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I am toying with the idea of a new toy. My experience with Vett's is limited to working on 1968 427 Convertible many years ago. I am familiar with restoring 68-72 442/Cutlasses.
I have narrowed my search to C4, 1994-1996 and have been reading as must web stuff as possible.
I downloaded a PDF of the 1994 manual and have started to read the manual.
To keep the wife happy, must have two or more airbags (1994 or newer).
To keep me cool, must be factory R-134 Freon (1994 or newer).
And of course, a convertible.
Car plans: Just a weekend good weather toy and car shows, etc.
Here is what I am looking at this week, 1994-C4 Convertible. I found this car about an hour away and took a short test drive. The current owner has done a lot of work in the past year, including:
New: water pump, leather seat covers, distributor (I think this is the Opti-spark), tires, door weather stripping, brake pads and rotors. Millage over 70k.
Looks like most of the key items were serviced in 2018.
Is there any else that should be checked at this age and millage?
Test drive fair:
The car looks good. Paint, interior, roof all good.
Engine had rough idle at 600 rpm. Above 1,000 rpm ok, No smoke, no noises. No wind sound or whistling on the highway. No visible engine leaks. Passenger door sill wet after being washed.
Gage's moved, and dash displays seems to work.
All heating switches worked, and air came out the expected vents. Power windows ok, lights ok, forgot about the wipers. Too cold to try AC.
Rear view mirror screw loosed and bounces while driving. I hope the threads are not stripped.
Cup holder cover broken.
Multiple warning lights during drive that never cleared during the 15-minute drive.
Service LTPWS, Service ASR, Low/Flat tire.
Underside ok, Chin spoiler cracked, but there was a spare in the trunk.
Looks like a rock hit the metal support near rear tire.
Rest of the underside looked ok.
What are some of the loses parts that should come with a convertible, etc?
I found the owner manual.
Had a little setback.
The dealer said,one of the employees backed into the C4. At first the dealer said, it had a 1 inch hole in a plastic part.
I was tentatively planning on picking up the car in a few days.
Then he sent me a picture.
It looks like a few parts. The obvious shattered panel.
The door center trim looks damaged. the upper PS fender look scratched.
the Inner PS wheel-well looks damaged.
Not sure what stuff is located behind the panels in this section of the car.
Is there anything critical?
What needs to be checked in the engine compartment side?
Of course he said, they will fix and paint everything.
We shall see. The car lives 90 minutes away. It not easy to visit.
The dealers for the 94 is not being very flexible. Very few details about the status of the repairs.
The good news is, I found 2 more convertibles that meet my requirements on the Web.
March is here and more cars are showing up every day and I like the prices.
I am trying to test drive two cars this week, 95 and 96. Already made appointment to see a car today.
When I bought my '95 a couple years back, mine needed all new bushings and I also replaced the transverse springs while I was at it. That improved the ride greatly. 24 years on the rubber is just a bit much.
Good luck in your search! Don't be rushed and enjoy the search.
The 94-Converible (70k miles) I am looking at, just had a full disk/rotor brake job done. The ride and steering felt firm and responsive.
The car did not drift in straight driving or pull during braking.
The engine was rough at idle.
This was my first C4 ride. The overall stiffness of the suspension felt ok. More comfortable than I expected.
And must better than my experience in the 68-Converible.
I just drove a 95-Convertible (64k miles). It was also a smooth steady car. This car has not had any service visits at all in the past 5 years.
Only oil changes. No history from the previous two owners.
Engine idled great. I left the engine on, while I did my walk around, checking lights, heater and stuff.
Engine and exhaust are very quiet. New Car battery (only a few hours old).
I checked the garage parking space after backing out the car. No signs of leakage.
The only warning light on this car was the tire-pressure.
I also found a local 96-Convertible. The owner has not responded to my Text or voice mail.
This week I have more options than last week.
I will bring a CD with me on my next visit.
New topic: CD May not work after a battery replacement?
I read in one of the many web articles that if you remove the battery in a C4, the CD player my not work until you enter a special code number?
Where do I find this code and how do I enter it?
Had they replaced the rims? The rims themselves hold the tire "pressure sensors". There are many owners that replace the rims and don't ever worry about the sensors. On the other hand the sensors may just need some TLC if the original rims are installed. Gotta take the rubber of the rim to get to them though.
My radio was replaced when I bought mine and I replaced that one, so I'm sorry I can't help you with that one. I do have the TunerCATs software that can read and program the ECM. I'm quite sure I've never seen anything related in the ECM. Sorry, I'm not much help on that specific.
02-25-2019, 07:55 AM
Shopping around for a 1994-96 C4.
