What to Check in a Corvette?

[SSTibet]

Folks, one of my friends says there is a 1990 Corvette here (in Turkey) at 60,000 miles and is for sale for the right price.

In the past I had seen a web page in www.c4vettes.com describing in very good detail what to check when buying a second hand Corvette. Is there any web links that you know with this type of information???

Thx all.

 

[Ken]

Why go there when you have it right here:

Buying your first Corvette can be a difficult task if you're not sure what to look for. You've heard all the terms, "matching numbers", "body-off restoration", "frame-off restoration" etc. but you're not sure what they mean. Our goal here is to provide you with a little bit of knowledge before you go into the Corvette buying world and to supply you with a handy check list of items that you may want to check out the Corvette that you're interested in purchasing. Depending on options, some of the items on the list, may or may not apply to the particular Vette that you're looking at. Hopefully, we've compiled a fairly broad enough array of items to look at that will cover just about all Corvette model years.

Take a browse through our LEARNING CENTER and our TECH CENTER and you'll discover a wealth of information.

 

[I_R_DA_ONE]

SS
none that I am aware of......With your expertise you should know what all to look for.. damage to glass, wear spots,frame rot, etc.
If you were in the states....I would reccommend that you go to an active corvette club And ask to talk to the in house expert.... Most good clubs are very good in that respect..
I know this didn't help but as some say it's just my 2 cents

 

[tyrel]

Folks, one of my friends says there is a 1990 Corvette here (in Turkey) at 60,000 miles and is for sale for the right price.

In the past I had seen a web page in www.c4vettes.com describing in very good detail what to check when buying a second hand Corvette. Is there any web links that you know with this type of information???

Thx all.

Yes, that was a very good site that went into lots of detail about buying a C4, I'm disappointed that it's gone because I used to refer people to it all the time. The most important thing is to make sure you get a detailed repair history of the car, with all receipts. A conscientious owner who cares about the car will keep this information, and it's a pretty safe bet that they will have changed all the fluids regularly, such as coolant, brake fluid, transmission fluid, oil. On the 1990, the airbag warning light will probably be on, it's a problem specific to 1990 models, it requires re-grounding the impact sensors on the frame rails, not a difficult task but years ago I dealt with an unscrupulous or possibly stupid dealership who wanted to replace the entire airbag system for thousands of dollars (and of course it was out of warranty). This was in San Francisco, at a stealership on Van Ness.

If the car has all the documentation, you should then have it thoroughly checked out by a mechanic. Given that it passes both of these tests, the documentation and an inspection, you'll always have access to even some of the most obscure technical information right here in this and other Corvette forums. I learned most of what I know about my car on the internet, but the service manual is also an invaluable source of information, so I feel that there is no question that someone somewhere won't know the answer to. Some forum members will even scan pages of the service manual, these are some of the nicest people around. Good luck on the car, a Corvette is a joy to the senses and a thing of beauty forever and you'll be the envy of your neighbors.

 

[SSTibet]

Hey, I already have a Corvette, a really good one. This is for a friend. He will most probably ask me to check it for him and I will have to do so. I want to get more knowledgable before I go. I found hardcopies of pages from www.c4vettes.com for the matter; am I smart of what...

 

[WhalePirot]

A clean car really stands out, from a distance and keeps looking good as you approach.

I look for overspray, body panel alignment and poor patching where ever I can get behind a panel. I look or scratches and nicks. Did the owner really care for the car by parking away from others and did stuff get laid on the paintwork?

Do the tires match; five, if applicable. Do wear patterns show hard cornering or burnouts? Are they expensive tires or cheapos, for the sale? Tires tell me a lot; kinda like shoes do, about a person.

Is the interior ultra clean from care, not dolled up. Same under the hood. What is the owner like? How many owners? Was the car beaten? Hints can come from radio presets and items found under seats, etc.

I have found that an exceptional car drives real well, and I won't buy ANY used car without it being exceptionally perfect visual condition. The mechanical aspet usually falls into place when I look just below the apparant, visual state.

I check ease of starting, any smoke, of any color, then. I prefer to stand aft and watch the tail pipes when it is started.

Fluids: colors, levels, smells?

Etc, etc.

 

[SSTibet]

I check ease of starting, any smoke, of any color, then. I prefer to stand aft and watch the tail pipes when it is started.

Fluids: colors, levels, smells?

Etc, etc.

How do you tell the difference between different exhaust fumes; i.e. oil versus condensation. I hear oil in the exhaust will have an odor, condensation (moisture, which is alright) will not. Does exhaust fumes with oil have a black color???

 

[jmccloud]

Exhaust

Oil in the exhaust will cause a blue tinge that lingers forever if there's no wind. Moisture from a cold start will be white and dissipate except on a foggy day. Rich mix causes a black, sooty exhaust that's perhaps sweet smelling.
If the converters are working, an oil burning or rich mix engine won't smoke except upon a cold start. Once the cat's get hot, they'll combust the oil or excess gas and disquise consumption.
Oil burning engines do have a recognizable odor, but the cats will mask the odor too. Strong sulfer odors indicate that something's working the cats (oil burning or rich mix).
Placing your hand over the exhaust (perhaps with a glove to avoid getting burned) allows you to sense a lot of valve problems. Sporadic or regular back-pulsing (sucking rather than blowing) by the exhaust is a sure sign of bad valves. Once you've felt a bad engine, it's easy to tell.

 

[WhalePirot]

I use a shoe sole instead of my hand for the tailpipe.

You can also wipe a finger inside the exhaust pipe to see what color is coating it.

Ya know, if your buddy wants a totally expert opinion, he should pay for it. If you do him a favor and do your best, given what you know, then it is worth all of what he paid; maybe more. Do not stress out over anything you could overlook. I used to do free small jobs for Vette-owning classmates. I learned that things crop up; things break. I should expect that but not be expected to pay for them, given the FREE service.

 

[SSTibet]

You can also wipe a finger inside the exhaust pipe to see what color is coating it.

Strong sulfer odors indicate that something's working the cats (oil burning or rich mix).

WhalePirot, what are the different colors to be expected fron inside exhaust pipe and what do they indicate??? It sounds to me like black soot is the only color to be excpected and that would be a normal thing, right?

And how does strong sulfur odors smell like???

Please educate me on these folks...

 

[surferdave]

a strong sulfur odor aka rotten egg smell comes from the catlytic converter and in common to new cars during hard acceleration or cars w/low miles.

dave