The C4 Corvette may not be considered the best edition of the marque, but as today’s Nice Price or No Dice drop-top proves, it’s still a pretty — and pretty desirable— car. Let’s see if this manual-equipped C4 is also a pretty good value.
I think that for many of you who commented that yesterday’s 1989 Lincoln Town Car “wasn’t for you,” the truth actually is that you secretly lust after cars of this ilk. The problem is that you simply don’t want to have that predilection brand you as an Applebee’s regular. The 66 percent Nice Price win that was handed down for the Lincoln’s $5,500 asking price added validity to this impression.
There’s really no shame in wanting a big old boat like yesterday’s Lincoln. Especially not if you could pair it in your driveway with a car that offers a uniquely different approach to the driving experience. Say, something like this 1991 Chevrolet Corvette C4 with a six-speed.
Tuesday’s Lincoln and the ’Vette today both hail from the same era. Having them sharing space in the driveway would be the perfect balance of form and function. It would also demonstrate a laudable brand agnosticism with the Chevy nonchalantly paired with the fancy Ford.
Being a ’91, this C4 has the updated styling that Chevy applied to the model beginning that year. The midcycle refresh included a more rounded nose, redesigned side strakes and a convex rear bumper cap with squircle tail lamps. The styling differences from the earlier cars aren’t substantial, but even today they do somehow seem to make the car feel a heck of a lot more current.
Sadly, the same modernity can’t be claimed for the L98 under the Corvette’s swoopy hood. That’s good for only 245 horsepower. Torque is a bit more respectable at 350 lb-ft, and the six-speed ZF box behind the somewhat lazy V8 should help make the most of both of those numbers.
The seller claims the car to be a rare mix of color and options, saying that it is one of perhaps 400 so built. That’s rare, but it’s not like auction-block rare. I’m not sure what color code the blue paint is, but it looks extremely well kept and doesn’t show any signs of fading or popping on any of the plastic surfaces. The factory alloys — which are side-specific owing to their turbine blade design — also appear to be in as-new shape.
Both the cloth top and leather-upholstered interior seem to be keeping up their ends of the bargain too. According to the ad, the car has to date done but a mere 86,000 miles. The ad goes on to detail some maintenance that was done in the last 6,000 miles, including tires, shocks and brakes as well as some oil management work (valve cover gaskets and valve seals) on the engine. Per the seller, the car currently “Drives like new.”
That seller is apparently the Corvette’s second owner and is offering the car for sale now because of another Corvette purchase. I guess two Corvettes is one too many for some. The car has a clean title and, for what it’s worth, the CarFax from the prior sale.
As I noted at the outset, the C4 edition of the Corvette is not considered to be the best of the breed; that makes it less desirable to many and, often, a pretty good deal. This one is well-optioned and in very nice shape. It also seems to have been well maintained over the years and has the added bonus of the recent replacement of some fairly expensive consumables. That all makes for a pretty compelling argument for this being a reasonable entry into Corvette ownership. That is, of course, only if the price is right.
That price is $9,500 and it’s now up to you to say whether the seller has hit the mark or missed the target entirely. What do you think, is this well-kept ’Vette a deal at that $9,500 asking? Or, does this blue Chevy have a price that blows?
You decide!
Phoenix, Arizona, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to S.R. Gooch for the hookup!
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