1987 C4 intermittent dash cluster

TomPaterson · 2026-11-11T14:02:26+0000

Chevrolet said:
I'd forget it. Who's quoting you £4,100 to get it here/on the road? ShipMyCar?

Yes, it was ship my car. I use the site to get some comparison based on where the car was in the states. Haven't looked in detail. At some point I would probably be asking advice on who to use.

TomPaterson · 2026-11-11T14:06:24+0000

Steven Smith said:
In my opinion there are too many unknowns and buying it blind is a gamble.
From looking at the pictures it needs new weatherstripping £800 plus import duties, the digital dash needs new polarised filters, you can see the burnt out areas, and at least the 12 pin internal connector changed, horn button missing from steering wheel, hood release cables, early 16" tyres are super expensive (£500+ each) if it needs new ones.

I think you will be better off sourcing one that's already here, £10k is a good budget for an early one.
I have a red 86 auto that I have been restoring, if you can do the work yourself it is a lot cheaper, if you are set on that colour combination it might take a bit of patience.

That was my thought as well. I priced up a few bits taking into account the weather stripping, tyres/wheels doing the interior etc. My shipping list totalled over £5k + VAT + shipping. So I would be over £12k into that car. The tyres looked like BF Goodrich, with some tread. I had planned to swap out some 17 inch wheels for it. I had the same issue with my Trans Am which was also on 16 inch wheels when I first got it. I keep telling myself to be patient.

Chevrolet · 2026-11-11T14:13:15+0000

"Please" forget it? As you say, its a charity donation car (with 89 k miles on it). In the ad, they say the car starts/goes into gear and its been driven down an "alley," not on the open road. Could be a deceased owners car that's been sitting about/unused for years? And no documentation with car?

TomPaterson · 2026-11-11T14:14:37+0000

Chevrolet said:
"Please" forget it? As you say, its a charity donation car (with 89 k miles on it). In the ad, they say the car starts/goes into gear and its been driven down an "alley," not on the open road. Could be a deceased owners car that's been sitting about/unused for years? And no documentation with car?

I'm taking the advice am not going for it. I'd rather get something from the UK.

Chevrolet · 2026-11-11T14:39:14+0000

Nassau65 said:
Now that 92 looks a lovely car. Fantastically low miles, and a lovely colour scheme. Who doesn’t like white with a red interior?
OK it’s not the original C4 design, but many will say it’s an improvement on the original, Yes/no?
Only thing is it’s a manual, which many people like. Me, I prefer auto.

Yes lovely C4. Loved my '85 C4 that I owned for many years. I prefer the original flat dash cars. '85 car 1st year with the TPI engine and after many years, a Vette that could do 150 mph straight out of the factory. I prefer an auto too. With narrow/potholed UK roads, I like both hands on the wheel in a Vette.

Nassau65 · 2026-11-11T14:42:18+0000

I think you’ve made a good decision to pass on it. As for shipping at 4k that’s a no no. Try hill shipping.

B8VET · 2026-11-11T17:50:30+0000

Two words spring to mind looking at those pictures… money pit and can see that’s been in an accident at some point. You can buy cheap then ending up spending much more than getting a decent car in the first place. You should always view the car first as images can be deceptive. Agree with other members I would avoid that one .

Chevrolet · 2026-11-11T18:38:29+0000

And you need a CARFAX report if you are thinking of buying a car in the US. Seem to remember Adrian Dromey recommending on here not so long ago, to buy a Euro/European (?) CARFAX that covers both the US and other European countries, Think this is it?

What is a vehicle history report?

With the help of our vehicle history report, you can check a vehicle for hidden defects in just a few minutes. Get to know CARFAX.

www.carfax.eu

Nassau65 · 2026-11-11T21:19:00+0000

That car made $3000 + a buyers fee of about $300.

CaptainK · 2026-11-12T08:22:58+0000

Nassau65 said:
I think you’ve made a good decision to pass on it. As for shipping at 4k that’s a no no. Try hill shipping.

I wonder why it was £4k shipping on a cheap car? I used Ship My Car for my import, granted 10 years ago, and they did the shipping and duty and vat and whatever and the total bill for my much more expensive car (my C3) than this $3k car was much, much less than £4k shipping for the $3k car. How odd.

I agree if you can find a car over here, that's a much better option. If only I'd listened to my advice 10 years ago I probably would have saved some money

Chevrolet · 2026-11-12T10:29:51+0000

CaptainK said:
I wonder why it was £4k shipping on a cheap car?

That ShipMyCar price presumably included the VAT on import (no car tax?) and the cost of changing the lights to UK spec (rear fog light/orange indicators) . Would it have needed an IVA test? Dunno? Car in California.

TomPaterson · 2026-11-12T13:09:44+0000

Chevrolet said:
That ShipMyCar price presumably included the VAT on import (no car tax?) and the cost of changing the lights to UK spec (rear fog light/orange indicators) . Would it have needed an IVA test? Dunno? Car in California.

Yes, the quote included transport to dock, dock fees for loading, shipping, insurance, change the light to Uk spec, MOT, 6 months tax, admin fees, dock fees in uk and delivery to my home address. I did check on the MOT issue, and as the car is over 40 years old, I would need a letter confirming this. Sadly this is not available, so it would be less hassle to just get the MOT done. The import duty was zero, and the import tax around £100. The shipping between ports was £1500 alone. So if I had gone for this, I would have spent just under £7k before any faults were rectified. The dash was an easy £600 + postage. Door seals $800 + vat + postage etc, etc. I'll keep looking in the UK.

TomPaterson · 2026-11-12T13:11:34+0000

B8VET said:
Two words spring to mind looking at those pictures… money pit and can see that’s been in an accident at some point. You can buy cheap then ending up spending much more than getting a decent car in the first place. You should always view the car first as images can be deceptive. Agree with other members I would avoid that one .

I didn't see the accident damage, and the car report I got showed it was clean with no damage listed. I know it can easily be unrecorded.

Nassau65 · 2026-11-12T14:22:34+0000

The club should be able to issue a letter confirming year of manufacture according to the VIN number. I assume this would be acceptable to the DVLA to confirm year but who knows with them. They are very picky on what they will/won’t accept on things

Nassau65 · 2026-11-12T15:06:36+0000

Shipping certainly has got very expensive. Ocean freight has increased considerably, while average US overground transport has more than doubled this year, and in some cases it’s tripled.
Certainly from the US now, you really need to find a car as close to the port as possible, saving hundreds of dollars on overground transport.

Nassau65 · 2026-11-12T15:16:27+0000

CaptainK said:
I wonder why it was £4k shipping on a cheap car? The cost of shipping does not bear any relation to the cost of the car.

Unfortunately the cost of the car doesn’t affect the cost of shipping. The insurance premiumYes indeed, but not the freight

1987 C4 intermittent dash cluster

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