Hello....My names Chris, i'm 16 and live in Massachusetts. Yeah, I know...16...Corvette....'Dream on, kid'....
I'm interested in C4's. I want something fun to drive, quick, attention-getting.....
Its pretty much a tie between fixing myself up a third generation Camaro or trying to get a C4 and making it look good and run better :-D
I'm leaning toward the 'Vette because they look better in pretty much ANY condition compared to the camaro, so I wouldnt feel so bad about driving it while waiting for more $ for whatever...paint, etc.
My question is, most of the C4's that I see around here in the price range that I want to spend (4-5k, then put a few thousand into it) are automatics. I want...errr....REALLY want to get 6 speed, but they are more expensive and harder to find. How hard is a transmission swap on C4's? Would the transmission from a C5 work? I'm unsure about swaping transmissions and stuff in C4's because of the rear suspension. I know that in the camaros and firebirds its pretty much a direct swap (Then theres the clutch stuff and other misc stuff, but basicly its drop and go), with your biggest problem being the transmission crossbar or whatever. Could I put a T56 transmission from an F body into a C4?
What years are the easiest to get for my price range or lower? Interior doesnt need to be in good shape, i'm hoping to re-do the interior in whatever i get, so if the seats are torn up a bit and everything else needs some work, i'd be willing to get it. I'd almost definatly be rebuilding the engine (383 stroker anyone? LOL), so mileage and engine condition isnt much of a problem...I'd prefer the clutch stuff to already be installed if I was gonna do the transmission swap, so it would be a 4+3 or whatever it is (Nah...4 gears wont do it for me, sorry...lol).
Any help is appreciated greatly, and please...I have heard mixed things about getting a corvette as my first 'own' car...it might be good for me to add that i've got a 97 Cadillac Catera to use, i'll have about 8k saved up for the car by next spring which is actually when i'd most likely be buying it. If i was able to get one before then, I would just keep it in the garage and be working on it, so it would be my second car, and i will have been driving for about a year before starting to drive the 'vette. So I wouldnt be learning in it. Please don't let my age be any sort of factor in this. My father is all for me getting my own car that I choose, and looks forward to having something for me and him to work on together. I also dont have to pay for all of the insurance myself, so lets also not let that be a factor. Thanks, and sorry for the long post. Hope to learn alot here :-)

 

Hello. Welcome to the forum. I'll address your Camaro/Vette issue because it's late and its the easiest question in your post.

I had a Camaro before my vette and used the ladder effect to get to the vette. I've learned that everything is more expensive for a vette. I've also learned that it is not as much fun to beat up on someone in a vette, because a vette is supposed to beat most on the road/track. It was more fun to beat up on people with a 1991 Camaro RS that was just supposed to run well, but not THAT WELL. :D It becomes an issue of personal preference with this. For the money, you'll probably be able to do more with the 3rd gen Camaro, and at 16 you'd enjoy it just as much. Just my .02 Good luck with your search.

 

Hey, get whatever you like. Do yourself a favor and check out the prices for your everyday parts before you decide. By this I mean tires, brakes, etc. Plus there is a whole bunch more stuff that can go wrong on a Vette.

I wouldn't even think about transmission conversions in the Vette, unless you have someone who would be willing to help you that really knows their stuff. Just be patient, and broaden your search to your whole state or region. Eventually you'll find what you want. If you are already saving, don't buy the first thing that comes along. 16 year olds tend to look past all the things they don't like about a car and see its potential. I know I did when I got my first car. Just be patient. Eventually, you will find exactly what you want, and you won't have to worry about changing anything.

If you want to mod the car out, then keep a look out for a Vette that is nothing more than a rolling chasis, or one with a screwed up engine. It is a lot easier starting from a clean slate. A lot of times you can steal these cars, and you could almost buy a new engine and the chasis for what you would spend on a very good car without all the stuff you want. Just an idea.

I don't particularly care for the 3rd gen F-bodies. But those cars can be made fast. And if you are dealing with a TPI F-body, you really aren't saving anything, because its the TPI that makes the mods so expensive.

Concentrate on finding a nice straight body and the 6 speed transmission. The ZF 6 tranny is one of the best GM has made.

You absolutle have to remember that if you are looking at C4s, you are automatically looking at a high performance vehicle. You don't have to mod it out to make it fast, it will be already. You don't need anymore power than the car will have stock until you really know how to drive. It comes down to the driver 90% of the time, not the car. Not trying to sound rude or anything, but I'm positive I could outrun you in my wifes accord no matter what you have for the next year or so. It's just experience, nothing else. Teach yourself how to drive before you start worrying about modding.

 

The early C4 with 4+3 are still great. With the OD it's like having the best of both worlds. Stomp on the gas and she kicks out of OD and your GONE :D
Good Luck :cheers:
:seeya :seeya

 

Hey Chris!! Another local! (I'm in Quincy). Welcome! Sounds like your on the right track, thinking about a Vette. My first car was a 70Z28, got it when I was 15, and worked on it for 18 months before I could drive.. Great experience, but if I could have done that with a Vette, those 18 months would have been great!!
Around here, I've seen several 84-86 Vettes for the $3k range - fixer uppers, of course, but that's what your looking for.. Something you can dig into, and get your hands dirty on!!
Let me know what you decide on doing, I can keep my eyes open down this side of Boston for you, and let you know what I find (I have 2 friends that are wholesalers). Email me if your interested.

 

Thanks for all the replys!

Yeah, I definatly realize that even 200RWHP in a light weight vehichle (Yeah, the 'Vette would probably qualify for that) is more than what i NEED, but I do hope to get into drag racing (Legal, up at NewEngland Dragway), so a nice street motor, maybe 350RWHP would be ideal, then if I wanted, I could take the nitrous shortcut to more HP.
I also realize that the driver is a big BIG part of what makes a fast vehicle perform to the fullest of its ability. Thats something that I am trying REALLY hard to learn....not necisarily by street racing (Although I will never forget the time that me, my mom and my dad pulled up next to a 'tricked out' civic at a stop light, he rev'd his engine, and my mom told me to rev' back! :eek: We both took off, and were pretty much even. Best part was that I was driving my moms minivan! LOL) but more like trying to learn how to sorta 'feel' the car...paying attention around corners and stuff....I dunno, I definatly wouldnt say i'm an expert driver but I think that I have a pretty good feel for driving my dads G35...Not the same as a 'Vette, but its got some power (260HP :-P). Let me stop my rambling on this.

I looked on Google for 'T56 C4 Corvette swap' and the first site that came up pretty much told me that its not something I'd want to do. Knowing this, what year did the 6 speed first appear? Are there any years that there were more 6 speeds produced or any years that are most common to have 6 speeds in them? I wouldn't REALLY mind a 4 speed if the only other choice was an automatic, but I think that I would rather wait and look harder and spend more for the 6 speed.

I probably won't really start looking to seriously buy a car till at least the end of this summer. I've got about 3k saved up already, made a deal with my dad that since I am currently working on getting his/my car back into running condition (the 97 Catera needed 700 or so dollars worth of work on the engine to get it to idle and to fix the leaky valve cover gaskets), so he promised that when I decide that we should sell it, anything over 5000 dollars that I can get for it, I get to keep. Depending on how things look by the time I'm ready to sell it, that 5000 might drop down to 4500 or even 4000. Depends on how well I can try and talk him into it :lol: My guess is that right now if I were to fix the valve cover gaskets, I could probably sell it for between 6500 and 7000 bucks, possibly more. I would say it would be safe to say that I'll end up getting at least 1,500 from that, and I'm pretty close to getting a job (finally!), so by this winter I should have enough to start looking for something to do over the winter :-) But if anyone around New England knows of a 6 speed (Non convertable) for a really good price, in need of some work, by all means, send me a PM!
Thanks for all of the replys, and any more advice or information anyone has is greatly appreciated.
Also, who sells the 96 body update for the earlier 'vettes? How much does it usually cost (Not including paint, which I'd probably want to do with my dad)?

 

I'll keep an eye out for you when my friend's go to the auction(s). I'll IM you some details :cheers:

 

Bob, the six speed transmission was introduced in Corvettes in 1989 (if my memory serves me correctly, it was a B/W T-56). So, that might be your target vehicle. The L98 is a tough engine with gobs of low end torque, many of them have passed the 200,000 mile mark and still running strong. If refurbishing is your first plan of attack, then I wouldn't waste a lot of cash on "mods". You may just be tossing money away, until you you become more familiar with the C4. On a 15 year old car, there is a lot of wear and tear on running gear; things you have to be aware of are wheel bearings and swing arms, clutch, water pump, power steering and distributor wear. Brakes and tires, too. Check the condition of the radiator. Pay attention to the interior and make sure everything works. In other words, a bargain may not be a bargain if the previous owner is just "unloading" it. Use patience and restraint and you could come up with a pure jewel. Personally, I would stay away from any Corvette that has been heavily "modded" for performance. You have no idea who performed the work or how well. I guess that what I'm really telling you is, read up on everything that you can lay your hands on about the C4. Do your homework and then no one will be able to BS you. Lastly, I believe that you are on the right track and wish you well. The C4 will be your first but I believe, it will not be your last. I've been driving Corvettes since the mid sixties and at age 71, I'm still an unabashed Corvette nut! I have a beautiful 93 40th Anniversary six speed coupe with 32,800 miles on the clock; I drive it daily and I still get a kick out of it. Someday you will probably "go the distance" and drive off the lot with a shiny new one. I hope so, there is no other feeling in the world that compares to it. :seeya

 

(bty my real name is Chris, Bob Sakamano is from the show 'Seinfeld' :-))
1989, eh?
oh man I want a c4....lol
Me and a friend stopped to look at one that was on the side of the road with a for sale sign on it the other day (His father is looking for a C4, they had to sell their old one) and just fell (back) in love with it. I have always loved the C4, but the third generation camaros had been just a few points ahead of it in my 'vette (Dunno why...just always have liked them, LOL), but after seeing this one up close I immediatly reversed the camaro and the 'vette. Sure, i've seen many C4's up close at cruise nights and stuff, but just hadnt payed much attention to them....
Thanks for the replys, keep any ideas or thoughts coming :-)

 

:iagree: It took me a long time to learn this (the HARD way). that's why my 93 will stay bone stock until I "grow into it" a little more.

 

16, Corvette, get an insurance quote before you buy.

 

oh yeah, but i've gotten some of those 'instant' online quotes (when http://www.electricinsurance.com had them for MA, they no longer do the online ones, and i'm too lazy to call), and the difference between a camaro and a corvette was so small that i dont think it will be too different. I was looking at some 3000GT's (NON VR-4) and they were WAY higher....