1986 What to look for when buying

[Carl S.]

Wasing looking at a 1986 of a friend with 79K miles with the only thing not working was the AC. that I can tell. What are the ? I should be asking, or the problumes I should be looking for? I am a midyear person but the price looks very good to me. Any advice woule be welcome.
Thanks to all that respond.

[Joe C.]

Re: 1986 What to look for when buying

Early C4's are very durable, although parts-rich (ie: complicated) cars. They are, without a doubt, the best Corvette value and rate very high in "bang-for-the-buck" because their chassis was conceived and designed as full fledged road racers. The later LT1/4/5 C4's had mushy suspensions in comparison, and although shod with wider rubber, had less G-force generating capacity.

Common wear/failure items include: rear hatch pneumatic piston failure, driver's seat outboard side bolster wear and cracking, Delco-Bose speaker-amp problems and/or dirty connector at the back of the radio causing no output to amps/speakers, cassette tape player problems, electronic cluster failure.

[Tom H.]

Re: 1986 What to look for when buying

Pretty much like buying any used car. Make sure it runs and drives well, has good history and don't be afraid to try every button to be sure everything is functioning. Oil leaks are pretty common, so don't let that scare ya away.

[Patrick N.]

Re: 1986 What to look for when buying

You may want to check if there were any service bulletins for 86 and if the work was completed. When I bought my 88 I took it to The Corvette Center that was in Connecticut at the time. They went through the car top to bottom for me and found the only things replaced were the 3 things that had TB's on them.

[Larry M.]

Re: 1986 What to look for when buying

I recall hearing issues with the plastic components of the power window regulators; perhaps a gear or the plastic track.

[Don G.]

Re: 1986 What to look for when buying

Intake manifold gasket failure can result in coolant in the crankcase. Check by loosening the drain plug on a cold engine to see if coolant comes out.

[Michael D.]

Re: 1986 What to look for when buying

FWIW: all '86 convertibles were designated as Indianapolis 500 Pace Car replicas and came with Indy 500 graphics for owner installation. You might want to ask the seller if the graphics are still with the car.

[Jim T.]

Re: 1986 What to look for when buying

Was the intake gasket failure more prevalent in the aluminum head 1986 Corvettes than the earlier model C4 Corvettes and the cast iron head 1986 Corvettes?

[Kenneth B.]

Re: 1986 What to look for when buying

Wasing looking at a 1986 of a friend with 79K miles with the only thing not working was the AC. that I can tell. What are the ? I should be asking, or the problumes I should be looking for? I am a midyear person but the price looks very good to me. Any advice woule be welcome.
Thanks to all that respond.

The AC will probably not be a cheap fix. Friend had her 89 checked & it is a 1500.00 replacement.

[Patrick N.]

Re: 1986 What to look for when buying

Was the intake gasket failure more prevalent in the aluminum head 1986 Corvettes than the earlier model C4 Corvettes and the cast iron head 1986 Corvettes?

if this is the same as the one I am aware of, I guess you could call it a fundamental design flaw. the gasket is a tin-shim and in the back corner near the passenger side the coolant would make contact with the gasket and slowly eat it and cause a leak. it requires replacing, this also involves a little RTV in the corner to do the job right (RTV is called out in the service manual). It is a relatively easy fix. I had mine done on my 88, also cleaned other stuff when it was off. It sounds like a big deal but not really.

[Art B.]

Re: 1986 What to look for when buying

I bought my '86 Coupe new in the fall of 1985. I have had to repair or replace the following: Alternator, Starter, ECM, mufflers and Y exhaust pipe, tires, battery and valve cover gaskets and antenna mast. I had to have the radio (non-Bose) repaired 4 times. I fixed the electronic climate control unit (switch contact problem). The car has 85,000 miles. Some of this is standard considering the mileage. Make sure the electronics all work. They can get expensive.
I

[Walter F.]

Re: 1986 What to look for when buying

Paint and interior are the big cost on early C4s. If the paint has flaws and interior parts are (warn ripped seats etc )walk away reguardless of the milage. If your good with a wrench most of that stuff can be fixed cheaply.

[George C.]

Re: 1986 What to look for when buying

I recall hearing issues with the plastic components of the power window regulators; perhaps a gear or the plastic track.

All 1986 Corvette Convertibles came with the (introduced) newer style metal Delco Window regulator & phase 3 window lift motor. All 1984 thur early 1986 Corvette Coupes had the plastic (tape) style. By now I think all have been replaced with the newer style Delco regulator. My brand new 1984 Corvette drivers window regulator broke at 4500 hundred miles. Plastic style regulator was junk. GM was trying to save money with an outside supplier back then. GM bulletin was issued back then.

[Jim T.]

Re: 1986 What to look for when buying

My 1985 bought in 1992 from original owner has a decent maintenance history. I replaced the plastic tape to raise and lower the drivers window at least 10 years ago, had a alternator shop put new bearings in the original alternator I removed and I replaced the voltage regulator, had the Bose radio repaired (easiest radio I have have ever removed from a car). Still has original mufflers and the rest of exhaust including c. converter. I put Bilstein shocks on it when I bought it. Only check engine light so far was for the replacement of the temp sensor that attaches into the EGR valve below the plenem and the voltage regulator going out. Mileage is getting close to 100K. I really like my 1985 car that runs great on 87 gas and handles real good for me.

[Ken P.]

Re: 1986 What to look for when buying

Save your money and get a C5.