There remains an aura about a clean, manual transmission-equipped C4-chassis Corvette for me, especially as it relates to being a screaming bargain amongst a landscape that sees 80s and 90s cars get increasingly expensive. While there are plenty of poorly presented examples out there, a Corvette of this generation in good order and with three pedals is immensely appealing. The car shown here is a 1989 Chevrolet Corvette convertible with a few smart upgrades, gorgeous paint, a nearly-new soft top, and presented here on craigslist for just $11,500 with under 80,000 miles.
The C4 Corvette has long been on my list of “maybe someday” cars, and with my brother recently committing to buying one for use as an autocross vehicle. it has come back onto my radar. His is a coupe with a 5-speed and an aftermarket exhaust, and it sure does look like a lot of car for the pittance he paid. The seller of this convertible notes that his is equipped with a Hypertech chip, air foil, and high performance exhaust system, all of which should make it quite quick out of the gate and make each upshift immensely satisfying. The top, as he notes, has wrinkles from lack of use but those smooth out once it is in the sun for a few hours.
The C4 interior was nothing to write home about quality-wise, but thankfully, it changed very little over the years so you should be able to raid a junkyard car for any broken trim pieces you find .The leather seats have a fair amount of cracking and wear noted, but perhaps you can resolve that with some leather conditioner. The dash shows no cracks and overall, for a car wherein the top goes down, the interior is in very good shape overall. The seller notes that the A/C works but suspects there is a refrigerant leak somewhere; otherwise, there are no other issues disclosed in the cabin.
The clutch and transmission are said to be “like new,” and the seller notes the water pump and battery were recently replaced. A 1989 Corvette has just under 250 horsepower in stock trim with 340 lb-ft of torque, and those numbers should rise slightly with the modifications performed. I agree with the seller’s note that finding a triple-black C4 Corvette with under 100,000 miles for less than $15,000 is not easy to do, especially one that has clearly been looked after. I would simply upgrade the suspension and otherwise, call it a day if this were mine. Does anyone else feel a nice C4 is still a bargain in today’s market?
Stick shift convertibles are some of the most fun you can have driving.
The six speed ZF6 manual trans is definitely a plus and triple black looks really good. I own a 92 coupe with the same color and trans, love driving my Vette!
I have said it before, and I will say it again, I personally think that the C-4 is the worst design of all Corvettes. Along with what I feel is poor styling, they had all kinds of quality control issues and that is particularly true of the early models. Now that I have probably thoroughly angered just about every C-4 owner out there, I will add that this is not only one of the most attractive C-4s I have ever seen, having a 6 speed is a huge plus. The asking price is in line with the quality and if I were ever wanting to own a C-4, this would be it. Very pretty car.
I bought an ’89 in 2000 for $11k. I sold it in 2008 for $13k and bought it back in 2022 for $8k. It’s a red vert with 6spd. and offers a fun driving experience. Because I also have ’66 vette I am looking to sell it.
The one listed looks to be a nice example and, for +- $11k, would make a fun driver.
We haven’t driven the red 94 Miata convertible 300 miles in the last two years. I’d like to sell it and find a manual transmission C4 convertible. I think it would actually get driven and not spend it’s years under a cover in the back of Ghost Hollow Distillery.
David, that’s funny because I sold our ’90 Miata when I bought the ’89 the first time.
I have a ’93 convertible Vette and they are under appreciated but that’s good news if you are working with a tight budget. Rag top versions always command a higher price than a coupe, but a C6 or C7 version is a lot more money, and a new one, well….