Are C4s judged and if so what kind of awards are they offered. I ask this question because lately I have been reading in the Corvette community that early C4s are just cars and low orginal mileage ones well kept in orginal condition should be driven and priced just like any other car. (Except Zr1 and GS) That reguardless of year they are in no way collectable and that they should be valued at $10,000 or less reguardless of condition or mileage for a well kept one. I have noticed a big difference is NCRS owners C4 prices and those of non members who sell Corvettes private. Even the so called low mileage ones. What gives here?
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Re: C4 Judging
Walter,
C4's are judged the same way as all the other Corvettes ie. Flight, PV, Sportman, etc. They are in fact used cars and condition will dictate price. I have a 1990 with 94,000 miles and has received a Top Flight at the nationals and PV awards. The best thing about this series of Corvettes is you can drive it without concern of it lossing much value (unless it's very low mileage) and still have it judged. In any case its a Corvette that you can enjoy!!!! -
Re: C4 Judging
a whole lot of car for the price, after all it is a corvette and a very GOOD sports car!Comment
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Re: C4 Judging
Remember when you could buy a good C-1 or C-2 for around $2,000, sometimes somewhat less? They were just cars way back when.Dick WhittingtonComment
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Re: C4 Judging
I have two C4's that I enjoy. One is an 1985 automatic and one 96 LT4 6 speed. No way that I am going to let my LT4 be sold for the low prices I have seen, paid to much for it new. Bought a new 1970 for less than $5,500 and still drive it as well. If you like performance and very good gas mileage on the highway (27-30) buy a C4 LT4.
The 80's C4's have a notable racing record, won so many races no other car type wanted to race against them.Comment
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Re: C4 Judging
Love my LT4 too, Jim. It's been a great performing, trouble-free joy since new.Comment
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Re: C4 Judging
I'm the original owner of my '84 with 23,000 miles. It's been BG certified, Survivor Certified, in the BG Special Collection twice, and awarded NCRS Regional Top Flight. It's also been driven on the Motorama II event through the Museum for the celebration of GM's 100th in 2008. I've just been notified that it will be the representative for the MY 1984 at the upcoming 60th anniversary celebration at the Museum.
Getting to the point of what it's worth, I figure not a real lot. Maybe $15,000? I have seen some lower mileage (10,000 or so)original cars listed with asking prices closer to $20,000 but what they actually sell for is unknown. After owning it for 30 years this coming May I've got plenty of enjoyment from it despite the limited miles. I've had 5 other 'Vettes since and still have my '05 with a C7 on order. At this point I'll plan to keep the '84, not concerned about the value. You would be upside down real quick if trying to restore one (assuming you can come up with all the odd parts) but if you find a good survivor car they are a good value that can be driven reliably with air, power accessories, etc. for enjoyable cruising. Many of them are certainly trashed, so a good original one does get some attention.Comment
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Re: C4 Judging
My '86 Coupe with 88K miles can still get 27 mpg on the highway. I was looking at a 2008 Buick Lucerne to replace my aging LeSabre. The window sticker says it will get 25 mpg on the highway. It has the 3.8 liter V6. How can that be? A 27 year old Corvette with a V8 gets better miles on the highway than a 2008 Buick with a V6?
But back to the point. My 86 achieved a Regional Top Flight a few years ago. I bought it new and have kept it in excellent condition. Still, I would be lucky to get much more than $10,000 if I sold it. I simply enjoy it and don't worry about the value.Comment
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Re: C4 Judging
My 95 Indy Pace Car has been all the through the system and has won the Dave Hill award. The car has 19,000 miles on it. As there was only 527 of these made it is one of the rarest of the C4s. I have seen a few of these car sale for 20,000.00 plus.Comment
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65 350 TI CONV 67 J56 435 CONV,67,390/AIR CONV,70 454/air CONV,
What A MAN WON'T SPEND TO GIVE HIS ASS A RIDEComment
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Re: C4 Judging
Kenneth------
Yes, as I've said before, C4's are the most "parts content rich" Corvettes ever built and, likely, the most that ever will be built. So, that means there are a lot of parts to "go wrong" or otherwise need replacement. Add to this the fact that many of the parts are Corvette-unique and one ends up with a very limited appeal to the aftermarket replacement industry. Plus, many of the parts are quite complex and sophisticated which makes tooling up for reproduction on the small scale of the market virtually impossible. Making matters even worse is the fact that many of the parts are not only Corvette-unique but also unique to only a few model years.
In the used marketplace just about everything is going to be available from C4 specialists like Steve Arcoleo in New York. However, many components are life-limited type of pieces. Those are the ones I worry about the most. In those cases, when you buy a used piece, you never know how much of its life is already "used up".
Interior trim can also be a problem. Things like seats and carpets will never be a problem because they are reproduced and easily available. However, other plastic interior parts deteriorate over time and it might be tough to find a good used piece. NOS will be very tough because most of these pieces were discontinued a very long time ago. Dealers did not typically stock these type of pieces so there's little NOS inventory out there.
As I've also said before, C4 restoration is going to make C1, C2, and C3 restoration look like child's play. Even keeping them running might get difficult at some point.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: C4 Judging
Joe:
Based on what you said, I believe that NCRS will have to be a little more understanding when it comes to originality for some C4 parts. My '86 was judged at a Regional a few years ago and the judges were just as "strict" as they were with earlier years. Luckily, my car was in good shape and did not have many replacement parts that took deductions. As years go on, it will be more difficult for C4 owners to get Top Flights, in my opinion, due to unavailability of good quality replacement parts.Comment
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65 350 TI CONV 67 J56 435 CONV,67,390/AIR CONV,70 454/air CONV,
What A MAN WON'T SPEND TO GIVE HIS ASS A RIDEComment
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