It’s hard to believe this car is 20 years old now.   I still remember when it was ordered, and the day it was picked up - the day after my birthday (April 26).  How do I remember this day so easily?  It’s not because getting a Corvette was such a big deal - many people had them in Massapequa - it’s because I had some friends over for a cool party on my birthday the day before.

:: I can’t believe this car is 20 years old now. Where does the time go?  Click to enlarge ::

Over the years the 1989 Corvette accumulated a total of about 6000 miles, and when I moved to south Florida, the car was brought here on an enclosed trailer.  There’s really not much else to tell about the car - it’s your basic fully-loaded C4, optioned the same way most were at the time.  It’s not a [then new] 6-speed model, however.  I always liked these cars for their digital dashboards, which reminded me of the old television series “Battlestar Galactica“.  I know that digital instruments are considered geeky and useless today, though I still think they look awesome.

:: Bright red leather surely designates this as a 1980s-era car - click to enlarge ::

I still have the car and it sits in the garage covered in a fairly thick layer of dust.  Although the car still looks new, it will need some attention to make it roadworthy.  Nothing major - fluid and filter changes mainly, from its long hibernation.  The last time I used it was in December of 2004 (date of photos above), and it ran just fine.  Today I purchased a new battery for the car, and replacing the battery in a C4 Corvette is a pain in the ass, believe it or not.  I’ll install the battery this week (I hope) and we’ll see what happens.  On a side note, these images were taken using the first real digital camera I owned - a Nikon Coolpix 995.

:: All-digital instrument panel as seen from 1984-1989 model years. Click to enlarge ::

A quick update:  I have a new battery installed in the car - the install wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, maybe 30 minutes total.  I was also able to correct an incorrectly installed lower sill fastener from the factory.  One thing that surprises me is all of the tapping screws and cheap plastic fasteners that keep this car together.  The fasteners are designed for a loose-tolerance fit, so the car could be assemebled with no issues no matter how poorly the fit.  I’m not impressed.  I’m assuming that the current Corvette does not follow this trend. In any event, I’ll change the oil and bring the car to my local dealer for a fluid change and injector service.  From there, it will be ready for regular use.

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• Corvette Forum