It’s incredible that there are still super-low-mileage, showroom-new condition, well-documented Corvettes available that can be bought for well under $20,000. There are few cars left that offer as much value as this well-optioned C4.
Although I’m not a huge fan of these early fourth-generation models, I do think these are highly underappreciated sports cars that offer a lot of “bang for buck”. I owned a ‘93 coupe and personally prefer the later LT1 cars, but I have to admit that I find this ‘86 very enticing. The Seattle seller is asking $17,500 or best offer.
This Bright Red coupe has a clean Carfax, build sheet, window sticker with MSRP of $30,883, owner’s manual, and a clean collector car title. This exterior color was far and away the most popular for the 1986 Corvette model year.
This Corvette has always been covered and stored in a heated garage when not in use. The Z51 option added some desirable suspension components to the C4 chassis resulting in excellent handling. The translucent roof panel is another nice option and appears to be in pristine condition.
The completely stock and unmodified interior looks spotless as you would expect for a 20,000 mile / one owner garage queen. I like the Graphite leather seats and the leather surfaces show only minor creasing. The interior features power-adjustable sport seats, a Delco-Bose music system, and air conditioning.
Like all the early C4s, this car has the”Atari” digital instrument cluster which was a big deal when it was introduced in 1984. The space-age appearance of this dash certainly grabbed people’s attention in the ‘80s.
This C4 seems to have been ordered with spirited driving in mind. It’s powered by the 5.7-liter L98 engine that produced 230 horsepower and 330 lb.-ft. of torque. The engine is complemented by the optional 4+3 manual transmission with three overdrive gears and is equipped with the optional Z51 performance handling package.
The engine bay is spotless and shows no signs of modifications. The brakes and shocks have recently been replaced and a replacement OEM exhaust system has been installed. These components were likely replaced due to age rather than mileage.
Overall, I can’t find any meaningful flaws with any aspect of this car, and the ad listing indicates the seller is open to offers, so it might be sold for under $17K.
https://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/cto/d/renton-1986-chevrolet-corvette-k-miles/7844262325.html
My other post are at https://corvetteblog.substack.com
Your blog belongs to you, Glenn. I have a question, though. Have you ever thought about writing posts about Corvette history?