My cousin who owns a c-5 visited yesteday. I asked if he would like to drive my car and he said yes, he would like that very much. He proceded to tell me in detail why his c-5 was tons better, and why I would really be happier with a c-5. I ws polite, and did not tell him to go to hell, he is family after all, but felt pretty shot down after he left. I need you guys to rebut his claims. His car has better everything according to him. And according to him the c-4 is a real piece of junk that GM should have abandoned years earlier.

I like my car. I have only had it 3 months now, but have put 2500 enjoyable miles on it, and intend to eventualy get a c-5 convert when the prices come down. See if you can come up with as many good points about the c-4 as you can.

 

Happiness is a relative measure. Of course the C5 would have some better features. what else would you expect from a newer design. However the C4 has been an excellent model for the corvette. I have had my C4 for just over 1 year. No matter what corvette you have, there will be someone with a nicer one and someone with a less nicer one. You need to just enjoy what you have. I think the C4 is more of a sports car design as compared to the C5 which clearly took the road to more elegance and comfort. But to those lay people, a corvette is a corvette. They look alike to most non-corvette knowledgeables.
I have read that the C5 years 99-2002 had a defect in the engine that caused one cylinder to potentially leak oil thru rings at higher RPM. Not a good thing to have in a $50K car. I have not heard anything but great stuff about the LT1 and L98 engines of the C4. Also, the C4 is probably the last model of corvette an owner can actually do some repairs, maintenance and upgrades on without needing a degree in auto mechanics. I have to admit, I too am new to the corvette scene, but in essence, there are positives and negatives on each model. enjoy the positives that you have with your C4, and remember, it is a corvette model that was redesigned from ground up in 1984 and lasted 12 strong years. I bet your cousin has similar arguments as to why his C5 model is yet better still than the new C6.

 

Tell him his C-5 rides really smooth...almost like a Nisan Sentra!

 

Right after I bought my 93, I had the opportunity to drive a friend's 2002 z-06. I drove it about 12-15 miles. It was nice, but I didn't feel that my 93 was much less than his and it didn't make me disappointed in my choice at all. I am still very satisfied that I bought my car and didn't have to spend all the money for a c-5. My car had 88700 miles on it when I bought it last April, it now has 105800. I love driving it whenever I can. Continue to enjoy your car and save your money for some upgrades on your c-4.

 

Your cousin is not an enthusist. the C5 would not be what it is if it weren't for all the advancements the C4 made. Any C6 owner could say the same of his car.

 

Good points Ragovet. Thanks.They are points it is nice to be reminded of. Let me make one thing clear: I don;t need my cousin to like my car to be happy, but I want to like my car. I want to think there are objective good things about the c-4 that make it worthwhile. I want you guys who love your c-4's to tell me why you love them.

I like mine because:1. it looks great(way better than the c-4 IMHO); 2.it has a great engine,(this coming from a life time Mopar geek); 3. it has a great automatic transmission; 4. it really cradles you when you drive (you feel like a real part of the car); 5. it gets great gas mileage,(for a 300HP performance car); 6, it gets respect on the road and my driveway, or my customer's driveway,(everyone lights up when the see it); 7. and most important of all perhaps, because it is not perfect, there are improvements to be made, which gives it the excitement of a 'project',which has always been a big part of my car life. If there isn't something to do to a car, I get bored with it. 8. And last, but not least, as they say, a c-4 does not break the bank to buy. I felt like a I was fulfilling a fantasy at a reasonable price. How about you guys?

 

He can think the world of his C5 but the simple fact is that without the C4 there would be no C5. "Better" is a matter of personal opinion, personally I think my C4 is "better" than any C5 out there save for maybe a modded ZO6. Regardless though I will never directly bash somebody's car because I know they have their own reasons for liking it. It sounds to me like your cousin isn't really a Corvette owner, he's just a guy who happens to drive a Corvette.

 

oh and how

it also seems he might think he's some big shot on an ego trip. for him to drive your pride & joy and then knock it down like he did indicates he's got more money than brains, which is typical of folks who just drive these great machines to fill their shallow egos. what a pantload.

your '95 is an excellent form of art and power. let your cousin wallow in his soul-less pride.

 

My cousin is not a bad guy, but is awkward, and insensative with what he says. He is an enthusiast, in that he races regularly at Watkins Glen, but I don;t know how good he is, or on what level he enjoys his car. I do think he enjoys feeling superior about pretty much everything though. He's got tons of money, and always buys 'the best', and then is sure to tell you about it. I like the comment about telling him his car rode almost like a Nissan Senta. That's the kind of comment he would make to me though, so I will keep that between us c-4 guys. Keep the stuff coming though, this is helping.

 

I'd have told him to go to hell, family or not but that's me.

 

1) Yours is paid for

2) You can actually get close enough to the motor to work on it.

3) The C4 rearend doesn't have an oversize bootie.

4) C5 dash components looks too similar to the Silverado.

Your cousin is probably anatomically challenged. Yes, C5's are good cars, but every generation of vettes has its problems. Hang out in the C5 or C6 section, you'll see what I mean. Now go build a big cubic inch small block and go stomp his azz!

 

c4's are a generation lost in space. the rodney dangerfield of "getting no respect" corvettes.

they only made 8 yrs of a c5 and 13 yrs of a c4. but in my opinion, i can't see any c4 or higher generation corvette, (other than a rare "edition"), ever going for c1-c3 values ever again.

i enjoy my c4 and you should too....

 

Something about cousins. Cousins are always bigger and badder, at least in their own minds.

I think its because they can torment you because they don't worry about the repercussions that may occur when they fall asleep and you dip their hand in warm water.

Tell him his C5 has a big butt.

 

The thing is though that the Sentra comment is not out of line. A C5 rides like a sofa compared to a C4. Throw one around the twisties sometime and you'll see what we mean. Why don't you see if he'll let you drive his C5. Tell him that you want to see how much better it really is. Once you feel it's "dead" steering wheel and mushy brake pedal you'll want your C4 back in no time.

 

When I bought my 93 in Atlanta, it wasn't quite ready when I arrived and the dealer gave me the keys to a 02 to take sight seeing and to keep overnight. His comment was this might spoil you compared to the C-4. I wasn't overly impressed, felt like I was sitting on the car rather than in it. I picked up my 93 the next morning and drove it 800 miles home and I couldn't be happier with my choice.

Dan

 

fwiw, if offered an 84 vette or a C5 (except maybe a Z06), i would take the 84.........thats how much i love C4's

i dont like cars, i dont like corvettes, i like C4's (get my drift?)

 

Bet he recently got a beat down from a C6 owner and needed to feel better about himself.

 

When I drive my 93 6sd I always suffer from the "Walter Mitty" race car driver sydrome. The times I have driven C5's, I always feel like I'm in a Camaro & keep thinking to myself, what did they do with back seat?

The C4's have always & will always be cooler than a C5. The clamshell hood, exposed ft suspension, and cockpit feel of the interior (just getting in & out feels like you are getting in & out of a racecar) make for a far more enjoyable sports car experience. Don't get me wrong, I like all Corvettes, but there are just some I like a whole lot better. I can buy a C5 or a C6 if I choose, but when it gets right down to it, I can't see how either of those cars could exceed the fun factor of C4 enough to justify the additional cost. They may have smoother rides, but if that's what I am looking for, I'll take the wife's Intrepid R/T.

 

I would have told him he is an arrogant SoB and the world would have been better off if HE had been abandoned.

 

A couple of years ago, one of the guys at work was driving a C-5, and he told me I ought to get rid of the "toilet" I was driving and get a real vette. I haven't seen that C-5 in a long time, but my 87 is in the parking lot regularly. My own cousin had a Viper GTS for a couple of years, and gave it up. If you want to keep something, you have to make sure it doesn't compete with your other priorities. A C-4 is a very reasonable toy, and not a major investment that you will have to move to satisfy some other need that comes up. Get that C-5 if you want it, but do it in your own time. You'll know when you are ready. One payment and no interest is the best loan you will ever get.