New Member here, looking for objective opinions on the C4.

I've considered the idea of getting one for a daily driver. I've always really appreciated the V8 torque, 6 speed manual and hatchback looks. On paper, the car is great.

The thing is, I've always owned Japanese cars, and have been impressed with their durability. I'm the type a person who can really make a car last. I'm also the type of person who is a big believer in regular fluid changes and other preventative maintenance. However, fluid changes, spark plugs and things of that nature are about the extent of my current skill set.

Bottom line is that I'd like to spend about $9,000 or less on a car. Currently, I can pick up a 94 zo7 6-speed for $8000. The car has 66,000 miles and is in great shape. In the last year (the entire length of the current owners ownership), the owner has added a new radiator, new brake lines, new shocks, new brakes and hatch weatherstripping. Which leads me to my next line of questioning....

I understand I'm on Corvette forum here, but, objectively, how close in reliability could a Corvette be to say, a 94 Accord. (with the same mileage) Really, I'm looking for reaponses from people who own both and are objective on the matter. I know that they are two completely different types of cars, and I have no doubt that the Corvette would be a hundred percent more fun to drive. With that being said, I'm not looking to spent thousands of dollars on repair costs per year.

I know this topic has definitely been done before, and I've been reading all those older threads as well before registering.

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Not a an accord, but I did daily an 05 IS300 as a daily for about a year, before I sold it and moved to a Trans Am. The comfort of the Lexus was much better than the C4 and reliability was bar none better as well. As such I wouldn't daily a C4, but I know others feel confident enough to do it. On the other hand I also own a C5Z and wouldn't hesitate a minute to daily the car if I needed to.

Keep in mind I've also always seen a Corvette as a toy and not a daily so keep that in mind when I tell you.... I'd daily an Accord before I would daily a C4.

 

Corvette is going to cost you more than an Accord, but its worth it.
​​​​​​​I should also add that I drive my 95 coupe all over the country, without any meaningful preperation, and at least so far, it's been as reliable as any car I've ever owned. Not one time has it left me stranded, or even made me think it might.

 

I wouldn't daily drive either one of them. You're talking about a car nearly 25 years old and sounds like you're def not a mechanic. So maybe look into a 5 year old Civic or a Mazda 3 or something.

 

I've daily driven both. Full disclosure; my accord was a 1980 that I bought new and drove for 10 years. I drove my 95 daily for 6 years and and I'm still driving it 13 years later.

It's not the same thing. It's as different in upkeep as is the difference in driving experience. I'm neither a mechanic or a racer so my perspective is from just the daily driving experience.

What the previous owner did over the past year .... is great but with a 25 year old car components need to be replaced and the more you drive the more often something will need to be replaced. These cars are not inexpensive to maintain if you don't do the work yourself.

Don't misunderstand, the forum is so great that you can get instructions and in many cases be coached through anything that needs to be repaired or replaced on a C4 because it's all been done before. There exists a very detailed 2 volume Factory Service Manual that is year specific. Mine has saved me a fortune over the years. Though I have spent a small fortune on mods that I couldn't do myself.

I encourage you to drive at least 2 or 3 of them before you buy your first one. I believe however that most people fall in love with the first C4 they find for sale at a reasonable price and just buy that one

94-96 are the best years for the C4 generation.... through I am biased

 

My overall experience has been a good one. I bought a 1984 for $5k with just over 60k miles on it. There is a pre-buy checklist on this forum for things to look for when buying a C4 (I've included a link below). I think if you go through that list and just use due diligence when you're shopping around, you could get a great deal on a very reliable car that's fun to drive. My philosophy is; why pay $7 on something like a Honda or Toyota, when you can get a Corvette?

I've been daily driving my '84, and (maybe I've just been lucky) it's been one of the most reliable cars I've ever owned. I would completely trust it on a cross-country drive. But that's not to say there haven't been some small things I've needed to fix. When I got it, the A/C system didn't work. Plus, any 34 year old car will have small issues such as leaks and squeaks, and mine has a few leaks I need to fix.

I've also heard that a lot of the C4s are prone to electrical problems (which is no surprise since the Delco electronics factory is in Kokomo, In :-P), but in the end, it's still a small block Chevy which should get you hundreds of thousands of miles as long as it's maintained. The TH700R4 transmission is nearly bulletproof, plus shift kits are cheap and stall converters are plentiful for that tranny. I have however read a lot of horror stories with people dealing with the ignition on the later C4s. There are a lot of posts about the Optis.

Another thing to consider for a daily driver is that the floor pans and most of the car is fiberglass, and the suspension is aluminum, so you won't have to worry much about rust on a C4 vette. It's much funner to drive than a civic or camry. Being in South Caroline, just make sure the car doesn't leak if you plan to daily drive it.

Here is a link to the pre-buy checklist:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...checklist.html

 

I've daily'd my 92 for 3 month after I bought. Enjoyed every bit of it. But I sure am thankful for my 02 good ol nissian sentra which is always there when a.) needed ball joint replacement on the vette b.) after dealing with battery drainage issues, figuring out the little button thing on the door wasn't coming into contact with the car c.) Now garage ridden needing a clutch d.) if I'm doing the clutch guess I might as well do with fly wheel and short throw I say go for it. It'll just keep you a little more busy than the accord.

 

 

My '96 has been a DD over two years. In that time it has already left me stranded once. And it spent two months in my garage while I learned the joy of replacing the Optispark.

In contrast, I've put 150K on my '94 Miata over the last 19 years and not only do the pop-up headlights still work, it has never left me stranded.

Working on the Miata is a joy. It was designed by a car guy and it's simple to wrench on. Working on the 'vette is often painful and bloody. It was designed by bean counters, and it often seems like every stinking bolt needs a special tool.

Everything on the vette is more expensive, even if you do the work yourself. But I expected that. The old saying is still true. Speed costs money. How fast do you want to go?

That has been my personal experience with foreign vs. domestic from the 90's.

Did I mention that both backup lamp sockets failed on the vette before the bulbs?

 

Dude that is a 94 z07 with 66k miles, and zf6. Buy that bitch. If my car sells, and that 94 is still available I'll buy it off him.

 

I' going to preface thisnwith if you'e used to dealing with a 25 year old car, and accept that things will need replaced, and parts are more than for an import crapbox...

The cars are very reliable if you keep up with things. They'e alsonfsirly easy you work on, you can get to almost everything, and the things you will have the most trouble with are due to corrosion. The big job people complain about is the opti, but isn' that bad, and most "bad" Optus are something else that is easier to do, but people jump on the opti idea for whatever reason.

The biggest annyance is the electronics. They'e old, and unlike a crapbox, these cars came with a decent amount of them. I struggled with intermittent no starts until I realized my vats system was only partially bypassed and acting up. In an old Toyota or whatever, there was no antitheft.

If you have another car you can use, it's a great dd. I drive mine most days because it's more fun than my truck. But if you don' have a backup car, a 25 year old dd isn't for you imo.

Also, you mentiomed limited repair abilities. Are you open to learning more? If not, this isn' the car for you. The Corvette tax is real, shops will charge you more just because it's a corvette. So learn to sit, or it will get expensive quick.

 

I daily drove a 1984 for 10 years... sold it four years ago. Bought it with 13K miles on it and sold it with about 100K miles (it was 100% working and reliable... I got offered too much money to turn down and found a '96 to adopt). Rebuilt the 1984 tranny twice (bad shop work) and replaced heads/head gaskets, did brakes once. It was as reliable as any Chevy/GMC pickup truck. The basics are pretty much the same although some Corvette specific parts are getting harder to get (instrument panel for example). It can be done if you are OK at regular maintenance and occasional repairs. The semi-exotics like the C4 ZR-1 with the LT5 motor would probably not be as easy to daily drive due to parts availability and cost but, I've never tried it either.

 

Thanks for all replies so far. By the way, I'm no stranger to older cars. I currently drive a 2001 Avalon with 255,000 miles, original everything and everything works. Original shocks are giving a boaty ride though, lol. This car has been in my family since about 25,000 MI will no repairs outside of tires, brakes belts plugs and fluids

I would not expect most cars to be able to do that. I'm willing to sacrifice a little reliability for a different kind of car, but for me there is a point where it isn't worth it.

 

Just remember that the Corvette is not an exotic sports car. It is a Chevy. Find one in good shape with a decent maintenance history and it will be as reliable as any other 25 year old Chevy, for better or worse. Annual maintenance should average a few hundred dollars... sometimes more, sometimes less. I've owned two 1995 models (purchased at 105k and 55k miles), they were clean examples given good care, not a bit of trouble from either one. The drivetrains in these cars are very tough, especially the 6-speed models. Just find a healthy example that has what you want (i.e. find your car), fix whatever needs fixing, then just keep up on the maintenance and you should have a great ownership experience.

 

I don't know why anyone would even second guess this unless its wrecked.

 

The poor guy has had it for sale like 2 or 3 months. Makes me think I need to lower price if he is willing to take $8k. But I agree!

 

My backup car would be offended, if it had WiFi.

 

I think it may have sold, or the listing expired. I've been considering it for a while

 

Contemplating too long leads to someone more proactive reaping the rewards

 

I have a '92 C4 and had an '88 Integra for a while, both at the same time. Like you, I do my PM's and my vehicles last way longer, than long enough. Having said that...my Acura spun a rod bearing and that is why I no longer have it.

I've had my C4 for 9 years, and I bought it when it had ~130k on it. I've done my PM on it, including "big" PM items like wheel bearings, drive line u-joints, and tail shaft seal, etc. It currently has ~170k, IIRC (it's put away for winter) and I've had two problems with it, that weren't "PM" in the 9 years; the "Optispark" distributor, both times. Some consider that issue a huge ordeal, I did not. The first one I replaced with no issues...the only thing that irritated me about it was that the replacement cost me $500.00. that was a consequence of where I lived at the time, and how quickly I wanted a new one (that night). So the cost was situational. The second time, I got one from Vendor Sac City, on this forum and it was ~$165, IIRC...again, replacement was not a big deal for me.

So in 9 years, two unforeseen/failure issues, which is better than my Acura...but probably not representative of C4's in general.