Bendeco

I figure what's the point of mods it's still slow and will just be a money pit. I did put a chip in it with little to no performance gain. Will just leave it stock and enjoy driving it. The only thing that bothers me is I bought an aftermarket glass top and it doesn't fit as good as it should. Stinking universal fit my butt.

JrRifleCoach

Send it back and go with the knowledge that you'll not fry in the summertime.

QCVette

That is the beauty of this hobby/obsession. You can do as much or as little as you want to your car.

Just have some fun with it.

aklim

Speed costs cubic dollars. Fast, reliable and cheap is a holy grail of car modding. You can have any 2 but never all 3. All the chip usually does is turn the fans on a little sooner from what I hear. IDK. I usually have a dyno chip done.

Universal Fit: Fits nothing in this universe without a BFH.

Chrly919

I've had my 93 a year next Sunday and its bone stock except for the stereo. I just enjoy driving it. I do all my own work, so all my down time is for maintenance, i.e., brakes, shocks, etc. I enjoy working on it as much as I do driving it.

2ooo-C5

If you want fast at a reasonable rate you have to determine what fast is to you.
Then you need to get a LS1 based car or a Fox Body Mustang. Fast to me is at least 600hp.
Many people have never driven a car with that kind of power, while some people will find a
600hp corvette to be slow. What is fast to you?
14sec, 12sec, 9sec, 100mph, 150mph, 200mph?

There is nothing affordable about making a C4 fast.

I have a C5 to be fast ($20,000 in upgrades over base price).
I have a C4 because I love the looks and enjoy the car.

aklim

As they say, you won't get fast, cheap and reliable. Only 2

Or any vehicle if you want it reliable. Eons ago, I gave up on getting anything good for cheap. Now when someone says "cheap", I usually tell them "I can't afford cheap", "cheap" being defined as pay a lower price today since I always end up paying way more tomorrow to fix it right.

73n95

You drive a Corvette, you are not "cheap". There is a lot to be said for "stock". Performance mods are a lot like stereo mods. No matter what you do you will soon adapt to it and it will be the new norm. You'll have to go to the next step, which will cost more. Some people call it lowering your expectations. I call it enjoying what you have. You're already way ahead.

aklim

How does buying a Vette make you not "cheap", assuming we are taking of the same meaning of the word?

Besides what the factory can get away with giving you 30 years ago?

How about calling it what it is instead of trying to make it sound grander than it is? I know EXACTLY why I am not buying the latest Vette and sending it out for modification. Because I simply do not have unlimited funds to do just that. If I won the Powerball, you can bet I'd be at the dealership making arrangements for their top of the line to be sent for modification and shipped back to me. It's one thing to feed others a line of BS. Just be honest with yourself. If you'd do it if money was no object, you do want it. You either cannot afford it and/or cannot justify getting into further debt to get what you want.

2ooo-C5

I bought a C4 cause I could not afford a C5. Sold it 1 year later and bought a C5.
Bough a C5 cause I could not afford a C6Z.

I am buying another C4 this weekend now that I can afford both.
I cannot afford a C6Z and my C5. My C5 is way to modded to sell.

So, yes a corvette owner can be cheap. Some C4's are $1500. Thats cheap.

aklim

I admire your honesty. Hell, I like you. You can come over to my house and **** my sister,

A $1500 Vette is only cheap if that is all it needs. OTOH, if you are into it for $20K by the time all is said and done, well..... Feel free to ask me about my ex-coworker who tried to make a junk F-body good. First he had the motor rebuilt, chased electrical gremlins, rear end broke then trans. This wasn't even counting the self painted car. I didn't have the heart to ask him how much his cheap car ended up costing when it was said and done. After the body and the motor, he was too into it to quit.

2ooo-C5

There was nothing wrong with the C5. It was a 1 owner, 60k miles. Perfect in every way.

I added:
Vortech Super charger
Spec 3+ clutch
Roll cage
seats
seat belt
touch screen with navigation
coil overs
brake upgrade
3 sets of wheels, 2 sets of slicks
getting new 382 forged stroker

adds up fast... this car was purchased to make 900hp.
It was not purchased to be a pretty corvette that goes on Sunday drives.
The C4 I am getting this weekend is to be a pretty car that is nice to drive on Sunday.

Hence, why I say fast is relative. A stock C5Z is not fast in my book.

aklim

You got a C5 for $1500 and there is nothing wrong? That is weird. How much GHB or Roofies did you have to give him for that?

Stock C5Z isn't fast out of the box. It is however, a decent platform to start to make fast.

2ooo-C5

What are you reading? I paid 18,000 for my C5. Will be in it close to 40k when its all said and done.
Go back and read my post. I said you can get a C4 for $1500.

That makes them a cheap car. You can get clean good running one for $4500 if you don't care about options. That is cheaper then a Camaro, Nova, Chevelle, about the only thing cheaper is a Mustang. Hell a clean Honda civic might bring more then an early C4.

cv67

Cheap is good. I bought my 89 because I couldnt afford a Camaro
Saw a very nice 89 and 90 on CL the other day..tempting but no garage now cause I know better.

aklim

My bad. Must have misread.

I can't see it on KBB for my 91 so I used NADA.

Corvette
$5,550
$10,150
$14,650

Camaro
$2,675
$4,225
$7,025

Those are Low, Average, High retail numbers. Not sure those are cheaper than a Camaro for sure. I didn't put in any options either way.

aklim

Not on NADA, they aren't. They are about half the price of a Vette. Obviously, condition and options will play some role.

2ooo-C5

NADA is a little high around my part of the world on Vettes.
Typically cheap means in rough condition.

I see early C4's sell for under $3500 all the time.
Base Camaros will go for less. But the real V8 cars are about the same price and harder to find.

I see a lot more Vettes then Camaros on Craigslist.

He never said what year. Clearly a 1 Gen Camaro or an LS based Camaro are more then an early C4.
But year to year match the Camaro should be less.

mtwoolford

keeping an old corvette "stock" and "cheap" are not necessarily the same thing

aklim

Absolutely agree. "Cheap" is trying to spend $10 and expect to get $100 worth and then get surprised when it sucker punches you in the nads.

In a way, it might be counterintuitive to be "cheap". I mean, it is cheap to save $500 today and tomorrow be forced to spend that $500 and then some? Kinda makes me thing of what my Dad used to say about me when I would do sloppy homework, get a "redo" and have to do it again. It took me 2 hours to do a sloppy job instead of spending 3 hours. It comes back "Redo" and now I have to spend 3 hours plus the other 2 previously spent and get yelled at for it. Dad used to say "I hate to do work so I do it well once and don't have to get "redo" on the paper. You must really love to do work since you spent time to do a sloppy job and have to spend the time to redo it and get yelled at.".

So I guess I would say that the traditional meaning of "cheap" is to spend less today and take big risks for more payment tomorrow and another definition is wanting to pay less IN THE LONG RUN.