MBianco86
Member
- Joined
- May 12, 2011
- Messages
- 11
- Location
- New Jersey, United States
- Corvette
- White 1986 Pace Car Convertible L98 TPI
Hey everyone.
I posted about this a long time ago but I'm still facing the same dilemma.
I'm a 17 year old newly licensed driver (for about 3 months) and I've been lucky enough to have been dealt two vehicles. A 1999 Ford F-150 which is my daily driver, and another one that I've been emotionally attached to since my family purchased it 10 years ago - a white 1986 convertible.
The car runs fairly well but burns oil and suffers from vapor lock when you start it after a recent drive (i.e. parking for an hour and trying to start it back up) so it needs an engine overhaul. Most of the electronics work well, the cluster is in good shape and the instrumentation on the information center is all in working condition. The dashboard itself is in great shape, it still has the original '86 plaque located alongside the climate control. But the seats are completely destroyed and the power no longer works, the inner door panels are falling off, the carpet is shot, the convertible top only works sometimes (luckily it is stuck down now and is a nice summer cruiser), and the overall interior is in bad condition. Not only that, it could use a suspension overhaul and new headlamp motors as well. The body looks extremely well for its age, but it was recently painted and it has a set of 1988 35th anniversary rims on it, as well as a new exhaust out of a Cadillac XLR (modded to fit our vette, it sounds wonderful) with chrome tips. The engine needs a complete teardown and rebuild, as well as the suspension. The transmission is functioning well, but I would like to get a new one put in if possible just because of its age.
That's the summary of what the car needs, here is the issue.
Being that I'm only 17, I'm operating with a very very small budget. My family purchased the car back in 2004 as a project car and we've put a fair amount of work into it, however, it still needs so much TLC. As a kid I was fascinated by Corvettes and I have a special attachment to this one, being that I grew up sitting behind it's wheel and dreaming.
My question to the forum is this:
What is it I should do with this car?
Should I attempt to restore it to the best of my ability, or should I sell it and try and scrape together some more cash to buy a C4 in nicer condition?
I'm a big fan of the C4. I have a lot of experience with Corvettes for my age, being that I'm a racecar driver and I've driven several different vettes since obtaining my permit to drive last year. The C4 tends to be my favorite because it is cheap to own, fun to drive for the price, and easy to work on.
Thanks so much for taking the time to help me out.
Even as young as I am, there is nothing more fun than waving to another Corvette owner.
I posted about this a long time ago but I'm still facing the same dilemma.
I'm a 17 year old newly licensed driver (for about 3 months) and I've been lucky enough to have been dealt two vehicles. A 1999 Ford F-150 which is my daily driver, and another one that I've been emotionally attached to since my family purchased it 10 years ago - a white 1986 convertible.
The car runs fairly well but burns oil and suffers from vapor lock when you start it after a recent drive (i.e. parking for an hour and trying to start it back up) so it needs an engine overhaul. Most of the electronics work well, the cluster is in good shape and the instrumentation on the information center is all in working condition. The dashboard itself is in great shape, it still has the original '86 plaque located alongside the climate control. But the seats are completely destroyed and the power no longer works, the inner door panels are falling off, the carpet is shot, the convertible top only works sometimes (luckily it is stuck down now and is a nice summer cruiser), and the overall interior is in bad condition. Not only that, it could use a suspension overhaul and new headlamp motors as well. The body looks extremely well for its age, but it was recently painted and it has a set of 1988 35th anniversary rims on it, as well as a new exhaust out of a Cadillac XLR (modded to fit our vette, it sounds wonderful) with chrome tips. The engine needs a complete teardown and rebuild, as well as the suspension. The transmission is functioning well, but I would like to get a new one put in if possible just because of its age.
That's the summary of what the car needs, here is the issue.
Being that I'm only 17, I'm operating with a very very small budget. My family purchased the car back in 2004 as a project car and we've put a fair amount of work into it, however, it still needs so much TLC. As a kid I was fascinated by Corvettes and I have a special attachment to this one, being that I grew up sitting behind it's wheel and dreaming.
My question to the forum is this:
What is it I should do with this car?
Should I attempt to restore it to the best of my ability, or should I sell it and try and scrape together some more cash to buy a C4 in nicer condition?
I'm a big fan of the C4. I have a lot of experience with Corvettes for my age, being that I'm a racecar driver and I've driven several different vettes since obtaining my permit to drive last year. The C4 tends to be my favorite because it is cheap to own, fun to drive for the price, and easy to work on.
Thanks so much for taking the time to help me out.
Even as young as I am, there is nothing more fun than waving to another Corvette owner.