Hello all,

I am quite new to this forum though I am interested in getting a c4 as a college/early work car. I have found a couple good local deals on them and have always loved corvettes. Though I was wondering what are the general problems with C4s as I would have to fix most of them and are the problems generally associated with higher mileaged cars? Also I would mostly be driving it down at Ohio State which doesn't see much snow but sometimes it will have to be trekked up to Cleveland, is there anyone with experience in C4s in NE Ohio winters? Is slapping on a good pair of winter tires sufficient to get around without banking her into a guard rail? As I am a college student I don't have much to spend on her, though I do have a lot of time and patience and would much rather drive a C4 than anything else in the price range. I understand it may not be the traditional definition of a college car and it won't be able to carry much, though is it entirely impractical for what I would be using it for? Would appreciate any type of input!

YoungLochinvar

 

Time and patience are nice but if you also expect to be able to drive the car all of the time you will also need money. Low priced C4s usually need attention in quite a few areas and even if you are willing to learn to repair them yourself you will have issues. Many repairs require specialized tools, diagnostic equipment, parts that are sometimes hard to find, and most importantly a Factory Service Manual. Will you have access to a lift? Have looked the amount of clearance under a C4?
If you are looking at cars in the $4,000 to $5,000 range you should have $3,000+ budgeted for repairs and maintenance. $10,000 to $12,000 gets you a car that should be dependable but it is still a 25+ year old Corvette that will have something go wrong at some point.
Get a Toyota for College, and save for your first Corvette once you graduate that way you can enjoy it and not NEED to have one you can always drive.

Someone else can answer about snow since mine hardly go out if it’s raining.

 

That would be my advice too..

A nice ~30yr old C4 would run around $10k; you should be able to pick a decent newer Toyota for that kind of money.

 

Having spent the last 63 years in Akron, I wouldn't drive a C4 here in the winter. Especially in between Akron/Cleveland, etc. The chemicals they put on the roads will get into places and eat the car up. Plus the wide tires, light weight are very conducive for going on a skiing trip into the wall, into the median, into another car.

I had a 80 Z28 that I put wider tires on, and a couple 5.0 Mustangs. None were good for the snow. I eventually gave up trying to drive them an acquired winter time beaters and left them sit.
Rear wheel drive, light weight and wide tires are not a winter machine.

I cannot remember seeing a C4 out and about when the roads were bad. I saw a guy who got spring fever and there was still piles of snow in the parking lots, but the roads were dry enough for him to have his car out.

 

I drove an 83 Camaro for 3 winters. Any snow deeper than 4" and you're in trouble. Any front wheel drive car with a good set of tires will get you where you need to go. An suv would be better but more $$$. And as mentioned snow/salt/crap gets everywhere so trying to keep anything nice goes right out the window. Not to mention insurance for a younger driver.

 

 

I can't speak to the driving in snow stuff, but I suspect it won't be great in it. It'll probably be fine with good tires, but I doubt it will be good.

I think a c4 would make for a fun college car. If you don't mind things that aren't perfect, it's even better. Guys on here want to sink 10k into their cars so they're perfect, but if you get an early car, there's not really a ton to keep it from getting you from a to be, it's all the other stuff that goes wrong.

An inexpensive non sports car is likely the economical choice, but it's certainly not the fun choice. I say go for it, you'll learn to fix it along the way. You don't need a lift, it might be nice, but I've done everything on my car, including a full suspension overhaul, on jackstands.

 

I got mine in college, and basically every penny was spent keeping it running for 3-4 years. Insurance was very high too. Only later did I get to do any mods to improve things.

To me, driving it in torrential rain was suicidal enough. I would never even consider driving it in snow as easy as it is to hydroplane on wide tires.

If you need a car that can do everything and DD year round, get a 4WD Tacoma for now.

 

You southern folks have no idea. That is NOT an insult. You know the days you all shut down everything cause you got some ice ? Here, life goes on.

My brother moved to Raleigh almost 30 yrs ago. He has forgotten how to drive here in the winter.

Heck the people here forget how to drive in the snow. There are lots of accidents the first time the roads get covered.

 

That just seems dangerous and irresponsible that they don't shut down. 😋

 

I daily drove a C4 in the winter in Illinois.

I had an '88 A4 and a '94 M6. They both worked pretty well in snow/ice. C4's are better than most people think. In '94 Chevy ad stated "the all weather sports car" when talking about the anti slip feature.

Deep fresh snow was not good, but once the plows cleared the roads down to "normal" snow/ice the car was pretty good. I got caught a few times in fresh snow and once I could hear the snow dragging on the bottom of the car, but I kept it moving and came through fine.

I also think that the type of tire is key. Wide summer tires are not a good choice.

You can not use the C4's power or handling on ice/snow. The car can get away from you if you do "stupid stuff".

Although I did winter drive my C4's, I do not recommend it as your only car in college. There were a few days with fresh snow or during a storm that I took my truck (probably 3 or 4 times per year). Without a better snow/ice/winter car/truck, you will not be able to go out some times. Can you live with that? Also the salt on the roads was not good for the car. The body won't rust, but I saw corrosion on a lot of things (mostly metal fasteners and the like). I also made it a point to wash the car including underneath at least once a week. Also for college it can not carry much (people or cargo). In college, I frequently carried too many people, and on occasion carried some big items and packed it full (in a '64 GTO).

In conclusion, C4's are better winter cars than most people expect, but they have drawbacks too, so I do not think they are the best choice for an only car in college (and this does not even look at the costs).

Good luck with your choice.

 

Back in 77/78 78/79 we had snowfalls where we got 36" overnight. I was STILL EXPECTED to go to work, which I did. The Nat Guard Armory was on the same road. They were using front loaders and big dump trucks to clear the road. The drifts were over the telephone wires. It was like driving down a Canyon.

As I said, you Southern folk (and as I said it is NOT NOT NOT and insult) have no idea. If the plow trucks get behind, it is nothing to have 6" to a foot of snow. North East Ohio is different, as is Erie Pa, Buffalo NY, etc from the rest of the country. We get lake effect snow. I have had 18" in my yard and 18 miles southwest, barely a trace and we live on the southern edge of the snow belt.

After all these years, I have learned a Corvette is not a winter car. It doesn't have the weight to punch down through the snow and the tires are way too wide.

Even my buddy in Alberta Canada can't fathom the way it snows around the southern/eastern sides of the Great Lakes.

 

Yeah, I can't imagine that. But considering they're about to push college almost all virtual, that's less of an issue I'd think.

And truth be told, a small, light little Toyota will have the same issues for the months that you're buried in snow. So he won't be any better off with a Corolla in the snow.

 

A front wheel drive car is way better in the snow than a rear wheel drive car. You still have the stopping issues, but front wheel drive just doesn't get stuck, spin out as quick.

With a rear wheel drive car that is an auto, you have to throw it into neutral to get the torque off the wheels or it will lock the front wheels and the rear keeps on pushing. With a stick car, this is just done as you push in the clutch and apply the brakes.

If you ever get one of your ice storms, try it in a parking lot. You will be surprised how easily an auto car will stop with it in neutral (front or rear wheel drive)

 

Don't buy one till you're financially stable, there is plenty of time to buy one when you're done. The oldest C4 is almost 40 years old, it will require time and money that most young people in college don't have.

 

With the rest of the crowd on a 1500 buck beater ie truck, corolla and keep a C4 off to the side if you can. Dont wanna fail due to your car being down.

 

I think you guys are a bit out of touch. There aren't 1500$ decent beaters anymore. Anything that cheap nowadays is gonna be way more likely to leave him stranded than a decent c4. Maybe where you guys are they exist, but not near us, the cheap stuff here is all 4k or more or horrid Poss with salvage titles, or no title at all.

 

exactly. I feel for the folks lower on the economic ladder. today's automobiles are engineered for a lifespan of 7 years. you have to really work at them to keep them, especially up north here.

my pickup is 16 yrs old and I maintain it religiously. I am going to get a special insurance policy on it, just like I am getting ready to switch the Corvette to. I looked on autotrader and there were only 2 2004 crew cab 4x4 Chevy diesels with the amount of mileage we have for sale in the country, and they were still priced at what we paid for it new (got it for $10,000 less than sticker) (ours is rust free), by now most vehicles 14 yrs old are rusted out here in NE Ohio or are at the verge of being gone

the other day I stopped and changed the tire for an old guy I saw stuck on the side of the x-way. (not wanting to put on my hero cape, just relating what happened, he was an old black guy, no one was stopping to help him).

anyway the pos he was driving was so bad, when I tried to jack it up at the factory jacking point, the structure of the car just collapsed. luckily I found a spot I could get the jack under (I always carry tools and a hydraulic jack with me where ever I go).

that is what you get here in NE Ohio for 2 to 4,000

 

Op if you had say a 1500-2500 budget look on CL in towns that are filled with retirees, those are where you find those 1 owner lower mi garaged cars for reasonable $. They dont care about much except living another day...sometiems its their kids selling their stuff.
Palm Springs, Ca and Sand Diego are great places to find them for example

 

It can be done.





....but as said, it'll take money, effort, you'll have down time....it's not a practical choice...it would be a passionate choice.