Everything I Love and Hate About my 1986 C4 Corvette

A little over four years ago, I bought the C4 Corvette of my dreams. But sometimes, dreams can be nightmares.

Back in February of 2020, I bought myself a 1986 C4 Corvette. I’d loved Corvettes since I was a kid, I’d been writing for CorvetteForum for several years, and two of my best friends had C4s. I figured that I’d be able to restore and modify my Corvette and produce a series of videos about the process. It was a perfect plan, and the summer of 2020 looked like it was going to be a fun one.

Then the world ended.

Budgets got slashed, sponsors backed out, and I was left with a pair of wayward C4s (I bought a parts car, too) and no Plan B. So if you’re wondering why you’ve been recommended the same three videos for the past few years, now you know. I’ve still got the Corvette, though, and I’ve formed some opinions on it. Without further ado, here’s a quick list of what I like and dislike about my 1986 Chevrolet Corvette.

Love: Exterior

Simply put, the C4 Corvette is a damned good-looking car. Even if you find the styling to be dated or unattractive, you can’t deny that it’s striking. Nothing else looks quite like it, and pop-up headlights are always a hit. If you grew up in the 1980s or 1990s, there was a good chance that you had a poster of one of these cars on your wall. I was one of those kids. It still blows my mind that I actually own one of those dream cars today. I especially like mine because it’s yellow – my favorite early C4 color.

Hate: Interior

As much as I like the exterior, the interior leaves a lot to be desired. Don’t get me wrong – the digital dash is cool, and the hinged steering column makes ingress and egress far easier than it would be otherwise. I’ll accept the exposed screws as a stylistic choice, but I’m consistently annoyed by the squeaks and rattles that plague even the nicest C4s. I’ve owned a few ’80s GM products and I’ve always found the interior build quality lacking. It seems like GM used the cheapest, most brittle plastic possible for trim, and don’t even get me started on the water-based paint they used on switches.

Love: Handling

It’s easy to take the C4 Corvette for granted. They built tons of them, they aren’t worth a ton of money, and every subdivision had “that guy” who had one he never drove. When these cars were released, however, they were a revelation. They handled so well, in fact, that they had to make a one-make racing series for them – the Corvette Challenge – because they were just too good at sports car racing and the other guys were threatening to take their ball and go home. Even today, a C4 Corvette handles well on twisty backroads and will make anyone feel like a hero.

Simply put, these cars are brutal to drive. C4 Corvettes were able to hang with the best European exotics of their day for a fraction of the cost. Unfortunately, the trade-off was ride comfort and ergonomics. The entire time you’re driving it, C4 Corvettes act like they are actively resentful of the fact that a human has to be at the controls to make them do what they do best. As stated above, they squeak and rattle, but it goes beyond that. The seating position is uncomfortable, the cabin gets hot, and it’s pretty loud in there. There’s a difference between something being a “pure, stripped-down sports car” and just feeling like a tin can. The C4 Corvette is the latter, which is odd, since it’s you know, fiberglass.

Love: Maintenance

When you buy any car that’s decades old, you’re going to be working on it all the time. Thankfully, the C4 Corvette, despite its quirks and exotic nature, is pretty easygoing when it comes to repairs. I’ve owned a handful of sports and exotic cars, and Corvette parts are some of the cheapest. Furthermore, it’s just a simple car to work on. The small block Chevy is ubiquitous, and in this application, you can even sit on the front tire and change plugs. Even the screw heads in the interior are exposed and easy to find, which I mentioned above. Suspension and brake work is similarly simple. I had to do a ton of work on mine, but overall, it was an enjoyable experience.

Hate: Transmission

When you’re looking at early C4s, you have a choice between a 700R4 automatic and that funky Doug Nash 4+3 manual transmission. Neither is what I would call ideal for performance driving. In the case of the Borg-Warner Super T-10-based manual transmission, it seems odd that a car with so many cutting-edge features utilized such an archaic design – even with that unusual overdrive unit. To date, my 1986 Corvette is the first – and hopefully last – sports car that I’ll deliberately buy with an automatic transmission.

Love: Targa

The Corvette coupe looks so good, you’d never suspect that the roof came off – but it does. There’s nothing like driving with the wind in your hair. Many convertibles – and even other targas – have a somewhat ungainly appearance with the convertible top up. That’s not the case for the C4 Corvette. It looks terrific with the top on or off. It’s especially fun when yours is spec’d like mine, with a clear roof and cloth seats (so you don’t cook your legs on hot leather upholstery). Like all targas, there is some cowl shake, but since there are so many squeaks, rattles, and thumps from everywhere else, it’s just background noise.

Hate: Stereo

Most early C4 Corvettes were optioned with the Delco Bose stereo. Mine has it, and it’s a nightmare. Each speaker has its own discrete amplifier, with capacitors that fail with age and leak acid onto the circuit board. They’re expensive to repair, and when you do, you’re left with a tinny, weak stereo system that can’t hold a candle to even the most basic modern system. Worst of all, its unique configuration means that the wiring is proprietary. It’s a major challenge to retrofit a more modern audio system. The best solution is to buy a louder exhaust.

I know that this isn’t the update you folks wanted to see on Project C4. You’re probably tired of seeing the same handful of videos about this car. To be honest, I’m not even sure I want to keep it at this point. But as long as they’ll have me here at CorvetteForum, I’ll still be around, writing about America’s sports car.

Photos: Cam VanDerHorst

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