Buying This Classic Convertible Quickly Turned Into a Train Wreck! 

I still own and drive my ‘88 C4 coupe. It is a fantastic car. I’ve also had a ‘94 C4 convertible with the LT1 and it was a great car. Zero leaks. Great seats, bulletproof drivetrains and readily available parts and huge aftermarket products. My current C5 ‘99 convertible is a fantastic car. Don’t knock the C4 and C5 until you’ve owned one. Great bang for the buck American sports cars.

I worked for a company that supported the GM plants in the late 80's. I can tell you that GM had no idea how to get the convertible top NOT to leak. They even purchased a Mazda Miata so the engineers could see how it was manufactured and constructed. Crazy times.

1991 may seem like yesterday, but this is an over 30 year old car that looks clean in and out, seems straight, and runs strong. And these guys pick it apart like chopped liver. Imagine in 1991 buying a 1960 Corvette this original and clean.

It may not be that these dealers haven't figured it out, the problem for them is that the vast majority of used car dealers are doing everything with borrowed money. And now they're looking at selling cars for less than they purchase them. Bankruptcy

FYI functional damage on a Carfax means it was involved in a wreck but didn't need to be towed. This is usually a good thing and means that the wreck was fairly minor.

I believe this is the only time I've actually enjoyed car shopping 😁, thanks for carrying us along.

Out of all the cars my wife and I have owned and experienced, our 1996 CE LT4 Corvette was our favorite car. Ours was a clean example, with ownership history, Z51 Suspension and Dual Tops. We loved that Corvette but it always needed maintenance and there is nobody good to work on them so you better be a decent mechanic. Still we miss that car. We had it when we lived in California from 2014-2018. We sold it after our son was born.

I'm glad (and hopeful) the market is getting back to "normal". But at the same time, I watch TFL reviews of trucks costing 80K and you're all giddy and happy.

I like this series. I like the dynamic of Roman and Kase.

Kase is correct about Florida drivers! 😂😂. We need to see more of Kase👍👍

I’d rather by a Vette from the northeast since most people put them away for the winter. In the southern states they tend to drive them year round.

Unfortunately, there are a lot of rough C4 Corvettes. They deserve better, they’re nice cars.

Red on Red with the L98 and Automatic is a great Combo For the Street and Antique Tags Too !

My "old" dad (76) drives a manual WRX. So there are a couple manual driving older people out there!

This young guy is so switched on. Impressed!

Johnny Carson drove the C4 as a daily driver.

dont forget about the best C4 ever, the king of the hill ZR1

Unless you drive a car IN the salt water, OR live ON the beach there’s NO issues with “salt air” in Florida Buy a CLK cabriolet instead.

Stud to Dud starring Kase & Roman 😆

I hope you guys are correct about the market. I'm looking to possibly get something next year, but at the current costs, I'm sticking with my current paid off car.

That dealership is notorious for poor pricing, it's almost like a "buy here pay here" lot. Nonetheless great video, keep up the work fellas !

That upside down "16 they used for '91. Huge red flag!

C4 is my favorite of the corvettes…. Obviously not the best of the breed but still my favorite.

The low fuel level is a dealer trick to keep your test drive Short…walk away…

"This is a car that has not been loved". Next up: convertible tug of war. :)

no joke within the past 2 months ive seen 2 of these atlas brand new on the back of a tow truck

I am a Miata owner here and watching the procedure to put the top down just made me laugh 🤣 all it takes to put the Miata top down is an stop light and I still have spare time to chose a good song lol

You can get a great c5 for 15k. Much better car with LS1 engine. Might even find a c6 for not too much more than that. C5 is 345hp and C6 is 400hp in the standard models.

What a handsome young man. We will keep watching!!

The high sill in the c4 passenger compartment makes the hydroformed steel chassis in the c5 becomes the one to buy

91 is the best C4 year. It has the updated interior and exterior and still has the L98 engine. The later LT1’s have that lousy Optispark. I’d like to meet the guy who designed that junk.

you can find well maintained SN97 Mustangs for way less then 15k or if you want to go 80's then white convertible fox bodys were iconic and are still less then 15k for a good one!

I was just looking at Trans Am WS6’s, they have gone THROUGH THE ROOF. $60k and over

What you guys should have done. is put it up on the lift in the shop, so you can walk under the car with a flash lite and look around, that will tell ya what the cars REALLY like, up close !

That’s a pretty good looking C4 Corvette. People like you kill me, though you sit there and badmouth and talk shit about the vehicle but yet you’re there wanting to buy it. When somebody else owns it and you want to buy it it’s not worth shit, but if it was yours, and you wanted to sell it all then it’s worth all the money.

No one wants to admit it, but the C4 is way past its lowest point. You use to be able to find a great one for around 5k, now you can't touch them for under 10k and even that is pushing it for a good one that still has some issues. A few younger youtubers found out they're better cheap small cars than miatas, and it helped ruin the market for them. People want to give the C4 crap, but there's a reason why they made Porsche quit the SCCA. If you can find a really good one for a good price, pick it up because it will be worth it.

When it hits the reserve on the fuel gauge, you have approximately 2 gallons of gas left. Don't knock the gas mileage on Corvettes. They are higher than a lot of cars. I have had four C 4's.

The best thing about this car is that it’s has a manual/stick shift.

1990’s Mustang GT convertible for the American car. Peak Fox Body and a timeless look with an easy to use power top. If you can find one less than $30 grand. They’re shooting up in popularity as a modern classic.

The used market is coming down but the new market still has really long wait times for new inventory, so I don’t think new prices are coming down any time soon.

I live in Florida and I've never had a single issue with any of my vehicles rusting. As long as you don't live directly next to the beach and you don't drive in the ocean you shouldn't have issues.

I drive a 88 C4 all the time. I have 4 vehicles and I drive this about equal to all of them. Does Leak in rain. So I don’t use it in the rain but I don’t remember the last time I put the targa top on. Motor is strong, some buttons don’t work. Body is super clean. We must remember it’s old as hell

On the next No Payment Needed y’all should get old crossovers like the fist gen Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4 or Subaru Forester. I personally had a second GEN Honda CRV that was really good at soft off roading. A lot of people are buying these to be able to go over landing because they can’t afford a true 4 x 4

I drive a 6 speed 93 and I am 77. 10k is spit for that roadster.

Never had issues with my C4 vettes whether early or later. The only thing were the creaks and door panels which was easy to fix with aftermarket items. 350 is one of the most iconic and reliable engines of all time. I don't know how C4's were lost and forgotten of the generation. They dominated that generation. Got kicked out of the escort series for dominating ( going 29-0 vs Porsche 944 turbos) to where they had to create the corvette challenge . The cost in fixing up and early or later C4 is inexpensiveeeeee. ANY car that old you are going to need to refresh and update some things and i would rather update and refresh a C4 vette than a boxer, a rotary motor or other so called sports cars from that generation. Regardless the car , knowing all that information why did you buy it? btw, air bags deploy at 10 mph which is reallllly slow. Best thing are the lights? You don't know vettes or bias against them or something. You pick it apart and its 30+ years old. You then get info of the issues with it (which it could have been a Mazda) yet you still decide to buy it? "looks clean" cant go by it being clean. What's that sound? camera directly showing the A/C condenser is on and turning. seriouslllllyyyy basic knowledge of a car and no depth is exactly what im seeing. I watched the other guys channel , i think he has an 88. I held back from writing a book. But hey, we are in the " content" generation right? How about some due diligence where you could press a sequence of numbers on the climate panel and got any check engine codes and checked to see if there were issues (search C4 Corvette Climate Control Codes on RU-vid) ummm, the is an ENG/MET button to switch from metric to standard , right under trip odometer and in the frame at 15:37. Come on guys really?????? You immediately start to complain about the emergency brake and have NO IDEA how to use it. Before you complain, many Ferrari's have the same mechanism. Both of you, 2 gallons of gas will display on the dash how many miles you can roughly go. (how does it feel to be picked apart?) You then make a comment about mileage and that generation , the c5 generation and c6 had probably the best mileage of any sports car per rated horsepower. The C4 1990's vettes got 17/25 and many observed 30 while cruising on long trips. THAT is good mileage. Fast forward to a 2002 C5 Z06 with over 100hp more than a C4 and it got better mileage at 19/28. So i guess that is bad for a 405hp sports car? I cant take anymore, " is it in first or second", doesn't it say it on the shifter? How embarrassing. A 3300lb car has "heft" ??? omg.... you had 2 gallons , the light would have been on anyway. The lack of knowledge on corvettes here is astounding. The shifting is easy to put a short throw shifter and it was a solid ZF , german , transmission. Neither of you got on your knees to check out the underneath or asked to put on a lift to see the conditions of the underbody for rust , damage or leaks. WHY going to dealer and not personal party? Corvette sale forums, guys who take care of their cars and selling to upgrade to newer model? Im out, this is just bad.

Nothing at all wrong with that parking brake, to activate you push button and pull up, it then drops down 'limp', to deactivate you do the same thing except start from the pulled up position with button. The top is actually easy to work if you know the procedure. Adjusting the metric back to English is just a button on the right side of the gauge cluster. That said, the age and the amount of owners this one had probably indicates that this one is "rode hard and put up wet" - not even mentioning the accident damage. The power antenna is an inherent issue with the C4. The "targa" roof cars are simple called coupes.

Red is one of the most popular colours in a Corvette

I know i am am going to love this series and i do agree that C4 was a pretty not loved one but trying to find a 90's C4 with lower miles for less than 10k is going to take a long ass time. The only C4 Vettes i could find with a price tag of 10k or lower are with over 100k miles private party or otherwise KBB is not the end all be all to Car prices they always trend low for car prices and take forever to update. I wish them good luck on finding C4 Convert. for less than 10k but i dont know how it will happen. Also who goes and looks at a car before checking out the Car fax first. I know you guys want to make videos and stuff but all this showed was what not to do when car shopping.

Magnificent C4 ! Iconic Reagan Era legend American sportscar, buy one while you still can, they are increasingly picking up value, definitely investment grade.

Up here in ny you can pick up a 6 speed coupe c4 for 5-8k all day long. There’s probably 10 on my local Craig’s right now.

You should have listened to The Car Wizard... This is a car you run from 😁

I love the 91 window sticker (windshield) is an upside down 16. 🤣🤣🤣

Corvettes leaking water isn't a new issue. Not only the convertibles but T-Tops.

I WAS going to buy a CTS coupe at dealer once. The salesman said " that car has been completely gone through and any needed repairs done" I went out and looked it over. Pull the dip stick, black oil. Nearly bald tires ( was told they passed inspection), interior needed detailing. Was told in was gone through by mechanic and their detailer. Didn't buy it of course. But most dealers take trades and never touch them except maybe clean them up for sale.

😂😂 love the use of RU-vid to figure out the convertible

+1 for the manual transmission.

Wouldn't pay 5k for that

I think it’s funny you’re talking about ocean sea salt, and all that. But the C4 is fiberglass and has galvanized steel body (which is concealed by the fiberglass) it’s very very hard to find rust on these.

Illinois winters? Seriously? Because yeah... everybody’s out driving their Corvettes in the winter!

Clarion made some nice audiophile grade head units back in the day. That particular unit, unfortunately, is not one of them.

The Antenna needs to go to the E.D. Clinic!!! Lol!!! Maybe it’s lack of blood flow!!!!

Hawaiian Orchard metallic is the Purple you are referring to. That’s what it was called on the 94 Cavalier.

I bought a brand new 40th Anniversary coupe back in 1993. It was a coup with stick shift. The stupid shifter would go from 1st gear to 3rd gear to "save on gas" per GM. I was not impressed with that car, except for how the hood opens on the C4. I had to use a bypass each time I drove the thing so I could shift through ALL the gears. I owned it about a year then traded it in. That was the last Vette I have owned. A buddy of mine just picked up his new C8 from the dealer after a 2 year wait. But it is awesome. So now I'm thinking about a C8...

The reason that C4 is reading in metric is because just to the right of the steering wheel there is a series of buttons, one of those buttons reads ENG/MET, press that button and it will switch it to mph and the temp gauge will read in Fahrenheit. That C4 is way overpriced, I am glad you guys passed it up,. 👍

Looks like a car that was really detailed well recently but has serious red flags. There are a lot of C4s out there and you can definitely do better.

It’s hard to say no sometimes, but there really are better cars at lower prices. I found myself having non-buyers remorse after not buying a couple Z4, then I finally found the right one at the exact same price with everything working that the other ones lacked including the top… It was still a premium but at least I knew I was getting a little bit more than the others, and everything felt solid instead of floppy and Janky, it’s not hard to fix A few rattles, but one that’s been wrecked especially a GM of this era it’s always going to feel floppy and hefty, that’s why I don’t like the Camaros of the late 80s you sit so low but nothing feels tight at all

C4 fine. Manual even better. I'd prefer a targa top, not the convertible. This car to me is iffey. My 88 mazda mx6 gt turbo stick in turbo ticket red, all original equipment, has 145 hp, and a 0 to 60 in 6.7 seconds. That was respectful for the era. I still have it, but parts are rare. I am restoring it when I find parts.

TY for this. They appear to be a bargain per HP. Tempting. But its every old car I have been interested in. 👍👍😎🇺🇸

I bought a 91 C4 targa in early September, $10500, $70K miles, great condition. From a dealer in Pennsylvania. I don't think it's that hard to find a good one, that's relatively cheap. This one definitely sounds like the price is too high, given it's been in an accident and the high number of owners. Seems like the dealer's hoping that someone without too much clue will be blown away by the look of a red C4 convertible, and will pay up without thinking too much.

Hey! What happened to the follow up video with the Blurple Vette?

I'm glad you passed on the dealer car. (I hope you didn't go back later to buy it)

I just bought my C4 in great shape, with low miles for 8k.

Please put the windows down when the top is down.😊

What do you mean, that's not the mirror you want to be wabbly 🧐 that is the mirror you need the least.

Big brother of the rabbit. A jackrabbit

Torque monster. Own a 1996 CE and it is great just like the previous two C4’s I owned for over 15 years. C4’s with excellent original pedigree, superb patina and caring stewardship with lower mileage are amazing values. But many are not worth buying as they are old. Most need tires, all fluids and filters changed just like any old car. ) $15,000 is too high in my humble opinion. Don’t forget “Agreed Value” insurance.

And just like that, the roof is down! Only took several minutes!

If I was in the market for a classic Vette it would be a ‘67 C2 convertible with a rock crusher four speed manual.

Looks like you went to autonation. When we bought out last vehicle we went to a couple of their locations and all of the vehicles we looked at had lots of prior damage that they fixed. I'm sure they do an okay job fixing them but every single car they showed us at a couple of their stores had very checkered histories. And they charged a bit too high for that. That was just my experience.

As a guy who's installed aftermarket stereos in a dozen cars over the years... you guys must not have ears. 😎

wow that Vette is clean

There's nothing wrong with a Corvette from Illinois. Most of them don't get driven in the snow.

I like this video Good info to go by I just bought a Mercedes clk320 cabriolet It was a cream puff with low miles It needed top actuators and was expensive to fix Complete tune up Now runs fabulously Watching videos with this content really helps us guys with topless passion

I don't want anything that came out of Illinois

1991' Classic??..I looked at couple 91' Grand Marquis last week...ones good..the other ones basically a parts car Great video Roman n Kase!!😃

Right call on that Vette. There are enough 90's C4's out there that you can find a much better example without too much trouble. IMO, you should be looking at the 92-96 years, as they got the 300+ hp LT1 engine. Other than the idiotic OptiSpark distributor, it's a stout engine, and revs a lot better than the truck-like TPI V8 in that 91 you tested.

Illinois, I believe is a state that you can wash a salvaged title. At least it used to be. So watch out before you get a clear titled, salvaged title.

woooow that's crazy I'm actually going to be getting that C4 they I drove up from Pueblo and I loved her but I do get wa your saying and I definitely am that younger person that's gonna show her the love and the miles. they here able to drop it to about 11 for me

I could tell it was a C4 before I even clicked the link but the words classic and convertible made me know, it wasn’t going to end well! Y’all should have done this with a Fiero GT!

2 of my brothers had 84 Corvettes when they first came out. Like most 80s GM cars of the time, they where absolutely held together with bubble gum and prayers. Rattles galore. One of them had to have the hood repainted because it was peeling off. The other spun a main bearing within the first month of ownership.

Dealership is only there to make money. They marked that up hoping some kid will roll in and buy it with their parents money.

I want of these c4s so bad😂

15k that should be a mint lt1 version not the L98 even though the L98 is an effortless torque monster

As an audio guy the hatred for aftermarket radios in these videos is so dumb. Those aftermarket units are much much better made and sound way better. Those Vette stereos are nice and were great car stereos for the time but leave a lot on the table. And God forbid you drive a Corvette hard. Not like it's made for that of anything.

The earliest C4s with manuals would skip from first to 4th hear unless you were accelerating more than 2/3 throttle. All for the fleet average MPG target.

CONVERTIBLES ARE RARE NOWADAYS😏

15 grand for an 8 grand car But hey, it looks great from 20ft away!

For the American you should find an old Catfish Camaro :-)

They haven't made those Good Year F1's for at least 12 years!!! If you are looking for a C4 buy the newest one you can afford. On the LT1 cars make sure the optispark is not leaking and the steering column is not loose. Try to find a 1996 with an LT4/ZF drivetrain. Good luck.

Informative and interesting video, I really enjoyed!!