Paul G

I think the C4 is the best Corvette value going right now. They have a huge power advantage over the later C3's. High tech in comparison. Handle great. Can make them very fast without spending a huge amount of money. Comfortable ride. Good looks. The early C4's seem to have bottomed out in price. They cost much less than the C5's, even the C3's are going for more money than the early C4's. There are many specials to choose from like, anniversary's, pace car's, ZR1's, LT4's, and convertibles.

I wonder how the C4 model will fare in the future as far as being collectible? Which model year's or options will be most desirable?

mackeyred96

Prices will go lower when the C6 comes out :yesnod:

87vette

I wonder that myself sometimes....

drdinger7

who cares as long as you are enjoying it..i love mine its a 85 and it gets plenty of looks when she is on the road,,sit back and enjoy the ride... :thumbs: :thumbs: :auto: :auto: :auto:

vetteseniorcit

In 1984, when the C4 was introduced, I fell in love and bought one. There was, and is, something about the C4 that is very right for me. The styling, clamshell hood, hell, everything just suits me. By stretching a point, I could afford a new C5...but I don't WANT one. Nor do I want a C6. I don't care how sophisticated, how powerful; I guess I'm stuck in time. All that I know is that every day when I look at my '93 Ruby, I fall in love all over again. I could care less about its value; to me it is a treasure. When I get behind the wheel and row through the gears the years slip away and it keeps me young. Let others chase their dreams. I have mine and I'm a very happy fella! :steering:

Strick

I think I disagree. The C5 people, generally, sell and buy the next generation when it comes out. They always have to have the leading edge Vette and they ususally don't want to do the maintainance to keep their C5 in tip top shape. That causes a flood of C5s on the market and their value drops just like our C4s did. As the C4 ages, the fleet will be getting smaller and the well maintained C4s will increase in value as supply decreases. My prediction: the C5 will replace the C4 in the lower market value as the C6 fills the Vette market. So, if you have to upgrade to the C5, wait a couple of years after the C6 comes out. Me, my C4 stays right here. :yesnod:

Stv50

What he said. :lol:

Thanatos69

I think it will be a while before the prices of the well maintained C4's start to climb again (it was a 12 year production run), however at the same time the prices on the C5's will start to drop significantly also. Which for the people that didn't want to fork over $50k will be a godsend. I'd love to pick up a clean C5 to use as a daily driver (for a decent price of course). Now if I can just find a decent body kit to replace that ugly C5 rear facade with. I figure you can't own too many Corvettes!

Fr Guido Sarducci

Unfortunetly collectability is about numbers, and a manufactures goal is to sell more each year, I don't expect any profound increases in value of my car, the 80's was not a very memorable decade for the auto industry. My car is one of only 16 cars made with a factory CB radio, that should add $20 to the value I guess I can retire an hour earlier than planned

ANTI VENOM

I like all the things that most people don't about the C4. I'll explain. Compared to the C5, my cars have stiff suspensions (Z07), Sport seats with oversized bolsters, and it hard to get in and out. It also seems that your butt is close to the pavement. I enjoy those features for the fact that I feel like I'm in a real sports car. My cars are just as fast or faster than a Z06 and I don't have as much in both of my cars as I would one Z06. I do like the C5, but they won't take the place of my C4's. Just my .02

redwing76

C4 values have dropped? Really where? http://www.collectorcartraderonline.com

Alex D

There is absolutelyno doubt in my mind that this is correct.......in addition, all Corvette mags are stating the same......I like the C4 still better than the C5 because of the low end punch of the LT1/4 and some of the interior is much better quality that the cheap stuff they put in the C5 (i.e leather and stereo). Plus, to get a C5 that is as nice as my C4, I would have to drop in the mid-30s....last but not least the styling of the C4 just rocks.....it looks more compact and with the right tires much more menacing than the C5

TheCorvetteKid

You are absolutely correct! It has always bothered me when I used to read in car magazines that would bash Corvettes - particularly C4s - during their tests. They would complain about road noise, stiff rides, poor fuel economy, lack of storage space, etc...all the things that are part and parcel of the super-exotics that cost 3 times as much! The only difference was that they had names like Ferrari, Lambourghini, and Porsche on them, so it was acceptable for these cars to be like this,. Yet for some reason, people expected something else from the Corvette. Why? Because of the way it LOOKED! I think that alot of us tend to forget that the C4 Corvette pulled alot of former Cadillac, Mercedes, BMW, Lotus, Porsche, etc...owners into these cars - people who NEVER owned a Corvette before where suddenly buying them because of the way these cars looked (let's face it, the way a car looks is 95% of the sale factor - we are ALL proof of it). And while many of these 'new' Corvette owners took a long time to get used to the quirks that we are all blind to now, the performance of these machines was (and still is) undeniable! The C4 Corvette does exactly was it was intended to do, and it does it very VERY well. These cars are easy to work on, are fun to drive, perform and handle with some of the best cars available TODAY (let alone 19 years ago when they first came out), and can still turn the heads of young and old alike everywhere you go. The C4 carry's on the legend of Corvette as well as every other generation of the car.

This will definitely depend on a couple of factors, IMHO. Of course, the NCRS will have a large part to play in it, and with the induction of the '84-'88 cars for judging, they have already started. Of course, as someone has already mentioned, the collector car market is a numbers game - the greater number prestine C4s there are out there, the lower their value. But as time goes on, the number of C4s will diminish. As for which C4 Corvettes will be worth the most? ZR-1s without question. Grandsports and Callaway Twin Turbo/Supernaturals too (in fact, virtually ALL tuner Corvettes with supporting documentation). The Corvette Challenge cars from '88 and '89 are already fetching good money, and will no doubt continue to rise. Convertibles will always hold higher values than their comparible coupe counterparts. As for the coupes, special editions and rare options will have an effect on price, but it won't be a major one - these cars where after all mass-produced so what was optional equipment one year, became standard equipment the next.

C6 will probably have very little effect on C4 prices when it does come out. Sure, there are those people how buy the lastest and greatest Corvette - these are the ones that dumped their '95 and '96 Corvettes for C5s when they came out. These are also the people that dumped their early C5s for Z06s too. This may cause an initial drop, but it'll ony be temporary - a few months to a year. I think the real reason why C6 won't have an effect on C4 prices (and maybe even C5 prices) is because the C6 will be the first Corvette ever to share its platform with another GM vehicle. As a Corvette owner, I like and take pride in the fact that my Corvette was unique to the GM line up in it's architecture - it's not a cookie-cutter vehicle like all GMs other cars (including the F-bodies). Couple that with the fact that when C6 does come out, it's base price will no doubt be higher than the current C5s, which won't make if very economical for C4 owners to sell their cars to get a C6. But that raises an interesting question: what happened to the price of C2 Corvettes when the C4 came out in 1984? Anyone remember?

But of course, all this is just my $0.02. Only time will tell how C4 prices will actually fare. But if history serves as a guide, us C4 owners shouldn't have anything to worry about.


[Modified by TheCorvetteKid, 11:22 AM 8/9/2003]

fiberglasscoffin

i think 65%or better of the c4 world is only in a c4 because that is what they can afford i will be in a c5 when the funds are there again i had a c5 and can say loved it loved to be in it wish i had another

Lone Ranger

C4 uniqueness:

1. Clamshell hood

2. Flip-up/spin-up headlights (as opposed to pop-up's)

3. A sort of cockpit atmosphere to the interior

KyleBst264

When a C4 is parked, it is a C4. When you get in the driver's seat of a C4, you become the C4.

MagikDraggin

i think 65%or better of the c4 world is only in a c4 because that is what they can afford i will be in a c5 when the funds are there again i had a c5 and can say loved it loved to be in it wish i had another
________________________________________ _

It's not always about money. What I personally like about the C4, is that it doesn't look like a C5. It's as simple as that.

(donning flak jacket, just in case, there's "incoming") :nonod:

Lone Ranger

If you like BiG BuTTs I guess a C5 is okay :crazy:

Flexo

Then consider me a "35 percenter".

I like C5's, and have a good deal of seat time in them. But I can only justify having one Vette. I choose to make it a C4.

BTW- If I got a second, it wouldn't be a C5 either.

CanadaVette

I'll keep my C-4