Is there room in your heart for a clean C4-era Chevrolet Corvette? It seems like these cars never fully go away or disappear from circulation despite being quite long in the tooth now. There’s no shortage of running, driving C4 Corvettes to choose from but this car – which I almost guarantee you belonged to someone who has since passed away – looks like it was absolutely cherished before time and age took their toll. The photos show carefully stored collections of magazines, a framed photo of the car, and other items that seem to speak to this 1985 Corvette listed here on eBay being loved. It’s listed for $9,000 or best offer.
The car shown here is nothing particularly special from an equipment standpoint. You won’t be able to roll up to the meet and tell people it’s a one-of-one because it was made on the third Tuesday and is the only one equipped with gray leather seats and a Bose sound system. No, it’s an automatic to boot, which places this car solidly in the category of being a garden variety C4. The good news is the bodywork looks very sound, the interior is tidy, and it appears to be unmodified save for what sounds like an aftermarket exhaust system. The seller notes it is not currently running, which makes the $9K asking price somewhat ambitious.
I do think the gray leather seats are somewhat notable – they’re at least not as common as black – but again, not Earth shattering. Looking through the gallery, you see two boxes labeled Corvette Fever, 1999 – 2000 and Corvette Magazine 2001 – 2002. There’s no real value there, but c’mon – all of us have loved a car to the extent that we started buying the magazines and the books associated with them. The seller doesn’t say much about this other than capturing the photo, which suggests to me they don’t have a personal connection to the Corvette beyond trying to sell it.
Here’s the one that gets me: the car shown out in the wild, happily running, on a beautiful day. These were the good times the owner lived for and the reason he bought the car in the first place. Other photos show the original shipping box for the Bose stereo, along with the window sticker. With just two owners and 67K miles on the clock, I suspect the second owner looked after this car for most of its life. The seller notes that parts are included to help get it running again, but the only thing I see is a K&N air filter which is not the likely culprit of the no-start condition. Hopefully, someone sees the good in this forgotten C4 and takes a run at it with a reasonable offer.
The owner should hang on to this one for a while. The price will start to appreciate.
Very unlikely to appreciate to the point that would make it worth holding on to.
9K for a non- runner, an automatic and with at least some work to be done ?
And then only a few lazy pictures, where you cannot really see the condition of the car ?
No way- actually such cars dont sell >3K….
Exactly. Out of all of the Corvettes that get sent to BF on a daily basis, this is the one that gets picked?
I had one. Very difficult for an old man to enter and exit due to the tall sill. Nice launch in first gear of the auto tranny though.
I just sold one like this, same color, tucked into a similar garage, thought it might have been … Nope.
The one I sold for the estate was a one owner car, AT but only 4800 miles. It didn’t run either, turned over but wouldn’t start … We got $13000 for it. Surprised me as much as the owners/estate.
Sold a red one a couple years ago, only 25k miles, wouldn’t stay running .. we got $8000 for her.
I feel $9000 for this one is wishful thinking though.
Always loved the C4’s. Seller looks like he’s made no real effort to try and sell this car just judging by the photos. I’d have to have a stick with a cloth interior. Too many decent running C4’s for that price range to be paying $9k for a non running car.
the c4 is a real pain in the a$$ to work on. I bought an 84 from the dealer auction and did a lot of repairs. I told my auction buddies that if they ever see me raise my hand to bid on another corvette to just slap the living dog sh*t out of me and i’ll take you to lunch.
C’mon, Jeff. Long in the tooth? If ’85 is long in the tooth, that could describe much of what Barn Finds presents here.
I am restoring one exactly like this one (with manual trans) and I think the C4 body is beautiful and doesn’t look like a Star Wars storm trooper helmet like the new ones do.
Total agree. The beauty of the C4 body compared to that new abomination is like beauty and the beast.
You can’t be serious!? The 2025 Corvette stands alongside a Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, with all due respect. This is an American car from the 80s….nuff said
Talk about bang for the buck, I had a black ’85 w/ red interior as my first Vette.
a lot of fond memories and yes they can be a pain to work on. One thing I liked about mine was the lack of a CHML, gave the car a cleaner look at the back.
And of course, that digital dash was worth the price of admission, paid 9K for mine.
No power until the 90`s
@DonC
I’m totally serious. I don’t care what it stands with. I’m not talking about hp or handling here but from a basis of aesthetic beauty, in my opinion, that rolling Darth Vader helmet can’t even touch a C4.
Exactly. Obviously the technology improves each year, but the comparison we are making about the C4 is of a smooth, subtle, shark-like form, with no need to be outrageous, over-designed or slash-cut like so many other ‘new’ hyped cars.
In a new era of excess, sometimes designers lose their way and make change for change’s sake.
I’ll stick with my beautiful ’85. Better than new when I finish restoring it.
All opinions on aesthetics. I love the designs of Frank Lloyd Wright, my wife, who appreciates his abilities, thinks his homes look hideous.
While not a “Corvette guy”, my eye prefers the sharp curves of the C3. The C7 sort of emulates that era and that would be my second pick. The C8, in my opinion, is over the top in terms of slashing, angular design, however, it’s mechanical design has brought it to a level of high end euro supercar for a fraction of the price .. well, I guess more like half price … It all ends up “to each his own”. The C4 will out handle a C3, both in stock form, any day, every day.
That is fact, aesthetics are opinion.