Once upon a time, a car owner parked a 1988 Corvette in a storage unit and left it there for 24 years. When the bill came due, they walked away from the car and the car was purchased through a storage lien auction. Sounds like it should be TV like Auctions Hunters or something but this is 1988 Chevrolet Corvette has been sitting this long until the seller bought it at auction and now is trying to sell it for $4,000. The dark red 1988 Chevrolet Corvette is located near Taylor, Texas which is near Austin and some really good BBQ joints. Thanks goes to T.J. for finding this Corvette and sending us the link.
The C4 Corvette was produced from 1983 to 1996. One of the neat things about this car is that it is equipped with a manual transmission. Chevrolet equipped Corvettes ordered with manual transmissions with a Doug Nash 4+3 transmission. It was a 4 speed manual coupled with overdrive in the top three gears. The C4 was quite different in appearance both on the exterior and interior than the prior C3 Corvette (1968-1982). The C4 came standard with an electronic dash board and LCD instrument cluster. This 1988 Chevrolet Corvette shows 99k miles on the odometer but the interior looks to have held up well. It does appear a little dusty.
All 1988 Chevrolet Corvettes were built with L98 350 cubic inch V8 engines that were rated at 250 horsepower. It wasn’t until 1992 that the C4 was built with the 300 hp LT1 engine. Compared to prior years, the C4 handled extremely well. My friend that owned one only complained about the high sill levels that made it difficult for him to climb in and out of the car but he was a big guy so any low car was hard to get in and out of. The seller states that the car is complete and has the correct ignition keys. The car was apparently driven in to the storage slot and the battery was disconnected. The body color painted T-Tops have some scratches on it and the seller has not tried to start it.
The C4 Corvette was the first Corvette since 1957 that came from the factory with single headlights. The new owner will need to get a bonded title to transfer title. The 1988 Chevrolet Corvette is listed here on Craigslist. It was legally purchased at a storage lien auction and comes with all the receipts and paperwork. Apparently, one of the notarized forms was incorrectly filled out so the current owner has not been able to title the car. The car has only been listed for 2 days at the asking price of $4,000.
Uh.. if the current owner can’t title the car, who’s to say the buyer can? I guess each state would be different. I would check requirements in your state to get a new title. At least the asking price isn’t too steep IMHO.
I placed a vehicle in an open storage facility years ago. I got to know the owner fairly well and asked him why some of the cars looked like they had been there for decades (some amazing cars were now reduced to rotted, rusty scrap, but were awesome when stored), and who would pay monthly for years and years, especially on, in some cases, vehicles that had deteriorated to a point to be worth very little. He said that there were many reasons, but he suspected that some of the trunks possibly contained cash or weapons that were deposited there prior to the owner going to prison. He never asked nor looked. As long as the rent was paid, he didn’t ask questions.
Might be worse in some cases. Pop open the trunk – “Well …., so that’s where the long-missing person has been all these years.”
Maybe when Pop couldn’t drive anymore, the kids put his beloved Corvette into storage. After he passed, they dutifully kept paying the monthly nut out of loyalty and love for the old guy. One day, they sat down and tallied up the years of storage bills, freaked out, and decided they didn’t want to deal with it anymore.
As my Dad told me, “Son, if a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is…”.
Check to see if it’s not stolen, if it isn’t offer the seller $2,000 and turn it into a track car.
Steve R
Maybe worth the risk if you can gain title possession. A cheap Vette with lots of potential.
Several years ago I got titles for two abandoned cars, a 1954 Desoto and a 1950 Kaiser, from Broadway Title Co. in Alabama. I did a quick google search and they’re still in business.
I have used them…on many 40s and 50s car…they didn’t issue titles then…just needed a hand written bill of sale. Was crazy surprised flying into Texas to pick up an eBay purchase, he just signed the title and handed it to me…no hatary etc…he said they didn’t get new titles till signed to new owners several years..
Another possibility is that no one ever knew the owner had the car and he died and no one knew to claim it. It would be smart to do a title search and in most states, you can obtain a title through a mechanic’s lien.
Seems like more is going on as to why they can’t title it if it’s a clerical error go back to the storage place or the auction company and have them fix it.i would be more concerned about it baking in that storage shed for years if my out building gets up to 120-130+ degrees when it’s 100+ plus outside I can only imagine what it has done for all the rubber bits May only be a parts car now.
It could be a clerical error. They are dealing with the DMV. After my mom passed away it took my dad over 18 months to get her name removed from the title after he first went to their office with a death certificate. Every time he went there they wanted something new even though there was no mention on the website. They are a bureaucratic nightmare once you get sucked in.
Steve R
Even if the title issue is solved, this car is probably more trouble than it is worth. Decent driver quality C4s can usually be found for under $10K. This car will need: complete brakes, tires, shocks, battery, fuel system flush/service (may need injectors and fuel pump too). hoses, belts, all fluids, A/C service+++. May need a clutch soon too.
Over the years I have bought a number of rides via storage or repair lien situations. In each case, I confirmed the correct process was followed and I had clear title. I am glad I did as I later experienced owners trying to reclaim their cars (unsuccessfully) on 4 separate occasions. In one case, the PO appeared 13 years after leaving the car at a shop. Don’t take a chance on a car with a questionable title…. especially if you plan to restore/repair it.
Yep. My c4 was stored for about ten years. Literally every hose was replaced, all fluids, brakes rebuilt, everything you could think of to refresh before I bought it. Still needed a clutch, water pump, intake manifold gaskets alternator and other minor bits in the first two years as a daily driver.
I wouldn’t touch this thing is the proverbial ten foot pole. First, except for the manual gearbox, this quite simply a horrible car that is not worth much in great condition. As Cam W. said, you can find a fairly nice one for under 10 K, (a price that I would not pay unless it was a Z-R1) Second, this title thing sounds pretty fishy to me. Chevrolet never should have produced the C4 to start with and one with these issues is worth maximum 2 K, I am a lifetime Corvette owner, and in my opinion, they are one of the greatest automobile’s on the planet, but this has absolutely no redeeming qualities.
I had a Vette with the 4+3 gearbox. It was awful! The only thing I can say good about it is a Geezer story. I was passing Savannah on I95 on the way to Florida when my throttle position switch shot craps. Engine would only idle. I discovered that if I was patient and was careful shifting the car would go 70mph in 7th gear with engine at idle. Drove all the way to St Augustine like that. Was a pain in the butt in city traffic, but it got me home.
I tell everyone with the 4+3 the same thing. Do a fluid change once a year on the overdrive. Waaay to expensive to rebuild, and only takes an hour once it’s in the air. That’s on a convertible where you need to remove some of the cross bracing. At least that’s how I do it. Haven’t found a way around it.