Knightfall

Hey ya'll, I'm going to be graduating from college next year and I am considering buying a C4 corvette as my first car upon graduating. I may be moving a loooooong way from home as well as having quite the commute when I graduate, so reliability is a must and a significant factor in the vehicle I choose. My main question is that most of the cars I am looking at are the between $15-$20k (significantly under my budget compared to everything else I'm looking at) "basically new" corvettes sold by classic car dealers which usually have around or less than 20k original miles. What do ya'll think? Are there any issues with vehicles that are so seldomly driven? What about long term reliability as long as I keep the oil changed and don't treat it like an F-18? Are these kinds of vehicles good deals? How would insurance be compared to, say, a new base-model truck (before seriously considering a C4, my first choice was the new 2016 Nissan Titan). Just trying to play sponge and soak up all the info I can....thanks ya'll....

jakenks

As with any older vehicle, get the best one you can afford. Service records are a very good indication of how the vehicle was taken care of, or at least regarding any major work or routine maintenance. A classic car dealer is one way to go, or you could peruse the classifieds and find low mileage cars that way and most likely pay less of a premium.

Mileage is an ok factor to look at, especially if you want this to be something that you keep as a collectable. Since you are looking at driving one as a daily, I'd be more concerned with overall condition and apparence than mileage.

Some might say it is crazy to choose an older sports car as a daily driver, but it is not unheard of. Just allocate some money to repair the inevitable mechanical failure or problem that you will encounter. Regarding cars that have sat more than driven, it is a coin toss. Less daily wear & abuse, but infrequent operation can be detrimental to internal conditions in an engine, unless it is properly maintained. Some say that you may have problems with rubber seals and engine gaskets leaking, but you will have most of that on a regularly driven car, just from wear.

Get the best you can afford, in a well maintained and loved car. If you get it from a dealer, see if they offer a service plan or warranty, especially if you are not adept at working on your own car. The C4 Corvette has some fairly complex systems, but they are not insurmountable. The best part is, it's heart beats Chevrolet, with a very reliable and easy to source engine and transmission.

DanielRicany

Just because a old car has low mileage does not mean it will be reliable. A car with low mileage and lots of maintenance over the years would be ideal. And if buying a Corvette, you may want to purchase one from a private seller so you can know the repair history of the vehicle, and judge how reliable the car will be based on it's history. These are wonderful cars but as with every old car, they do require attention from time to time. I noticed when I bought mine that everything started breaking in the beginning until I got it all straightened out. That is because the car sat more than it was driven. After everything was fixed it became pretty reliable. And the car was not by any means in bad condition when I bought it.

N227GB

Nice choice in first car! Mine was a Ford Escort.

I don't see the value in paying a premium for a dealer price versus a private seller. This would also insulate you from talking to the previous owner. While a pre-buy inspection is being done at a shop, this gives a potential buyer an opportunity to see what kind of owner they are. Are they a Corvette nut who needs to sell because of outside circumstances, or just someone bored with the car. My C4 came from an owner that retired down here from up north. Limited new garage space meant that some of the toys had to go including one of the Vettes.

C4s were in production for a long time, and many improvements were made over time. Here's a good reference to read up on.

What part of the country are you going to be relocating to?

Any agent should be able to quote you a premium with the basic info on the car. Driving record and credit report will come into play.





Letting something sit for long periods is not good. The Carfax on mine showed the previous owner of mine drove it ~1,000 miles a year for the last 15 years. This with maintenance records told me I hit what I considered the sweet spot of relatively low (41k) miles, with regular mechanical exercise on sunny days.

Bandit's C4

Finding a low mileage creampuff has several possible side effects.

Will not resolve the age old issue of maintenance vs. original parts, reliability issues , seals/gaskets, and aging plastic/rubber parts failing due to the lack of preventative maintenance.

However you mentioned a long distance commute... may suggest get a much younger runabout for the commute.

markKlein

I hate to say this, but you may be better served getting a new or newish "normal" car. Any C4 is 18 years old, at best. Cars with high mileage may be worn out, cars with low mileage may have dried up seals and gaskets, cracked or rotted rubber. C4s were as reliable as anything on the road when they were new, but they are old now. That kind of money will buy you a sweet C4, but I would be cautious about betting my new career on anything that old that I had no history with. Also you didn't say where you will be moving to; I would not recommend a C4 as a DD if you may have to drive on snow or ice.

Go online and find out what the insurance would be for you, at my age it's peanuts. Your age maybe not.

1993C4LT1

20 year old here, I've had two C4's. It's my only car. I don't recommend you buy one unless you have another car that you could also drive.

Knightfall

Thanks for all the help, guys. I really appreciate it. Never really thought about dry rot issues on a car that sat in a classic car dealer showroom until ya'll and a buddy of mine in the car business brought it up.

As for my location, I currently live in FL and go to school in SC, but when I graduate I am commissioning into the Army so I could be made to live anywhere from Alaska to Germany, hence at least one potentially long road trip. I like living out in the woods so, my income willing, I was planning on living off post so I can recharge at the range on the weekends (part of why I started considering a corvette).

I'm not a rocket surgeon when it comes to cars, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't want to become one if it was my own paid-for baby haha.

Again, thanks for everyone's input. Until now I've been borrowing my dad's 2006 PT Cruiser to get around when I'm home (bought post-hurricane Charley when gas was almost $6 a gallon (or even more maybe) and it was the only car that was both dirt cheap and got good gas mileage at the time. Has almost 200k on it now I think from my dad's commute.), so I'm trying not to be overwhelmed in the process of becoming a car owner. Just trying to find the best bang for my buck in terms of reliability and badassery

MaxDaemon

My '94 has 95,000 miles on her, and I plan to take her all over the country. If at some point she fails and leaves me in a lurch, I have AAA to get me towed in and we'll deal with it then.

Up til that point I'm going to ASSume she's as likely or unlikely to die on the road as any mini-van.

You can have failures in a brand new C7 too .. but I can probably buy a whole new engine for my C4 for the same price as two car payments on a C7.

1993C4LT1

True, even a new car can fail.

auggy

It sounds like you don't know what you want. The c4 is not a Toyota . The Toyota is vastly more reliable. The C4 is vastly more fun. C4 VS Nissan Titan ?????????? Apples and oranges. You need to grow up and figure this out on your own.

MaxDaemon

<blink> If he's graduating from college, he's pretty well grown up. And as far as I can tell, he's "figuring it out on his own" by asking questions of people he assumes know some answers.

So far as fun, I'm betting a Nissan Titan would be about as much fun off road as the Corvette would be on- road.

Since his question concerned a lot of commuting, I'd think a Corvette would be imminently suitable for that. For the amount of money he's budgeted though, he might be better off with a C5 or C6...

<goes starry eyed> Or a ZR-1.

mtwoolford

get a late model toyota and pay off your student loans

Knightfall

I am also considering a C5, but the C4 is probably my favorite generation of Corvette, hence why I'm considering one.

I went to school on an ROTC scholarship, so I won't have student loans, and I have a small savings built up from my Army monthly paychecks.

If it helps, my what my paycheck will be is public record and all over the internet.

mtwoolford

Life is a series of choices and you've already made some good ones. Congratulations.

My C4 recommendation?

First of all a coupe, not a convertible; you'll be amazed at how much stuff can get packed into the back of a coupe...not so much, in fact hardily any at all in a convertible. Plus a coupe is much more tolerant of being parked outside and exposed to the elements. And a coupe, with the targa roof off is pretty close to being a convertible with the top down.

Second, get an car with an L98 (conventional) V8...they are much easier and cheaper to find parts for and maintain. I have an LT based engine and they were only made for 5 years and while they are good, they are expensive to maintain; the OPTI distributor is very expensive, both in terms of cost and added labor when replacing or working on one, the LT water pumps are likewise very expensive, the stub shaft that drives the oil pump is a nightmare versus having the oil pump being driven off the gear on the bottom of a conventional distributor, the LT timing chain cover has three oil seals (water pump, opti, and crankshaft) versus one for a conventional L98, and hence three times the potential for leaks.

Third, get a car with an ZF six speed, for L98 cars this limits you to 1990 and 1991 cars (maybe 1989 ? not sure); the transmission is awesome and all manual transmission cars got heavier duty Dana 44 rear ends versus Dana 36 rears for the automatic cars;

In any case avoid pre 1987 (or was it 1986?) cars since these engine got flat tappet camshafts; all later have hydraulic roller cams.

Finally, before you invest in a vette, go on ebay and try to find some books (mostly out of print) about C4 vettes; one of the best, and I don't have the complete title, author, publisher, is titled something like "101 Projects for Your C4 Corvette"...it explains a LOT.

Good luck on whatever car you choose...and it doesn't necessarily have to be a vette...there's something to be said for modern, boring, and reliable, could even be a toyota, lol.

1993C4LT1

Same here. I love the 90-96 C4 interior.

rocco16

While some guys do pull this off, there aren't many who can successfully utilize a C4 as their daily driver. There are a variety of reasons that the C4 is not the best choice as your only car.
That said, if you really want a Corvette...and I mean are obsessed with having a Vette and can't afford more than one vehicle....the C4 and C5 are probably the best choices.
If the Vette is simply a "cool car" to you, then you'll probably be dissapointed. Since you are very young (as Corvette owners go), you probably grew up on Toyotas and Hondas. This means lots of maintenance has not been your vehicular experience.

Most of us grew up with old Chevys, Fords, and Plymouths....so we are used to laying under cars on weekends fixing very simple mechiancal stuff. ("electricals" to us, means a condenser or fuses ) A 20 year-old car (which most C4's are), with all their maintenance/repair issues, is nothing new. Are you prepared to deal with this?
While a 25 year-old C4 is a fairly robust platform, they aren't a 5 year-old Civic. Just go into this with your eyes open and sans rose-colored glasses. If you decide to buy a Corvette, then welcome to the family!!

jakenks

No to be snarky, but a man who is graduating from college and about to become an Army officer is grown up. He came to an enthusiast site to help him make a choice on a car. Don't think he needs advice on growing up.

FOURSPEEDVETTE

Just remember that Knightfall will soon be a college graduate and will be out there defending your country and your AZZ in the military while protecting your right to be out driving your Corvette! Sounds like he's pretty well grown up to me! Hey Knightfall...... Thank You for your service. As far as a C4 for an everyday driver, you might want to consider a newer car for everyday dependability just because the latest C4 is now 19 years old.

MavsAK

I'm a proud owner of a 1989 Corvette which has 149,715 miles on it (as of last night.) that has been used as a daily driver every day for the last 3 years.

These cars are surprisingly reliable even when they've been abused or neglected. It took me a long time long time, but I'm finally starting to round the corner of having a really sweet ride. If the C4 is your only car it's going to be difficult when stuff breaks. SO get one with a good service history. I'd actually focus on that a hell of alot more than mileage.

Mine for example IF or when I decide to sell, will be a ludicrously high mileage car....but I bet you can take it to California, and back a lot more easily than quite a few cars with 1/4 the mileage that mine has on it. From the springs, to brakes, to shocks, intake work, exhaust replacement, soon I'll be either putting in a FIRST intake (I have an Edelbrock TPI on it right now.), or maybe a Dart 400 shortblock kit with forged mahle internals and flat top pistons. The work's been done.

Mileage isn't or shouldn't be a deterrent. Try to find out the car's history of service. That's Everything, with any used car. But especially older sports cars.

At this point, I could just start on the interior and paint...but I want a little more power before I go there