My bud bought a C-4. Well he described it as a Caddy of Vette's. I finally got up there and he took me for a ride. Outside of the body style, it acted, handled, sounded and felt just like our '80. What's the big deal. The car was well taken care of, was in excellent shape so I know it was near showroom with no flaws. I like my '80 mo betta!

 

Camaro

 

I like C4's. I've just never had the craving to own one. Some of the interiors were really nicely done--which is something that can't be said for the plain interior of a C6.

 

well I know my 95 vert out does my dads 68 427 4sp in every way, ride, speed you name it and I even perfer the looks just a little so it's just each his own I guess. I turned down a 99vert when I bought mine in 03 for what I gave for my 95vert but at 22 this style is the style I grew up lusting after so I perfer mine over the c5-c6. It usually runs on avg. a 13.2 @ 106 and it's stock. : 0 )

 

what year is it? An 84 Z51 rides pretty harsh but handles pretty darn well.. a lot better than late C3s with their soft suspensions.

 

1988 .......l-95?

 

I love my 91. Everything works right, NO RUST EVER, no door dings, corners like a dream, got it away from Bubba before he did anything major, parts are a little cheaper (not much), and VERY VERY RELIABLE.

Now, with that said, I love my 72 as much or more.......I just wish I was a better mechanic......and I wish Bubba didn't have it so long.......

 

The best handling Corvette I've ever driven was an 84 Z51. I try to make my 79 C3 handle as well. I think I'm getting close. The C5 and C6 prolly handle better, but I can't afford to test drive them, or try golf, or try cocaine.

 

The Cimarron was a Caddy.

 

I think my '80 handles really well with its Gymkhana suspension. A friend of mine with a '98 Mustang GT is impressed with it. I have driven a couple of '84 Z51s that handled great though.

 

the problem was you rode in a 88, I've riden in older c4's my 95 is like being in a c5 compared to them, give a 94-96 a try before you think to bad of them.

no joke older c4s did ride pretty harsh

 

Having owned an 80, 95, and now a 96 I can attest to the C4's handling much better, faster, quicker, better mpg, better emissions, easier to work on (in my opinion anyway).

I prefer the C3's looks, and classic lines, stance, and even the softer ride of the later C3's.

Too bad Chevrolet did not make convertibles in 80-82 year range, or I'd own one!

 

LOL!!!

I had a '96 Collector Edition with the LT-4. Nice car, but it sucked as a daily driver because it is uncomfortable/awkward to enter/exit due to the tall door sill. Also had electrical bugs occasionally. Handled well, buy my G35 and my wife's Mazda 6S both handle better on bumpy, real-world roads.

 

just recently having taken delivery (finally) of my 90 c4...I can say its a bloody awesome car!!! goes and handles waaaay better than my 70. (love my 70 and my 90 - totally different cars).

 

My brother has a 82 C-3 - we put in a ZZ-4 with a hotcam kit (458 hp right now)- Rack and pinion steering, a hydroboost unit, and the complete VBP set-up front and rear. 17" 285's etc. we've put alot of money into the handling set-up of this car!

I say this because I have an 86 C-4 with a ZZ4 - (355 HP) and completely stock suspension. The C-4 gets killed on the straightaways - but kicks the C-3's *** in the corners - doesn't matter who's driving - whoever has the C-4 -- it's alot faster through the corners. Not only that - the C-4 is a car that makes you very comfortable in the corners - very predictable and well mannered! The C-3 gives you a little extra pucker factor during high speed handling - you just don't feel nearly as comfortable! twitchy and spooky!

If we put em on an autoX course the C-4 beats it by 1 - 2 seconds - again doesn't matter the drivers - we switch back and forth all the time.

I'm convinced that it would take 10's of thousands of dollars to get the C-3 to handle with the C-4

that being said - I agree the C-4 body style is just a glorified camaro - the C-3 body style is well it says corvette - much cooler in my opinion!

Carl Johansson

 

I own a '94 ragtop LT1 6-speed car. My girlfriend owns an '81 automatic with a hotrodded engine. I've accumulated enough stick-time in both cars to be able to speak from experience on this subject.

With all due respect, here is my perspective:

My '94 and her '81 are in almost no meaningful way alike. I very much enjoy both cars, and admire them for what they are, rather than for what they aren't. I would love to own a C3 like hers in addition to my C4, but my wallet and one-hole garage preclude that.

In most respects, I must say that the C4 is a vastly superior car to the C3, but this is absolutely not a knock against the C3. The C4 was a newer-by-two-decades design. It damned well ought to be better in most respects, and by a large margin. And it is.

In its time, the C3 was, in my opinion, the best GT/sports car available of any that were anywhere near its price, and you simply cannot argue with the "cool factor" of the C3. It is just plain awesome in its own right, as were the C2 and C1, and it is a ton of fun to drive. I simply love the body style of the '80 - '82 sharks. It oozes pure sensuality from every pore.

But the '81 doesn't ride, drive, handle, look, sound, smell or feel at all like the '94 does. The '81 is no slouch. With the warmed-up engine, it moves out very well, and handles better than any high-volume production vehicle of its era.

By comparison, the '94 corners like it's on rails, even with the top down. Steering and braking response is much better. The EFI LT1 engine delivers acceleration that'll match or beat nearly any stock C3, while delivering twice the highway MPG and producing a very small fraction of the tailpipe emissions. It starts up and is ready to drive instantly, with no warm-up required. The oil stays a lot cleaner because of the superior combustion management. It has been extremely reliable and relatively maintenance-free. It is very comfortable on the open road -- a 3200-mile journey in the '94 to Key West a few months ago was a true pleasure in every respect.

Obviously, there is a trade-off in complexity vs simplicity, old vs new, etc. Diagnosing faults with most C3s is often easier than it is with most C4s. There are no free lunches, and there are inevitable compromises where engineering decisions are concerned. But don't let anyone convince you that there is no significant difference between an '80s C3 and a C4. Drive one of each, and decide for yourself. I think you'll conclude that they have little more than their name and heritage in common.

Be well,

SJW

 

I owned a Lingenfelter C4 vert for 10yrs and was my daily driver. GREAT car, ride,handling, MPG, and creature comforts were excellent. I sold it because parked next to the C3 the car looked like a Jelly Bean, and didn't "do it" for me anymore. Kinda wish I still had it.

 

My 1st vette was a 84 Z51 equipped car.. and yeah it handled like I imagined a vette should handle...on rails right up to the limit...however the car isnt forgiving when you reach the limit

I had none of the normal complaints about that crossfire powered car, and yes though it isnt as beautiful as my 78 it was still a vette. I enjoyed it thouroughly.

 

I have a 1986 C4 that is one of my daily drivers. Its comfortable, everything, works, and is very reliable.

It doesnt have the looks or character that my C3s have. But is has things that they dont also. I would drive the C4 for a long trip before
I would think about driving the C3s.


kdf

 

Um, excuse me??