Every now and again, we get the honor of bringing you what seems to be a great deal. This 1992 Chevrolet Corvette convertible is a desirable 6-speed manual example in a great color combo of Polo Green over saddle leather. It has a few needs but nothing that can’t get sorted out over a few weekends. The C4 Corvette is hugely underappreciated at the moment, and finding one with a manual transmission isn’t exactly easy to do. Find this 1992 Corvette listed here on craigslist for $13,900 in Toms River, New Jersey. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Mitchell G. for the find.
There are a few things that make a C4 Corvette more desirable (to me, anyway): one is the color, and Polo Green is a phenomenal choice. The deep greens and forest greens of the 1990s used to be everywhere; now, you’re lucky to see a green car once a week. The C4, like the Ford Taurus SHO and the Dodge Stealth, was a performance car you could order in green, and it looked great doing it. The seller’s car does have some shortcomings, but the cosmetics doesn’t appear to be one of them. The C4 is still such a great design; and better yet, this one hasn’t been modified.
The seller notes a few different mechanical issues: the /C doesn’t work but he seems pretty confident it’s just a recharging issue; the cruise control doesn’t work, but you don’t need that feature unless you’re driving cross country; the stereo needs a new speaker, but again – is this the primary reason for buying an old sports car? And finally, the seller discloses it could use a new driver’s side window and convertible top weatherstripping. Again, small potatoes, to be honest, and you could live without those things for quite some time before it becomes so annoying you have to pony up for new gaskets.
The 1992 Corvette convertible offered drivers 300 b.h.p. of driving pleasure, and even more in the ZR-1. While a C4 equipped with the automatic transmission may seem somewhat lethargic at this point in time – and that sensation is likely due to the antiquated nature of the gearbox compared to modern-day automatics – the 6-speed manual lives this car up quite a bit. Between the stick shift and the color combo, along with the unmodified condition, the seller’s Corvette convertible looks like a great choice for a summer driver that can be driven for some time before the shortcomings become major annoyances.
Just a recharge they say… riiiiiight, it’s so easy to do it, do it before you sell!
The seller unjustifiably minimizes the problem presented by the nonfunctional AC. Obviously, if the charge is low enough to prevent proper operation, the system is leaking. And repairing a refrigeration leak can prove costly.
I agree if that was the case they would charge it up and it would be easier to sell. I am sure it needs around a $1000.00 to fix that problem,
oldrodder mentioned other day he has a Vette something just like this one.
Stan is correct, I have a ’94 with this exact color combination as well as drivetrain. While C-4s are not exactly my cup of tea, (I got mine sort of by default) with this color combo they are pretty attractive. If the listed “short comings” are actually the only ailments this car has, this is a decent buy. I paid about this for mine due to some special circumstances and I have never really been sorry for it.
Nice Vette in my favorite color combo – same as the ’70 convertible I had – but I don’t understand the thinking behind anyone who lists a car with only 5 photos. None of the interior or engine bay.
The seller must really want to be bothered answering a bunch of questions that simply adding more photos would have answered.
One reason I never bought these yrs, that finally ended in ’97, were those fugly Atari looking digital gauge display. If ever something SO cheap looking & I guess they thought ‘futuristic’ at the time I think maybe? No other reason I can conclude. I had a ’97 ONLY because I saw they went back to analog, same with my ’01 Z06.
Prob cant swap it out with a ’97 style either like I had as easily to do, when I put the ’74 T/A 160 speedo in my ’75 T/A, ridding that 85mph one!
I agree, not a huge lover of the all-digital display, but they did go a long way to fixing that by ’91 when all they left digital was the speedo. I can live with that, and would buy a later C4 because of that change, ideally a ’96 LT-4.
@PRA- I think the display is a combination of digital and analog. It is on my 1995.
Maybe he couldn’t be bothered to charge the AC because you can just drop the top to cool off and Toms River isn’t Miami exactly. But it is a used car so buyers beware. I see a good deal for thirteen. Speakers are cheap. I got a pair of tri axial speakers from Amazon for twenty five bucks and they sound great. The six speed and color combo really appeal to me.
A bit overpriced given the “easy” fixes needed. 6-speed is a bonus if you need to shift gears. My ’95 coupe was an auto and it was quick enough to scare me a few times. Guy owns a Ford truck and a Focus. I hope the reason he’s selling the Corvette is to buy another.
In fact, that’s the ONLY reason to sell a Corvette…
CCRVTT: You are absolutely correct. Ones life is not complete without a Corvette in it. (At least that is my opinion)
A C4 is state-of-the-art…or it was ‘back in the day’. While they can be a decent handling car they are the pits to get in/out of. The footwells are a hot, narrow area. But, ya can’t beat ’em for cheap fun.
For some strange, unknown reason I bought an ’89 6spd convertible in 2000 and kept it for 9 years. For an even stranger, unknown reason, I bought it back in 2023 with only an additional 3000 miles.
I would happily sell my ’89 for $13k including a new set of tires. Hell, I’ll even through in my lawnmower. And enough gas money to get you far enough away that you won’t come back.
And, to ease oldrodder’s consternation, I have another Corvette…a ’66 roadster.
BF top comment of the week!
That’s awful nice of you to be concerned about oldrodder’s mental health.
I don’t know if this is possible but if you could purchase an extended warranty and hopefully Snick the AC issue by them. Then wait 6 mo and file a claim. just guessing here.its probably a non starter idea.
The scary things here are the bird cage and frame. Someone needs to remove the kick panels and have a look, especially since it is a convertible and have a peak underneath. These C4s can hide some sad surprises.
The “birdcage” on the C4 were galvanized to prevent the rusting issues found on the C3. No worries.
Thanks for that info., Frank. Like I mentioned, I had never heard of birdcage rust concerns on a C4.
When I think of Corvette birdcage and frame rot, I think C3, not C4. Not to say that it doesn’t exist, but probably only in the most used and abused cases.
By the time the C4 came out, most Corvette buyers were driving them only in the summer, storing them when the salt came out. In the 70’s, it wasn’t unusual to see Corvettes (and other sporty cars) being driven with snow tires on them.
The last vette I bought, at a dealer auction, is the last because they are a pain in the ass to work on. I told my buddies “if you ever see me raise my hand to bid on another corvette, just slap the daylights out of me and I’ll take you to lunch”.
Digital dashboard is fantastic
Might be a nice summer driver. Factor the issues into your bid, enjoy some top down motoring, and dig into the repairs next winter. 6-speed convertibles are rare. 158 convertibles came in this cars beige top/interior combination, and 1417 convertibles out of 5,875 convertibles came with the ZF-6 speed. More important, the craigslist ad says the Opti-Spark was replaced 1,000 miles ago.