I was told to stay away from 86 vettes

[tdr1919]

Hi Guys,
Reall y would like some advice, I/m looking at an 86 coupe and two different (non C4 owners) told me that the 86 was very troublesome.
Any advise, what should I look for?
Thanks,
Tom R

[Moonunit 451]

Originally Posted by tdr1919

Hi Guys,
Reall y would like some advice, I/m looking at an 86 coupe and two different (non C4 owners) told me that the 86 was very troublesome.
Any advise, what should I look for?
Thanks,
Tom R

Welcome to the forum Need more info. All Vettes this old will need maintnance of some sort sooner or later. Tell us what you're looking for and how much $ you are willing to spend.

The bigest thing (and I'm not sure how big it really is) is the move to aluminum heads in late 86, or I've read that all 86 verts had em.

What exactly are you looking for?

[Rock Doc]

I have a 1986 vert with 143000 miles on it that I drive almost as much as my 2003 coupe. Other than normal things that go out on any vehicle (altenater,starter,battery, etc) I have not had any major problems with this car. It starts right up and runs great.

Rock Doc (Kevin)

1986 Bright Red Vert.
2003 coupe

[Moonunit 451]

Youn are a LUCKY man DOC! Wish I had two Vettes

[c4cruiser]

It should be no more of a problem than any other Vette depending on how well it was maintained or the number of miles on it. The engine is as durable as any other L98 motor and if maintained, it should do well.

Typical component failures are common in carw with high mileage and in the case of the L98-powered cars, the alternator is one than can cause the most grief. Hot underhood temps can kill cheap rebuild units. Another issue is cooling. Keep the coolant fresh, clean the front of the radiator to insure an adequate airflow and change oil every 3K miles or so and use a good quality oil and filter

Replacement parts for the interior can get expensive; for example new seat covers and the foam cushions can be over $1200 from some of the Corvette accessory catalogs.

The 4+3 manual tranny is a good unit but requires regular maintenance and can be expensive to repair. An automatic is a good choice if you have concerns about manual trans.

As far as the aluminum heads, all verts got the aluminum head and the later coupes got them. Just bring a small magnet along to test the head material if you're aren't sure.

[ProEMTPFF]

I have a early '86 with iron heads and have had no major problems. I've anly had to replace the alternator and battery but that was because the car was sitting for 19 years with 5600 miles on it. Now it has a grand total of 6100 miles. There is no reason to avoid the '86 at all no matter what heads it may have. The aluminum heads will only give you 5 more hp. The advantage to the iron heads is if the car does over heat you won't have warped heads like the aluminum guys will have. If there is a year to maybe avoid its the '82 and '84 just because the crossfire injection was'nt all that great.

[vader86]

Thats nonsense, 86s dont have any more problems than the rest of the L98s.

Its usually the 84s that people are recommended to stay away from.

[Glassman]

The 85's still have the bad dash cluster problems.

By the way anyone have a idea where to get a reliable rebuilt cluster from. friends 85 is gone.

[Edmond]

If they are non-C4 owners, I don't think they are much qualified to make the comment that they did.

Take the advice from people here, the ones who have the cars and have gone through thick and think with them.

[tdr1919]

Thanks Guys,

I just do not want to start off with a car that is known to be a problem year. The car I am looking at looks resonably sound, but I have not seen it run, the battery was dead (brand new) this kind of bothered me, like there is a short or something draining the battery.

If I'm going to get torment and hell from my wife for buying this car, I at least want to hear from the people who know before I get it.

What are key things to look for? how about recall issues ? I think there were three major Issues?

Tom

[jdenn47]

I got an 86 recently from E-Bay and so far so good. Has 80K on it and had to get a few things fixed, Injectors cleaned, Air Cond. recharged and of course the Lumbar Seats don't function. It is an Auto as I have heard that the Manual has problems.
If the price is right, go for it !
Good Luck.

Originally Posted by tdr1919

Hi Guys,
Reall y would like some advice, I/m looking at an 86 coupe and two different (non C4 owners) told me that the 86 was very troublesome.
Any advise, what should I look for?
Thanks,
Tom R

[Mart]

86 runs great here, iron heads and all.

The crossfires are the more troublsome ones, but dont say that to them.

Mart

[NevadaJim]

Owned an '86 before buying my '87 TT. It had over 80K miles and I used as a daily driver, never had a problem. Ran great and was very reliable.

Like other's have said, it's not so much the year as how well previous owners maintained and took care of it that really matters. Don't take the advice of none-C4 owners, listen to the folks here and have the car checked out by a good mechanic (one familiar with C4s).

[rrubel]

IMHO an 86 or 87 is one of the best early C4's to buy from a price standpoint. They got the bugs worked out of the 4+3 transmission, ABS started in 86, and the TPI is a good torquey intake. 87 got roller cam and lifters, which is nice, but nothing wrong with the 86's flat tappet setup.

The 4+3 does have a bad rep, but AFAIK that's only for the 84/85 years. Mine has 140k miles on it and has just needed clutches .

Then again, I'm biased...
[RICHR]

[JPS]

I have an '86 and no significant problems here. Maintenance by the previous owner is always a gamble but a car this age will have additional maintenance. It's a great car and I love the dashboard!