Question: Newbie here-to buy or not a 1992

[FC4pilot]

Hi all, I just joined the club. I am lurking around for some time and I really see you guys help a lot each other. My question is, if I should buy a 1992 with 148K miles, straight body no accidents, very clean engine, worn out seats but no need for brakes, tires muffler system. New Bilsteins. See pictures. He is asking $6,700. Is this a fair price for so many miles? Anything I should look in particular?
Your time and response are appreciated. One more thing, I test drove her and goes straight with good braking. She needs weather stripping and a lot of TLC.
Thanks
Chris

 

[KANE]

First of all...





Back to the car... KBB says $6,200 for my zip code. I usually put KBB in the ballpark, but I use them only as a rough guide. Your zip code may have a different value. Each market is different.

I'd offer him that and work my way up. Seems like you'll need some cash for the weatherstripping.

Seems a fair deal if you are looking for a Vette and have between $6K-$7k, with some small known issues, in overall good shape for 100k+ miles.

Either way- GO OVER THE CAR WITH A CRITICAL EYE... bring a friend as they might be more objective and give very honest advice.

 

[vetteboy86]

Is this the first car you have looked at? What is your budget? I'm looking at it very objectively, trying to offer my perspective. It's good that you have looked the car over. Check the fluids, see if there fresh. I always do that when i look at a car. Sure the guy can change them before you arrive or when he puts the car up, but at least they put forth the effort. Rather than the guy who doesn't care, usually means he didn't care while ownership.

Above all, welcome to the club

 

[Black Echo]

That aftermarket breather should make you really look the car over with a fine comb. I found a similar breather on the passenger side valve cover of my '91 that I just purchased and the breather would never stay in. I'd put it in, drive for a day or so, pop the hood and the breather was sitting down near the exhaust manifold, oil was all over the valve cover, the top of the hood and if it wasn't burning off of my manifold, it was leaking drop-drop-drop onto my driveway.

I did the right thing, went to the dealer, and spent about $30 bux to get the original 3 pieces of emissions equipment (grommet, crankcase pressure elbow and the pre-formed tube that connects it all). Hopefully this fixes the problem with the oil blowing out.

To me, a breather like that is such an amateur tell-tale that you need to really look sharp and hard. I also agree with some of the other posters. Take your time. If you are dead set on a '92 there are others out there. The breather and the worn out seats tell me that this person didn't take care of their car. To me, it's the interior of a car that really tells the story. A trashed interior and a pristine engine bay tells me someone had the engine bay recently detailed and that previous to the detailing, that amount of clean and shiny was few and far between for this car.

Also, LT1 equals Opti-Spark and you should study up on the pros and cons of that system before you find out the cons the hard way.

 

[sstearns2]

There's really no reason to buy anything but a really nice car in this market. I looked in my area (west coast) and found a nice looking 93 with 70K miles asking $7500 and a couple nice looking mid mileage 95-96s in the $10K range.

I'd save another couple thousand dollars and start looking at cars in the $10-11000 asking price range and offer $8-9000.

I personally wouldn't go over $4000 for the one you're looking at in this market. Step back and imagine you're the one trying to sell it right now.

Good luck. You'll love the car, just be patient and buy a nice one. Try to get a 95 or a 96.

Scott

 

[Schrade]

Welcome onto the boards.

Car looks good, and 148k is not TOO bad, but is there ANY dated photo- or paper- documentation of work, receipts, etc, in vehicle history? If SO, $6,700 is just a little high. If not, that's way too much. And if he CAN get it, that's good, because mine is on the market for a little more.

You want a nice one, with above-mentioned documentation - see mine here... $10,750 is starting asking. I don't know if I'll get that, but I CAN wait for market improvement, so I can get pretty close.

 

[Schrade]

Serpentine belt is inside-out. :confused

Rear hatch weatherstrip is cut on passenger side at corner - seen this before...

Why do you put an air freshener in a vette with the roof out? :confused ;squint:

Tailpipe tips are too low; something's wrong there...

Rear valence cracked in the middle?

Before closing, go closed loop, and stick a paper clip in the ALDL, and check for codes. Take a pencil. If possible, get it to a speed shop, and get a data/log scan printout, and post it up here

 

[Tom Hetherman]

First off ask yourself what you want from this car. Is it something to drive and enjoy or are you looking to work it back into shape. I bought my second Vette (an 87 with 64k on it) with alot of the same issues (paint ,weather stripping etc.) 3 years later i was into the car for over 18,000 dollars I put a new interior,paint and weather stripping along with a new glass top and wheels. When I sold it I had a hard time getting 10k for it. I agree with the other posts. Save some more money and shop around. You may save money at the end of the summer.

 

[rascal_rascal_99]

Serpentine belt is inside-out. :confused

Nope, two sided belt...or atleast mine is, this would appear to be the same as mine.

 

[Schrade]

Nope, two sided belt...or atleast mine is, this would appear to be the same as mine.

Holy COW!!! ..... I'm schooled. Rascal's the MAN!

(that don't happen TOO often)
......................

 

[Toms007]

Serpentine belt is inside-out. :confused

Rear hatch weatherstrip is cut on passenger side at corner - seen this before...

Why do you put an air freshener in a vette with the roof out? :confused ;squint:

Tailpipe tips are too low; something's wrong there...

Rear valence cracked in the middle?

Before closing, go closed loop, and stick a paper clip in the ALDL, and check for codes. Take a pencil. If possible, get it to a speed shop, and get a data/log scan printout, and post it up here

Didn't the 92s have a double sided belt? Yea I think so, so the belt is probably OK. Too slow on the response.

 

[Tuna]

1. The 1992 and early 1993 Vettes had a 2-sided belt with grooves on both sides. The belt may be okay.

2. Weather stripping on C4's is expensive and a PITA to install particularly the stuff around the windshield and roof.

3. The aftermarket breather on the valve cover concerns me as that may be an indication that something wrong with the PCV system or there's excess pressure in the engine.

4. Check the head lights and make sure they go up and down properly without the motors running on or them stuttering while in transit. This is a common problem with C4's. Not expensive to fix but it takes a little time.

5. The '92 is the first of the GEN II LT1 motors and is a little quirky. The OptiSpark on these engines does not like getting wet. They had 'fuel line hammer' when cold - not a problem but the noise can be annoying. They have the metal valve covers which allow more valve train noise in the engine bay and this can be annoying. The '93 and later LT1's got composite valve covers and slightly different cam profiles to reduce the valve train noise. The 2-sided serpentine is unique and almost twice as expensive to replace as the single sided belts used on later LT1's.

6. Find out if the wheel hubs have been replaced? They start going bad around 90K miles. Given the miles on this car, they probably have been replaced.

Welcome to the Corvette bug - er, hobby.

 

[rascal_rascal_99]

Rascal's the MAN!

(that don't happen TOO often)
......................

Thats the truth! Best I usually get thought of is "keeper of the scooby snacks"!

Seriously though, I replaced mine not too long ago and for some reason auto parts stores (autozone, advance, oreillys) all when they first pulled up the belt they thought was the correct one, it was single sided and not the right one, I think it was oreillys that ordered me the correct one by simply adding a "D" to the beginning of the part number, so don't let this scare you away from the car, it's not a big deal.

Now that I have a couple more minutes to type, weather stripping isn't really that big of a deal and probably to be expected to need to be replaced. I guess you ask enough people you get every opinion possible, I respect Tuna's knowledge and opinion but I didn't think putting on all new weather stripping was much trouble at all. The headlight issue he mentions is an under 10$ fix and probably an hour and a half of time, quite simple and there are some very good explanations on the web for how to do it.

Ujoints (six of them) I would kind of expect to have been replaced already but one thing to look into along with if they have record of when the opti and water pump were replaced. Opti's did get built a little more solid in the later C4's, although there are replacements that are better enclosed if you do have to replace it that you might want to consider. If the car runs great, I wouldn't worry about the opti, when I bought my 92 I put about 50k on it and then replaced it along with the water pump because the water pump was just starting to go.

Personally I wouldn't be afraid to by a 92 again based on the year, if it's a solid strong running clean car I think that's a decent price, you might be able to do a little better but you could definitely do worse.

One more added thought, not sure how long or hard you've been looking, or what price range, if I did happen to be looking for myself again I'd consider spending just a little more for an LT4 instead of an LT1, if I did go with an LT1 car I wouldn't be afraid of a 92.

 

[FC4pilot]

Thank you all

for the warm welcome and your valuable input.
After reading your responses I went back and took a second look at the car. The fluids are clean, the AC is retrofitted to 134A, the lights are functioning properly, clean and clear title and provided the VIN, but here is the show stopper:
1) no documention from the previous owner(s) regarding repairs-he says he is a Diesel mechanic and took care of the car since he bought her for his girlfriend-April 2008.
2) He claims that the weather stips are bad because the car was bought in NC and the previous owner told him that this happened due to very humid weather!!
3) If I will pay for repainting/complete interior restoration (needs it badly) etc. it is going cost a lot of $$ therefore I should save my money & trouble and get a newer car with half the miles.

Some of you asked what am I going to do with the car. I do have three Lexus but I want to include the American heritage in my garage. I live half year in the Chicago burbs an the other half in the Phoenix burbs. So the car will be a garage queen primarirly for within my country club trips for golfing. Yes, the idea is to get it in IL now, enjoyed until Oct. and then ship her to AZ.
BTW, this is not the first one I looked at, I am also looking into C3s.
Best
Chris

 

[Tuna]

It sounds to me like you're looking for a better car to start with and that this '92 has too many issues - paint, interior, weather stripping, etc. - it's time to move on as indicated.

I would not ignore other '92s if they came up and were in good condition. I was just pointing out that '92s are different from other late C4s and that's not in a bad way.
I owned a '92 for almost 16 years and was very happy with it. It just had its quirks.

 

[tcxd40]

FYI

Late production 93s have the single side ribbed belt. 92s and early 93s use the doubled sided ones. In 93 you had first design and 2nd design production models.

tcxd40

 

[JamesBaines]

First of all, let me congratulate you for joining this fantastic website. After I bought my wife a 1990 Corvette, the next thing I did was to join this club and the help and advice I get from the members here is incredible. And since we're currently in the UK, that wealth of Corvette knowledge has been invaluable to us. Next, whenever you see any car with a tatty interior, the car is sending you a message, it's saying "Don't buy me, I've been treated like a tractor". The chances are that this is a bucket of bolts and a very high mileage one to boot. There are lots of better Corvettes for sale in the USA and many of them will come close to your budget. Shop around, do your homework, look for a car with documented history, and BE PATIENT as you search. Try putting an ad in the national car sales websites offering $6,500 cash for the best Corvette offered to you and I have no doubt that you will find a good car. Above all else, I would strongly advise you to walk away from this one, Corvette lovers do not allow their cars to be treated like that one has...Good luck, James

 

[92BlackVette]

I have 150,000 miles on a 92 vette w/ an OEM Opti. so there are exceptions to every known issue.

 

[Sunstroked]

Lets face it, the car is 17 yrs old. I think some of you guys are a little picky. Interiors on 17 yr old cars unless, meticulously taken care of, wear, especially with 160k miles. All in all, for 6700, I too think in this market its a bit high. But then we all complain about falling C4 prices.:confused Dont we.
I think your'e making a good choice in continuing your quest. I live in the phx area yr around. Plastic and rubber takes one heck of a beating here in our AZ sun. It was 110 today, and (record high July temps were recorded) So does paint. So, weather stripping replacement, interior update, maybe paint, depending on how bad it is and what you can live with, and a who knows what else will be in the future for this car. But, for someone with a knack for working on cars who is not afraid to tackle there own maintenance, I think it would be a fun entry level corvette. Agreed, better cars can be had for more money. And it sounds like the original poster may want to keep on looking.
Also just for the sake of arguement, the original 92 valve covers are magnesium. The original opti spark, can live a long life with an updated cap and rotor from msd, unless its already trashed by moisture, (mine wasn't, its a desert out here) and the serpentine belt, as pointed out is indeed correct.

 

[bucket]

no