Buying an 84

[I_R_DA_ONE]

I just want to give you an idea of what you can do....I bought an 86 conv. off eBay for $5999.99 from the original owner.. it was garage kept, but he did very little to keep it up...so far I have spent about $3500.00 on repairs and now the vette looks and drives like a new one...I could have driven it like it was but I put on a new flowmaster exhaust system and painted the entire car...the car was all original including the top...exhaust...and radio...
there again it is worth the money I have invested
this is just an idea
hope it give you some insite
MIKE

 

[bmwgsa]

For what it's worth, I paid $6k for my '84 (I bought it from a friend who was retireing, so I went a bit high on the price - just being a friend).

However, I discovered that there could be some "hidden" problems that can add up REAL FAST!!

I hadn't even run a full take of gas thru it when it went to a dealer for a checkup and tune, $3600 later I got it back :confused Although it was dealer pricing for parts and labor, it was a wakeup-call.

And I even test drove the car for a bit before buying, and I didn't notice a thing.

Get it to a mechanic and have them bless it before buying!!

 

[tnovot]

Well first, let me introduce myself. im new to these boards.
a few things i wanted
to get some information or opinions on here before i pay the other half.

You already paid half? You should have posted theis question BEFORE you put any money down. My advice is to get your money back and keep looking. I agree with others that you could get an '84 cheaper or a newer one for the same money.
Don't be afraid of the '82 & '84 Crossfire engines. My '84 idles smoothly with no fuel odor. But then, it only has 54K miles and I've kept it tuned and well maintained. Granted, it's not as fast as the newer Vettes but, to me at least, just as much fun. Even 5 years ago, the price was reasonable enough that I could pay cash. No car payments makes for even greater enjoyment.
Good luck to you with whatever car you buy.
Terry

 

[wannavette]

drifter-price is high!Bought my 86 w/42,000 for $6500.I saw A 85 going for $5000 with 86k.If you look around A little more you should be able to find something with fairly low miles in the price range you need

 

[Rogue]

I agree with some of the guys here. Keep shopping.

Something is seriously wrong with that car.

When it can't idle smoothly, worse case is fuel injectors have gone bad. Those Cross-Fires are notoriously difficult to tune and hard to find those who know how to tune them right. Fuel smell on startup is also a bad sign.

And the price! No way.

I would walk if I were you. And like Whale Pirot said, better to buy from a private seller. Dealerships are almost impossible to trust...especially with used cars. I know. I used to sell them. Most used car dealerships will detail a car, and maybe put new tires on it. But they will always spend the MINIMUM amount on mechanicals. That's because any repairs they do eats off the car's profit margin. So guess what? If a car has serious problems, they either dump it to some other sleazy used car dealership or don't tell the buyer it has problems. BTW, the salesman will be the last to know if a car has a problem!

 

[maxrevs85]

Maybe I'm wrong , but Ive heard that the crossfire cars do run a little rough went first started and are in the open loop. They smooth out when they go into closed loop.....I guess it was true also for the old Camaro crossfire . They say just start and go . They run rich too like in a choke mode....
Dave

 

[MoeJr]

The Cross fire intake funnels any fuel left in the intake when shut down to the back 2 cylinders so when you start it up those 2 cyls are loaded a bit with fuel. Just the nature of the beast. When tuned right they run very strong. U can tune them yourself if you have the service manual and a manometer to hook up to the throttle bodies. I had mine done by a friend who sets them up well and mine is just killer. Has literally razor sharp throttle response. I hop on it and it just marches forward with authority.

 

[lifeguard_bss]

My deal

Just to give you a frame of reference, I bought my 84 (see pic) which is nearly perfect exterior and interior. It too idles "aggressively" (hey man, it's not a mercedes so I like the growl!). It does run well however. I have some nagging problems like minor tranny leak, etc, but all in all I am thrilled to have a great car for just under $5K. The way I look at it I can take the chance on it and if it does not work out I can always sell it for the same price or near it. What is there to lose?
Just be careful -- and no matter what you decide -- have FUN!!!

 

[1984C4]

84 Vette is still a Vette!

I bought my first Vette in June. It is an 84 and I absolutely love her. Wanted one since I was a kid. I also was hesitant about Cross fire but it is working fine. Not the fastest Vette on the street but I'm not a kid any more and I baby her. Got it at a dealer who wanted way too much but after a month of negotiating got it for much lower than asking. I still paid more than I think most would for an 84 but I ended up with a cherry car with 27k original miles on it that still had the dealer plastic on the carpet. It does idle slightly rough when cold but is smooth as butter after driving a few minutes. She has a slight tranny leaK that I will wait until spring to look at as she is garaged now for winter. I live in Maine so like a bear she will hibernate. My advice is get a Xfire vette if the price is right. Most ladies and non vette owners don't have a clue what xfire is any way. All they see is a bad ass car coming down the road. Besides an 84 will corner like a dream. Feels like it is on rails. You have to be able to appreciate a suspension that stiff however. They tamed it shortly after to smooth out the bumps but man what fun on a smooth, winding country road! Have fun and see you on the street!

 

[MoeJr]

I believe also that the 84 Vette Z51 is the only Vette that GM tested and achieved over 1g of skidpad grip with. Still holds up well even with todays technology.

 

[RedRagTop]

Check the common problem areas. The rack&opinion will show a need for attention if the steering fluid is dark and the morning sickness stays around after it has warmed up (stiff steering effort). A search of the C4 tech forum will give you ideas on what to look for.
There is an 84 not far from here for about 3 grand US$ so...

 

[tyrel]

I agree with everyone else, the price is too high for a 20-year-old car with 129,000 miles on it. For your $7,000 budget you can probably get a 1988 or 1989 with fewer miles. Although many people don't care for the crossfire injection, I think that labeling the car as a "piece of junk" without seeing pictures of it or knowing what kind of condition it's in is an uninformed response. Some 1984s are in great shape, but sadly some are dogs. You have two choices on an older Corvette that needs work: you can fix just the things that are wrong with it and keep it running as a driver, or you can restore it, which will easily cost you $15,000. At one time or another, we've all crunched the numbers on a restorable C4, and the inescapable conclusion is that you might as well spend the $15,000, plus whatever you spend on buying the car, on a much newer C4 with lower miles and in better shape. My guess is the 84 you're looking at needs a paint job, tires, transmission work, engine work, brakes, radiator, a/c, seats, carpet, stereo, weatherstripping, and there are bound to be any number of failures among the dozens of relays and miles of wire harnesses, including grounding issues which cause all kinds of problems. This car can be a good choice if you have lots of free time on the weekends to fix all the things that need repairing. But what the hell, it's a Corvette after all, the best car in the world.

 

[MoeJr]

Tyrel the car u describe would be worth 50 bucks. I am sure this Vette does not need a complete overhaul. Still 6995 is a bit steep and I think somewhere around 4500 is more acceptable.

 

[Ruby Fan]

I agree with the 2 posts above me. I think you can do better, or rather get abetter deal with something in better shape. I really lucked out. I was looking for the same thing as you, under 7K daily driver Vette. I found an '85 for $6500 with 41K miles. That was pure luck, and it's something that doesn't come my way very often. If you're not in a hurry, keep looking.

 

[marine1975]

For $7000, you should be able to do better than an '84. I bought an '87 with a new stainless exhaust, new tires, new interior (seats and carpet) and almost new weatherstripping, and it runs like a scalded dog - 4 years ago for $7100. Do not be in a hurry...check out private owners....and look, look, look.

Welcome to the club and good hunting!!!!!!

 

[Stefan Nord]

arizona_drifter :are you a Corvette owner now?

 

[brimis]

I also own an 84 with 167,000 miles and the engine runs strong. Quite a few Corvette owners knock the 84 because of the crossfire injection. I have not had any issues with the throttle bodies. Its not as fast as TPI, but then we buy our cars for specific reasons. I didn't buy mine for speed I bought it for its apperance.
The selling price is high. I would hold off and find one from a private owner. Stay away from car dealers. I feel they are the armpit of the world! C4's are coming down in price, you can do better. The high idle is no good. When you start the car cold it will idle at about 1200 RPM's and smooth out at 650/700 RPM's.
Good luck and keep us posted!

 

[Alloydude]

I bet most of the people who talk smack about the 84 have never actually owned one. There aren’t many aftermarket performance parts for the crossfire engine so you just can’t bolt on horsepower like a TPI motor. You gotta do it the old fashioned way. The technology is still basically old school and just requires a little finesse to keep them running at optimum performance. 7K sounds like a bit much though but last time I checked that’s pretty much retail value according to the Kelly Blue Book. I acquired mine with about the same mileage (130K) for just over $4K with a rebuilt tranny from the original owner and have since dropped another $2k into it fixing worn out suspension parts so you can probably expect to do the same. Only good thing about buying from a dealer is that you can pay over time and even that’s not so great either because of the ridiculous finance charges. Best of luck to you in your decision.

 

[Daryllawman]

I would look for a 88 on up if I was going to buy another C4....never did like the cross fire.......

 

[koolaid117]

arizona_drifter :are you a Corvette owner now?

I just checked the CNV site and the vette he was inquiring about is still there.