HELP! Need Purchasing Advice Quick!

[JC4]

I'm travelling to the east coast of Florida tomorrow (from the Sarasota on the west coast) to look at 3 different C4's and will probably buy one. I've talked to all three owners and each car appears special in its own way. I've been looking for about 5 months for a 91 to 96 which must have the 6 speed and red exterior preferably. I would appreciate all opinions as to which would hold on to its value the best. Here they are:

Car #1 - 1991 Torch red exterior/black interior with 6-speed, FX3, sport seats, and most other options, except Z07 suspension. The good thing: it's got only 16,000 miles and is like new. The downside: it's got the L98 and I was hoping to get an LTI or better yet, an LT4.

Car #2 - 1993 Torch red exterior/black interior with 6-speed, Z07 suspension, FX3, sport seats, most other options and 35,000 miles. It's got more miles than the 91, but has the LT1 and Z07 suspension.

Car #3 - 1996 silver Collector Edition with RED interior (I think that's a neat color combo) with 6-speed (therefore LT4), Z51 suspension, sport seats, most other options and 44,000 miles. The good thing is it's a Collector's edition with hard to find red interior, LT4 and Z51 suspension (which means it has 17X9.5 front ZR-1 style wheels), but the down side is that it's got the most miles and sounds like it is worst of the three as far as condition.

Car #2 and #3 are near $18,000 while car #1 is a thousand or two less. What do you all think? Any and all advice is definitely appreciated!

 

[DAL]

I would look at the overall condition of the 2nd one, if it is in good shape I don't think the extra miles over the first one would make it less valuable. I purchased a 92 with 30k on it in better condition than some with half the miles. How many owners would also be a consideration.

 

[berky2500]

My personal choice would be the 96 CE. If you are planning on a driver go for #3 you won't be able to match the fun factor with the other cars, if you are planning on a weekender or show car, go with #1, less work to make it perfect and a good L98 still has gobs of torque.
Make sure you check them over and walk away from major problems (previous wreck damage, leaky engines, driveline noise, etc.).

Good Luck!!

 

[tnovot]

Nobody can make your decision for you but I can help with the tools you to do it for yourself.
Separate everything you are looking for into 2 groups. What the car must have are "Musts" and what would be nice are "Wants".
Bounce each car against the Musts. Any car not having ALL the Musts is out.
Then look at the wants and prioritize them. Even assign a numerical value to each want if that helps.
Then evaluate each car to see which wants are satisfied the best by which car. Add up the plusses/minuses or points or however you choose to do it and you have your decision.
This is very objective and difficult if you haven't seen the cars and especially if you don't already have fixed in your mind what you are really looking for. Sometimes seeing a car throws all the objective process right out the window. At the very beginning of the process, you will have to make important determinations.
I would be interested to know which you finally decide.
Terry

 

[JC4]

I would look at the overall condition of the 2nd one, if it is in good shape I don't think the extra miles over the first one would make it less valuable. I purchased a 92 with 30k on it in better condition than some with half the miles. How many owners would also be a consideration.

All three cars are second owner.

The owner of the 91 bought it from the original owner and has all documentation including the window sticker and manuals. He says the car is perfect in and out.

The owner of the 93 bought if from a dealer and has the owner's manual package. He says the car is near perfect and that he has taken 2nd place in the South Florida Corvette show the last several years with it.

The owner of the 96 bought it from a dealer but spoke to the original owner. The car has some minor chips in the paint, the parking brake doesn't work and he felt it was hard to get into 2nd sometime.

 

[JC4]

My personal choice would be the 96 CE. If you are planning on a driver go for #3 you won't be able to match the fun factor with the other cars, if you are planning on a weekender or show car, go with #1, less work to make it perfect and a good L98 still has gobs of torque.
Make sure you check them over and walk away from major problems (previous wreck damage, leaky engines, driveline noise, etc.).

Good Luck!!

This car would basically be a garage queen that would be taken out on weekends for fun and perhaps be entered in some Corvette club shows. I have always been a nut for high performance cars, which is why I am leaning toward the LT4 with the stiff suspension.

 

[warren s]

Dont make the mistake of thinking lower mileage is always better. I bought my 95 2 years ago with 13,000 miles on it. That was just slightly more than 2000 miles per year. Lots of things that looked perfect upon initial inspection had to be repalced.

My choice would be the 96 CE. The LT4 would provide more "driving pleasure", somthing you would frequently experiance.

 

[Vette_Newb]

96 CE, it's value will climb much faster than the other 2 and that seems like a reasonable price for an LT4 car. 44k is still low miles on an 8 year old car.

Good Luck!

 

[JC4]

For those with inquiring minds:

After looking at and driving the 91 and 93 and looking at the 96, I bought the 93 Z07 for $18K cash!

The 93 (34K miles) was perfect in every way. It actually looked like a brand new car, had every option (including glass top) except the low tire pressure indicators, had absolutely no wear inside or out except for one or two tiny stone chips in the red paint, had new brakes and GSC tires, had perfect weatherstipping, had absolutely no dirt anywhere (including engine, door hinges, wheely wells),and everything worked. He had taken second place in the American Corvette Club's South Florida show the past two years and had the trophies to prove it. It was exactly what I was looking for: a perfect condition, red 6 speed with performance suspension (838 Z07 suspensions that year) that I will put minimal mileage on, plan to put in shows, and preserve to the best of my ability. Actually, I much prefer the pre-94 interiors, which are more sporty and extreme (seats, sweeping dash), in my opinion.

The 91 was had the same interior and exterior colors as the 93, but was not nearly in "one year old condition" as the owner claimed, even though it had only 17K miles. The paint had many swirl marks, the interior had worn parts, the weatherstripping was deteriorated and cracked, and the exterior had signs of deterioration.

I didn't even waste my time driving the 96 LT4 CE. The paint had chips and flakes everywhere, the rear had been wrecked and repainted, the interior was ragged out, the mufflers were missing, the weatherstipping was deteriorated and cracked, the red interior was not nearly as striking as I had imagined, etc. , etc., and the car looked like it had led an abused life.

 

[koolaid117]

CONGRATS!!

 

[c4cruiser]

Excellent chioce. The LT1 motor will give you plenty of power and expect 28+ MPG on the trip home! One word of caution, the FX3 suspension can be VERY expensive to repair if something goes wrong. The shocks can be rebuilt by Bilstein if there is ever a shock problem. Otherwise it is an excellent suspension package and the Z07 package will give you superb handling.

One of the first things you should do is to purchase a Helm GM Service Manual set for the car. go to www.helminc.com They will cost somewhere arond $90 but worth the money if you like to do you own repair or tinkering.

Noticed that you said the car had GS-C tires. Are they new or still the original ones? If they are the OEM tires, get replacement tires as soon as you can. GS-C's will dry out (the chemicals used in the construction process wil lose their ability to keep the tire sticky) and will eventuall exhibit cracking. 11 years is too long for OEM performance tires to be on a car especially with low miles on them. Lots of excellent performance tires around in the 275-40 sizes.

Get some pics so we can see the new ride!!

 

[Tuna]

Good choice.
Normally, I would vote for the LT4 also, but given its condition, it was a good move to pass it by.
The Z07 car has the 9.5 wheels all around with 275 tires and the stiff suspension. I wish I had got Z07 on my old 92 instead of just the FX3 option.
The adjustable shocks can be rebuilt by Bilstein for about 100 each or you can get then new from MidAmerica for 200 each. Pricy but worth it. The actuators are probably the worst part - they tend to break over time, they're hard to find and can cost twice as much as the shock.

Later,

 

[sbu8999]

Door #3 -- LT4

For What It's Worth,

I love my LT4, and later discoverd that amoung the C4 series, this last model, ie '96's, seemed to have the least number of glitches and quirks. I guess Corvette finally got this series right, then changed it all again... And we love these cars for the challenge. I rated my LT4 8/9 (inside/outside out of 10) at 32k miles, bought at $19.5, May '03. Perhaps not the best steal, but I'm happy.

Mileage -- for all your choices -- seems low for the year. If you're looking for fun and intend to repair/restore/revive your new addition, I vote the CE :cool .

Happy hunting!

 

[Vette_Newb]

It sux that the CE was so rough, but CONGRATS on the 93.

 

[drcorvette]

Congrats on your excellent choice!!! Now it's time to show off your new toy with some pics!!!! We need to see it!!!

 

[Chetzki]

Excellent - Congrats!

Sounds like a great car. The nice thing is you got a beauty you can be proud of and can always go after more power later. Too bad I was not back in the market, or you could have looked at mine.... Love the red/black!!!

Congrats again!
Chetzki

 

[354RwHpLT4CE]

Congrats!

Congrats on your new addition! Was curious if I could have the name of the fella who owned the LT4 CE of which you spoke of.....some friends of mine would like to pay him a visit.ad :argue