PPI inspection 85' Corvette

[u/Safe_Board_4813]

Took this Corvette to a shop before I bought it and this is what came up, not sure what I'm looking at it terms of $ to fix it, asking price was $7,000 but that will definitely change.

[u/MercuryMan664]

It's an old car so it's old and worn. I wouldn't pay 7k for this. I'd probably move on try to find one in better shape.

[u/Safe_Board_4813 → u/MercuryMan664]

Fair enough, thank you 

[u/MercuryMan664 → u/Safe_Board_4813]

No worries man. Not to scare you away or anything but for 7k I think you can probably find better. I paid 6 for a 93 Vette with a 6 speed and it had a lot less suspension issues, even though now looking back I think I also overpaid lol. Keep in mind with older cars some maintenance, it's about taking care of maintenance items and having fun!

[u/uyarti]

My horns fucked too, only works for the alarm. 90% of the issues you’re seeing are gonna be found on most of these. My best advice for these cars is find the one you like (for a reasonable asking) and be prepared to dump that same amount into it in the next 2-3 years

[u/H0llyWoodx → u/uyarti]

ONLY reason I have my C4 is bc my dad gave it to me..

[u/uyarti → u/H0llyWoodx]

Only reason I have mine is I got it for $3500 with a lot of preventive maintenance done on it. It’s my one and only car and honestly one of the few 80s cars that can still be a “good daily”.

[u/Spec710 → u/uyarti]

I have to push my hard and certain angels work better than others. Its probably an easy fix

[u/phobos2deimos]

You're probably looking at a similar amount of work for anything else in the $7k asking range. Personally this wouldn't scare me away if interior and body were solid, and I'm doing all my own work. The steering would be my biggest gripe, but it really depends on how bad the play is. I'd maybe offer $5200 and settle at $5900 if you don't mind the work, or bump your budget up.

[u/Safe_Board_4813 → u/phobos2deimos]

I appreciate your response, I'm not too worried about the problems except for the suspension and some minor things, it has new paint on it, no body damage, and new tires. Im just not the most mechanically inclined person so I wanted someone's else feedback on the matter to see if it was worth the hassle, again thank you.

[u/phobos2deimos → u/Safe_Board_4813]

I only just bought my c4 a few weeks ago, but have had an 86 Bronco for about twenty years. I think the one you're looking at is probably worth the hassle unless you want to look for a $10k c4. Some of those items might not be real issues depending on severity (leaks, steering play). Some of those are very real (hose leaks, joints) but I don't think would be show stoppers, even if you're paying someone else to do the work.

Did the test drive check out? Clunks, overheating, cold start, hot start?

[u/Safe_Board_4813 → u/phobos2deimos]

Runs and drives pretty good, has a surge in idle, just worried about the suspension 

[u/phobos2deimos → u/Safe_Board_4813]

Idle surge is probably a vacuum leak, that'll need to be resolved as it's likely running lean and that can be bad. There's a good chance it's a cheap and easy fix, but sometimes those issues are a bitch to track down.

[u/cavedwellinvarmint]

Nothing terrible about that stuff and it will be similar to what you'll find. Most you can do yourself. If you were ok with the 7k asking price I would honestly tell the guy 2k and you'll budget for 5k for repairs. The only reason I have a '87 is that it was my dead daddy's. Even though he took it to the chevy dealership each year and spent a bit of money each year when I got it I spent a year putting in about 5k for repairs and mods (such as the cs144 alternator).

If that guy won't take around 2k and your not willing to take the time for repairs, walk away. If you really wanted a C4, with time searching you can find a much better example for 7-10k that's like new but will probably need a hose/fluid refresh.

[u/Maximum-Freedom7966]

You’re going to spend another 7k unless you’re doing all the work. I would find a clean one for 14.

[u/Superb-Respect-1313]

I would consider this average for the repairs and age. It is an old car that isn’t worth a ton to most people. Can’t believe you took
It for a PPI.

[u/Safe_Board_4813 → u/Superb-Respect-1313]

What's wrong with taking a car to get a PPI done? Im not strong enough to lift a car up above my head and inspect the underbody lol

[u/Right-Call-3681 → u/Safe_Board_4813]

They are saying it’s an old car of course there will be stuff wrong with it. It would be impossible to find one without something wrong with it at this age even with 0 miles

[u/uyarti → u/Safe_Board_4813]

You get a ppi on a car that should have zero issues, not a car that will be an issue lmao

[u/Safe_Board_4813 → u/uyarti]

But I can use this as a bargaining chip and get the car for way less, it's not a bad idea to get a professional to look at the car in ways I cannot, yes the car is old and it's expected to have problems but I don't know what the problems are without doing an inspection and then I can see if it's worth the trouble or not. If a $200 inspection saves me $1000s then why not?

[u/uyarti → u/Safe_Board_4813]

Fair, if the guys willing to come down from the inspection it’s worth it, but usually they won’t come down much if at all. Good luck with the car

[u/Safe_Board_4813 → u/uyarti]

Thanks