[AlexY]

Alright, so I'm seriously considering buying a 1984 Black Corvette for $1800. I have no idea what condition it's in or what kind of mileage it has, but I'm going to go take a look at the car in a few weeks. Now I know that if the instrument panel is not working correctly it is quite an expensive repair, but is there anything else that I should be looking out for in an 84? Any help is greatly appreciated

Thanks Guys!

AlexY
:cheers:

 

[BUCKSFAN]

Alex

one piece of advise DONT DO IT! project cara are alot of fun to build but not a 84, parts are so hard to find that the cost factor to do this project is not there. i had a 84 and first off it kept burning up power steering pumps and breaking hoses, the the laternator bracket broke twice! the alternator bracket is not existant anymore from factory or aftermarket so i had to take the busted pieces and have them welded together and have the holes redrilled. the trim piece that goes around the guages only fit that year! the 85 and up is angled. the holes on mine were broke on two corners so again i had to go and have pieces frabicated. my very very very strong advice is look for a 85 and up. i havent even mentioned the crossfire engine hassles. my 2 cents worth actually it was my several thousands worth.

 

[OldVetteFan]

I wouldn't expect much for $1800, but you may be pleasantly surprised.

The '84 shares the Cross Fire Injection with the '82, so there aren't a lot of parts available if you intend to keep the intake system stock.

The '84 hood is unique (due to the CFI).

The '84 Instrument Panel is also unique, as the center digital displays were larger on the '85 - '89. Repairing the IP CAN be expensive, but you can buy a troubleshooting and repair guide from Gordon Killebrew for about $30, and that could save you plenty.

A lot of the advice we can give you is dependant upon what you plan to do with the car. So, what do you plan to do? Restore it, mod it, race it, or what?

Steven

 

[AlexY]

Thanks for replying mikemccown and OldVetteFan. I'm pretty much looking to bring it to a daily driver condition, that is if it isn't already. I'm not planning on restoring it to original condition, but just to have a quick, comfortable car to drive around in. I might mod it a little bit but it all depends on what condition it's in and what i can afford, since i have a pretty tight budget. Thanks again!

:cheers:

 

[cheetah]

"Quick" and "crossfire" don't belong in the same sentence in stock form. I owned a crossfire injection '82. It was a fine running car, but "quick" it was not.

 

[Dan85Vette]

I 'decent' '84 for 1800 could certainly be worth it, so long as its in running order. I would certainly agree that if you were upping the price range some, that the '84 wouldn't be a good pick but it sounds like you have a specific mindset with getting this vette which would appeal to it.

Heck if you only need to do small maintenance and repairs to it for daily driving use over the next months, you're doing great. At that entry-level price, a $2k crate engine and basic tranny would be ideal for ya in the near future.

So long as you don't have high expectations going into it, you could do really well with the 1800. Sure, you could easily throw TONS of time and money at an POS '84 but if you just want an A->B car, I think it's certainly worth the look. I wouldn't dismiss this specific car just because its an '84 cause your goals are different.

Do consider the WHOLE car before purchasing though... costs can and will add up quick! Don't rely on it to be a daily driver right away either. There are several great threads on here about what to look for.

Here's a great start, I found in 10 seconds with the "search feature":
http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70270&highlight=inspect

 

[AlexY]

"Quick" and "crossfire" don't belong in the same sentence in stock form. I owned a crossfire injection '82. It was a fine running car, but "quick" it was not.

Yea I know i'm not gooing to be really running fast, but it sure is faster than my Mom's 1988, 85hp Toyota Camry

Thanks Dan85Vette that's exactly what I'm looking for. I'm not expecting to have a car that's going to send me into orbit, just a decent car to get from a to b. I'm also thinking to fix it up, maybe drive it around for a year or so, and then sell it, hopefully making some money for college. I know insurance would be a killer if i bought it, and there's always the possibility I just buy it as an investment, perhaps to fix it up a little and then sell for $4-5k

Thanks again for all the help guys!

:cheers:

 

[Dan85Vette]

The biggest investment you'd make is the experience with enjoying the Vette, learning to work on it and keeping yourself out of trouble. Anything else is extra.

:thumbsup:

 

[AlexY]

The biggest investment you'd make is the experience with enjoying the Vette, learning to work on it and keeping yourself out of trouble. Anything else is extra.

:thumbsup:

Well Said:thumbsup:

 

[redmen031]

I could tell you first hand that I bought an 84' for $1400 that was in an accident and brought it back from the dead. I did all the work myself and learned the right way to weld all the way to how to paint a car. After it was all said and done I had about 5 grand into the car. Definitely a great experience and I would totally do it again. But for $1800 I dont think you can go wrong, As long as the engine is in good shape and runs strong youll be allright.

-Whats the mileage on the car and hows the paint? These two factors could run you alot of money if either isnt in really good shape.

ps. take a look at my pics to see what shape my vette started at:thumbsup:

Good Luck!:cheers:

 

[Lionsden]

For Crossfire specific information check out the Crossfire Forum

 

[T.M.]

I would try to find an 85 TPI if i was you.
I had an 83 trans am cross fire..After adding a compu-cam,headers,ported intake etc,it was still a slow dog.I then changed it to carberator,Edelbrock performer package,it was actually slower,less torque so i had to add 3:73 gears to compinsate.
The first thing you'll probably have to do is the trans rebuild,thats a grand to start...Not sure if the 84 had the dana 4 x 3 trans,you do not want that trans in your car period..
Quik,not even.....heres some numbers from road and track road tests..give or take a tenth..
84 vette............................................0 to 60 6.7 ....1/4 mile 15.7...sad...
85 vette..TPI......................................0 to 60 5.7.....1/4 mile 14.1..........
04 honda prelude.................................0 to 60 5.9.....1/4 mile 14.5..........
92 honda prelude.................................0 to 60 7.8.....1/4 mile 15.9..........
98 ford escort ....................................0 to 60 7.1.....1/4 mile 15.7 .........
92 Izuzu impulse..................................0 to 60 7.7.....1/4 mile 15.8..........

Those "other" cars are some serious beaters,theres alot of honda on that road and track road test list that will beat the 84,all the 94 to 2000 preludes run 15.1 in the 1/4 mile.Notice the vette has a little better 0 to 60..that means those beaters have more top end and would be pulling up on you after 60 mph.Notice the 85 will run 14.1..Thats what the 99 Mustang GT runs...
Just some stuff to think about,a guy i know out here got a decent 85 TPI for $1500 ...it runs as a daily driver right now...
I would pass and look for an 85...

 

[muddpile]

In basically stock form with only a few "Free-to-cheap" mods, my 84 runs consistant 14.7's at the track, and even on a poor run will not touch the 15's. I say buy it, you can't get much nowadays for $1800 bucks. I've taken mine completely apart and put it all back together again, and have replaced most everything. It can cost a little cash, but with such a low initial investment, I say go for it.

 

[2tone brnz85]

as everyone stated w/ an 84 there are probs. but for 1800 why not enjoy it?

 

[jrzvette]

For $1800 it's worth a look. If your plans don't work out you could always part it out.

Besides what's been mentioned before, check the weather stripping. If you plan to use the car as a daily driver you'll want to keep out the rain (unless you live in Death Valley). WS is expensive and can be a challange to replace.

Also, the 84 had a VERY stiff suspension, if the one you're looking at has the optional Z51 you may not like it at all. Check everything for tightness, these cars could literally shake themselves apart.

 

[vette8494]

Just my 2 cents from an experienced '84 owner. I bought mine for $2,000. It needed paint, seat covers, front brake pads and a shifter designator and boot and the A/C didn't work. Remember that the A/C runs on the old stuff which can be a problem when trying to get it recharged. It had 140,000 on the odometer and the dash didn't work. The car ran great. The dash turned out to be a bad ground, very inexpensive so don't let that throw you. See if you can take it to a mechanic who can check that one out. One of the first things I did, besides paint was to get ride of the mufflers and tires. The tires were hard Gators. I went to the BF Goodrich G-force, a much softer ride. Remember that the '84 has a hard ride to begin with. The mufflers resonated loudly so I went with the Flow Masters. They still give that a nice deep throated sound without the resonence.
For $1,800 I don't think you can go wrong and you'll have a CORVETTE

Good luck whatever you decide.

 

[AlexY]

For $1,800 I don't think you can go wrong and you'll have a CORVETTE

Good luck whatever you decide.

Thank You all so much for your input,and I know there are a lot of beater cars out there that I could get to run faster than this, but no matter what a 400hp Civic still isn't a CORVETTE!

Again thank you all for your input:thumbsup:

AlexY
:cheers: