At $18,500, Is This Low-Mileage 1986 Chevy Corvette The Gold Standard?

Being a car that's all-original, low mileage, in terrific shape, and from 1986 is a laudable achievement. Today's Corvette convertible is all of those things. Let's see if its price tag marks yet another notable achievement.

Opening doors is important in both career paths and, in the automotive world, for easing ingress and egress to a vehicle's interior. Save for some dune buggies and brass-era buckboards, most cars and trucks have doors. Some have two per side, while others have four for even more convenience. There have even been vans, pickups, and a few cars with three doors, adding an extra portal on the passenger side.

The 2008 Cadillac DTS stretched limousine we looked at on Tuesday has them all beat. It possesses six—count 'em, six!—doors offering access to three full rows of seating. The door-multiplying conversion appeared to be very well executed, and the seller claimed the car was a turnkey money maker that needed nothing. That combo worked in the seller's favor as you all awarded the long-shot Caddy's $8,500 asking price a solid 61% "Nice Price" win.

I think we can all agree that the fourth generation (henceforth, C4) Corvette has long lived in the shadows of its earlier and later brethren. Originally introduced for the 1984 model year—the earlier target of an 1983 introduction having been shelved due to significant build quality issues—the '80s Vette was the first true clean sheet design for Chevy's sports car since the C2 in 1963. While the chassis, frame, suspension, and interior were all-new, engine choices were carried over from the last of the C3 line. Also, like the last of the C3, no convertible model was available, at least initially.

That latter issue was rectified in 1986 with the introduction of the first Corvette convertible in over 10 years. So auspicious was the event that Indianapolis 500 race promoters chose the Corvette convertible to pace the 1986 running.

This 1986 Corvette convertible doesn't celebrate that achievement, but, according to its seller, it is one of only 777 Corvettes built that year in Gold Metallic. Per the CorvetteStory website, that slots it into just 2.21% of the production total. That paint, along with the saddle & black interior, and black canvas roof, is claimed to be all original, as is the drivetrain.

Lending cause to this Corvette's mission is a 350 CID L98 V8, which was standard equipment for the car. While originally equipped with annoyingly flaky "Cross-Fire" dual-throttle-body injection, the engine gained true individual-port injection in the 1985 model year. That bumped its output from 205 horsepower to 230. An additional 5 horsepower was found in the 1986 model year through revamped intakes and aluminum heads. Anti-lock brakes also became standard this model year.

Amazingly, this garage-kept and all-original C4 has only 10,138 miles on the clock. Those low miles and the obvious care the car has received are on display in the ad's pictures. The paint shines mightily and exhibits no obvious flaws. Under the clamshell hood, the engine is clean, dry, and all complete, right down to the odd intake plenum cover extension that caps the distributor. Speaking of odd, this generation of Corvette has the creepiest under-hood appearance of any car, with its flipped headlights staring unblinkingly at whoever is noodling there.

On the downside, the tires look like they have seen better days. We don't get to see date codes, but the fronts, at least, look old enough to have been present for the Donner Party picnic.

One other aspect of this C4 Corvette that's a little odd is the gearbox. Laudably, that's a manual, but it's the weird "Doug Nash" 4+3 transmission that added a secondary overdrive unit to the four-speed Borg-Warner T-10. That's activated by a button on the shifter, as indicated by the disembodied "O" above 1 and 3, providing overdrive in the top three gears for improved fuel economy. Realizing that Corvette owners don't really give a flip about fuel economy, Chevy gave that gearbox the heave-ho after the 1988 model year in preference for a ZF six-speed.

Craigslist

Still, that's part of this all-original car's claim to fame, as is the fancy-pants digital instrument cluster and weird bread box dash pad ahead of the passenger seat. Everything looks to be in great condition, as does the expansive dash cap, which on these cars can warp and get wiggly. Facing that is a pair of deeply bolstered bucket seats with power adjustments and leather seating surfaces. Those crazy-deep buckets along the car's ultra-high sills make entry and exit a challenge for anyone not teaching yoga class. That can often lead to the bolster upholstery abrading. That's not an issue here, although the silver CORVETTE script on the sill plate is showing some wear.

That sill plate seems to be the only nit to be picked on this car. The seller handily provides the car's Carfax summary, which shows no accidents in its past as well as four service history records. For more details, interested parties will likely need to see the car in person and get their hands on the full report.

That interaction will apparently require an appointment, as that's how the seller rolls. They also aren't fooling around when it comes to the price. While many C4s fall into the four-figure range due to wear and tear and a long-suffered antipathy towards the model, this pristine, clean title example comes with a price tag of $18,500. See? That's some serious beans.

What's your take on this C4 and that asking price? Does that feel fair given the car's condition, mileage, and pent-up respect the model obviously deserves? Or is that too much green to ask for this gold car?

You decide!

Richmond, Virginia, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to Whatsupdohc for the hookup!

Help me out with Nice Price or No Dice. Contact me at robemslie@gmail.com and send a fixed-price tip. Remember to include your commenter handle.