Before going to our article on Why are C4 Corvettes so cheap, we need to go back to the past. Chevrolet is America’s icon-loving sports car brand. However, it had lost its way back in the 1980s.
There were tons of emission regulations and severe economic downfall and rise. Further, there was the fuel crisis in the 1970s which impacted very capable sports cars in the world to suffer from performance.
This lead to the production of the c3 Corvette which was much underpowered. Further, the chassis was overweight leading to poor driving performance. However, things need to change in order to bring back the American icon.
This is when Chevrolet paired with General Motors known best for their military Humvee for joint development of the C4 Corvette.
They launched this vehicle at the end of 1983 and went on sale in 1984. Moreover, this is when the corvette got its greatness back. However, why are c4 corvettes so cheap?
Story of The Development of C4 Corvette
The company took a major turn when chief engineer Dave McClellan took over Zora ArkusDuntov. He was recognized as the father of corvette.
Moreover, he took over in 1975 and brought tons of strategic changes to the company to see the rise of American iconic sports cars again.
Further, this leads to outselling all other sports cars in the world and becoming the American icon again.
The c4 corvette was replaced by the C5 corvette. Moreover, the c4 was so successful that it had was sold for 12 years before being replaced by the C5 corvette.
So, are you thinking of bringing a c4 corvette in your car garage while the prices are comparatively cheap?
You need to know what comes in the package with the cheap price tag. Below we will be discussing the package for why are c4 corvettes so cheap.
The C4 Corvette
Sure, the c4 corvettes aren’t the best-looking sports car in the market. Further, they are not even the best performing sports car in the market.
However, they are one of the cheapest sports cars to purchase today. You can get a good-conditioned c4 corvette for less than $10,000.
However, you cannot judge the car by its cheap price tag. The c4 corvette was one of the best-listed motor trees in 1984 and won the car of the year tag.
The earlier c4 corvette produced around 205 horsepower. Sure, this is not very high horsepower compared to other sports cars.
Moreover, the old c4 corvette had a 5.7-liter V8 engine which had reliability issues too. They had a cross-fire fuel injection problem.
Moreover, it also consisted of a four-speed automatic gearbox. Further, it featured an electric overdrive on the forward three gears.
C4 corvette had a boring body style. It had a one-piece removable top and a Targa-style roof. The interior style of the c4 corvette had a chunky look. It featured a digital display which was one of the rages in the 1980s.
The company noticed some severe problems with the old school problematic crossfire injection system.
Therefore, they changed the system into tune port injection. This was beneficial for the engine and dismissed the trouble of reliability issues.
Further, there was a slight bump in horsepower resulting in 230 combined horsepower. This means the new injection system gave the corvette a bump in horsepower of about 25.
Later, the suspension system was also softened as the previous complained about a firmer suspension. The old suspension was trashed by car magazines and reviewers.
The ride was uncomfortable and the cabin was jerky. This meant, long time traveling became a big no for the old corvette.
Therefore, they decided to change the structure of the old firm suspension and make it softer to handle bumps comfortably.
However, there were some people who used to prefer the firmer heavy-duty Z51 suspension. Therefore, they did not fully eliminate the firm suspension and kept it as an option for those who wanted to have them.
SEE MORE: C4 Corvette Years To Avoid
The Return of Corvette Convertible
In the 1980s, the Corvette convertible was introduced which gained a lot of success. Further, there were several advanced engineering featured which impressed the car enthusiast.
The 1980 convertible corvette featured an all-new ABS system. ABS stands for the anti-lock braking system and is a revolutionary feature for protecting against car thieves.
There were other features too like full aluminum chassis. The aluminum chassis eliminated one of the major complaints of the older c4 corvette which was heavyweight.
The cheap corvette has some list of problems too. A cheaper price tag means the build quality wasn’t that great. Let’s see some problems below.
The Problems of Cheap C4 Corvette
People have this major question that why are c4 corvettes so cheap. Cheaper products also have some drawbacks. We will be discussing them now.
The interior of the c4 corvette feels cheap and inexpensive. The build quality isn’t that great too and the music system from Bose is just not workable.
Moreover, the headlights are not reliable and get damaged due to normal wear and tear. There are tons of more problems which you can find upon research too.
Conclusion
Now you know why are c4 corvettes so cheap. However, you cannot judge a book by its cover.
The c4 corvette was one of the American masterpieces which featured tons of impeccable features like an anti-lock braking system, a full-body aluminum chassis that made the car a lot lighter.
Moreover, the c4 corvette also eliminated the problem of the injection system and gave a bump in horsepower too.
It featured a digital display which was one of the featuring points in the 1980s. Further, it also featured a convertible system and softer suspension for a very comfortable ride too.
However, the cheap price tag gave poor quality interior, and build quality was not that great. This is why the c4 corvette was so cheap.
Jack, a living encyclopedia of cars, embodies the spirit of automotive fascination. With an instinctual bond to Corvettes and autos, his expertise flows like a heartfelt conversation. From engines humming to sleek curves, he’s a human bridge to the car world’s soul.