Mikes93c4

Hi all new to the forum but have read a bunch of the material for a while. I've had my 93 coupe for about two years and absolutely love it. I know the C4 takes a lot of abuse in the forums so I,d like to defend it. So it's not the fastest or best looking. Ok. It's still fast enough and turns heads. And it's CHEAP! The great thing about the c4 in my opinion is that it is not a collectible. Unlike the early corvettes you don't have to keep everything stock and original. And unlike the newer ones you don't have to worry about resale price to much. You can buy your C4 and do whatever you want with it. No need to keep it stock to preserve your resale value. Make it yours. Different wheels, custom exhausts, engine upgrades. Whatever you want. I look as the c4 as a relatively cheap blank canvas to make something really cool just how you've always wanted it.

Silver96ce

All of the earlier generations of Corvettes have gone through the cheap phase. C1, C2 and C3 all went through the customization, bastardization and clapped out phases also. I remember as a kid seeing some C1s that looked like they were put through the wringer. In the late 80's to the early 90's I remember seeing more than a few clapped out and beat C3s. When the C4 will come out of it, I have no idea but I don't care. I didn't buy it as a monetary investment but instead as an investment in fun and enjoyment. And as that investment it has paid dividends since I bought it.

My favorite generations of Corvette are the C2 and C4. I think they are both great designs. I couldn't afford a C2 but fortunately for me, a 1996 was within my budget. I like the lines of the car, the way the interior seems to wrap around me, the clamshell hood, the rear window hatch. Except for the number 6 & 8 plugs and the optispark, working under hood is pretty easy because of the good access. In terms of fast - it was fast enough for me and with the few mods I have made, it's a little more fun. And it's handling limits are more than the limits of my driving ability. So for me, it's the best bang for the buck sports car available today.

95tealconvert

For myself the '95 fits me right-feels like I am part of the car when I am driving it. Love the look of the later convertibles. The 6 speed is a blast and it gets awesome mileage on road trips. All this and much much more for the price of a used Hyundai.

hcbph

I bought my 86 as a bucket list item. It's fun to drive and enjoy and love the sound and feel of it. That's enough for me.

Renfield

Supply and demand? When the relatively large pool of C4's dwindles, and the rat rodder/moder's have moved on to the next cheap horsepower fix, those of us who appreciate the amazing design of the unmolested C4 will start bringing them back. That is when I would expect prices to recover.

But that has nothing to do with why I love my C4. It is great right here, right now. When I was a kid, the C2 bit me hard. But I was 6 and didn't have two pennies to rub together.

I can honestly say that the C4 is my absolute favorite of all generations to date. People who buy one and change out the wheels leave me dumbfounded. You can imagine what I think of wings and aftermarket body panels. Like taking crayons to the Mona Lisa.

Cars are liabilities, not investments. Unless of course you can afford to buy a new, properly optioned C7, drain it, shrink wrap it, put it on blocks and lock it up in a climate controlled vault for a few decades.

Richard Raichert

I bought mine about 2 1/2 years ago as a "bucket list" want. It had about 23000 miles on it, now 30000, was and still is stock except for a K&N filter. Wanted to leave it stock but as time and value of the C4's have taken a beating I'm not sure I should leave it that way! As I get older,73 now, I reason why not a little better performance. I still love to drive it or just look at it. In fact we are away in South FL for a week, (we drove our Honda down here for luggage reasons), and I wish I had it here to drive around in this 82 degree weather! The last thing I told our neighbor was if there was a fire in the house make sure he gets the Vette out of the garage before he calls the fire department! (I gave him the keys)

John A. Marker

Both my 85 and now my 95 still turns heads. I was working the order day and my son and daughter-in-law were staying at the house. The 95 was parked out front. My daughter-in-law saw some guy in front with a camera taking pictures of my 95. She went out thinking the worst...that someone had hit it and was taking pictures for insurance. Turns out it was someone walking by that was taken with the car and asked if it was okay if he took pictures. Turns out he took about 40 shots of the car all angles.

KYC4

The C4 is a truly awesome platform all around and is, for the moment, awfully affordable. The 'Atari' dash turns some off but it's part of the allure of the era and the car itself.

I always liked the C4 (even though I grew up a diehard F-Body nut) I just never cared for too many of the Corvette owners I met over the years. But this forum along with a few groups on Facebook convinced me the car show 'kings and queens' are few and far between. It is nice to speak with folks who enjoy the C4 (and Corvettes in general) as Duntov, McClellan and the rest of the guys saw her...as a drivers car.

I cannot wait to get my '88 on the road and enjoy some C4 goodness!

Later,

Lee

skullandbones

I haven't driven my 91 much yet. It has been given a new home as I repurposed a 12x20 barn to create the Corvette garage. So it will be pampered as long as I have it. I like it most because it feels much like the C2 Corvettes I used to drive (no owned). I had a friend who bought a different muscle car about every 6 to 8 months so he had multiple Corvettes which I drove. He liked to drink and I liked to drive so I was his designated driver. Anyway, the C4 feels very similar. Your butt feels like it is only about an inch off the road. There's a feeling of car/driver feedback. I will be doing improvements along the way. There are a lot of little issues but that doesn't affect the driving at all. I guess this was sort of a bucket list thing for me to own my first vette. The problem is I may have created a monster. I don't plan on getting rid of it any time soon. It has a stable mate but it holds it's own as far as driving enjoyment! Pics.

Thanks,

WEK.

73n95

Its encouraging to see a posting that goes to the heart of owning a Vette. Its not whether its "worth it" or not; its not about;crappy build quality; its not about value! Its about passion. If you want something dead reliable, cheap to fix and so on, buy an Asian car and turn it into a "sport coupe" or sedan. Regardless of whether it is faster, corners better or more trouble free its not a Corvette. This is the same reason that the Mustang GT and the Camaro SS aren't the same. Not at all. Maybe its its shortcomings that give us that passion. I've known many Corvette owners in my life and every one of them either still has a Vette or has fond memories and hopes of returning to the fold. There are two types of people in the world; those who own a Corvette and those who wish they did. The others just don't count.

Mikes93c4

It can be a bit of a pain getting in and out, but you're in it's like sitting in a cockpit. I love how everything surrounds you and how low to the ground you feel.

Mikes93c4

I did change my wheels to something I thought looked a little more modern, but I still the like the lines of the car. 20 years later it still has a great look and can turn heads. I can't imagine putting a kit or anything on it.

Silver96ce

Right now funds are very tight but in a few years I would really like to get a second C4 to complement my coupe - a convertible. And I would really like it to be an '89 - the last year of the early interior/exterior. Me, I really like the Atari dash. It's a great representative of the 1980's and when it is working properly, it looks fantastic to me. And the curved rear bumper along with the blunter front bumper to me makes it more reminiscent of the early C3's. All this and it still had the telescoping steering wheel.

scrappy76

Compared to all the other vehicles I have owned, my 92 C4 has the most advanced technology of them all. I chose the 92 because of how close it is to my 76 especially the tail end. So now I own a vette from the 70s, an S10 from the 80s, and a vette from the 90s.

Renfield

I meant no offense! Just talking about my preferences. It's a design package that, if one part "looked dated" as I've seen written, why not all? I'm sure there were folks who saw it new in 1996 and thought, "well it looks cool but what were the wheel designers thinking?" There are lots of fine wheels out there that have come along since my '96 was born. Just not for me.

I'm that way with my '83 F100. It's just an old beater truck, but even she's got wheels from the era.

Oh and I found a picture of the first 'vette that bit me. I was about the age of the "driver" in the photo.

Mom wouldn't hear of it. Even though she owned a '54!!! Alas, fifty years on my itch has finally been scratched.

Cheers

KYC4

Yup...I too prefer the '84-'89 models and in particular the '88 model year . My only real exception here would be a '90 ZR-1 and a '96 Gran Sport.

later,

Lee

P.S. As for 'verts the one I'd love to have would be an '86 Pace Car. I've always had a weakness for IPC models (I had a '79 Mustang IPC and an '80 TTA IPC) and both the '78 and '86 models look superb.

C4-85RedZ51

Have an 85, first vette for me. Was looking for a "fun" weekender car and this fell into my lap. Amazing how other drivers react to you when out and about. Always getting the thumbs up from other drivers, generally not driving in vettes themselves. Love that!

JD Shredds

I don't really concern myself with the outside perception of these cars. And since I'm a sucker for a deal, I appreciate the low cost of getting into a C4. That wouldn't be any different if I was 10x more wealthy - The C4 is the Corvette I wanted either way.

And when it comes to performance, its all relative. Compare the '85 Corvette to the top contenders around the world in 1985 and it was top-notch, especially for the money. That has always been a notch in the Corvette's belt - bang for the buck.

I love my '94. I like the low driver position, the quick steering and handling, the power, the sound, the streamlined look, the interior, the engine bay (and simplicity to work on it) I could go on. I like both early and late style C4's. It gets solid highway mileage. They're not the most buttoned down cars ever built, but its good enough for me and I don't mind fiddling on a car I enjoy so much.

Exactly. Just because the C4 is currently the lowest valued Vette gen doesn't mean its any less Corvette than any other gen. Every gen goes through the depreciation phase, the rock bottom, then the attrition of remaining good cars and the gradual return to "high value" as a classic. It takes decades upon decades to go through this process.

Interesting that we both have the same favorite gens - C2 and C4. Those are the gens that caught my attention as a kid, and they still have said attention.

skullandbones

One more reason for loving the C4:

I guess this isn't generation dependent but I'm going to get a hard top for the convertible. I think the different look vs the convertible is worth the 28% of the cost of the whole car is worth it. It just looks classy. It reminds me a little of the way a Mercedes SL looks when you put it's top on. It's kind of like going from a street machine to a gentlemen's sports car look. JIMO.

So cheap is not all bad. It just means you can buy more accessories for your C4.

Thanks,

WEK.

SJW

The C4 Corvette requires no defense. Those who disparage it expose themselves as idiots (who almost certainly have never driven one). Attempting to enlighten an idiot is always an exercise in futility.

You know better. Enjoy the car. Don't waste your energy being concerned with what others think of it. Your opinion is the only one that matters.

Live well,

SJW