Good afternoon to everyone. Seeking feed back which is a better Corvette as a weekend hobby situation. There is a local ZR1 for sale. Also some amazing well kept C6 examples for sale on this forum. Comfort x resale x maintenance x parts availability x etc. Posting same question in C6 forum. Great forum and a pleasure to be a member.

 

Flip a coin, they both are money pits unless u can find a one owner

 

I had both. 94 and 2005. Both 6-speed couples. More maintenance is needed on the c4 but I enjoy driving it more. Its is a great weekend cruise.

The c6 was a great every day car. I put 14k miles on it in 2 years.

 

Here is my cars I pick C6 hands down all the way.

 

It kind of depends on what you're looking for. I've had several C4's including a 1990 ZR-1, and own a 2009 C6 now. If you're looking for cool and collectible the ZR-1 is hard to beat, except most people think it's just a C4. It's not until you open the hood that they realize it's not a run-of-the-mill C4. Still decent performance and drivability, but honestly the C6 beats it hands down. C6 is a much stiffer more modern platform. Parts availability greatly favors the C6 too. It's not just the ZR-1 parts, it's C4 parts in general. I would be afraid of trouble finding regular C4 parts as much or more than ZR-1 specific parts.

If you're looking to tinker with the car and want something unique with possible future investment potential consider the ZR-1. But if you care about driving the car more than working on it, go for a C6 no question. If you want more of a special car and can afford it, look for a Grandsport or Z06, or even a C6 ZR-1.

 

What he said.

 

I posted in the c6 section thread, but they're just vastly different cars. Drive both and you will easily be able to tell which one is for you

 

I'd be curious if anybody in the C6 section is going to recommend a C4 ? Ownership is going to be quite different. If your a take it to the shop to have the Oil changed a C6 is going to be a better fit hands down. If owning the only Corvette not built with a truck engine ( ok I give the C8 Z06 the second one) is your fancy then I would go with the ZR-1.

 

 

Ill say the same thing I always do to these kinds of posts.

If the C6 is faster, thats only bc the C4 isnt modified.

This idea that 'the mod'd ls-based cars always wins', is the biggest fallacy on this whole c4 forum
the same guys here saying that typically have a stock c4 and their post history goes something like:
'i proactively replaced my optispark with a new (chinese) one and now it doesnt work' .

You could easily do a lingenfelter 415 twin turbo on that c4 zr1 (as some here have done)

 

If you throw enough money at it, of course, just about anything can be brought to contemporary sports car performance levels. That is a very costly upgrade.

If the OP has tons of money to burn and absolutely must have a C4, then sure, why not...

I personally like both generations, but think the C4 has more style, and is a product of a bygone era, so it stands out. C6 just blends in with most other sports cars because it still looks fairly conteporary.

 

i wil give credit that it will be cheaper to make a c6 faster than a c4 (if you dont consider initial purchase price)

ls parts are much cheaper and readily available and thats where the ls -benefit lies

 

I've had multiple of both: a C6 GS and a C6 ZR1, as well as 3 C4 ZR-1s and two C4 LT1s. It really depends on what you want, personally the only C4s I'd look at would be the ZR-1 or maybe a 96 manual w/LT4. To me, the ZR-1 is just such a rare and unique car that is a lot of fun. It's a very raw driver-focused car with a classic look, and the engine is amazing both for looks (even sitting next to a C6 ZR1, the LT5 in the ZR-1 draws way more attention) and for how it performs (especially with some mods, my last one was 500whp and my current one is 450whp). But, for me, the C4 is a definite weekend "fun" car and not something I drive a lot. Part of that is because my last two have been big cams, long tubes, and loud exhaust, so not something the wife really wants to spend a lot of time in. It's a car that I really enjoy just taking out and beating on it for 15-30 minutes, or taking it to a car show and then putting it back in the garage. It can be a good long-distance cruiser (drove my current one 1,000 miles to get it home), but then I have a C8 for that purpose. The biggest thing I'll recommend for a C4 ZR-1, is buy one that's in great condition and well taken care of. Don't buy one that "needs a little work" unless you really, really like working on cars. Even one that is in great shape and "needs nothing" will probably still need some work. Plus they are 30 year old cars made in the early 90s (not the best quality work or parts), and they'll need stuff over time. Having said that, they can be pretty reliable if they are in good shape and you stay on top of maintenance/repairs. As for parts, I haven't really had any issues, there are a number of suppliers for both general C4 parts and ZR-1 specific parts. On the major build (391cdi engine, full suspension build and a bunch of other stuff) I did on my last one several years ago, there were zero issues getting any parts needed. The C4 ZR-1 would be my choice if it was going to be a more limited use car or if you like something you're going to work on.

As for the C6, it's a great car. Probably the best blend of raw, driver's car while something you can live with every day and for trips. The C7 is a better overall daily driver (with the C8 even better than the C7), but the C6 is acceptable for daily use, and really good for use on every "nice" day. The interior and amenities are better, and with just a few mods (upgraded stereo head unit and seats), becomes very good. My '13 C6 GS made over 400whp bone stock, which was a great power level, and then I put a blower on it and made 600whp (later almost 700whp) for less than $10K and it was very reliable. Or you can do a cam and bolt-ons and make about 500whp N/A. The one down side to a C6 is it's not as rare/unique as a C4 ZR-1. The C6 ZR1 is, of course, something special (and a really great car), but they are significantly more expensive ($70K+ for a good one). If I were looking for only one Corvette that would see a decent amount of use for a reasonable price (under $40K), it'd be hard to not go with something like a C6 GS.

 

I doubt very seriously you could, LPE probably doesn't have any of the parts to do a TT ZR-1 anymore and I doubt they'd have interest in doing one now. Graham Behan has been mentioned for potentially doing one, but I don't think I've seen any actually finished. Best big HP for ZR-1 at this point is either a 391cid or 441cid closed deck LT5. I did the 391 and you're looking at probably $20K all-in with supporting mods. For that price though, it is an absolutely raucous beast and will make 500whp and pull to 7400rpm. (I honestly still miss that car a little.)

The 441cid will make 600whp, but is going to cost probably well north of $30K.
Best bang for the buck ZR-1 is fully ported with supporting mods (probably 400-425whp) and 4.10 gears. My current one is a little further than that (has custom cams) and make 450whp, but due to the gears pulls just like the 500whp 391cid did with stock gears. The thing with the C4 ZR-1 is it's not really about max HP, it's an experience car. Having an extra 500-900rpm and being DOHC makes for a very different experience to any LS C5/6.

I Agree (see above about costs). The C6 wide-body is a good looking car (regular C6 is just ok to me), but the C4 is such a clean, classic style.

 

Those days are done. And none were a 415.

 

😢 😢 😢

 

Don't be sad, as I mentioned above, there are still many good build options for the LT5, all of which are N/A which is really how the engine should stay anyway.