and minivans. Now driving Saabs. Have always wanted a vette and there is an 86 at one of the local new car dealerships with standard transmission and 31,700 miles. Interior looks pristine. Any comments regarding that model year and what to look more closely at?
Thanks!

Never mind............ :toothy8:

As described, it sounds like a nice car. A good friend of mine had an '86 as his first Corvette. Even though it had a lot of miles, it was still very tight, reliable and a good driver. What are they asking for it if I might ask?

Also, '86 had a half year model featuring a fair number of changes. They're both fine but the later version will have aluminum heads, as the easiest way to spot it.

Sounds like it could be quite a find! Take a look at bogus' Buyers Guide if you haven't already done so:

http://www.c4guru.com/articles/BuyersGuide.pdf

There are lots more knowledgeable folks than me here. With those low miles, it would be nice to know how the car was used, if it sat for a long time, and maintenance history.

I would buy the 86 for one reason - to preserve it. It has low miles, it must be in good condition.

If you want one to drive, get a newer one with the 6spd. So much more reliable for daily driving... much newer and with a ton of overall improvements.

And yes, the buyers guide that pianoguy recommended is a great place to start (if I say so myself)!

They are asking $10,500. Here is the link in autotrader:


CLICK HERE

For that money you could get a 95-96 with moderate mileage. Check the C4 for sale section in that other forum, there are some good buys on there.

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Andy is right. If you're looking for something that one day might be a collectible, and you're willing to let it sit and/or put a minimal amount of additional mileage on it, then that seems like a reasonable starting price for negotiation.

However, if you're looking for something to use and really enjoy, $10,500 (or thereabouts) could get you a lot more Corvette. And don't be afraid to take you're time finding one as there are a lot of deals out there...

I know someone with a 96 that they are letting go for $9,000, I would keep looking. JMO

Unfortunately, although such a nice example of an early C4 should be worth that much, it's not nor even close. It likely will be someday again, but no time soon. An average example of this car is currently no more than a $4000 to $5000 car at best. If you want one this nice, that's fine. But I wouldn't go over $7500 for it.

Great information, I might go look at it, but will definitely go with a more open mind regarding the value. Thanks!

BTW, what is that "other" forum?

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It's the dark side, a dank and evil place. Imagine Mordor in The Lord of the Rings!

Stay away!

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corvetteforum.com Lot of good members and good info there, but it is run be a bunch of power mad nut cases. Still a good place to look for a C4.

CF has a ton of rules that restrict what you can talk about.

For example, if you recommend a product, you must recommend a forum sponser as the sole source. If you were to recommend a friends shop, or a company that isn't a forum sponser, you will get a stern talking too. Over time, they could use it as a reason to ban someone. I know of one guy whose profile was edited because he was advertising a non forum sponser.

At the same time, you cannot cross post to other forums. That can lead to an immediate banning for 1 week.

Same goes with ebay. Locked, and into moderation you go.

I am not kidding. Over the past 2 months, they have been flushing out the old guard. I was a very active member there for over 7 years and just under 40k posts, and they banned me without any warning, because I disagreed with the nature of their rules and their draconian enforcement. In short, many of us old timers got to the point where we felt we were walking on eggshells all the time.... just waiting for the shoe to drop.

I know this is off topic, but it should be known. I also know that this is only my side of the story, but there are at least 4 other guys here who were nailed the same way I was.

Do I resent them? No, I pity the membership. The members banned, myself, CentralCoaster, StreetKnight and Jeffvette were the heart and soul of the C4 section. Between us, there isn't much about the C4 we don't know. Add in Casethecorvetteman and a couple others who left because of how we were banned, you will find that the majority of CFs knowledge base are now over here.

You will see a tech FAQ in the C4 tech section at CF... I wrote that... I also wrote the one in audio... so I was a huge contributor. No more. They got us for free for way too long.... we are here to stay!

What you will find here is a FREEDOM to exchange ideas on concepts and products. You can ask about any product from any vendor and not fear attack or punishment. You are literally free to think what you want. I am not saying you won't be disagreed with, but that is the freedom of exchange. It's just that you won't get banned for it (as long as the discussion doesn't include threats and crap, that's just stupid).

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Correction, still a few good members over there. But most of us are over here now!

Twells, did you notice how 95vette posted a link to CF? That's fine here and nothing will come of it. But if you join over there and post a link to the Guru, or even mention it, your post or thread would be deleted and you might even be banned! Isn't that nice? But yes, check out the cars over there and if you want any of us to look at one that interests you, you can post a link here to the F/S thread without fear of repercussions. And those of us who haven't been banned from CF yet, can look at it too.

Isn't it amusing that a site that claims well over 100,000 members feels so threatened by us, with barely over 1000? I guess they take us much more seriously than Goliath took David!

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And look what happened to him...

You can find very nice late model C4's for under $10k all day long. I have recently seen a couple of higher mileage '96 Collector Editions (CE) here in Phx for under $7k. They would be a much more fun car to drive than the '86, IMHO. Just to give you an idea of what you can get for your $$, I bought this '94 vert, as is except with the original saw blade wheels, for $9K a few months ago. It has 56K miles and had over $2000 worth of maintenance done to it just before I got it (dealer replaced the opti-spark, new fuel pump, etc.). It runs and drives like a dream and the paint and interior look almost new. I thought I got a steal, but the way the market for C4's is going, I think I got a normal deal...

[web]http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o298/kellyfletcher1970/1994%20Corvette/MiscCorvette001.jpg[/web]

[web]http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o298/kellyfletcher1970/1994%20Corvette/MiscCorvette006.jpg[/web]

Good luck, and have fun!

That thing is gorgeous! And even given the current market, and especially for such a sweet vert, you still stole it! I'm sure glad I have no desire to peddle my high mileage, highly modified, raggedty-assed '95 coupe right now. Damn would I take a beating!
What color is that? It's beautiful!

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Thanks for the compliment! I think you are being a little too modest about your car. I'm sure it is much nicer than you are letting on! I keep thinking about modifying mine, but the cost seems to get in the way... Besides, I don't race, and it can get out of it's own way pretty well, so I guess I will keep it as is for a while.

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It's just the best color GM ever applied to any vehicle (IMHO ) - Polo Green.

Hell, on my computer it looks like some dark blue, a color like I'd never seen on a C4 before. Mine's also polo green, so I'm definitely a fan. Strick has an awesome polo '92 vert. I'm sure he'll see this at some point and chime in. Believe me, compared to yours or his, my '95 is rough by comparison. It's not a too bad as a 10 footer, but it's definitely in serious need a repaint.

Lol, that's the beauty of Polo, it changes colors on you. Some C6 owner at a show last weekend asked me if I owned the black car.

I know Strick - he helped me decide on my wheels and helped with my hardtop questions. He's a great guy with a great looking car!

mine is also Polo Green!

Except the paint is dying a slow and miserable death.

So come on over to AZ. We'll have a paint day!

I'm convinced I should hold off and get a newer C-4. Probably won't happen until this summer at the earliest. Winter has struck here in Dayton OH, and I need to free up some garage space...

Even though that 86 has really low mileage, it could need lots of attention depending on how it was maintained and how often it was driven.

It might surprise you when you start putting miles on it.

Don't shy away from a well-cared for high mileage car with a thorough maintenance history. Those are better deals IMO.

I would never buy a used car from a dealer. They polish the damn thing up and mark it up. You're paying a huge premium for a shiny engine, clean interior, and other shit that has nothing to do with the car's reliability. Obviously they don't take shitboxes in on trade-in, but you probably won't get any history on the car.

Check carfax too. The odometers on the old ones are easy to mess with.

Quote:You may want to reconsider. I have a friend with a C6, a 2007, I think, that is thinking of getting rid of it in favor of a C4. He doesn't feel (and I agree) that it isn't as modifiable as he wants.

RACE ON!!!

Rimcrew. That is Polo Green??? It looks like Quazar Blue on my monitor.
I have to agree with Bogus. If you want to pay that kind of price, then you had better make it a garage queen. In 20 years, it may be worth some bucks. Otherwise, buy an LT1 and drive that sucker.
Oh, and by the way, the C4 section on that other forum has been taken over by scientologists and masons.

Although my opinion won't really matter much considering everyone is saying not to buy the car; I completely disagree. Is the car worth $10,500, well theres a simple answer to that question; the car is only worth what you or someone else is willing to pay. In all honesty its not a very desirable year, but early C4's never really are. Why are they not desirable? I really couldn't tell you. One thing I can tell you is this is one of the cars that I have had the most fun driving, and although I am alot younger than most of these guys, I've had a Big Block Chevelle, 80's Monte Carlo, a Camaro, Grand Prix's, and now my current "daily" ride a 96 Impala, I had others too but they've been junkers. When we bought our C4 we purchased it as a daily driver, then it made its way into the garage for a few weeks, and then we got fed up and started driving it again. I paid way too much for it, and have put well over $10K into it, and it doesn't look 1/2 as nice as that car, but I didn't do it because i ever plan on getting 1/2 of that back, I did it because I love the car and its a blast to drive, after a long week its nice to just get in, and go for a ride. Fortunately for my girlfirend she gets to drive it most of the week.

So, you can buy this overpriced c4, have fun with it, and drive around in something that looks almost new, or get a newer, quote faster, C4 that has higher miles, may need some TLC, may not be as clean..... It really matters what's more important to you. On one last note, I bought the Impala as a weekend cruiser.... the prices on those are going up, up, up, and mine was prestine with under 30K.... that didn't last either, I put a ton of miles on that too and devalued it. I see things differently now, why bother to own something if you can't enjoy it.

Just my $0.02,

DG

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Not to mention the few remaining Knights Templar...

Assuming you buy it outright, how much you paid will be the least of your concerns.

Look at a half dozen of them at least and get whatever floats your boat. Some like waxing, some racing, some both. The more I race mine the less I care about how it looks. But I keep everything clean and functional so it's comfortable and reliable to drive any day of the week.

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Well put.

I suggest that you check NADA, Kelly Blue Book and Edmonson online for prices to get a sense of price range. I did not check them just now, but that sounds high to me. I am also a fan of ebay and had good success with 4 vehicles bought that way. Of course used cars are well not totally risk free, but the price is much better! Good luck and 1/2 the fun is looking!!!

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Me neither :tongue:

ouch.