harmonyp

Thinking about buying a C4 ZR1. Know the hp jumped from 375 to 405 in 1993, and see written some of the convenience options added over the years.

But for those who have driven different years of the C4 ZR1's - is that hp jump as significant as one might believe? Which year(s) would you recommend and why? Hagerty says the 1995s go for the higher $, and 1992 the lower. ?

oldpro

the hp difference is the exhaust and the difference in the injector housing runners . that can be made a non issue if you get the injector housings and plenum ported or buy a car with the porting already done . the later cars seem to be more solid in the interior . m y 92 seemed more solid than my 90 I know own . but in the fsm that I still have for my 90 it shows what to do to stop little rattles and make things more solid . if I were looking to buy another zr1 I would find one with 40-60 k miles on it that has had the porting done on at least the injector housings and plenum ,heads to if you can find one .it is easy power that doesn't effect the drivablity of the car in any way . just makes it faster and for a bigger when you run through the gears /. also a cr with 40-60 miles might have less issues as they have been driven instead of parked and being car art .other things to ck for ,have the injectors been replaced ,coils, and does it still have the fx3 shocks working nd still on the car . others may have for info for you to help you make a good choice on buying a nice zr1 . taken care of they are great dependable cars . I put over 100k miles on my 92 callaway 476 super natural before selling it and have 169 k miles on my 90 that I still use as a daily driver . I have only been stranded once, when I had a reverse gear failure in the 92. sent the tranny to bill b and the tranny was better than new .hope this helps you some

mike100

The later cars bring more money due to the lower production numbers. Most of the fleet was built in 1990 and 1991. The 94-up interior is more ergonomic (an entire subject by itself) and a bit more modern looking- the later ones are a little less squeaky as mentioned by oldpro.

The earlier interiors are actually more durable (even if they do rattle more). You don't see the dash boards curling up under heat on the 90-93's and you can take the door panels off quite a few times without issue. The seats are better if you are skinny too.

The engines- they use the same cams, but the 405 hp cars had a different degreed timing spec and the injector housings were cast better to increase the flow there. Pretty much everybody ports out the 90-92 cars to achieve an even greater airflow than any year stock. When you port out the later engines, it is to support other modifications and you will not gain as much as the early car would since it was improved from the factory. The exhaust manifolds are different, but I heard that that was more to protect the engines from sucking in broken catalyst chips more than it was for increased flow- one claimed that you could actually lose hp by swapping the late manifolds to the early cars- I don't know for sure, but it would seem to not be worth it and one should just go straight to headers if your goal is to get the most power possible from exhaust mods.

You might not be thinking about these cars in this manner, but the real question is 'How much different is the 1990 model than the rest of the ZR-1's?" because they have many one year only items that are sometimes difficult to locate where as the 91's share more compatibility with the later cars. The interior stuff is almost all regular C4 so any junkyard parts car is a good donor- just the specific mechanical stuff matters, of which I think the 1990 model has the weirdest harder to find items.

ZR1Bob

What Mike100 and OldPro said pretty much sums it up. And yes Haggerty (and other price guides) do show the 95s with the highest prices for comparable condition cars. The 95s were the last year of ZR-1 production and with typical attrition over 20 years there are probably about 400 left in the world. As the last production years they benefited from all the engineering improvements that typically go into a model run. Marc Haibeck says he sees the least problems with 95s (although admittedly because of the low production numbers he doesn't see that many). There are many people who like the last production year the most and many who like the first, with many favoring the in between years. Each has its merits and adherents. Since roughly 80% of ZR-1 production was in the 90-92 years, they are more available and often much less expensive. Haggerty show #2 condition 95s averaging about $36k stock and condition#1 just under $60k. There are plenty of great condition earlier cars available in the low to mid twenties or less.

When I got into the ZR-1 world in 1994, I wanted one of the low production/higher horsepower years so I got a 93 and kept it for 13 years. When I got back in in 2012 I decided I only wanted a low mileage 95 and took a year to find the right one. I just feel they have a slightly better chance of retaining their value, like the 67s did, plus I like having all the model run engineering improvements. As Mike100 notes, like others I eventually I succumbed to the need for power and had Marc do his 350/510 package and a few other subtle modifications that I had done on my 93 and liked. So now the car is an almost completely stock 95 with really fun power and all takeoff parts retained in case I want to put it back to a stock appearance. I am delighted with it (albeit probably $20k underwater) but there are also many others who are just as delighted with their own cars, regardless of year, mileage or modifications. It is all personal choice and budget. Good luck on your search. Wherever you end up you will be happy.--Bob

FASTAZU

All I can add is no options were added, 90 had auto or manual AC. All had one or both tops. Everything else was standard with the ZR-1 option.

z06scentair

There is no significant difference in feel of power or torque.

What I have felt with the 94-95 cars is they are quieter when all sealed up inside the cockpit.

I compare the HP difference to that of the 01 LS6 385hp to that of the 02-04 LS6 405hp. None that can be felt.

Keep in mind also the 90's are lighter in curb weight.

Best of luck in whatever you decide. They are awesome machines that get little to no publicity but that will end one day soon.

edram454

the earlier cars give you more bang for the buck. You will get a better deal with an earlier car like a 1990. If you look around you can find a beautiful car with great ownership, low miles and a host of mods for under 20k. Now way will that happen with a 92 and up. If you are worried about losing money then dont even consider a 1990-1995 zr1. They are all under-performing value wise and the reason is that people are scared of the engine complexity and rarity of parts. I am talking about the average sports car buyer. they would rather go with a c5 or c6 car and be done with it.

the lt5 zr1 is a very unique car that is for the more educated and sophisticated corvette enthusiast. It is like a fine wine that still runs great and looks great too. You will spend at least 10-20k more for a newer lt5 zr1 as opposed to a 1990 or 1991. Get one with mods already done. the previous owner will take the hit not you.

ed ramos #3028

ZR1Bob

Ed is right--you can get great lower priced ZR-1s with the early years. But the ZR-1s, particularly the later low volume years, actually have been increasing in value, at least according to sources like Hagerty Valuation service and Sports Car Market Price guide. I do think that over time the last year of production will do well, like the 67s, as will the very first cars. But there are many more 90s and 91s (over 5,000) compared with the 95s (448 produced). I like the fact that with attrition there are probably fewer than 400 '95s left in the world. And I like the mods-they are great! But alas Ed is also correct that you are far better off getting one with the mods already done. You will save A LOT of money for a modded car. Ask me how I know! It is all dependent on what you want and what your budget is. --Bob