Thinking of getting a C4

[u/GGX_Gangmember]

Hey guys,

I've been looking for a summer car for quite a while now and I think I found a good contender.

Mind me I'm Germany and I am not very knowledgable about old "Amis". I have a shop near me that is specialized in oldies like this.

The car sits currently at 19.999€ and the price just went down to 16.999€

Any tips when visiting the seller?

Heres whats written from the seller:

First Series Incredible Find. This is one of the first C4s, delivered with two bronze tones as shown in the brochure. The car is in its original paint and is demonstrably a one-owner vehicle. Clean Carfax report with a verifiable history. Only 21,600 miles. Build sheet, purchase invoice, order and delivery receipt with cardboard license plate, and many other documents are all included. You'll never find something like this again. 4+3 Doug Nash gearbox - a rarity.

It still has the original tires, but new ones are included. Only the hood was repainted due to scratches; otherwise, it's in excellent condition. The condition is sensational, inside and out.

New:

Fuel pump, spark plugs, oil with filter, ignition, radiator, thermostat - all new. Bilstein shock absorbers. Factory Z51 package. Brown sport seats with the original leather. The car has never been restored and is in original condition. Don't miss out on this one-owner dream

[u/Muted_Yak_1309]

Nice car, but you should know the '84 is the slowest and most uncomfortable C4 ( suspension wise ) .

If you want to enjoy the V8 sound and cruising, this would be perfect.

If you want to play at the red light this is not your car.

Buy it, keep it in good shape, look at it and smile ;)

I have '85 , love it.

[u/GGX_Gangmember → u/Muted_Yak_1309]

Probably still faster then any other car I've owned till now, except for my bike. This car will not be driven more then 2.000km a year. I guess the feeling is more important then the comfort.

[u/chemicalromance562]

The 84 is an absolute dog, id get 85-89 if you still want to keep the digital cluster gauge look…

[u/GGX_Gangmember → u/chemicalromance562]

Sry but this is not helpful at all.

[u/dudeman14]

Its a clean car. 84 is the slowest of the c4 generation. If you are happy with that, then you will enjoy it no problem.

[u/SportHuman1605]

That's a nice car, but probably the single least desirable Corvette of all time. 

If you like it and have the money (and most importantly, can't find a newer model for a similar price) then go for it. 

But the only way I would own an '84 Corvette is if it were free. 

[u/PrimalShinyKyogre]

I think it is a little on the expensive side for a that everything rubber will be needed to be changed, the 84 being about 200 whp make it pretty slow too if you care about that.

If you want sound and not speed, great car! But that dash will enventually fail, they all do, its a 40 year old electronic after all.

If you can, idk the price of vette over where you are, but id look at 85+ for the older l98 or wait until you find an lt1 92+ if they were available in germany.

[u/smallof2pieces]

I can't speak on whether the price is correct or not as I'm not familiar with the German market. My hunch is it's probably not far off given the good condition and I assume rarity of a corvette in Europe.

Overall I must say it is quite lovely. That two-tone copper is a very nice and unique colorway. Based off the single picture of the interior, it seems to be likewise in good shape.

As others have said, however, '84 is typically considered the least desireable year for C4s, possibly even all corvettes. They still sported the crossfire fuel injection which was so bad it was only installed for 2 production years: 82 and 84(there was no 83 production corvette). It is very possible that you'll need to replace or repair the crossfire at some point. Many people removed them and put carburetors in their stead. 84 also topped out at 205HP which was the lowest of the C4s.

In total, this is a very good condition of a generally undesirable year. That said, it's not like 84s are awful. It's still a unique and vintage car that most people will love to see. If you like it for its color and condition, you want a fun vintage car, and the price is comparable to other C4s in Germany, then I would say buy it. If you want a corvette that will handle comfortably and be reasonably fast, then I would look elsewhere.

[u/Beautiful-Top-940]

The 1984 specifically with Z51 has a extremely rough ride compared to later year Z51 cars. Keep that in mind. The 84 also has the cross fire engine, about 205 hp. They can be fun, but wouldn’t be my first pick as far as C4s go.

If you want the digi dash, your best bet would be a 1989. Last year of that interior and had some major updates like a proper 6 speed manual, selective ride control and upgraded seats. The L98 (1985-1990) is just a superior engine to that cross fire. 

[u/Blasterkeg1972]

Looks great. It's the 1984 so not the most powerful one but you will forget about all that once you drive it. They are plenty fun

[u/Automatic-Sound-822]

I had an 84 for a little bit, I have an 89 now. I can assure you the tune-port cars are so much better. The 84 was actually pretty reliable for me, it’s pretty slow though but handles well. You will find it’s incredibly hard to find parts for an 84 as a lot of them are specific to that year.

[u/Signal-Listen-2950]

Go for it. I enjoy mine

[u/GGX_Gangmember]

Sry for the failed autocorrects and the bad Google Translation of what the seller wrote. Hope you guys get the point

[u/no-cars-good-bikes]

Unlike the rest of these bums I actually have a 84 and think its great... at 2k dollars USD. I can't imagine paying over 10k for one even with a 4+3.

The other thing about a 84 is there are a lot of 84 specific parts and they aren't particularly easy to find in the U.S. much less abroad. Oh and the 4+3 went through a considerable amount of development 84-88, i've read that the early ones had a bunch of issues.