C4 Corvettes aren’t exactly rare, but hey – a cheap V8 sportscar is a cheap V8 sportscar. We don’t often see cars like the C4 Corvette pop up in the San Francisco Bay area as a barn find, but that’s exactly what this one appears to be. Listed here on craigslist for $1,500, the seller says it was last registered in 2000 and still wears its old-school California license plates.
Yes, it’s tired. Yes, the mud slicks on the lower body panels doesn’t inspire confidence that this thing wasn’t driven hard and put away wet. But it’s also tempting to imagine with those faded vintage plates that this grimy C4 blasted up and down the Pacific Coast Highway before it was retired to a dirt-floored barn. The body at least appears free from major damage, though the power antenna is obviously missing.
Inside, the seats are torn, the wrap on the steering wheel is gone and the door panels are dirty. A garage queen, this is not. The windows show a heavy coating of residue or dust, and hopefully it wasn’t stored with them down. The seller doesn’t elaborate on the Vette’s history or why it came to be taken off the road in 2000, but given the Crossfire cars were difficult to modify, we doubt it was parked due to overzealous tuning.
Crossfire motors tend to get ignored by enthusiasts, due to the aforementioned modification-unfriendly design and lower horsepower output than the previous generation Corvette. However, given how far the needle has moved with modern Corvettes churning out ungodly horsepower numbers, I’m not sure I’d buy a C4 with the intention of outright speed, but rather to own an icon of the 1980s – and I’d for sure hang that license plate in my garage.
If it owes back registration or doesn’t run its future is that of a parts or track car, probably the former. I assume the seller hasn’t started it since there was no mention of how it runs, even then it needs to pass California smog check before it can hit the road. This car might make sense in another state, it’s a financial loser in California.
By the way, those plates were issued in the early to mid-90’s.
Steve R
Yeah, the real old school were yellow and black then black and yellow too the blue and yellow
This would have the white “sunshine” plate with blue letters If it was originally registered in CA. That was the style from 1982-87.
That plate was issued in 1988.
I don’t see you could go wrong for $1,500 if you were close enough to check it out in person. What on earth clothing wise is that dude wearing in the 4th picture?
He’s wearing a winter hat and a long sleeve shirt with a carhartt vest over that. I wear that all the time in minnesota.
I don’t see how you could go wrong for $1,500 if you were close enough to check it out in person and there were no obvious issues.
Great car to source suspension parts for a restomod.
That back glass would probably get half your investment back. If it were closer I would grab it.
I’d stick any cheap V8 I could find in it that could be boosted a bit, then go out an cruise.
How can you lose?
You can’t do that in California, that’s one of the main problems with the car. Back registration and the need of a smog certificate kill its potential. If it were in different state that could be possible.
Steve R
My dad and I just finished a C4 his brother had given him. Paint is good needs interior redone, which we have all is ready to roll just have a lot of electrical gremlins to deal with, and I will say on record I am true Ford but this Corvette build has been nice but trying
The most expensive car is a cheap one. This one needs to be parted out for a profit
Bill of sale only? I know laws vary by state, but aound here, you can’t sell or part out or scrap a car without a title in your name.
Anyone who says you can’t make a Crossfire run well has no clue. This engine has the same camshaft and forged pistons as the L82 from late ’70s. The restrictive “ski ramp” square ports in the intake manifold are the main problem. That’s remedied with a couple hours of die grinder. Then the ECM is pretty pathetic. It’s a speed-density system with no intake air temperature sensor, so performance varies widely with ambient temperature. The solution is a later TBI ECM from a Caprice. You’ll also need an adjustable fuel pressure regulator to feed it more fuel for the newfound air flow.
As for why this one has been parked for 17 years, I’d guess the overdrive failed. That’s a repair that costs as much as the asking price for the car. Also, the ’84s have a failure-prone Dana 36 rear end, unlike the ’85-’96 manual transmission cars that have a Dana 44.
I love my c4 although i am gonna swap out the engine for an ls motor for more power
A really nice ’84 would run about 7k. If you bought this for $1500 and added 5k you still wouldn’t have as nice a car as you could buy…Parts or clean it up and have fun.
I know nothing of California vehicle law. Is it not possible to sell it to someone out-of-State? Does that require payment of back taxes, etc?
That requires a title.
Easy to do a lost title in CA if you have a signed document from the seller, it helps if you have any year back registration with the sellers name and address on same. Cost is $20 bill for the lost title. I know first hand as I just did reg. on a ’89 model car that owner lost title.
While that may be true, the new owner will have to pay all back registration fees before California issues that new title.
No so fast as there is a way around the back fees, just be one up on DMV, you go in with the I am a “car collector” and there is nothing they can say to prove you are not, you tell them CA DMV code, 4604(d)3 exempts most old cars from having any back penalties due to not registering vehicles or not placing them in a “non-op” status. Cars 20 yrs and older qualify and you must be a car collector. I think most all here on BF are in that category. Mark the DMV form that you are a collector and they will waive the fees.
I would bet they would ask for you to prove you are a collector.
I mean they don’t accept the non-op slips anymore.
They knew everybody scammed that system to not pay back fees which is why they make you pay a fee every year to keep it non-op.
I have never heard of that rule before and I used to know how to get around all their rules including the smog rule. I am sure that one still works.
Didn’t see the Doug Nash 4=3. I’d give this puppy a pass…Owned a ’84 back in the day, nice car with very few problems.
“Rare” “Antique” – LMAO!
While those words may be true, if those are the best words to describe this vehicle, it is best to move on to something else.