Used 1988 C4

[bczee]

Guys.. Looking to get some general information on a well used C4. Any input and guesstamation on price...

I am thinking about picking up a 1988 C4 with a A4 trans. It is a bit of a project to get it back on the road. It has 147k on the engine, body is straight.

Drove it for a short time and was suprised at the amount of rattles it has.. is this normal ? No excessive smoke out of the tail pipes. From what I could see through the oil cap. .there was not sluge. Oil pressure was about 40-45 psi at idle and I think it came up to 65psi on throttle. Seem that the Valve may need adjusting.

The MAF has thrown a code, So that will need to be resolve before it passes Smog. What about CAT's... do they fail offen? Need to pass Calif Smog.
Trans slipped a little, but I think it was low on ATF.

Could use some new rug, seat covers, only notice on broken interior part, passenger side window ribbon and top panel was broken.

Had two tops, tires are ok, no uneven wear.

Didn't have any time to do a compression check, but I would like to. I have no problem doing the work. But don't want to put more into that it is worth.

Ok. lets have the question and inputs..!?,... Asking $2,800 but I think he will go down.

 

[Toms007]

Well, if you like a project, then you should be alright. It appears that you have an inkling to what you are getting into. Just let it be known that you can wrap up a bit of money quickly in these cars. Carpet $600-800, new seat covers $700-1300, weatherstripping $500-800, tires $500-1000. Can you/will you do much of the work yourself? If so, that a real plus. The price seems reasonable, particularly if you can talk him down some. These are really fun cars to drive....and as for the rattles...that's pretty normal, these cars are really more like race cars with the stiff suspensions, which leads to rattles.

Keep us posted.

 

[bczee]

C4

I will be doing most if not all of the work.. last year I just completed doing a ground up of my 71' Chevelle and doing a LS1 with a Viper T56 conversion in my garage. I have been working on Cars since the late 60's.

My concern and looking for general information are that I don't want to be putting more money into this C4 than it is really valued at. My concerns are that swaping the MAF will not resolve the problem and maybe the CAT are bad and that is a costly fix. Since didn't have any prior driving time in a C4.. I was wondering about all of the shakes and rattles.. but if you guys say this is more the normal (and with a 147k on the clock, I wouldn't be suprised but needed to check, my 84 Z28 is stiff and does rattle a bit).

Also. Any option on the A4 on how strong and should I be rear concern with the mileage ?

I guess I need to start searching for low cost parts houses, I can live with the interior for now, its liveable... but would need to fix the right side light motor and the window ribbon on the passenger side.. any suggestion on cutting cost here ?

thanks.

 

[gmhowe]

Sounds like a lot fun, my brother lives in Concord, I was raised in Pleasant Hill. Good luck with the vette.
I actually got some good replacement carpet from Mid America for under $400 and did it myself not too bad of a job, also got some of the sound deadner to put underneath the carpet.
Gordon

 

[minifridge1138]

As for weatherstripping I got an complete weather stripping kit on eBay for $200 (that was a C3, but i bet you could find something similar).

Honestly, the price of these cars is pretty low right now, so any money you invest in the car may not pay. I think a lot of people prefer the 92 and later C4's.

If I were you, i'd make a list of things you know you want to fix and how much they cost. Then look around and see if you could spend the same money on a C4 that didn't need the work.

Good Luck and have fun!

 

[karagoz]

Guys.. Looking to get some general information on a well used C4. Any input and guesstamation on price...

I am thinking about picking up a 1988 C4 with a A4 trans. It is a bit of a project to get it back on the road. It has 147k on the engine, body is straight.

Drove it for a short time and was suprised at the amount of rattles it has.. is this normal ? No excessive smoke out of the tail pipes. From what I could see through the oil cap. .there was not sluge. Oil pressure was about 40-45 psi at idle and I think it came up to 65psi on throttle. Seem that the Valve may need adjusting.

The MAF has thrown a code, So that will need to be resolve before it passes Smog. What about CAT's... do they fail offen? Need to pass Calif Smog.
Trans slipped a little, but I think it was low on ATF.

Could use some new rug, seat covers, only notice on broken interior part, passenger side window ribbon and top panel was broken.



Had two tops, tires are ok, no uneven wear.

Didn't have any time to do a compression check, but I would like to. I have no problem doing the work. But don't want to put more into that it is worth.

Ok. lets have the question and inputs..!?,... Asking $2,800 but I think he will go down.

Why waste your money on a C4 Corvette with all those miles and problems you have yet to discover? There are lots of well cared for, low mileage 1988's for sale so save yourself a lot of expense and aggravation and just buy one that's in good condition. Those other posters are right on when they say restoration parts are expensive. Just flip thru an Eckler's catalog and you'll see how expensive it can be. Compression and tires will be the least of your worries as there are so many electronic doo dads on C4's that you could go broke replacing stuff. Example - I just replaced the electronic A/C control on my 1988 for the second time. Lucky for me I could do the install myself but the part alone cost nearly $400.00. There is no shortage of good, clean, well cared for used Corvettes and it's always a buyer's market - especially C4's because they made so many of them.

 

[bczee]

Thanks for all of the input and I agree with almost everything... I can do the work myself.

But was looking to dump my 87 Fiero and upgrade my daily driver and for the price of this one to get into it.. is cheap..

Karagoz.. Good points. I have look at some of the other C4's but most of them in my area are in the $4500+ and most of them or just a bit better.. then there are the ones asking $5k -$9k. And as you have found out, even a well kept one will still have repeated failing parts.. as in your A/C Control.
At this time, I think I can pick it up, fix the parts that are needed right now (MAF, Headlight motor and window ribbon) and be on the road for less than $3,500 or so.. and then go on to fixing or upgrading the other parts (Seat/rugs, etc) as I learn about the C4 and what makes them work.

thanks all.. any other inputs ??

 

[karagoz]

Thanks for all of the input and I agree with almost everything... I can do the work myself.

But was looking to dump my 87 Fiero and upgrade my daily driver and for the price of this one to get into it.. is cheap..

Karagoz.. Good points. I have look at some of the other C4's but most of them in my area are in the $4500+ and most of them or just a bit better.. then there are the ones asking $5k -$9k. And as you have found out, even a well kept one will still have repeated failing parts.. as in your A/C Control.
At this time, I think I can pick it up, fix the parts that are needed right now (MAF, Headlight motor and window ribbon) and be on the road for less than $3,500 or so.. and then go on to fixing or upgrading the other parts (Seat/rugs, etc) as I learn about the C4 and what makes them work.

thanks all.. any other inputs ??

Good luck. But you should get hold of a catalog from Corvette Central, Eckler's or Mid-America and see for yourself what C4 repair and restoration parts co$t.

 

[bczee]

Thanks for the input guys.. I have been browsing those site already was well as local parts stores. I have a friend who is a parts tech at the local Chevy deal, He ususally helps me out and give me a great break on part as well as getting my Technical help.

If he will come down to my price, I will pick it up soon. I'll keep you posted

 

[c4cruiser]

That's not too bad of a deal especially if you make a cash offer for less. Oil pressure sounds good in spite of the high miles. A slipping tranny can be a big issue. If any ATF showed on the tranny dipstick, additional fluid is not going to help.

What specific code did you get regarding the MAF? As far as cats, you can get replacement cats for not a lot of money, but unless you have the car smogged, you can't know for sure if the existing cat has failed.

What did you mean by "Seem that the Valve may need adjusting."

As far as replacement parts, the various Corvette accessory catalogs have very high prices compared to what you can find through Internet vendors and even some of the vendor here. Eckler's is probably the highest priced one of all of the big Corvette catalogs.

In any event, things like an interior restoration can get very expensive depending on what is needed:
Carpet sets $600
New seat covers and foam $1200
Door panels $500
Weatherstripping $750+ for everything


If you don't have a budget for repairs, start one up and then compare your budget figures to other C4's that are already in good shape. You can find later C4's with LT1 motors that go for under $10K and are in great shape. $15K will get you an extremely nice C4 that will not require any work and will give great service.

C4's got improvements almost every year so the trick is to find the latest year car for the best price. There are a lot of them out there especially now that winter has set in; do some looking around, figure out how much you really want to spend and get the best car for the money.

 

[bobavett]

As someone who bought a 'cheap' vette sight unseen and then freighted it to Australia .... I'd say "you pay your money and take your chances ...."

I'm doing the carpets, paint, weather strips, emblems and anything else I find. I bought my car as a project. It drives very well and is very neat BUT I am very fussy and am looking at upgrades over the next twelve months ....

If you have another car and do not require the vette as a daily driver then that's fine .... but you will have to spend money - period!

Yeah it does get expensive but as I do a majority of things myself, it gives me great satisfaction.

My last 4 cars have been show condition and you know what .... after you repeatadly wash it and polish it and ocassionally drive it ..... you get bored 'big time' ....

I'd say beat the seller down on price, look at it as a long term project and enjoy yourself!

Well thats my 2 cents worth !

regards

Darren

 

[bczee]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thanks for all of the input.. the owner is on vacation until Friday.. so I will keep you posted then.

As far as the car.. Yes.. it will be both a Daily Driver and a project.. I have other cars.. as you can see from my sig.. I have more then enough.. so if the deal fail.. no problem.. I still have other project and keep busy with the up keep of the others.

 

[bczee]

Ok.. picked it up for $2,200.00..

Now I need to resolve the ECM code so that i can get it pass the SMOG inspection and registered.

I will start another thread and put this one to rest..

BTW ECM Code are 34, 36 and 42.

Thanks for all of the input.

 

[WhalePirot]

picked it up for $2,200.00..

Congrats; welcome to the forum. I hope you enjoy the ride; all of them except the $$ one.

Now I need to resolve the ECM code

I recommend clearing them first and seeing if any return before charging off on a parts spree. In another post, I spoke of passing SMOG after a test failure, but resetting the ECM this way.

 

[G Winter]

Ok.. picked it up for $2,200.00..

Now I need to resolve the ECM code so that i can get it pass the SMOG inspection and registered.

I will start another thread and put this one to rest..

BTW ECM Code are 34, 36 and 42.

Thanks for all of the input.

Even if you need to put a few dollars into it, I think that is a heck of a buy. Wish I could be so lucky, something like that would make a nice daily driver to work for me.Here in the middle of nowhere I don't have to worry about inspections,,,, yet.

Glenn

 

[johnny80]

If you have the patience and the time....I say go for it. My 88 has had it's moments, but nothing that I couldn't resolve by going to this great site. I probably saved myself 2000-3000 in repair dollars alone learning to do things myself and asking the right questions. (plus having the GM manuals) I have put about 4000.00 into my '88 (tires, refinished original 17 inch, 12 slot rims, new paint, ECM, and minor engine work that I couldn't do myself, new brakes). She has been great even with the quirky 4+3. But, daily care and proper maintenance (especially with the 4+3) will pull you through. Good luck and I hope you make the right choice.

 

[johnny80]

Ooops...guess I didn't read far enough ahead. Congrats on your purchase! Best of luck.