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If the engine is the only reason, buy a C4 and do a LS swap.
To do a proper LS swap, it would cost as much as a C5 after you consider labor .Mig as well start with the LS and not try to shoehorn something from the junkyard to make it work
I've driven C5's, felt like I was in a passenger car, but C4 always feels like I'm climbing into a fighter jet!
I think this is a thread ending post. This is the definition of a super car. Not that a Corvette is a super car. But this is the point in my opinion of buying a super car or sports car. The sense of occasion.
Speed alone is more important in a race car. In a road car it's more important how it makes you feel when you look at it, when you drive it. The sense of speed is more important than the speed itself.
If you building a race car it's another matter.
I'm basically in the same position as the OP. I even talked myself into buying a C5 a few months back. Or so I had thought. But in the end I couldn't get around the fact I didn't like the way it looked, didn't like the interior etc. I dislike the rounded 90's lines. It's almost as if GM saw the 1993 RX7 and said, let's copy that. But lets make it fatter and uglier. Let's give it a totally boring minivan interior while we are at it.
If the C4 is more fun to drive this is the nail on the coffin of the C5 for me. At the time I changed my mind and decided to go for a C6. Because I was not even considering a C4 because of all the talks of it being slow etc by the sheep. In other words I was being sheep. But I also didn't love the C6. I love it from any rear angle. But I hate the C6 front. It's so bland. But I was falling in the same trap as I had fell when I thought I wanted a C5. I was looking at bhp numbers, numbers, numbers. What people were repeating in forums etc. So I had to take a break from my decision to buy a Corvette.
Then I finally came around to my senses. It doesn't matter how fast a road car can go. It only matters how fast it can make you feel it's going. A C4 even L98 is enough to break any laws anywhere and put you and others in danger. It's fast enough. If it's the more fun, the more eventual and looks best on top of that, I think it's the better sports car. Might not be the better track car. Might not be the better car to brag at the bar. But none of it matters to me. I'm looking for a sports car.
So when people mention the wide sills and that they make it harder to get it, I'm like, this is the point! Have you ever sat in a Countach or even Viper? The clamshell hood, again right on the money! If it feels like I'm climbing into a fighter jet then they did it right. If I want a practical car I will buy a truck, minivan or whatever. A sports car should be an occasion. I couldn't care less for numbers in this case.
To do a proper LS swap, it would cost as much as a C5 after you consider labor .
Fine by me. At least I wouldn't have to put up with the bubble mess that is the C5 styling and that horrible rear too, all the while seating behind an dash and in an interior which makes me feel I'm seating in a low rent hatchback or minivan.
There are no bad angles to a C4. Not in and not out. If the problem is the engine, I would rather swap it. But I have the feeling a LT5 or LT4 is all I would ever need and even a LT1 would be fine. As long as it's a stick and not automatic.
The C5 is more sophisticated and outperforms the C4 in every area. When I can drive either car each day I most often choose the C4 because it’s simply way more fun to drive :[/QUOTE]
I do not have a c5. A friend does and my only comment is that there is one place that a c4 DOES outperform a C5 and that is if you seek an uncacooned raw "feel the road" type experience. I quoted this members comment above because he says it himself. For him, feeling a bit more wild and crazy and uncacooned must equal a bit more fun. For me it sure is.
I suppose the look of the c4 may also be an area where it could exceed the c5 though that one is a matter of opinion not fact.
Ive had an 85,86,and 87. I love them all. The 85 was truly the last uncacooned vette because abs showed up in 86. The low hp means nothing unless you are road track racing the car. Really, means nothing.
I got my first c4 at 37. im now 42 with 4 daughters and i have to say that i can feel myself slowly moving towards a c5 as a daily driver. probably an automatic too.
I LOVE that the c4 is a wild beast that is not "restrained" by cacoon and compensators. Im seriously proud to daily drive one when other people in my given profession are driving lexus and mb and bmw and i pull up in a glorified go-cart with loud azz deep grunting exhaust. Its a bit of "screw u" to my fellow white collar guys. The c4 is the vette guys my age had on thier walls as kids and ive found that every guy my age secretly wants one. especially when they drive it and even moreso when they see how cheap they can be acquired for.
Oh, there is also something to be said for the club you are a part of when you can nimbly get in and out of a c4. That right there is a deal breaker for many north americans.
To the OP, enjoy the hunt and dont be surprised to be on here posting about some little thing that you are trying to figure out ("my hatch button doesnt work" "my window wont go down" "my pop up headlight wont go up or down")
I think both gens are are old enough to have gremilins and quirks and whichever you go with welcome to the forum and enjoy the comradere of owning a vette.
I think this is a thread ending post. This is the definition of a super car. Not that a Corvette is a super car. But this is the point in my opinion of buying a super car or sports car. The sense of occasion.
Speed alone is more important in a race car. In a road car it's more important how it makes you feel when you look at it, when you drive it. The sense of speed is more important than the speed itself.
If you building a race car it's another matter.
I'm basically in the same position as the OP. I even talked myself into buying a C5 a few months back. Or so I had thought. But in the end I couldn't get around the fact I didn't like the way it looked, didn't like the interior etc. I dislike the rounded 90's lines. It's almost as if GM saw the 1993 RX7 and said, let's copy that. But lets make it fatter and uglier. Let's give it a totally boring minivan interior while we are at it.
If the C4 is more fun to drive this is the nail on the coffin of the C5 for me. At the time I changed my mind and decided to go for a C6. Because I was not even considering a C4 because of all the talks of it being slow etc by the sheep. In other words I was being sheep. But I also didn't love the C6. I love it from any rear angle. But I hate the C6 front. It's so bland. But I was falling in the same trap as I had fell when I thought I wanted a C5. I was looking at bhp numbers, numbers, numbers. What people were repeating in forums etc. So I had to take a break from my decision to buy a Corvette.
Then I finally came around to my senses. It doesn't matter how fast a road car can go. It only matters how fast it can make you feel it's going. A C4 even L98 is enough to break any laws anywhere and put you and others in danger. It's fast enough. If it's the more fun, the more eventual and looks best on top of that, I think it's the better sports car. Might not be the better track car. Might not be the better car to brag at the bar. But none of it matters to me. I'm looking for a sports car.
So when people mention the wide sills and that they make it harder to get it, I'm like, this is the point! Have you ever sat in a Countach or even Viper? The clamshell hood, again right on the money! If it feels like I'm climbing into a fighter jet then they did it right. If I want a practical car I will buy a truck, minivan or whatever. A sports car should be an occasion. I couldn't care less for numbers in this case.
Seen a very clean yellow C5 the other day .... Guy had trouble getting out of the car and his walk wasn't very good ... So he was old .... I'm 65, so yeah, he was old ... I asked him if he was ready to sell. "Not yet". I asked what year. "04" ... If he would have said, I'm thinking about selling, I would have followed up. Bet it's a one owner car .. I've seen it before. I'll ask again if I get a chance ...
Seen a very clean yellow C5 the other day .... Guy had trouble getting out of the car and his walk wasn't very good ... So he was old .... I'm 65, so yeah, he was old ... I asked him if he was ready to sell. "Not yet". I asked what year. "04" ... If he would have said, I'm thinking about selling, I would have followed up. Bet it's a one owner car .. I've seen it before. I'll ask again if I get a chance ...
I think this is a thread ending post. This is the definition of a super car. Not that a Corvette is a super car. But this is the point in my opinion of buying a super car or sports car. The sense of occasion.
Speed alone is more important in a race car. In a road car it's more important how it makes you feel when you look at it, when you drive it. The sense of speed is more important than the speed itself.
If you building a race car it's another matter.
I'm basically in the same position as the OP. I even talked myself into buying a C5 a few months back. Or so I had thought. But in the end I couldn't get around the fact I didn't like the way it looked, didn't like the interior etc. I dislike the rounded 90's lines. It's almost as if GM saw the 1993 RX7 and said, let's copy that. But lets make it fatter and uglier. Let's give it a totally boring minivan interior while we are at it.
If the C4 is more fun to drive this is the nail on the coffin of the C5 for me. At the time I changed my mind and decided to go for a C6. Because I was not even considering a C4 because of all the talks of it being slow etc by the sheep. In other words I was being sheep. But I also didn't love the C6. I love it from any rear angle. But I hate the C6 front. It's so bland. But I was falling in the same trap as I had fell when I thought I wanted a C5. I was looking at bhp numbers, numbers, numbers. What people were repeating in forums etc. So I had to take a break from my decision to buy a Corvette.
Then I finally came around to my senses. It doesn't matter how fast a road car can go. It only matters how fast it can make you feel it's going. A C4 even L98 is enough to break any laws anywhere and put you and others in danger. It's fast enough. If it's the more fun, the more eventual and looks best on top of that, I think it's the better sports car. Might not be the better track car. Might not be the better car to brag at the bar. But none of it matters to me. I'm looking for a sports car.
So when people mention the wide sills and that they make it harder to get it, I'm like, this is the point! Have you ever sat in a Countach or even Viper? The clamshell hood, again right on the money! If it feels like I'm climbing into a fighter jet then they did it right. If I want a practical car I will buy a truck, minivan or whatever. A sports car should be an occasion. I couldn't care less for numbers in this case.
I will just as soon as I get my AC lines flushed and sealed and recharged. AC Compressor spit metal into the lines. And of course the CAT broke at the point the pipe welds to the cat itself so time to get another one. It snapped on the way to Cabela's the other week. The CAT is in the garage just need to get it up to install and I have a long overseas trip in a couple weeks.
I have hobbyist plates on mine. No more cats or emissions. Let that thing breathe! lol
It will be cool to see how much Brian can get out of it if you tune it with him in westbend
There are more and more "Letters to the Editor" in Corvette Magazine (and probably Vette also) in which people are expressing their worry about the possible obsolescence of the C5 platform and beyond, and the bad, often extreme issues that some of those generations experience.
At least with the C4's there are enough cars in resellers hands, being parted out by people, in the junkyards to get parts for them. They are also reasonably easy to convert to other modes (such as a carburator). The 5's and beyond have the very real possibility of becoming a driveway ornament due to a failed ABS or EBCM module(or other electronic module) and one is not in the used parts chain at the moment.
There is also the very real possibility that in order to get the 5's and beyond driving again, the owner needs to show up with their wheelbarrow of cash because the folks that have those used parts know exactly how much they are worth, especially when there are 10 folks all crying Me Me Me to get it.
There are more and more "Letters to the Editor" in Corvette Magazine (and probably Vette also) in which people are expressing their worry about the possible obsolescence of the C5 platform and beyond, and the bad, often extreme issues that some of those generations experience.
At least with the C4's there are enough cars in resellers hands, being parted out by people, in the junkyards to get parts for them. They are also reasonably easy to convert to other modes (such as a carburator). The 5's and beyond have the very real possibility of becoming a driveway ornament due to a failed ABS or EBCM module(or other electronic module) and one is not in the used parts chain at the moment.
There is also the very real possibility that in order to get the 5's and beyond driving again, the owner needs to show up with their wheelbarrow of cash because the folks that have those used parts know exactly how much they are worth, especially when there are 10 folks all crying Me Me Me to get it.
Sounds a lot like the worries when fuel injection came and other electronics came in. I guess I am just lucky to not have a major failure after failure in my electronics. Or maybe the issue is rarer than they would have us believe.
Aklim the OBD1 port was used up to 1994. Most 95 cars got the hybrid obd1 system with an obd2 port. For the obd1 cars you can scan and data log with obvious limitations in bandwidth similar to the obd2 cars. I was actually out a few weeks ago streaming from my 90.
And yea Zak said it best, its all about the feeling of an occasion.
10-29-2018, 10:24 AM
