manicturbo

Thats what im thinking, this was the epitome of american engineering. It wants to get out a drive not just be a garage queen..

manicturbo

Restoring hope!

Yette1

My daily driver is a 2005 E55 AMG. Runs fine and destroys almost everything on the road: 479HP Stock.

Black LS2

My 87 coupe has been my nice weather (March to November) DD for over 10 years. Outside of normal wear items...rebuilding starter and alternator at the first signs of trouble, and a new water pump (all at about 100K) no other problems with the L98 up to 160,000. I know the clock is ticking on a full motor rebuild or replacement in the next few years.

I know several folks with 92 & up LT1/4, and those have also been fine except for Optispark & water pump nightmares.

For comparo, wife's 4Runner went 100K till water pump and timing belt change, its been very reliable up to 170,000, and my winter DD Tacoma similar with almost 200K on the odo. So overall, no material difference from my vette. The Toyota 3.4 is said to be a 300,000 mile motor, so I will report back in another 10 years.

I would say a C4 as a fair weather DD is possible with correct candidate selection, minimal mechanical expertise, and a solid Plan B (bike, bus, buddy, etc). No matter my mental state, I have certainly loved every drive to and from work in mine.

ghoastrider1

good luck in the snow.

manicturbo

I don't know why Euros get bashed so much, I currently have a 97' e320 sure its not the amg but this thing is nearing 300k and still running like a champ, only maintenance done are regular oil changes.

1993C4LT1

Because when something does break, it gets expensive. If you can fix it yourself, great. It'll still be harder to work on than most cars.

Rockcrushervette

I have a 88 Vette DD 100 miles a day! I enjoy it for a ride to work but I leave for work at 1230am had to pull tranny have that done up! But runs and drives great being 6'4" still feel comfortable ! Always been chevy guy mostly 50z last Rod was a 29 chevy DD! Learning about the little things people talk about here is a big help! I know there is more to come with this car but don't care it's worth the drive not the fastest car I have owned but the quickest I think of it as a big GoKart!!

Later Bra!

taki44

I bought a 95 with 111k miles. The paint , interior is very good condition.
Drives strong and shifts smoothly. Everything works on it. $8500.
It does have a small oil leak so look good before buying. Replaced all fluids, fuel
fil, serpintine belt, starter and battery so far.
Looking at one for sale would advise to put up on a lift to inspect for oil leaks,
inspect exhaust system, any damage. It will save you money down the road.
Good luck, you will enjoy driving a corvette.

MaxDaemon

I've only had my "new" Corvette about three weeks - so far it's a blast. It's a '94 (94k miles), and it's my first Vette. I've had a LOT of cars over the years, some are money pits and some just cruise forever on gas and tires. My contention is that the 'vettes started out as a high quality expensive sports car, and that should show in the long run. I'm in hopes mine will last me many years. It'll never be a daily driver, but I'm taking it on a thousand mile trip starting tomorrow.

As was stated above, I probably wouldn't make this my daily driver, but it's far more from the standpoint of messing up a car that's been kept pristine for 20 years than from fear of it breaking.

<heh> And I can always count on AAA to get me home.

lt4obsesses

Very true statement.

If you actually enjoy doing a little wrenching from time to time, you should be alright, so long as you buy the right car. It is an older car, yes, but the advantage to a Corvette is that they tend to have shorter lists of owners, and tend to be better cared for by those owners.

A small block 350 can almost run forever if it has proper care. You run into trouble with suspension parts, u-joints, and of course electronics and soft parts over time. (keep in mind that computer controlled systems were in their infancy when these cars were built)

Also watch out for low miles. There are two kinds of wear, mileage and time. Time mileage is when those gaskets and seals sit and dry rot from lack of use, or from very short use periods followed by long rest periods. Of course gaskets are cheaper to fix than cranks and pistons.

My final note, if your going to daily drive it, find a nice, clean, bone stock car and keep it that way. Even a well installed modification will put additional stress on the supporting systems, and that's when you start to see the tool box more than the gas station.

rimo

I just bought my first corvette about 6 months ago and it is my daily driver. Not only that, but i'm a college kid and it is my ONLY car. It is a 1995 LT1 coupe that was garage kept, and I bought it just over $10k at 77,500 miles.

You will have to plan and be aware of maintenance costs because I have had some surprise fixes come up. I've always had a passion for corvettes, so I enjoy learning about my car as I work on it, but being a corvette...repairs are not always as cheap as other cars.

All in all, I absolutely love my corvette and it has given me no problems as a daily driver. Clearly, practicality comes into question - but i'm a college kid with no wife or kids, so a 2 seater sports car that rides hard is perfectly okay with me for a daily.

rimo

Completely forgot to mention what to be looking for!

From my experience and all I have learned since my purchase, I would look for the following:
- Weatherstripping
Is the weatherstripping in decent condition? Not a tough job, but can be somewhat expensive.

- Suspension Components
Again, all 20 year old cars will need bushings, etc. replaced over time. Are the main suspension components in decent condition? Have they clearly been abused?

- Optispark/Ignition Issues
Listen to the car idle. Does it sound right? The optispark distributor is a problem child in these cars. If the car sounds like it is "missing," you could be looking into a not-so-cheap repair.

- Check that headlights go up and down correctly.

- Does the car handle tight?
You can tell a lot about corvettes and how they have been treated by how tight they feel. Drive a few to get a basic knowledge of how a C4 vette should feel.


Good luck with the hunt!

Tommycourt

I have an 88 verte that I took on trade when I sold my Model A race car. The verte had 99k on it and I spent about $1600.00 on it replacing the serpentine belt, all the fluids, and bought all new tires. Took it to Ca on a trip and had no hic-cups. (I put on about 1500 miles). But here in Az, even though it has a/c I wouldn't use it for a daily driver. The sun out here eats up everything including tires. Usually I will drive my wife's car (Scion) or if the heat is not too bad I will drive my Model A coupe. I am somewhat of a homebody.
Tommy

ccrvtt

Figure into the cost of any Corvette the cost of a beater for snow days, rainy days, and days you need to haul 4x8 sheets of plywood. The bumper sticker on my Corvette says, "My other car is a minivan."