I am as my name and avie imply...a C3 owner and lately I've been thinking about adding another Vette and was thinking about looking for a nice one and my question is...of all the years, which do you people feel are the best years I might look into?

Any help as to which year to look for or avoid for whatever reason would be greatly appreciated

 

i ve been reading that the newer the better,so i might say a 96 !!!
Good Luck !!!
im sure you will be pleased to have a C4 on your car family !

 

The late year models 95 - 96 are at bargan prices and good cars can be found that will be reliable daily drivers if you want. They drive really nice and you can probably get 200k from a well maintained LT1. You have to drive a half dozen however to get a feel for the different rear ends and of course if you have to have a mn then the choice is wider but more expensive.

 

If you want to stay with an old school SBC with distributor get an 89, if you wanna try your hand at the optispark ignition get a 95/96

 

I have bought "change" models of c3's and c4's. Now do what I say and not what I do. Stay away from "change" years. They are usually cheaper used and have parts from before and after. For example the Haynes Manual for '84 thru '96 doesn't cover my '88 35th Anni. Z0-1. My first was a 68 Vert., took a shower evertime it rained. No recall no fix.Next was a '72, choked by smog stuff. Next was '84, radical new Vette, nice ride but info about it came out slow. Early '90's would be a a good place to start.

 

The Opti IS a distributer. (just a bad location)

 

I would concentrate on a 96, 6speed, LT4
Everything I don't have!!

 

 

Per Gordon Killebrew (he was a factory trouble shooter for dealers and owners) the 95s and 96s had most of the bugs worked out. The one-year LT4 motor has a conservative 330 hp rating and was only available with the 6-speed tranny in the 96 model. It will keep up or better most stock LS1 C5s out there. Don't be afraid of higher miles if the car has been fanatic maintained.
As said before, go drive one.

 

With four C4's of experience, I definately say 95-96. If you're looking for a manual, definately go with the 96 LT4. After working with Corvettes through a Chevy dealership for many years, in my opinion its the best driving experience out there, as well as a great bang for the buck!

 

The C4 was a 12 year run with many produced and plenty of time to get the bugs ironed out., They say the 95-96 are by far the best. If you want a Gen1 SBC with a HEI you are limited to 84-91.
Drive one of each, youll know whats for you. Whatever you do....Dont get a project fixer upper C4 unless you reeeeely like to work on cars. Pay a little more and get the nicest one you can.

They can be real wallet bleeders if they arent kept up on.

 

Ok, for me it had to be a 91 thru 96 and didn't matter much outside that other than MANDATORY 6 speed. I had to have the restyled rear exterior and nose. HAD too. Not to say any other year is better or worse but I've always liked the look of the car I have now. I would highly suggest buying the Corvette Black Book. There's tons of info in there and gives attributes to new model mods every year so you can tailor what you like. I damn near bought an 89 but wouldn't have been happy without the restyled rear and nose.


I've also test drove several years and models of C3's and C4's and found that when you are looking at buying a Corvette, you either get a clapped out pile or a pretty nice ride! I don't know why this is but that has been my experiences. Good luck and happy hunting!

 

My car of choice: '96 Grand Sports. May pay a little more up front but they seem to be holding their values nicely. Plus, you will definitely have an unique looking C4. Check out this site for more info: http://grandsportregistry.com/

 

I've got a '93 that's been trouble free, but the '95 and '96 models seem to be the most reliable of the late C4's. Drive a couple of different cars and decide. Enjoy!

 

Newest you can afford.

 

Thanks for the input guys

 

Now, you are absolutely obligated by the code to let us all know what you end up with

 

It all depends on the Cash , but I would say 96 or ZR1 for sure that is my 02. cents

 

96, 95, 94. There are a ton of em out there with less than 65K miles, that have been weekend drivers all their lives.

dd

 

Personally, I'd say go with a 89. In fact go with mine, It's for sale and in jersey

On a serious note, I have owned a 93 6-speed and my current 89 auto. The 93 was stock, obviously my 89 isn't. They both had there perks. Honestly I like the power curve of the L98 better than the LT1. My 89 also handles better. I also like the exterior look of the older C4's (84-91) Interior as well. Everyone here seems to say go with the newest low-mileage one you can find. That's all well and good, but at least drive one 84-91 and one 92-96. if you don't, how will you ever know what you could have had. You know what I mean? Stick is fun but it's not for everyone. The 6-speed in the vette (89-96)is a ZF6 (kind of a heavy feel) older ones were 4+3...I'd stay away from those. 700R's in the autos.

The only thing to look out for is the "dreaded" opti in the 92-96 models. They are a bitch to fix and are kind of pricy (considering you should also replace the H20 pump and prob do the plugs+wires at the same time) Otherwise when test-driving do the normal listening for weird sounds and make sure you step on it a few times, Just like on any normal car

We can only give you our opinion here...Realistically it comes down to you and the car you fall in love with. You don't need a ZR1 or a LT4. You also don't need to spend 15K on a car. Don't be scared of high-mileage either. You should be able to spot a cared for vette and one that was not cared for.

Good luck! Oh and once you drive a C4....You'll be hooked. Nothing like it