Looking at an 89......

[MaybeVette]

Hi,

I am all excited and need some help here. I have a chance at getting a Vette and wanted to ask what you proffessionals think and get some advice.

What I am looking at is a 1989 A4 Vette with 120,000 miles. Rebuilt motor 30k ago. It is clean inside and out. I wanted to get an Idea on what this Vette is worth becasue this guy is intersested in trading me for a vehicle I have.

Any Help is appreciated! thanks

 

[EttevroC]

1989, good choice.

For prices check out www.kbb.com it is a good place to start.

Good luck!

 

[90SteelBlueCoupe]

I would say ... no more than 8 to 9 thousand if the car is clean...

add a couple of thousand if it is really clean minus a couple if it's not

 

[MaybeVette]

Thanks alot guys , I appreciate it. So I take it this is a good year? I am real green with Vettes.......

 

[90SteelBlueCoupe]

I would say the year is fine... don't pay too much for it though...

I bought my 1990 with 85000 miles that needed a paint job and new seat covers for 8100 bucks... Don't pay too much... If you want to spend more money buy a newer one...

 

[RedRagTop]

I would say ... no more than 8 to 9 thousand if the car is clean...

add a couple of thousand if it is really clean minus a couple if it's not

Agreed. Check the tech forums to see what problems are typical for the year and mileage and make sure they're not waiting to happen yet...

 

[potter22]

I just bought my 1989 coupe a month ago for $5500.00 and it is spotless. Had it checked out and the car is running like a top. It had 96,000 miles at the time of purchase. The deals are out there if you are patient. Good Luck

 

[MaybeVette]

I just bought my 1989 coupe a month ago for $5500.00 and it is spotless. Had it checked out and the car is running like a top. It had 96,000 miles at the time of purchase. The deals are out there if you are patient. Good Luck

Thanks

 

[nyernga]

Definately have a mechanic of YOUR choosing have a look at it. 120 isn't bad as long as the cars been properly maintained. I have 106K on mine and just did a 1000 mile trip this weekend to New Orleans. The car ran like a top and I even managed to squeek in a short burst up to 138 mph. Much like every car, maintenance is the key. Also ask the guy if the cars been serviced under any recall campaigns. I believe the 88/89's were subject to a seat belt recall. Mine was and I had it done 2 years ago.

And if you do happen to get the car, change all the fluids and tune it. This way you'll have a good "baseline" for when the jobs were done last.

Len

ps: auto or manual?

 

[EttevroC]

Thanks alot guys , I appreciate it. So I take it this is a good year? I am real green with Vettes.......

The reasons that I searched out and purchased a 1989 vette are...
Last year with the Star Wars dash.
First year with 6-speed
The L98 engine is one of the last engines that the average Joe can work on.
No optispark disasters!

I love my 89!

Click on the picture of my vette to go to my website to get more info on 89s.

 

[Vettefan87]

That are pretty much all the good reasons. The L98 has a very crude computer, if you call it that. You can get away with a lot more then a newer LT car. The dash was a plus for me. Although mine is not a six speed, I don't regret buying it.

Do you know who rebuilt the motor? What is the reputation of this place?

 

[Edmond]

Don't forget to list any modifications done to the car. Some will add value while others won't add any value.

 

[tyrel]

I love my 89 and the digital dash!

If the car is in good shape otherwise and doesn't really need anything else, and if the maintenance has been kept up, I would say around $10k. However, an aging Corvette can hide a slew of problems: leaking radiator, waterpump about to go, a/c needs servicing, valves need adjusting, the dreaded intake manifold leak, brake repairs, and any number of dozens of other little things like vacuum hoses, radiator hoses, wheel bearings, bushings, etc. On a high-mile car this stuff never ends unless you completely restore the car. If your mechanic checks out the car and finds it needs significant repairs, I wouldn't offer more than $6,000. And boy-oh-boy, wait until you see how expensive new tires, leather seats, and weatherstripping is.

 

[MaybeVette]

Thanks!

So far I Know:

Digi Dash works
Tires all good
Headlights open good
Tranny is tight
No leaks, etc in motor, its clean.
It was well maintained with records.
Black Leather seats have pretty good wear but the rest of the interior is real clean including the carpet. No cracks in dash or any panels.
All power items work
He has both tops ?
No dents or body damage, normal wear, soem stone chips, etc.
Runs real smooth

Didn't get details on why motor was rebuit yet.

Thanks

 

[Vettefan87]

By both tops, he probably has the hardtop that came with the car. You could fold the soft top down and put a hardtop on with a optional defroster, if you were driving it in the winter.

 

[WNH]

Didn't get details on why motor was rebuit yet.

This would raise a red flag with me.
My '88 has 125K miles, runs strong and burns no oil.

Whats the reason the engine was rebuilt at 90K miles ???
Maybe it was abused.

Always run a Carfax, on any car you buy.
Try to talk to previous owners.

Good Luck

 

[MaybeVette]

More Pics:

Also has these wheels that are included:

What do you guys think?

The motor was rebuilt (original - not a swap) he said because it neede a Cam.

Just had New Exhaust and New Injectors, Said motor runs strong, no leaks, noises, etc.


Thanks!

 

[Edmond]

What specs were the motor built to? If he built it because he wanted more performance, that would likely benefit you. It benefits you because the motor would be stouter and he couldn't ask anything close to what he put into the motor. Value depends heavily on originality. Modified cars are more difficult to sell because the seller has to find that buyer who wanted the same mods.

But if you were going to do those mods anyway...

 

[EttevroC]

What do you guys think?

The motor was rebuilt (original - not a swap) he said because it neede a Cam.

Just had New Exhaust and New Injectors, Said motor runs strong, no leaks, noises, etc.


Thanks!

The pictures look good, if it is as good in real life as these pictures show, it does look like it was taken care of. Check for overspray in areas that are hard to get too, that will tell you that it is repainted.

Take it to a Corvette mechanic and have him run it through the normal tests espec. compression.

#1, Run a CARFAX on it.

 

[CTYANK2]

Well 89 is a good year, just check everything, twice!