This 1993 Chevrolet Corvette boasts an LT-1 350 cubic inch power plant and 6 speed manual transmission. The seller has listed this car at no reserve here on eBay. The Corvette is located in Moreno Valley, California and looks great from 10 feet. The new owner may be able to get a good deal on this LT-1 Corvette but will need to address some cosmetic issues with dull paint and worn out seats. Currently, there are two days remaining in the auction and the car is bid to only $3,650.
This is the nicest angle on the interior but with closer inspection, you can see the driver’s bolster is exposed and the power seats are creased and heavily worn. The odometer on the car shows 129,000 miles which the seller claims is low miles for this year car. Well, it may be low miles for a common commuter car but not for a sports car. There are a number of interior fit and finish problems as well as a door handle that will need to be repaired. The light tan interior contrasts well with the red paint. The carpet does look nice.
Sitting up front is the respectable LT-1 5.7 liter Chevrolet V8 backed by a 6 speed transmission. The factory rating for the LT-1 was 300 horsepower and 340 lb ft of torque. The optional engine for 1993 was the ZR-1 which produced 405 horsepower and 385 lb ft of torque. This Corvette is said to run and drive nice. The tires have about 40% of the tread remaining and the new owner may need to rebuilt the brake system. While the seller notes, no previous wrecks or repairs, time has taken its toll on the usual suspects. The weatherstripping is dried and hard and will need replacement. The windshield has vertical cracks. The seller states that the car has always been stored indoors but I don’t know how you verify that based on the condition of the paint.
The original paint has not held up well on the hood and a few other places on the body. The clear coat on the wheels is also peeling and one of the caps is missing. The California sun can do some damage if a car is exposed to it for long periods of time. At the end of the day, this is a driver but mechanically solid car. For cheap money, you can have a lot of fun.
This particular generation of Corvettes doesn’t bring a lot of money, nice examples can be found for $15k to $20k with much lower mileage. So why buy one like this that is pretty well worn, in and out? It will cost you quite a bit to freshen up the interior, address the mechanicals, restore the wheels and put new tires on it. It might also need fresh paint and you’ll still have a car with pretty high mileage. Smart buyers looking for a ‘Vette will pass on this one.
15-20?? Maybe a ZR-1. Try 8-12k.
Bid is up to $3650. Just about the max. If you’re building a hot rod and need a drive train maybe $5000 and sell off parts not needed.
It’s just not a popular car.
These cars are very difficult to restore, as every screw hole is stripped and the plastic warps and cracks easily. However, it might make an excellent racer for autocross with some chassis stiffening braces, as C4s are notorious for their flexibility.
http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/chassis-suspension/1711-cure-for-creaking-c4-corvettes-vette2vettes-no-flex-kit
Fun to drive…just not much fun to own.
A no reserve Ebay on a C4? That’s pretty spunky! He probably just wants to get rid of it. But cheapies like this are likely to bring annoying post auction negotiations; i .e. the buyer will view the winning bid as a starting point. He’ll probably end up wishing he gave it to Cars for Kids and took the tax deduction.
Not that I don’t like reading about COrvettes, but there is nothing interesting or unique here.
These are quite common and if you want one, you will have a lot to choose from within a reasonable distance from your home. Name your price.
I think you make a good point regarding C4’s. It seems they fall into two groups. Low-to-medium mileage, well-cared for in the $10-12K range or higher mileage, not so well-cared for in the $3-5K range. I don’t think there is a mid-point on these cars. There are some nice examples of the base 95 and 96 C4 available but both the seller and buyer will need to be patient.
I think that the reason for this is that, when the C4 came out, a lot of people treated them nicely and stored them in a garage and drove them as the weekend fun car. People were making more money and the age of the average Corvette owner was getting older.
The C3 usually was driven daily and even driven in the salty snow up here in New England – the one I owned sure was, judging by the frame.
I like the C4 a lot and have been looking at them for years. I think the 2 categories are because they have been cheap for so long, there are going to be ones that have changed hands a bunch of times and not been maintained very well.
Then, you have the original owner low mileage examples that are still affordable and a very cool car to own.
I prefer them over a C5. I drove a C5, and compared to the C3, I thought I was driving a regular old Chevy.
PRA- Absolutely correct on the type of buyer. I have the window sticker for mine. It stickered for $39,500. It is a nice car but it amazes me GM got almost $40K for it in 1995.
Here is an inexpensive, fun to drive “starter“ car that “working class Joe” or his kid can afford. It’s exactly what is regularly preached about on this site, until one actually shows up. Then it gets picked apart.
Even if the seller was giving it away and paid to have it shipped, people would find a reason to complain.
Steve R
I own a 1995 Corvette, and I have to agree most of the comments are pretty accurate including yours.
Opti Spark ignition kills this for me. Terrible design places the distributor below the t stat/coolant hoses. Recipe for disaster.
The design was changed in 1995 to prevent moisture building up in the housing.