While low mileage Corvettes are a dime a dozen, there are still some cars that knock your socks off with their as-new condition. This 1987 Chevrolet Corvette convertible has just 2,450 original miles and man, does it look it. The paint still bursts through the screen like only a fresh paint job can do, and the polished alloy wheels look like they haven’t lost a step since new. The white top similarly shows not even a single smudge, and despite the seller offering next to not details in the listing, there’s really not much to say for a car this new. Find it here on craigslist for $16,500, which seems like a bargain for a nearly brand-new ’87 Corvette.
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Russel G. for spotting this find. Now, we don’t need to enlist in any sort of bashing that usually follows early C4 cars; we get it, they weren’t great. But if you’re looking for a summertime cruiser that’s pretty cheap to own, you’d be hard-pressed to find a more iconic car in this price bracket. The convertible may not be the top choice for exploiting the Corvette’s surprisingly decent handling out of the box, but a drop-top automatic in mint condition is the perfect car for driving at restrained speeds in a straight line – your local boulevard, for example, or adjacent to the boardwalk downtown.
And if you’re a fan of the 80s like I am, it doesn’t get much better than red on red with a white top. Aside from maybe white leather or a triple white combo, this thing just screams big hair and shoulder pads. It’s the car that Cameron Frye’s father would’ve owned if he didn’t have a taste for Ferrari Californias. The listing simply lists the mileage and points out that the Corvette has been garage kept, which is hardly a surprise. These cars were notorious for being put away by owners in hopes of a big-time cash in a few years down the line, but as the asking price suggests, that wasn’t a good bet. $16,500 of choice tech stock in the 1980s probably would have made the owner a millionaire a few times over by comparison.
Of course, as car enthusiasts, we tend not to think in those terms. I certainly hope the vehicles I acquire are at least worth what I’ve put into them at the end of the day. This Corvette is certainly a worthwhile purchase if you’re looking for likely one of the best examples left of a 1987 convertible, especially if you’re looking for an example with a color combo like this. The digital gauge cluster is one of my favorite features of this generation of the Corvette, as it’s simply peak ’80s design, along with the flip-up headlights and Delco-Bose stereo. While it likely won’t be worth appreciably more any time soon, that’s not why you’re buying a time-warp specimen like this.
Whatever you think about C4’s, they are fun to drive. One of the few cars that I have owned and could get almost any obscure part, from one of the numerous suppliers. My wife and I traveled all over in a C4 and saw 29mpg and we were not going slow. 16k is pretty cheap for any new car, I would drive it and live well and not enter into the discussion about destroying its value, IMHO.
A C4 is definitely a driver’s car, from its forged aluminum suspension arms to its 4-wheel disc brakes (a big deal in 1987). The 350 V8 still had gobs of torque as America crawled its way out of the malaise era. They deserve to be driven and the bonus is that you look good while driving it.
At $16k you’re paying for pristine condition. On the other hand, if you’d rather buy a new Corolla why are you reading this?
I have a 94 C4 Convertible and love it…Polo Green Metallic with Tan top & Tan Leather. It has 75K miles …looks,runs and drives great. I had an ’88 Convertible, Black/Tan and loved it. Buy that ’87…change the tires…fluids…hoses and battery. Then go out and win bunches of trophies at car shows for Cleanest C4!!
It’s a lotta red for sure. I own an 87 convertible with the 4+3 manual and I love it. If you buy this, although it looks nice you do have to replace tires, hoses, etc, and you’ll probably do a water pump and alternator in the next several months if you choose to drive it.
But the price of entry, as I’ve said over and over again, is so low right now. They drive well, but take some effort to drive. Wide tires and power steering is not over assisted. Look for checking on the paint as well. With the low mileage you may not have it but up close a lot of these have cracks in the paint over fiberglass.
Heck, what do you really want for used car money? Someone take a chance on this, it looks great – see what happens. If it doesn’t work out you lose less than if you drove most new cars off the lot.
Wow! Wow! WOW!!
What a beautiful example!
I wish I had a “spare” $16.5K, cuz I’d snap this one up in a minute & then drive it until the wheels fell off!
Who says that you can’t go back in time?? :-)
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(I HOPE that someone who wanted one of these BADLY back in 1987, but who simply didn’t have enough money at the time, can now buy this pristine example & LIVE THE DREAM!!) :-)
Wait until the fall and offer 12.5k!
They can park itnext to my 86. Obviously I like it.
An engine pic would be nice at a 16.5k asking price?
Back to the merits of the car, it’s pretty and though I’m not a fan of the C4, I do like this one. But is anyone but me concerned about the condition of seals and things like that on a car that’s been driven so little over 33 years? Seems to me you’d be better off with one that has “reasonable” miles, which I define as 40-60k, and regular service records. If I were to buy this, I’d definitely get it inspected by a mechanic up on a lift first.
It would look better next to my black 86 targa. C4 ‘s forever
Interesting…. owned by a Mennonite family?
A beautiful car, no doubt. I’ll settle for my ’86 beater for the $2200 I paid for it. The best driving car for the money in my current car arsenal. Bought for parts but it’s still rides and drives great.
I got a 91 turquoise convertible with 7K miles , auto with factory hardtop all original down to the air in the tires . Never set out or saw rain . I bought it in 93 with 2K on it for $25K . It will continue to sit in my climate controlled building until I can recoup my $’s or rot . These cars ain’t that bad .
Nice car, I definitely would love to have it to cruise in & to polish and stare at with a cold beer in my hand. $16.5 K seems reasonable to me, it reminds me of one that was here recently down to the wrinkled drivers seat bottom & low original miles but that one was from the West Coast if I remember correctly ?
There’s a bit of a misconception that all Corvettes are made of fiberglass. These “modern” Corvette bodies are not fiberglass. They are made from SMC (sheet molded compound). These body panels needed very little massaging out of the molds and prior to paint, thereby reducing manufacturing costs. Much more dimensionally stable than fiberglass resulting in less (if any) spider-webbing and cracking. SMC also holds paint very well if properly applied. I’ve had a few C4’s. Good cars but they pale in comparison to subsequent generations. This is reflected in their resale prices.
I bought this same exact car new in 87, and it was the biggest mistake I’ve ever made in car buying. It handled ok but it couldn’t get out of it’s own way. I sold it 4 years later with less than 5000 miles.
I owned a ‘85 I ordered new, drove everyday for 4 years, racked up 48K mi. and sold it for $16K in ‘90. Great car, I bought an ‘86 in ‘99 for $6K w/ 102K mi. Fixed all the little things, had great paint/body/interior & sold it a year later for $8K. The C4’s evolved over time, the ‘84 introduced the C4, ‘85 had Tuned Port Induction, ‘86 added SFI to the TPI & added ABS & the convertible returned from its last showing in ‘75, the ‘87 had addition NVH tuning and added refinement, ‘88 had 17” wheels & the 35th anniversary, ‘89 had the new dash & 6 speed (replacing the 4+3), ‘90 had the ZR-1, ‘91 had the styling refresh, ‘92 had the LT-1, ‘93 had the 40th anniversary, ‘94 the ZR-1 went from 375 to 405 HP, ‘95 was the last year for the ZR-1, ‘96 had the collector’s edition & the Grand Sports. Can you tell I like the C4 generation?
yup, but whats not to like ?