Agree, out of everything that's cool about C4s, I especially like the clamshell hood! :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: Besides strikingly beautiful, it offers excellent access for engine work. Kudos to Detroit!

 

If you like the C4, you believe in the "less is more" school of thought. I agree too, as the C4 is a rolling work of minimalist art. People who rag on C4s have never taken the time to look at the styling details. Its not easy to make such a clean shape and still have a fully functional automobile...

There's nothing wrong with C5s, but they sure look bloated next to the C4. :D

 

I couldnt have said it better...EXCELLENT post!

Some of the terms Ive heard in this thread describing the C4:

"angular"

"dated"

"blocky and understyled"

Hmmmm...I wonder if people would say the same thing about the C2's? They were very "blocky and angular" compared to the C3 Sharks right? But are they any less beautiful in their own right? Is there anyone here that would deny the awesome and dangerous beauty of a '67 L89 vette?

Obviously with every new generation the newer model fits in better with the current styling trend. Personally I dont always consider that a good thing. EG: I happen to REALLY like the tight wrap around feel of the cockpit in my C4. As I said before the C5 reminds me more of a Camaro....not knocking the Camos you understand but I want my vette to look & feel like a vette damnit! (I still cant believe they dumped the clamshell hood)

Lets wait and see what the C6 is like then we can all trash the C5's :D heh heh heh

 

As we know, alll Corvettes are awesome.

C1's, Zora's orginal vision, gotta respect that.
C2's, the ultimate big block muscle cars.
C3's, who doesn't love the bubble fenders and t-tops?
C5's are techological wonders and insanely fast.

But the C4 is my favorite, because it was THEE definative car of the computer age and my childhood dream car. The Clam shell hood with the subtle C3 curves, the coolest hood ever made. The "star wars" dash, which I have loved since I first saw it at the Chevy dealer on the "new" 1984 model. I had to have one, reminds me of K.I.T.T.(I'm a child of the 80's) But I like the "wrap around" style of the 90-96 dash, too. Sure the C4 looks some what dated, epecially the pre 91's with square bumpers. But, at the same time, there is something about that C4 design that is timeless and totally understated. And that is what I love about the C4. :chevy

To steal a line from the Grand National guys, "Going fast with class".

 

I think the C4's sit very well with the C5's...even the Z06's...




Jay

 

I'll take a 91+ convertible over a C5 coupe any day of the week. I'll have to admit i like to C5 convertible the best. When i bought my current vette i drove a lot of C5 coupe and was much more satisfied with the C4 Verts. Thats why it's what i bought. I don't think it will ever look old. It's a classic roadster and i love it.

 

Seems to be that the C4 design was pretty darn good, considering that it lasted from 1984 to 1996!!!...as opposed to the C5 that came into existence in 1997 and will exit with the coming mdel year 2003~ ;) ;) ;)

 

Growing up my favorite year vette was the '81-'82. I always thought the C4's were blah! Nothing that you would look at and say "wow". Nothing like the sharks! I decided I was going to buy a vette. Wanted a C5 but couldn't afford one. I then started to look a little closer at the car that I always thought was the ugliest (maybe not ugly-just plain) vette of them all. Maybe I was wrong. This car did have some nice lines!! The more I looked, the more I liked. Looking at the car from most angles it is just plain gorgeous. Glad I chose it over the C3. But I would trade it in a heartbeat for a C5. :yesnod:

 

I think the C4 is timeless. Of course, there are some subtle differences between the years and an 84 does look a bit more angular than a 96, but all in all...what other 18 year old car can you drive that people still stop and stare at. With good paint and fresh was job...they're hard to top. Personally, for driving, I like the C5 better....for looks, I'll take a C4 convertible anyday (course I own one so....).

 

The shark was lovly in a brutal sort of way. The C4s (like mine) are more refined, more graceful, and look like they belong on the road, flowing quickly as the miles zip by. I love to put the top down on my white C4 and just look at it in the cool of the evening. The C5s are lovely until the eye reaches the back of the seat, and that big butt reminds you of the overweight lady everyone tried to hook you up with..... :rolleyes:

 

To be honest with you, I wasn't REALLY into corvettes until the C5 had been out for a little while. I really fell in love with the smooth curves of the C5. I got a C4 because I couldn't afford a C5 (I just graduated college in the middle of a recession). But now that I've had my 'vette for a while, she's really grown on me. She can still be a b!tch sometimes, but I'm not sure that I'd trade her for anything.


[Modified by Feenix566, 4:54 PM 8/26/2002]

 

Been thinking on this a bit. We both like the styling of the C4 better. There are those who will crow that the C5 is faster, but experience has shown that the difference is pretty much in the driver, not the machine. That includes the Z06s. Besides, a good C5 will set you back a pile of bills, and if you really must have more performance there are suspension kits galore on the market, and Lingenfelter will boost the power beyond your wildest dreams for a whole lot less than what a C5 would cost. I have some competion shocks and overloads on mine, and the beauty will hold all but the most ourageous curves pulling seemngly incrediblle G's. But I can tell the difference in the size of two ants through my butt. :lol:

 

I love the way I feel when I am in my C4.. I feel like I am in a jet with the controls all around me.. I have been in a few C5's and don't get me wrong they are sweeet :yesnod: But there's just something about the C4 :D

 

with the c4 door stills, seats and hood you cant go wrong, for me the c5 is a little to much of a luxury car for me, too easy to get in and a little to smooth and refined for a sports car in my book

 

Thanks DarkHalo! I used to study automotive design, so I can come up with words like that REAL easy. :) In some ways the C5 is a compromised design: look at the taller roof, smaller (less impressive) hood, and easier entry into the vehicle. And C5 seats belong in a Buick, not a sports car. They aren't nearly as good as the sport seats used in the C4s. All this makes the C5 a more user friendly car with more sales potential.

The C4's clamshell hood that wraps over the entire front end was worse in insurance terms...but you gotta love looking at the front suspension when you open the hood. The C4 was first and foremost a driver's car...never a victim of marketing departments or consumer clinics. I miss this type of Corvette. Read the 1984 sales brochure and compare it to the 1997 one and you'll see it too.

Oh yes, and the digital gauges kicked butt. Direct and to the point. No C5 like needles that flopped back and forth when you twisted the ignition. :cheers:

 

I have owned C2, C3, and now C4 body styles. All are unique in their own way and all are abosolutely beautiful. I think the 63 design took from the 'Jet Age' and brought it, with taste, to Corvette style. The 68 design was more of a 'Space Age' design (remember we were on our way to the moon at that time). The 84 was a more refined and civilized design that sort of flowed from front to rear in a timeless manor. There are a couple of angles on the C4 that could look better, but overall I still get flutters everytime I look at one. :cool: :seeya

 

It's pretty much all been said.
I love my C4. I love looking at the sublte curves of the hood as I sit in the tube of a cockpit. Yup, it's a struggle to get in and out of, but you feel like part of the car when you are in it. I love how the early c4's have the cut in tail like the early sharks. Even the vents resemble a set of gills. The angle of the windshield is perfectly designed so that if your wipers do fail you durring a rain shower (at least in California), you can still drive home as the wind will blow your windshield clean. I love the digital dash, and the toggle switch information. I've never flown a fighter plan, but this is how i would imagin it. I have a friend who has a C5, and he's always talking "my corvette this, and that...". I agree the C5 is a nice car, (ok the rear is too big for my liking, but you can't see that from inside). Anyway, he was giving me $#!7 for buying a C4. "Why did you do that, there aren't any curves on the car..." It took a while to explain to him, but eventually he started to see the subtle beauty of the great 80's sports car. I think he appreciates it even more after taking it for a test spin. Obviously there isn't as much power, but the feedback and pure driving satisfaction it gives the driver is second only to maybe a Ferrari.
I love my 89. It doesn't have all the new bells and whistles, but it was the height of sophistication in its time, and it's still pretty darn cool today.