My agenda to own a corvette by age 60 is sadly shot, so I’m thinking I better get at it. I’ll be looking for a C4-LT1-6spd coupe, with perhaps, some apprehension. I get the impression from this forum that reliability may be an issue and I might be buying into a great car that I can expect to break frequently and will require very expensive parts. My 5.0L-5spd mustang has given me faultless reliability and performance for over a decade, and I wouldn’t enjoy going back to how things were away back in life when I was driving British sports cars and spent as much time fixing as driving. Please reassure me if you can, I have always loved corvettes and time is growing short. Of particular concern are the ZF-6spd and that dumb-butt optispark unit.

 

Wow, where did you hear all that. I'm sure if you read throughout the forum you will find more good stories than bad. Maybe you ought to opt for the 95 or 96 models. I did, and have never regretted it. Oh, before I forget, I'm 52 and this is my first Corvette.


[Modified by Stv50, 3:19 PM 11/26/2002]

 

Don't pass up owning a Corvette, In my opinion you will regret it. Actually the C4 LT1 is a very reliable beast. The trouble most people gripe about is the optispark (the equivalent to a distributor). It is very susceptible to moisture (especially early C4 LT1’s), I learned this the first week I owned my corvette and pressure washed the engine. I had to have the car towed home :bb

 

Optispark is fine, you just cant get it wet. Otherwise its a good ignition system that really doesnt need replacing as much as distributors do. 100K is the norm for an Opti, so all you need to do is check the Water pump for leaks.

a ZF6 is the best manual tranny made, much stouter than the T5s they throw in Mustangs nowadays

So get the newest you can afford, and then if its got high mileage and/or the owner hasnt replaced the opti & WP, replace them. After that you shouldnt have a problem with it.

Things that go wrong with vettes are usually little things, and if you love vettes, it really wont bother you as much as you think.

 

Get one! It will make you feel about 1 1/2 years younger. This is my first corvette, bought it in May 02. It has been one of the best summers of car fun I have had since the sixties. I bought a 94 LT1 with 53000 miles. Most of the guys on the forum will tell you to buy as new as possible and low milage.

 

I believe that any Corvette is juat as reliable as any other GM car of the same year.

1st thing is to buy a good clean, mechanicly sound car, and not one that has been beat to death.

Even if you buy a Cadillac, that hasnt been taken care of, you will have trouble, so dont expect to buy a Corvette thats been run half to death and expect it to act like a new car.

My 95 has given me absolutely no troble in 4 1/2 years, with only routine maintenance. :D

 

First of all you should not worry about the ZF 6 Speed transmission. This thing is amost bullet proof and can handle twice the horsepower that the LT1 delivers. The LT1 engine is amost as bullet proof as the transmission,except the Optispark. Now this thing will run about 90,000 to 100,000 miles before it needs replacing, which isn't a reliablity question in my book. Go ahead and get a corvette, just let a mechanic check it out for you so you can be sure it will give you miles of trouble free service.

PS Remember when you see forums like this, the only time you see people ask about things is when they are giving problems. What about the other 30,000 corvettes that you don't see them ask about? You will not see questions about them. :lol:

 

Get a '95 or '96. Six speed's are harder to find than automatics. In 1996 a special engine was available, and only w/ a six speed. It was called the LT4 engine. '96 was only year that engine was available as an option. It is officially rated @ 330hp at the crank. "Unofficially" some say it is closer to 340 - 350hp at the crank. I love my '95 but if i had it to do again i would hold out for a '96 six speed w/ the LT4 :yesnod:

Don't get hung up on the optispark, it's not that bad. As I mentioned in another post, not just the Corvette has opti, but any GM car of the era that has the LT1 motor such as: Camaro/Firebird, Caprice (police pkg), Impala SS, Buick Roadmaster... If the opti was so bad you'd hear more belly aching about those cars too but it isn't so you don't.

 

I'm 54 and bought my first Vette in August. I knew what I wanted, and just shopped until I found the cleanest, lowest mile example I could. This car is a joy to own and drive. I think that by following all the common sense procedures and cautions you would buying ANY used car, you'll do fine. As I read many posts here, its pretty evident a LOT of the guys have rolled up impressive mileage on their cars with relatively few major problems. Good maintenance , before and after purchase, seems to be the key! Good luck with your hunt.

 

my c4 has been a workhorse the only things i've needed to do is brakes tires and clutch, and all those are wear and tear, and i'm sure the way i drove it had a lot to do with it, acually i'm sure of it.

 

190,000 miles and never burn a drop of oil. I am rebuilding the engine now only because I blew a head gasket and figured I might as well go all the way over the winter. I got the heads off and the cylinders aren't even ridged. Definately the finest automotive engineering available.

 

I understand your nerviousness. Corvettes in general have a crappy reliability history. But with the C4 came a new found reliabilty!

As the C4 evoloved, it became even more reliable!

My 92 has 103,000 miles on it - turned on my way to work this morning. I have done maintenance, yes. but nothing has stranded the car, except a cut down tire.

Check this link:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=418027

this is a "buyers guide" we came up with. Check it out.

There is one repetive theme - get the newest you can afford.

There are some other issues... The ZF is a great box, but the earlier ones are somwhat stronger than the later ones, however, the earlier ones are louder! They make all sorts of rattles and such. sounds like a bucket of rocks. but that is normal. The proof is in the shifting.

Parts prices for the Vette are not that fatal. For the most part, the parts cost are low because most of the parts are shared with other GM products. The costs go up with the more specific parts.

The basic structure is sound. The engine, transmission, rear end. All solid. Sure, anything can break, but the odds are low. Considering the limits on the drivetrain, you will have to be pretty powerful or abusive to do any damage.

The later cars have much more reliable electrics. But a lot depends on condition. Electrics age... keep that in mind.

For example, a new factory radiator was just over US$200.00... a power window motor was US$60.00.

I am in the process of upgrading the serpentine belt drive on my 92... the 92 used a double sided belt, the newer ones, Late 93 to 96, used a single sided belt - which is much more available part - cost about US$100.00 for parts! That was the idler, tensioner and powersteering pully! I also got a few gaskets, too.

As mentioned, the opti and waterpump are the 2 major trouble areas... but if you can DIY, then you are automatically ahead of the game.

if not, make sure you have a good mechanic you can trust!

Sure, owning a Corvette is a bit of a committment, but not a fatal one.

I survive by being able to do a lot of the work myself.

Would I do it again? yes.

One last thing - DRIVE THE DAMNED CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't save it for weekends... don't make it a 2000 mile a year trailer queen. Drive it.

They last much longer if you drive them. A lot of the silly problems go away with regular use.

 

I concur that you should go w/95-96. Don't get me wrong, I love my 86, but it did take quite a bit to get her in tip-top shape. I bought it cheap though and knew I would put some $$ into it. If you don't have the time or desire to get a fix-er-up-er, then 96, low mileage Vette is a good option.

 

I'm 63 years of age and bought my first Vette last June. It's a '90 coupe with the L98 engine and auto transmission and 23,000 miles. I LOVE IT!
I had my mechanic check it out and he told me the same thing that some of the other posts said:" It's a Chevy 350 and with minimum care it'll run damn near forever". I don't think that service or repairs are any more expensive than any other specialty car and are probably less than most.
In my humble opinion, I don't know of any other car that will give you more bang for your buck or as much fun per mile as a C4. Just make sure to have it checked over by a competent mechanic before buying. :seeya

 

I've owned dozens of corvettes and a few Mustangs as well. The only problems I've ever had with the Corvettes that wasn't caused by Bubba the mechanic is the Bose Radio. I've replaced four because the tape decks went out. Nowadays, I listen to CDs more so I haven't worn it out. The C-4 is a solid, dependable car...Just be careful who you let put a wrench on it. :cheers:

 

The Corvette is a sports car and speed costs $$, both in mods to go faster and in maintenance to repair broken parts.

Do your homework, find a clean well kept Corvette and you will enjoy the driving experience like never before.

I bought my first Corvette over two years ago and wonder why I waited so long.

 

A quick question...mine sounds like a diesel engine idling when its in neutral with the clutch NOT pushed in. Push in the clutch and it goes dead silent. Think thats normal? Mine was replaced right after I bought it (along with the clutch and dual mass flywheel) and the place that did it isnt that experienced with vettes so they dont really know one way or the other. It shifts great, no problems at all just so fricken' NOISY at idle. Ive also heard it might be the dual mass flywheel.

Oh and to Boss302...other than that all Ive done is an alternator (thats a weak spot) and plugs, wires, dist cap and rotor, etc. I have a company acr for work but plan on getting a vert as soon as this ones paid off to be my daily driver.


[Modified by DarkHalo, 4:33 PM 11/26/2002]

 

I bought a white Boss 302 out of the showroom back in 1970 and have been working my way up to a Corvette ever since.

My first Vette was a '79 Coupe that I poured money into. It sat for a few years and had about 100K on the clock so I wasn't surprised.

I felt exactly the way you do now when contemplating a trade up to a C4. True, I had to replace the Opti but that's the only thing that's gone wrong. A great car that's dependable and runs great.

It depends on the car and the maintenance so you've gotta be careful, but if I were you I'd go for it!


By the way... love the name. :thumbs:

 

Everyone has said the same thing, so I'll be a little different. I'm not calling my '92 an unreliable car, but it's had its moments. I don't think the stuff on a C4 Corvette breaks anymore than most cars, but I think there's a lot more to break. On most cars, you have a check engine light. On a C4 Corvette, the Service Engine Soon light is just one of a whole bank of service lights. In terms of electronics, there's a lot more to go wrong than in most cars. I've got mine sorted out pretty well now, but there was a time when I was very happy when I didn't have at least one service light on. I fixed the ride control, then the Service Engine Soon or ASR light would come on. I still get the Service LTPWS (Low Tire Pressure Warning System) light frequently.

Basically, the major components on the car are well built and reliable. The LT1 engine is a good engine that should go many many miles with proper maintenance. The ZF6 is a good transmission, just make sure that the oil has been changed once in a while and that the hydraulic clutch system has been well maintained. Most of the stuff that breaks is little stuff that's annoying. The electronic climate control, the Bose CD and speaker amps, the power antenna, shock gears on the FX 3 ride control system, etc.

Over 3 years of ownership, I've put $2,500-3,000 in fixing things that have broken, not including routine maintenance, and I've done almost all the work myself so that's mostly wholesale parts cost. I've done all four shocks (ride control-the gears broke), shock actuators, coil, all AC hoses, AC evaporator core, heater core, brake master cylinder, U joints, and a bunch of minor annoying things. I also had my optispark and waterpump replaced. The previous owner had it done only about 30,000 miles before I replaced it, but for some reason it quit working so I had to replace it. The waterpump was fine, I just had it replaced while it was all apart.

On the bright side, if you're willing to work on the car yourself you can save a lot of money. You can get the factory manuals, and with the help of this forum there's no reason you can't do a lot of the work yourself. You can mail order parts for wholesale, so that cuts costs significantly as well.

I'm not saying don't get a Corvette. I still have mine and I love driving it. However, if it were not a Corvette I wouldn't put up with all the little problems. You just have to be ready for things to go wrong, and fix them as they break. They're not Toyotas!

PS I'm sure someone will chime in and talk about how their Corvette has gone 150,000 miles with zero problems while their Toyota was the biggest piece of junk they've owned, but I think that would be the exception and not the rule. The Corvette, however, is more that just mere transportation and is a lot more fun to own than a Toyota!

 

its not as much the car as it is the owner. if you take care of the car and do the preventave maintenance it will be fine, as much as any other car. if you take it out and drive the crap out of it every day and wait for something to break before you do anything to it, it will break. some people have no luck with cars, something is always wrong with it. if you will notice the same people had problems with the last car they had and will probably have problems with the next one. it might not be the car.