When I traded my 95 for my 81, I told my wife that I felt like I was flying a P-51 mustang home.

 

100%

My first Vette was an 82 CE I bought used back in 1985. The shark body is still my favourite and I recently acquired a black 82.

I drove an 89 convertible for 12 years. The C4 is one of the best driver's Vettes of all of the generations IMHO. They were built to drive. If I had the room I would get a C4 ZR1.

My 89

 

Brilliant engineering? Have you ever had to work on one?
I have a friend of mine, 30 yrs. ACDelco trained mechanic, who'd like to meet the engineer who designed that damn thing and give him a swift kick in the knads.

 

All the answer above plus the point that even a blind can identify a C3...

 

Too much electronicus crappicus is the reason...

that an the myriad bunch of EPA regs and other .gov crap forcing a design that was really pushing the envelope......

the car would profit greatly from removing about 200 lbs of crap that does little to no good, maybe more than that....

 

It's been said....body styling. I've got a C3 and C4. While I love both, there's nothing like seeing over the front of a C3 while driving down the road. Probably the best driver's view ever.

 

...or perhaps a Warhawk (see sig).

 

The differences are pretty stark. C4s are excellent bang for the buck cars... seriously devalued, very difficult to sell. However, cheap to buy, fast, pretty reliable and comfortable.

C3s on the other hand have the vintage shark style and Corvette look, but can be cranky regarding mechanics like old cars do. Of course, C3s had such a long run, this is all year specific... the early chrome bumper cars are much more vintage looking and valuable, but the later rubber bumper cars are more affordable and dependable and have more creature comforts.

C3s still belong to the "vintage" grouping (c1/2/3) while the C4s simply cannot distinguish themselves from the C5s or later. All lost their styling after '82.

I think you own the 2 cars for entirely different reasons... my 69 is a vintage driver, but our C5 (not much different than C4, just improved) is just a driver. Comforable, fast, air consitioning works... but no one will look at it, thats for sure. Driver vs vintage.

 

True, some engineering fundamentals are skew, but overall, the C4 was a well designed car. I actually know one of the lead designers for the C4 personally. He was in charge of the ABS brakes and the dashboard components. I still give him grief about it.

 

it's all in the eye of the beholder. you're going to find many C3 owners who don't like the C4 because of human nature. It's the car that made theirs the old kid and had to take a back seat to the New Kid's in Town. The very same thing has happened to the original C4 owners in comparing to the C5. I know many C4, original owners, who say they hate the C5 but love the C6. Why? Well because the C6 knocked the car off the pedestal that knocked them off. It's human nature. The same thing has happened in the F Body cars and the Mustangs. Same thing is also going with the C5 Vs C6.

Now to comparisons of the two from someone who has no loyalty to anything other than Corvettes and Muscle cars. As far as price, it wasn't that long ago you could pick up a C3 for cheap. The C4 is now going through the bottom of the market. the C5 is starting to fall like a rock as well. But a Corvette will always be a winner if it's taken care of. A 4/5/6 will take years for them to ever regain their original asking price like the C3 simply because they cost way way more when new, even with inflation taken into consideration.

The C3 has a certain styling that will always be remembered as a Corvette because that was the style when Corvettes, and actually Muscle cars in general, became popular. I know ex C3 owners who said they loved their C3 but they will never miss the ride, the power or the heat in the summertime, in them.

I know ex C3 owners who could kick themself for ever getting rid of it.

As far as the comparison, the C4 is just an extenuation of the C3 with the lines being toned down. The original lines are still there if you look. The C3 cannot perform, stock for stock with a C4 built in 88 or later. Remember the HP measurements were totally different.

I've always wanted a C3 but I wouldn't trade my C4 for one. JMO, they're just cars guys!!

 

C3 are IMHO the best looking sport car ever produced. Even ahead of Ferraris and such.
It's just like a crazy concept car taken to production with almost no watering down.
The laws of aerodynamic and interior space consideration can go to hell, C3's are outrageous and thus timeless.
Today no car maker would have the guts to mass produce a design as outlandish as this, people would be like "Wait, the fenders are blocking the view, WTF"

 

I've had a C3, C4, C5 (gf's) & C6Z

Love the Z the best

not a big fan of C5

C4 was ok but C3 is a classic

 

I have C3 and a C5, I love my C3 for what it is. And the C5 for what it is. Lets face it, the C3 is '60s technology and the C5 is well its better. As My wife said on her first ride in the C5 at 120 mph, after living with me and the C3 for 25 years, quote "it is smooth isn't it".
If I had to choose I might sell the C5 and keep my old faithful 'OldChev'. It'll go anywhere the C5 will go, but not with the same AC or the nice tall gears.

 

We don't agree much on poly ticks....but DO on he C3 styling, which is one reason why I dumped out on the '87 vette in favor of my '72 hotrod....

 

I drove a 96 for 5 year before I bought my 69.

LOVED my 96 and wish i still had it. I'm the kind of person who drives theses cars like it was stolen and the 96 would do anything I told it to with ease.
Other than performance though the 96 has nothing on the 69...

The looks of the C3 are light years better and mine is as ugly as one can get. It gets noticed everywhere I go which makes me feel good when i get comments on it...

It's been nice learning how to restore the 69. For some reason on my C4 I barely touched it. Probably because it never needed anything and because I was happy with most aspects of it.

I'm hoping with time I can get my 69 to handle close to what the 96 did making the difference even more in favor of the C3.

 

I've owned both a stock '69/L71/4-speed and stock '92/LT1/6-speed, and IMOE in no way, shape or form did the latter come anywhere close to being such a ferocious brute. Admittedly, the C4 had an improved suspension and came with far better tires (the combination responsible for the C4's performance edge), and many a C3 was under powered, but the LT5 aside let's not overstate their potency under the hood vs high-perf engine optioned C3's.

 

I have both and love each one for their own attributes. C3 as mentioned is a top notch classic look with folks drooling at it. C4 is a refined excellent handling vehicle even today. My 88 being 22 yrs old can still hold its own in the handling braking area. The C3 just has that classic look that never gets old!! The clamshell hood is stopper on the C4 when opened and the disco dash although not liked by many exudes 80's tech!!

Anthony

 

The C4 never really appealed to me. They came from the "dark years" of American auto making when they were trying to compete with the growing Asian auto takeover, the EPA was king, and auto manufacturers were making cheaper more "disposable" cars. While they did make big suspension improvements, the style and horsepower just wasn't there.

 

Well, I sort of like the C3.5 - you know the ones with the C3 body and C4 suspension. Both my wife and I luv to take the 72 out, top down only and have thought of a new C6 just for comfort and long cruises - coast to coast type of thing.

 

I'm gonna take issue with Vettebuyer's comment about the C5, that it's "not much different than C4, just improved". It is my contention that C4 and C5 are as different as night and day.

All Dave Hill and his Engineering Team did was save the Corvette and Chevrolet's a$$. Gone were the OptiSpark problems and ingress/egress challenges. Performance was greatly improved in every way: power, ride, handling, etc. Plus, C5 paved the way for the refined C6.

Interestingly, I get far more favorable comments and "thumbs up" regarding my C5 than C3! Or maybe I just can't hear people while driving the C3! And yes, All Corvettes Are Red!

I do not mean to diss the C4 at all. It's just that, as time marches on, technical advancements make the Corvette better. If this did not happen, Corvette would be extinct. My next Corvette may be a C4, due to their "Big Bang for the Buck" qualities. I am concerned, however, with the lack of replacement ECM's for these cars.

Regarding the C3, I believe it will continue to be one of the best cars for DIY'ers. As somebody said, in most states the C3 is not (yet!?) subject to inspections and emission laws.

Rickman