mikeyc4 said:
Hi guys, im looking at a 86 tpi on saturday, can anybody tell me what things i need to look out for? How should it feel to drive, things to check on the engine etc? ive been told by the owner that the drivers window doesnt come back up when you drop it fully down, but does if you only take it halfway, is this expensive to fix?
Any advice would be great.
Cheers
Mike
You can save a lot of money by doing repairs on this car, and trust me it will need them as you get to know the car. The brakes are phenomenally easy to repair. There are lots of helpful people in this forum, and the other corvette forums as well, so you're sure to get an answer right away. If you get this car, be sure to buy the service manual as well, you can often find them used on Ebay, or sometimes people will post schematics if you need them.
It's very exciting to buy your first Corvette, an 86 is a good car, the L98 engine should run pretty smooth. I don't think the window thing is necessarily expensive to fix, you could probably do it yourself. The door panel is kind of a pain to remove, but once it's off you can easily see the regulator.
Squeeking is normal on these cars, so if you have a few squeeks, don't be alarmed. Check the tyres, new ones are very expensive. Also, in the event that you plan a pre-purchase inspection by your favorite mechanic (HIGHLY recommended), have him check out the car thoroughly, including the alternator and battery, which are sure to cause you grief. Check for leaks: oil, coolant, transmission, power steering, brake fluid, any of these things can signal a costly repair. On an 86, the a/c is probably dead and will need either a recharge or a retrofit to R134a, I don't know what your laws are. The dash is expensive to fix, so check it out thoroughly to make sure all the bars light up and all the panels are illuminated. If it has the Bose stereo, you'll just wind up ripping it out, so don't get too attached to it and don't bother fixing it, just put it in a box and give it to the next owner when you eventually sell the car someday. Headlight bushings cause erratic headlight operation, new bushings are $10.00 US, I guess that's 15 Pounds, huh? and you can do the repair yourself, don't let anyone talk you into buying new headlight motors.
The car may bounce you around on rough roads, this is normal, but once you're on a smooth highway you'll appreciate the power and speed of this great car.
