Listen to Rocco16...he knows what he's talking about.

There I said something stupid for you!

 

sounds like a freqkin' luv in betw. the two coasts.

as to 96LT4s, yeah they're great. but only as long as rocco or sjw own 'em. me, I'm vette-less for another two weeks. but I've been to Vette Lunches!!!!!!

guess who, sjw?

 

Hmm... Let's see here...

Perhaps somebody who's about to take Museum Delivery of a Really Cool Atomic Orange ragtop six-speed?

Can't wait to see 'er, Bill! (but ya oughta keep the LT4CompYell handle so folks hereabouts'll know who ya are).

Be well,

SJW

 

That is one of the only black eyes the lt4's have however I solved the problem by buying a new controller from a 94-95 model and swapping the guts over. The older models were identical except they had plastic nipples rather than rubber so they wont collapse. It only costs about 100 bucks or so and about 30 minutes of your time to correct. Not a huge deal. My LT4 has been the most reliable car ive ever owned. Ive owned a boat load of cars too

 

I'm the orginal owner with 40,000 miles on the clock. Other than filters, fluids, and tires the only issue was a fuel pump replacement at 25,000 miles. Opps... I lied, I need to fix my HVAC vacuum controller.

 

The only thing I had to replace on mine was a water pump in the last 5 years and 30k miles. Very reliable for me.

 

i bought my 96 lt4 ce back in april, had 7000 miles on it 8500 now...

all i have done is change all the fluids and it runs like a champ...

stick with the lt4.............

 

My LT4 has 65k on the clock and has been very reliable. In fact, the only things I've changed are the oil, filters & fluids. All the things listed in my sig were done because I wanted to, not because I had to. As far as things on the car I've had to fix/replace, the battery is it.

When I bought this car 3 yrs ago I was looking for a stock low mileage black LT4 and found this one w/ 21k on the clock. It was exactly what I was after so I bought it w/ hopes it would treat me right and it has.

Also, to me, the mods I've done have just made it that much better and I'm still psyched about the car like the day I bought it...actually more so. In fact, a mod here and a change there periodically just helps keep the passion goin'.

 

These have all been very good responses...just the kind of information I wanted to gather. Thank you!

Part of the decision point for me right now is that age old decision (pun intended ) about styling vs. more modern conveniences. It's true that you don't see too many clean late model C4s much on the road any longer (and that even holds true in car crazy So Cal). That aspect of the C4 appeals to me. Performance wise, I don't have any problems with performing minor upgrades to a stock LT4 to get it up to slightly leaned on LS1 levels. That's easy stuff and all bolt ons.

We're now seeing some '03 Z06s in the low $30's. That's tantalizing until you realize they have ~35K miles and you know those are hard miles. Low mileage C4's are fetching a bit of a premium right now, and for all the right reasons. One could easily pay low-mid $20's for the right car...it's not too much of stretch to enter LS1 territory with a decent and well taken care of C5 at those price points.

The negatives for me on the C4 are the following (and part of my past experiences with what I felt was a very reliable '93):

- Bose stereo is not the best and prone for failure
- Water pumps (easy to fix but the failure rates are higher than they should be)
- Opti-crap...'nuff said
- ZF6...when they go bad they are expensive to repair/replace (some would say that is true for any tranny, but the ZF6 has a hit or miss history...my '93 was fine)
- various squeeks and rattles from the interior (you'll never eliminate all of them...the chassis on the C4 is just too rigid to avoid them)
- FX3 suspension...more problems waiting to happen (thank goodness the aftermarket now offers better options, so I've learned)
- HVAC issues, which some here have offered up reliable fixes for

The positives are that the aftermarket offers a lot of replacement parts, trim pieces, etc. No shortage of parts and that is paramount for me. And the styling is either something you adore or can't stand. The C4 grew on me over the years...when it first came out I was very negative on the car (having grown up in the '70s and falling in love with the C3s). After owning and driving one daily, it became a FANTASTIC car to own and drive.

The last hurdle is that I have to get over the fact of buying a 12 year old car. Especially since I'm now driving a supercharged '04 GTP with HUD and other modern conveniences that you wish the C4 could incorporate some magical way. But it's FWD (and has four doors) and that sucks.

-Dean

 

You could keep analyzing and analyzing but at the end of the day what's your heart telling you?

My LT4 to me is old-school muscle and attitude with late 90's tech. It would not be the same experience in a C5, despite and because of the C5's superior design and technology. It's a unique driving experience, period.
This car is a challenge to own and run as a DD and gets the heart pumping the way no other car has for me So far I'm enjoying the challenge, the worst part is not being able to afford all the mods I want to do, that I see so many other cars here have. I haven't had to do any really expensive repairs, as I chose one that had some of that stuff already taken care of (opti, waterpump, cam chain). I had a problem with plug wires that were recently installed OEM. I learned a lot about diagnosing and I upgraded.
I just had the fuel pump fail. Again I learned to diagnose and fixed it myself - easy.
Also the LT4 thing gives it an exclusivity even within Corvette World that you can't really put a price on. This is my King O The hill

One more thing - there's plenty of clean C4's out there, just take your time. I agree you don't see em on the road, they're all hanging out at autotrader.com. I spent 3 months researching Corvette and then the same again looking for what I wanted till I found the right car - I had a nice choice of LT4s at the time.

If $'s not such an issue, go with the heart

 

Uh, Houston, we have a minor problem.....

There are no minor upgrades that are easy bolt-ons that will get an LT4 up to "leaned on" LS1 levels.

There are damn few major upgrades (i.e those requiring new gaskets) that will raise an LT4 output past LS1 levels.
You see, all the easy stuff is already done: cam, compression, heads, rockers, big valves, intake, rods, crank, ignition, etc.

Oh, you might put in a HOT CAM, but that doesn't qualify as a minor, easy, bolt-on. Real power increases on an LT4 come from major...read $$ and effort...modifications. About the only thing that qualifies as "minor" is a good cat-back, and the best systems will cost you $1000 while giving you about 5hp.

Just being realistic.

What I love is the old-skool attitude of the LT4; last and best of the iron-block Chevy small blocks. It's like a mouthy middleweight on Friday Night Fights.....

Larry
code5coupe

__________
not easily impressed....

 

Is this THE Bill? Formerly-of-the-Best-Coast-Bill??

The same Bill who buys (and sells!!) LT4's for amounts normally reserved for ZR-1's???

Atomic Orange indeed!!



Larry
code5coupe

___________
not easily impressed....

 

Larry, good post! But please allow me to clarify a few points if I may:

* Cat back is minor...$$$ but did one on my '93 in about 1.5 hours. And dynoed at 18HP alone (!).
* Long tube headers and free flowing cats would also be a little more difficult to muscle in, but still fairly easy on the busted knuckle scale...just a matter of $,$$$.
* A 75-100 shot of NOS is also an easy bolt-in, and when combined with long tubes, cat back, K&N and chip/tune, I'm definitely working the slightly leaned on LS1 cars.

I agree that anything else beyond what I just mentioned is major surgery.

-Dean

 

Eakster, your post pretty much hit the nail on the head. The decision has more to do with heart than most would think.

Mileage obviously becomes THE differentiator. Under 25K? Expect to pay (on average) around $24,000. Low/mid miles (30-35K) are around $20,000. Mid miles (45-60K) are in the $15,500 range. High mileage cars can be found for $13,000. [sources = this forum, Roger's, Mike's).

The part that works my brain too hard is the fact that I'm looking to potentially buy a 12 year old car whose foundation is primarily based on late '80's/early '90's technology (no one can argue that). And a really nice one is a few good steps north of $20K. I just need to get over that hurdle somehow...

-Dean

 

Last add: I don't view the standard LT4 coupe as an investment. Yes, it's a great engine and all, but the car I buy would be driven daily and driven hard (17 miles via back roads to work and 21 miles on freeway (stop and go) all the way home...don't ask me why that is so but it works in OC).

Now if you want to talk investment potential for LT4 'Vettes, then any of the GS cars qualifies, along with the super low mileage CEs and the occasional, low mileage triple black verts.

-Dean

 

Any LT4 car with investment potential will have very low mileage or be a grand sport. If you're going to spend the extra $$ on an LT4 vs. LT1 and plan to drive it daily, the premium is for fun factor, you get to rev it up to 6,300 rpm instead of 5,700 rpm for the LT1. I think you have to buy one because you love the car and its styling. Putting up with 12 year old parts and technology that dates back to the 1990s and a design that began to be developed in the late 1970s goes with the territory of owning one. Owning one is a bumpy ride at times but still one hell of a rush to drive even when compared to newer technology.

 

You WOULD make fun!!! I luv it. YES, rocco/Larry, AORoads stands for Atomic Orange Roadster. KEWL, eh? Right on about the LT4 but first off, it went to the "best owner" on this coast within 50 miles. And next, it is being used and used well. So, all is good.

AORoads, rides!!! sooooonnnnn.....seeya hopefully in San D.!

 

Here's how to get over the hurdle, OP: as one steps to (notice, I didn't say "steps UP to ...") C5 or even first-year C6-land, the degree of computer-controlled complexity increases almost geometrically.

I haven't confirmed this yet, but one fellow who should know has said the C6 has 32 computers (granted, some are kinda tiny, I suspect... ) on it.

I'd betcha the C5 has quite a few less. But not as few as the C4s, even the last,great year. Not to mention the fact that there are great tuners who know the C4 very well and have tunes available. Not that they don't know the LS2 and LS3s.

Just another thing to take into consideration. I also believe the C4 is the last Corvette to truly remind one of the heritage of sports cars from, and in America. I can argue all over the table about what is a sports car, but to me, the C4 was the last one of the original era, which actually pre-dates the first Corvette.

Everything else, is in a different league altogether. Not necessarily a better league, just different, altho there are aspects of course, which are better. If the new "era" is what you're used to, and if that's what you want, nothing wrong with that.

Good luck.

 

The lt4 is a good choice. I think about selling mine from time to time till I drive it. I am greedy and have 2 vettes, an 02 Z06 and the CE lt4. They are both very cool rides in great condition and the differences in the cars are night and day but I enjoy both the same.
Buy the lt4 and you won't be disappointed. Sure I had to replace a leaking water pump in the lt4 (went back with electric) and yeah it squeaks in cold weather but who cares. I had to do an HVAC head and a ABS module on the 02 so it's not perfect either. Just fix it, it's part of the hobby. I bet you stare at an old c4 longer than you do a c5 when one goes down the street.