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Cheap Project? 1989 Chevy Corvette

This 1989 Chevrolet Corvette could be a cheap buy if bidding doesn’t get too busy after the opening number of $3,450 is hit. It’s not particularly desirable in its current form, especially with an automatic transmission, but the interior features blue leather which you don’t see too often. The seller recounts a fairly sad tale of woe of a small automotive dealer business that went awry and poor storage conditions where the cars were stashed after the business went on hold. Find the Corvette here on eBay with no bids at the moment.

I’m a sucker for rare or unusual colors, and the blue interior is speaking to me (unfortunately). I had a Pacific Blue leather interior in my departed 1987 BMW 535is, and I loved the car for that reason alone. However, I ended up selling it because, well, I didn’t enjoy the rest of it – and rare color combos alone can’t keep a car in your hands for the long-term when space is an issue. Anyway, depending on total production numbers with this particular combination, I could see a Corvette collector scooping this one up just to say he has one with this particular color configuration. The seller notes it ran well with functional A/C when they acquired it in 2013.

For the rest of us, however, it’s just an old C4 Corvette with needs. These include peeling clear coat, dents in the body, and a crack in the roof panel. The bigger issue is the old-school security system that basically “froze” the Corvette when the batteries died, and now prevents the car from running. The seller notes there is a way to bypass it (and it doesn’t sound all that complicated), but he is not going to fire the Corvette up with old fluids and no sort of assessment of current mechanical health. Speaking of, the seller’s health is a big part of the reason why business plans went on hold, and I can’t blame him for just being done with the remaining cars.

Still, that interior! The matching carpets and door panels still look pretty tidy, although the seller notes the materials are beginning to fade in the seat back and hatch areas. My personal opinion is that this needs to have a lower opening bid in order to find a new home for this tired Corvette, as it doesn’t have much going for it beyond the color scheme. The seller says that although he feels it is priced fairly, he will consider best offers, so perhaps there’s a chance this forgotten ‘Vette could be had for a smaller sum. Would the interior color alone sway you into ownership?

Comments

  1. Avatar IkeyHeyman

    “Tale of woe” is right! Not to mention, 6 owners and 135k miles? Too many red flags for me, I’ll pass.

    Like 5
    • Avatar Ike Onick

      Nailed it! This is not a Corvette. It is a used Chevy.

      Like 0
  2. Avatar kakerlak

    That interior color is fun, but $3500 puts you into a runner with decent paint as far as L98 C4s go.

    Like 8
  3. Avatar grant

    Since when does a Corvette have a backseat? And how do you dent fiberglass?

    Like 17
  4. Avatar Classic Steel

    This should of been washed to assist in paint views.
    Its a miracle as the dents look gone 😊🤣
    I wonder if dents means the fiber bumpers are warped or damaged from age?

    It would of behooved the owner to had a friend try the car trick on battery replacement and changed the oil and fuel out. The automatic kills the price but the interior is unique to help some.

    I hope it sells to see the open roads of Tennessee or neighbor Kentucky again.
    I personally never found this new design attractive but again i am a old school C2 owner.

    Like 3
    • Avatar grant

      “would have” or “would’ve.”
      Sorry, that was bugging me…

      Like 0
  5. Avatar 86_Vette_Convertible

    I’d like to see those ‘dents’ referenced. I would also like to know about this ‘non-start’ condition due to a dead battery. If the battery is good it should start (all other things working correctly), after all I have disconnected the battery in mine for months and as soon as it’s back in the car starts right up. This one has the Atari dash, the odometer is mechanical and in the right upper corner of the instrument cluster so it’s a simple matter of looking at it to get the correct mileage (assuming it’s correct and working in the first place).
    IMO at best, this one is maybe worth half the asking price. Especially when you figure in things like SMC damage apparently, 135K miles, the need for a repaint due to clear coat damage, non starting condition to name a few. You should be able to find a good running C4 in decent shape for $3K – $5K so this one is not a good value IMO. Maybe someone will buy it, maybe they won’t but there are better buys out there.

    Like 4
  6. Avatar Nevadahalfrack Member

    $3450?? Really??? Nonrunning+no effort+no car knowledge=no sale. IIRC the biggest clear coat killer is automatic-type car washes; if that’s the case here I’d say the car’s need for paint/etc is indicative of the owners, past and present.

    As Ikeyman and others have said, for its age to have the “minimal” amount of miles (any documentation?) with the number of previous owners and poor condition, a historically infamous British quote comes to mind-
    -“Run away! Run away!” (Monty Python)..

    Like 0
  7. Avatar PRA4SNW

    “Remember this auction is NO RESERVE ”

    I always have to LOL when I see that on a car that has a minimum bid price set.

    I guess we just assume there’s an engine in it, couldn’t have bothered to pop the hood for a shot.

    Like 2
  8. Avatar John

    No one seems to have addressed the camber issue with the driver’s side rear wheel. It looks to be “tucked-in” like the old swing axle VWs and (gulp) Corvairs. Someone with the time and money could make this into a stunning example. It will more likely become an exercise in “how to spend $10,000 on a $5000 car”.

    I do like the blue interior.

    Like 0
    • Avatar 86_Vette_Convertible

      Looks like both sides. Jack up the rear, put it down and don’t move it (after all it doesn’t run) and that’s the way it will look. Makes sense if it doesn’t run and you don’t want to push it yourself.
      Just a thought.

      Like 0
  9. Avatar Karl

    I am a Corvette guy and even if this car were perfect I wouldn’t be interested. These were the years where GM was trying to make something of the Vette this was just another in the long line of failures to make that happen. To concerned with a nice soft quiet ride took way to much priority over what a Vette is supposed to be! It’s maybe a great older ladies ride? Not for me!

    Like 0
    • Avatar Frank Sumatra

      I respectfully disagree. There were plenty of options available to make a 1989 a nice car to drive- 3 Suspension upgrades available, Seating upgrade, ZF6 six-speed transmission, L98 245 HP engine, Performance axle ratio upgrade, etc.

      Like 2
  10. Avatar Kenn

    Read slower – Jeff said “seat back”, not “back seat”.

    Like 1

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