What you need to know BEFORE you buy a C4 Corvette

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[genericdenizen]

Love my Corvette. Buy one, life is short.

[michaeljordan]

C4s are inexpensive and maintenance is very inexpensive compared to anything else in its class.
Some of these shops should include a jar of Vaseline for the inflated numbers they charge.

[dustyrasmussen]

Best thing when buying a C4 is know how to do much of the work yourself.

[zone]

I always thought these cars were such a killer bargain, but yeah this all makes sense. Knowing exactly what problem areas to look for helps zero in on determining the true value. Great info, thanks!

[DragoonWarrior]

I've had my 96 C4 for about 4 months now. I payed just under $9K for the car. The body is in good shape, but of course it needed repairs. I had my mechanic look at it and they said about $1, 400 for repairs from what they could find. As of now, I'm up to $4, 225 in repairs, and I have another I'll be doing soon for $520. The instrument cluster is going to be another one in the near future. I can do some of the basic stuff, but I don't have any special tools or a clean safe space to do any serious stuff like a garage. It's also my only car so I can't have it sit for days being undrivable. I knew my situation was far from ideal, but I had the chance and the money so I went for it. Owning a Corvette was been one of my life goals for over a decade and my top favorite Corvettes are the C3 and the C4. It's been the source of a few headaches with the repairs and learning to drive on my crappy streets without scraping the front or throwing the alignment out with the pot holes and sewer access lids that are sitting lower then they should be. Still love the car.

[TGBPEnglish]

This video is a real eyeopener! Thank you Lyle & God bless.

[JohannGambolputty]

I had a ‘92 and would stay away from 92-93 because of the Optibark. I believe in ‘94 they vented them which was basically just a vacuum line to suck out any moisture. I would also stay away from the Crossfire 84’s. Stick to L98’s or LT4 cars. What he also doesn’t mention in the cam driven water pumps fail due to harmonics that cause bearing failure. This is a flawed design and if it goes that’s why the Optisparks fail so much. Even with the vented opti people upgrade to electric water pumps for this reason. Also the zf6 speed is far superior than the 4+3 so 89-91 cars are better for that reason. Keep in mind the 6speed cars come with a much more stout Dana44 rear end and auto cars have a weak Dana36. Most people just think the difference is with transmission but it isn’t. Another thing about LT-1 cars is their issue with leaky mini ram manifold gaskets. If oil leaks down the rear into the bellhousing it ca ruin the dual mass flywheel. They cannot be cleaned or resurfaced and they are pricey. But people usually change them for single mass and live with the chatter.

[thyslop]

Not in the market yet. First time watching one of your videos. Will save your video for reference. And look at other of your videos to try expand my knowledge. I would like to get a C4.

Next, I just want to praise you for your video. Great info. Presented exceptionally well, clear and logical. No B.S. with 90 seconds of intros and insipid music. You get right into it. It is the time that is valuable and your videos give the utmost respect to your viewers by respecting their time. I am very impressed. In the top 1% of videos I have seen on Youtube. WELL DONE. MANY, MANY THANKS! To wade through oceans of garbage to find this video is like stumbling onto hidden treasure.

[hardcoredefense]

I'm a prior C4, C5, and C6 owner and having been looking to replace my C6 after some kid texting and driving hit me and totaled it. I'm been perusing a ton of C&S's videos as I refresh my knowledge of all things Corvette. Lyle really knows his stuff and his insights and advice are priceless. Videos like this make everyone's ownership better to the point of probably improving resale values. Thank you so much Lyle and keep up the great work! (I still haven't decided what I want, so many great choices...)

[vikp]

Thanks man I was just about to purchase an 84 c4... u just saved me about 7 grand

[TheMrmmkkpro]

Bought a 1990 ZR-1 May 2019, 74k miles, for 5 grand. One year later and everything you mentioned including the ECM had to be done. I have almost 10k in this car now, but I am very happy, this LT5 SCREAMS!! Thanks for the honest up front truth.
P. S. I have my own shop and do all my own work, so all my expense is in parts. The ZR-1 Registry is a wealth of info on these cars and guys over there are very helpful. Lovin my Z, C4 forever. 👍👍🏁🏁

[bleuShoErn]

Good info. Had my 89 since 91. 265, 000 miles. A few points on it... I know my speed, (gauges dim), I wear iPods, (Bose speakers a joke) only drive it on sunny days with the glasses down or top off, ( weatherstripping hard), got seat covers, ( leather is poor quality), but it still handles and has plenty of power. I live near BG and I love taking it to the NCM track. That's why they make Corvettes! To drive. With all its flaws, I have and do still enjoy it.

[austinstratman]

I bought an 84 off the showroom floor. Best handling car I've ever owned. Everything else was total shit!

[roycrabtree]

I have owned my 85 C-4 for 10 years! Great car!

[clydemoreno]

I bought my 95 base about 4 years ago. I was torn between the L98 because I was familiar with the engine from my 91 Z28. I was concerned about the opti in the LT1s. I decided the extra HP was worth going with the 95 plus I like the exterior and interior styling better. Sure enough, less than a year after I got it the opti went out. I replaced it myself, it took me about six hours, and that was taking my time. Surprisingly the job was not that difficult.

[DownShiftRecords]

Thank you for being so straight forward about this.

[vt]

I bought a 1994 c4 a week ago. It's very pretty. Thank you very much for every knowledge about this car.

[wyattoneable]

Thanks. My brother is looking to buy one tomorrow so I'll pass this along.

[mcqueenfanman]

One thing to take into account is you can rebuild a lot of things on a c4. You can replace parts of assemblies like driveshaft u joints, control arms can have new bushings and ball joints installed instead of buying whole a arms, you can rebuild the head light motors too. A lot of motor and brake swaps/upgrades have been done as well as deleting the LCD instruments for dial gauges.

[cheezyrider]

Love my 96, it needs some work but man do I love it.