Looking to purchase a 1989 C4 corvette with stated 83k miles or < 3k/yr suspicious of annal mileage. Price $4,800.
If it is the original owner… this is not at all uncommon. Many Corvette buyers like OWNING a Corvette more than they like DRIVING a Corvette. Run a CarFax or similar to find out how many owner’s it has had.
Owner 1) rarely drives it. Owner 2) puts on the miles. Owner 3) thrashes the car within an inch of its life! (I was the 3rd owner of my 84 C4!)
C4’s are unloved by most Corvette buyers. I like them, myself. Be sure and get it totally checked over by your mechanic before buying.
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why are you suspicious of the mileage . . . ?
A lot of Corvettes . . . and other sports cars for that matter . . . are only driven on weekends
I suggest you not take the approach that the owner is lying about the miles
Instead, take this approach . . .
I’d pay somebody . . . preferably somebody who’s very familiar with Corvettes of this generation . . . to go over it with a fine toothed comb and determine the condition of the car. That would include driving the car on various types of roads, good, bad, freeway driving, etc. and putting the car on the hoist, where he’ll inspect the suspension, steering, brakes, etc., in addition to looking for evidence of frame damage and/or shoddy repairs
Could be that the car is in good shape, and maybe the inspector won’t find any red flags
The price leads me to think this one might be in average shape, not stellar. Probably ready to drive right now, but won’t win any awards
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I agree that the mileage could well be correct for the year due to non-use by the owner. A Corvette is neat for cruising around on the weekend or whatever but really not practical for everyday use.
Two of my friends (one of them 6’3" piled into my 59 Corvette along with a case of beer for a 200 mile round trip to a concert in OK City. Sheer torture every minute.
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The mileage isn’t that far fetched compared to others on the market. There’s one on the market in the Seattle area that according to the carfax would go a few years only putting 300 or so miles a year and in the hands of a new owner go 5,000 miles in a year.
Could have been a sunny day ride that was the 3rd or 4th car for the owner.
My wife and I drove 1100 miles to Florida and back in my '84 Corvette for a 2 week vacation. It was my daily driver for a few years. Even in the snow. But we were in our early 30s at the time. 