Corvettes are many things: fast, attractive, investments, race cars, and even daily drivers. But one thing they rarely are is affordable. In the case of this 1990 Chevrolet Corvette coupe, “affordable” might even be an understatement—this sucker’s downright CHEAP! But there’s no catch, no hidden maladies waiting to drain a new owner’s wallet, just a clean, honest ‘Vette with a ton of charisma and plenty of performance on tap. Dressed in Polo Green with a Saddle leather interior, it’s great to look at, and it packs a strong-running L98 and a 6-speed manual, plus a long list of fully functional options that makes it a joy to own. Oh, and it’s only got 67,807 original miles and a clean CarFAX. At this price, why wouldn’t you want to own it?

Polo Green was a popular color in 1990, and it’s easy to see why. Elegant and sophisticated, it makes the Corvette look like an adult’s car, not a plaything. The C4 shape was familiar by 1990, so no new ground is broken there, but the clean, chiseled lines of the C4 have aged rather well, and while it’s easy to recognize at a glance, nobody thinks it’s a joke like some of the earlier models. This car has been properly maintained all its life and it shows, with paint that looks pretty darned good for being 26 years old (and a Corvette) and body panels that still fit together with precision. Never wrecked or hit, the only bodywork it has ever had is a replacement rear bumper cap because the old one started to crack around the license plate opening. Sure, there are a few nicks and scratches, but the car cleaned up beautifully in our detail shop and people will admire it wherever you go—don’t worry, we won’t tell them how inexpensive it really was. The rubber is in excellent shape, the doors close with that kerCHUNK sound that’s endemic to the C4s, and even the rub strip around the perimeter is in great shape and not baked by the sun. This is still a handsome car.

The Saddle leather interior is just gorgeous. First, the carmel-colored leather is almost impossibly luxurious-looking and thanks to brand new seat covers and air bladders inside, the optional AQ9 sport seats are as comfortable as they were in 1990. Both the driver’s seat and the passenger’s seat are power actuated, and if you can’t get comfortable in this car, well, maybe driving a Corvette isn’t for you. The carpets are original and show only very light wear but nothing major, and the dash pad hasn’t been cooked by the sun. The car features a very, very long list of options, including automatic climate control (C68), a Bose AM/FM/CD/cassette stereo system (U1F), twin remote outside heated mirrors (DL8), power antenna (U75), leather-wrapped steering wheel (NK4), and, of course, the 6-speed manual transmission (ML9 and MN6). It’s not on the RPO sticker, but the car also includes both the color-matched solid top and a clear bronze top, both in excellent condition and the tool is still in the center console. There’s also an interesting combination of suspension options, with the competition-oriented Z51, PLUS FX3 adjustable ride control, PLUS the FE7 performance suspension, which seem to work in harmony just fine, because this ‘Vette is a superb long-distance cruiser that loves to slash into the corners. The digital dash is 100% functional and totally legible without any fading or burned-out segments in the LCD, the radio comes in loud and clear, and the A/C was recently serviced and blows ice cold. In fact, we can’t find anything in this car that doesn’t work properly. Go find that in other bargain-priced cars, let alone a Corvette.

But you don’t really buy a Corvette because it has a pretty interior. No, performance is the name of the game and in 1990, most Corvettes got the torquey and tough L98 350 cubic inch V8 with Tuned Port Injection. Legendary for its durability, it’s still plenty punchy and if you haven’t just driven, say, a 700 horsepower Hellcat Charger, it’s going to seem awfully fast to you. First and second gears will turn the tires into expensive white smoke pretty easily and it’s still faster than 95% of the other cars on the road. And while the L98 is insanely easy to modify, this one remains 100% stock, a real anomaly among Corvettes but it’s exactly what you want when you’re looking to buy one second-hand. It means it hasn’t been abused or raced, but rather simply enjoyed and maintained, and that’s exactly the case here. It’s quite tidy under the hood with proper routine maintenance items having been replaced, but nothing out of the ordinary. A glance at the aluminum parts is the best way to determine if the car has been in winter weather, and these parts are still shiny meaning that salt has never been a part of this Corvette’s diet. Turn the key and it springs to life instantly and idles smoothly. Punch it at any speed and the car lunges forward, and on the highway in 6th gear, it just loafs along at like 1500 RPM, turning in surprisingly good fuel economy. If you want one car that does it all, this Corvette is a pretty good choice.

The suspension, as I mentioned, has a great combination of performance-enhancing options. In addition to the adjustable shocks, the Z51 springs and bushings, and the FX7 hardware, it also includes an oil cooler (KC4) and the performance brake package (J55) which gives you a ‘Vette that’s built for combat right out of the box. The 6-speed manual transmission is a ZF unit, and you’ll be surprised by how smoothly it shifts and how robust it feels, and this one is still so stock that it retains the CAGS “skip-shift” feature—if you’re a true Corvette aficionado, you’ll quickly figure out how to outsmart it. Out back, the independent rear end has 3.33 gears (GT7), so it just loafs along at any speed but feels quick-witted when you need it to move. Even the exhaust system is stock and it recently had a fresh set of catalytic converters installed, which is not only expensive but important to keep it legal in all 50 states. The wheels are standard 17x9 Corvette directional alloys that are almost completely unmarked and they carry brand new 275/40/17 Continental tires (not some off-brand like on almost every single other C4 out there) with less than 1000 miles on them.

This car comes with its original manuals and a clean CarFAX. That CarFAX report notes some discrepancies in the mileage, which is because this car spent several years in Canada, which, of course, means the mileage was reported in kilometers. Since there’s an English/Metric button on the dashboard, the conversion is easy, and that’s why CarFAX thinks there’s a mileage discrepancy. If you want, we’ll show it to you and you can do the math yourself (a kilometer is about .6 miles). No worries there!

So this car represents a unique opportunity. Beautifully maintained, fully functional Corvettes are never this cheap. It’s got great colors and doesn’t need anything. There are expensive new parts so you don’t have to spend extra money to get it into shape. It is completely unmodified and has never seen winter weather. It has low mileage and a 6-speed and all the performance hardware underneath if you want to take it to the next level. And it has a clean pedigree. Look at the car and look at the price. If you want a quality Corvette but don’t have a lot of money, you’re crazy not to pull the trigger on this one.