When you are looking to buy a vehicle that was produced in large quantities, it pays to find one with some rare features or options (or both). The C4-era Chevrolet Corvette was obviously a model that saw high volume over the course of its existence, which has almost certainly played a role in its stagnant values. The car shown above, a 1984 Chevrolet Corvette sports a color scheme we don’t often see as well as the unusual cloth sport seats as opposed to the usual leather. As an added bonus, it’s a manual. Find it listed for $8,995 here on Facebook Marketplace,
Thanks to Barn Finds reader Sam61 for the tip. Right off the bat, you notice the cloth-covered Corvette sport seats. Now, 9 times out of 9.5 these seats are leather. While I can’t say for sure, it would seem to me that the first owner had to specify cloth buckets in their Corvette, which also happen to be a color scheme that compliments the bronze paint job. The same goes for the brown carpets. All told, this gold-on-tan Corvette is quite handsome, and the upholstery and trim are holding up well despite build quality not being all that great.
The official color appears to be Gold Metallic, but the other feature that sets this Corvette apart is the 4+3 manual transmission. Called the “Doug Nash 4+3,” this Borg-Warner unit sounded a bit more exotic on the basis of its name alone than it actually was. The Borg-Warner assembly featured an automatic overdrive that could be activated or deactivated using a shifter-mounted button. The transmission itself isn’t particularly special aside from the novelty factor, and owners have complained about losing overdrive with some regularity. The seller notes that the 5.7L V8 runs well and it shows just over 61K miles.
C4s are still great looking cars, but the base models like this one are not likely to appreciate in value any time soon. But you can still create pockets of value if you buy cars with an eye towards selling them in the short term, and finding ones in rare colors, trim, or equipment is the way to go. This ’84 Corvette is far more intriguing than a similar era model in red with red leather and an automatic transmission. While the production numbers will tell us far more about just how rare this Corvette is, it seems safe to say you won’t see another one like this anytime soon.
Drove one of these decades ago for a while and remember very stiff ride with 1 yr only crossfire injection, it was garbage. Any deep diving into corners would disrupt spray flow and cause hesitation. Donuts out of the question, half way car would stall. Drove 85 C4 with TPI, night and day difference.
Nice car! I like the gold and the interior too. I’m not a fan generally of C4s as to me they looked a little generic, but this one’s an exception. The only thing I’d do is ditch the crossfire system, replace the intake with one that will mount a Holley Sniper.
Or you could just buy a 1985 Corvette.
I love gold Corvettes, for some weird reason. Candy gold ’68-’72 Stingray is my fantasy.
C-4s, don’t like ’em and never have, but this is a pretty decent car for the money. For someone just looking to get into a Vette without breaking the bank, you could do much worse than this one. I’ve heard all kinds of spooky tales about that gearbox, but at least it’s a manual and not an auto box.
Rides like on rails. Yes, stiff.
One drive around the block and you’ll run away from any 1984 Vette with their buck board rear suspension let alone the crossfire engine.
Always loved the C4’s. This is a great looking example for not big money.
As 84’s go this isn’t a bad looking car, but it’s still an 84, the bottom of the pile for Corvettes. They rode terrible, the 4+3 was unreliable, the digital gauge clusters were problematic and they were just an underdeveloped car.
I’m not sure this car is all that rare either. The cloth seats were standard with leather as a no cost option. After years of vinyl seats in cars, this was a time when cloth was pretty popular with car buyers. Unfortunately, unlike the leather used in 84 that still is available, the cloth is no longer available and has never been reproduced, making repairing/replacing them impossible. While only about 3700 84’s were built in the Light Bronze over Dark Bronze color combination, it was the most popular two-tone combination and the forth most popular finish in 84, behind only solid red, black and white. While the 4+3 was an interesting concept, with overdrive available in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, it suffered from various problems and replacement parts are virtually nonexistent today.
It may be one of the cleaner 84’s left in the world, but anyone interested in a C4 would be much better off looking at 92-96’s.
I worked as a mechanic at Chevrolet when these things were new. The nickname for that engine is “The ceasefire” Although a little better, one year makes a big difference eith the TPI.
Ceasefire lol, Anthony not something you want associated w your performance automobile.
solid red, black or white.
We all know the 84 had many problems. The motor was corrected in 85 leaving the 84 as the unwanted sibling. Fine to look at in the garage but truly not street worthy. Sorry it is what it is.
I’m guessing I am the only comment from someone who actually owned a 1984 and lived with one for years. No doubt about the Z-51 suspension being too harsh for daily driving. The rest of the statements are rehashed old wives tales from the usual flock of parrots. The car was the 1984 equivalent of a moonshot compared to the other American “performance” cars of the era.