More than any other American car, Corvettes are often found in cream puff condition.  As an old neighbor put it when looking for a perfect Corvette for his wife, a cream puff is a car that was pampered, polished, and only driven to church on Sunday.  While I cannot vouch for the church claim, the owner of this 1989 Corvette convertible, for sale on eBay out of Monticello, Illinois, has undoubtedly fulfilled the other two tenets of the term.  Sporting just 41,285 miles on the odometer, this well cared for Corvette is being offered with no reserve.  With the bidding currently sitting at $7,100, what price do you think this cream puff will sell for?

The first pictures we see in the ad are that of the car in a storage area with a cover on it.  From the images we see here, that cover certainly didn’t hurt the car’s overall finish.  Minus a few specks and rock chips in this Corvette’s plastic nose, the paint is almost showroom new.  This is no small feat for a GM car of this vintage.  Paint technology was changing rapidly during this period due to EPA mandates, and many cars ended up with finishes that either came off in sheets or developed the usual chalkiness that makes a car look far older than its age.  As much as polish companies would like us to believe otherwise, there are no miracle cures for damaged paint on vehicles of this era.

Looking elsewhere, the bodywork of this car doesn’t seem to reveal any previous damage or repairs.  The convertible top looks pristine, the wheels are in excellent shape with no curb rash showing in the pictures, and the body panels line up correctly.  1989 was a good year for the Corvette style-wise.  Minor improvements had been made since the car’s 1984 debut, and the overall effect was clean and purposeful.  Later years of this era Corvette seemed to have styling changes made to them to justify another visit by customers to the dealership.  Somehow GM has never felt comfortable with letting an already decent design age gracefully.

As seen above, the mileage is just 41,285 miles from new.  For Corvettes, such low mileage is not uncommon.  Many great people scrimp and save all of their lives for a Corvette, and the car they take home often spends a pampered life in the garage.  Most only go out for the proverbial Sunday drive, or a monthly outing with a local Corvette club.  By this time in Corvette history, prices had reached the point that most of these sports cars spent more time cruising the boulevard rather than tearing up the twisties on a lonely backroad.  Younger, more aggressive drivers were being priced out of the new Corvette market and retirees started to become the target market.

Inside, we see that the previous owner’s pampering has provided the next owner an interior in almost new condition.  The seats display a hint of yellowing, but that is to be expected after all of these years.  The carpet, however, looks factory fresh.  We can also see only one aftermarket floormat.  Companies such as Ecklers and Corvette Central offer every product under the sun with a Corvette logo, and mats like this are just the beginning.  Only Harley owners have more brand oriented stuff available to them.  At any rate, this car does have an excellent feature for people who like to drive hard: a six-speed transmission.  These were great transmissions for their day, and they were relatively durable.  Too bad most of America can’t drive a car so equipped anymore.

Under the hood is the 350 cubic inch small block V-8 we all love so much.  While working in some areas require the skills of a contortionist octopus, parts are cheap and these engines put out enough horsepower to propel this car past 150 miles per hour.  For the late eighties, the Corvette was quite the performance automobile.  Every car magazine seemed to run a monthly story on the Corvette versus some other European sportscar during that time.  While the Corvette soundly trounced its opponents on performance and price, the nod would usually go to the European car.  Corvette owners seem to get the last laugh, as they can still afford to repair their sports cars after the warranty runs out.  Corvettes of this era simply don’t get the respect they deserve.

This lack of respect, while unfortunate, is a hidden advantage for Corvette lovers.  While Porsche 944 Turbos of this vintage are now auction-house stars, nice Corvettes like this one are still affordable and ready to enjoy.  While each year’s Corvette is usually better than the last, the 1989 models are fine sportscars.

Someone is likely to get a bargain on this cream puff.  Hopefully, it will be a Barn Find reader driving it home.