Vette Daddy

Sounds like an uncared for ZR1, unfortunatley.

-=Jeff=-

Well,

that sounds a bit rough, the asking price for the things you mentioned being wrong it too high IMHO.

The Passive entry was on 93-95

Was the clock on on the radio? Radios are issues in these cars, If the dealer would replace it with OEM that is about $1000 in repairs (working head units go for $500) depending what is wrong with the system too

Wheels are probably missing sensors or they are broken.. I have no sensors in my car anymore

Not sure on Air Bag light, Ground maybe.. I know that is an issue on 1990 cars

Clutch is hydraulic and you should depress it to the floor for shifting, otherwise you risk damaging the ZF6 trans. it may need a master and slave or just flushed with new fluid

Lumbar was bad ont he 93-older cars, not sure about the 94-95 (& 96 non ZR-1)

Headlights they just suck on these cars 35W/65W beams

Valet key, I think 91-95 is the same.. tough to find though

Top, if it cleans up great if not, $500 for a good used one

They need to come down at least $5000 of their asking price

if you like the car I would not offer any more then $15K due to all the issues

BlackbirdZ07

None of that sounds too bad, but this is a project car. Personally I don't mind projects like this because you can break it up into a series of weekend projects that will give you satisfaction as you complete them. They're not so major you have to take the car out of service, so you can keep driving it as you fix it up.

If you're up for a project, make them a low offer and see what happens.

rhipsher

The last thing you want to do is pay that kinda money for it and regret it. I would pass and find a nice one on the main land and just pay the $1,000-$1,500 for shipping. You'll get a good looking car that you can just hop in and go have fun.
Its one thing if you buy one and a year later you have to fix something like an alternator or secondies. But thats a plate full of sh%t to fix right off the bat. There's to many others out there that you won't have to go through all that with. Of course unless you want to.

DRM500RUBYZR-1

If other posters are correct, i.e. it would cost under 2k to ship from mainland to you, then I would pass.
$20,000.00 would get you a much nicer car in far better condition than the one you describe.
The missing pieces combined with what is not working, combined with the paint certainly would keep me below $15,000, but why bother.
You could simply write a check and get a much better car needing almost nothing other than shipping.
Just look here and on the Registry Forum.
Good Luck, and hope to hear your victory story soon!

Marty
1FUNZR1

Rkreigh

find the right car, well maintained, with no issues and ship it over

a "project" ZR-1 would not be a good investment. buy the right car and enjoy it rather than a headache that ends up costing you more in the long run.

think long and hard about what it will take to get this car where it needs to be for you to be happy with it. add it all up, and you'll see paying low 20s for a pristine zr-1 is a much better choice, even with the shipping costs involved. not sure what they are , but a buddy of mine paid 1800 to ship to luxemborg and got an LPE 93 for 29k, it would be cheaper still now

twiggelf

While I agree that shipping is only around two grand, however this is dependant on a few things:

The car is delivered to a shipping location in a major port city on the west coast.
That means that I have to get it transported there from wherever the car is.
Additionally, if I want to see the car before I buy it, I have to get time off work, and the US Navy doesn't like giving that out if they don't have to (especially after I just got a month off for a broken clavical from a motorcycle accident). Even if I did, now I am adding aanother grand for plane tickets.

I have considered this as an idea, but it really is not as practicle as it sounds.

LT5corsa

There is a tight brotherhood with ZR-1's. I bet we could find somebody to inspect cars you are interested in

Have you seen what cars are available on www.zr1registry.com?



David

BlackbirdZ07

It's easy to say spend more money and get a better car. Sure, if you're willing and able to spend more money you can get a better car. But what is someone going to be asking for a nice, fully maintained, well cared for, needs nothing '94 with similar mileage? $28,000? $30,000? $35,000? Then you've got to ship it. $2,000 for the boat ride and figure $1,000 to get it to a port (plus or minus, depending on where the car is-- if it's on the east coast it'll be closer to $1,800 for enclosed transport). If you want it inspected that's an additional expense, especially if you want to see it in person.

There are deals out there (I just got an amazing deal on a '90) but most enthusiasts who take care of their cars are going to price them accordingly when it comes time to sell. So don't confuse cheap cars with good deals.

I would ask a couple questions about this particular car:

Is it trashed? If it's obviously been very neglected, you can be certain it hasn't been kept up mechanically. If it's been seriously neglected, that could lead to big repairs down the road. You wouldn't really want to buy a 44,000 mile car whose oil has not been changed in years. But remember it's an 18 year old GM car, and very few 18 year old GM cars are going to be perfect.

Does it need big money repairs/restoration? How much will you have to put into it in the short term? The paint will probably be $2,000 to $4,000. But you said it doesn't look too bad... can you live with it for a while? It's not my cup of tea, but I don't think it looks horrible. It sounds like you would probably want to replace the wheels. That's an expense, but you can sell the old wheels to help offset the cost. Bose problems are common but to have one completely not working (no sound at all) is strange. Maybe it's a fuse? But you can send the head unit and amps to Dr. Don's and have all of them rebuilt for about $450 plus shipping. The other issues don't sound like big problems.

Is the interior in good shape? Is the rest of the paint and weatherstrip good? Does it run well? Those are all big items, and if they're good then you're mostly talking about small projects.

Finally, do YOU like the car? Can you see yourself doing the things it needs and putting some effort into it? If it's just not what you're looking for, then keep looking. But if you like the car it can't hurt to make an offer.

twiggelf

A couple more things.

First, the radio would display the clock when I pushed on the power button, but that was the only thing I could make it do. No sound, no other displays. The radio is imprtant to me, as I really enjoy listening to music, it's something I miss on my motorcycle. I had assumed that the BOSE system would be a good system, but that is sounding not so true, and I extremly dought that the KIA dealer would put an OEM radio in, instead just some really cheap one.

I plan to buy a car to drive it. I don't need a car that has been hidden from the world, because I will be driving it, even, dare I say it, in the rain. I will take car of the car, don't get me wrong, but I will have spent too much money to just park it in the garage. And yes, I do have a garage to keep it in (as well as to work on it)

As it comes to the color, it actually doesn't look too bad. I am also a fan of unique looking cars. If I were to repaint the car I would do it down the line, and would probably make the entire car a blue, or a green, as those are colors I like better. The wheels and badges would be replaced however, I don't like the look of them. I would also have to do something about the roof panel.

Was the uneasy feel on the highway normal due to the light car on the damp road, or is that an indication of something else going on? And should the car be able to dance off the line with the "traction control". I don't know the realistic abilities of the system. (It put a giant grin on my face, and scared the **** out of the salesperson )

The onboard trip computer before my test drive stated an average fuel economy of 6.8 mpg. I don't know when it was reset, or what they have done to it, but is this a realistic number? I know gas milage estimates fib, but do they really fib this much? I am willing to sacrafice the 50 mpg I got on my Ducati, but this would be alot of sacrafice.

One more question that I have, realistically, what is the driving difference between a ZR-1 and a normal C4, or even a C3. This is the only ZR-1 I have found on sale here an the island. There are however several C4s, ranging through all years available. I know the obvious difference in HP, but how does that translate to real lfe?

As a closer, I will not offer the dealer the 23K he thinks he wants for the car. The CARFAX shows that the dealer has had the car since november 2010. He tried to claim that the KBB on this car is 38K, i'm not sure I even come close to agreeing with him. What would ya'll offer, and what would you insist on being fixed prior to sale, such as the crapped battery?

Thank You, yet again.

ZR-71

Driving mileage is easily 15mpg around town even if you have you have your foot in it. If you're light on the gas pedal you can easily be in the 20 mpg range
Check out this '91 right here in the SF Bay Area. Might not be your color, but you can have it sitting in your garage for less than $20k. And only 46K miles

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/ctd/2446312962.html

DRM500RUBYZR-1

The radio is an easy fix, but must be removed and sent away for repair costing a few hundred, but fixing it for good.
You mentioned the car had no valet key. On a 94the indicator light next to the full power wording on the front of the console should have been illuminated if the secondaries were available. It could have a programmed overide or a harness change, but I am guessing you did not have full power absent the key.
Could still get antsy without it, but you should have felt some pushaback on the accelerator if the system was invoked.
My Zr-1's when driven easily would get very high 20's on pure highway, and mid teens in town.
6.8 sounds like a reset then lots of idling or moving it around the lot.
I would vote for LT-5 far and away as first, followed by LT-4, then WAYYYYYYYYY back the LT1, then a few miles back the L98.

Not that it matters one bit, but you asked. I would not go higher than 15-16.

We could help you find a much better example for around 20, and you could look at dozens of pictures, and someone here could check the car over for you. Shipping could be arranged all without you coming stateside.

Your evaluation of the 94 hints at lack of needed repairs, which makes me question how well it had been cared for, which is very important for any car, but especially an LT-5.
Although bullet proof the motor may now require some TLC to get everything to where it should be.
Time and money can fix anything if you have an unlimited supply of both,
but it is far simpler and safer to just buy a known well cared for car.
Have you looked at the ones for sale here and on the ZR-1 Registry?
Your money, your car, your choice, but I see lots of nicer examples, and why not buy the color you like!
Best of luck with wahtever direction you take, and if it is a ZR-1, we are all here to help.

Marty
1FUNZR1

mike100

C4's are interesting creatures, but they all have some common issues. I really haven't seen one yet that had a fully functioning radio. That is a hidden cost on these and if you want to keep the original head unit, it still could cost a few hundred to get that and maybe a repair for a couple of the speaker amps which are also typically in need of $ thrown at them. The sound will be ok at best, but I like the stock look because your windows tend to last longer when nobody wants to steal your stock junk.

An aftermarket double din super-throw-down-gps-pc-computer-video-game-system will cost more, but a lot of people go modern too.

The uneasy control feel at speed was probably well worn FX3 electric shocks. You can get them rebuilt at the factory in CA for $100 a pop. custom programming for the electric actuation is also not too much. That said, the regular C4's actually handle better depending on the suspension package and exact configuration because they weigh 200 lbs less and have a less front heavy weight balance.

The 300 hp regular LT1 C4 with a 6 speed manual will get about 1, and sometimes, 2 mpg's more than a ZR-1 in town. I have recorded anything from 13-17 mpg for the typical tank of gas, but the extra 100+hp in these cars begs you to use it more often than the 300hp ones. My LT1 car always seemed to average 17 combined. Either car could get 24 or 25 mpgs on the highway.

C3's...those just look cool. They are antique as far as daily driving or comparing about how they handle. The chassis on those came out in '68.

Vette Daddy

C3's...those just look cool. They are antique as far as daily driving or comparing about how they handle. The chassis on those came out in '68.

Actually, it's worse than you thought. LOL

The chassis was introduced in 1963! Antiquated, for sure, compared to a C4 or newer.

Coupe89

Just looked at the car today.

1. It seems that the pump is cycling on every 2 to 3 seconds. I'm sure these is a vacuum some where.
2. Lots for ware on the center console paint/plastic coming off. Odd for a 44K car.
3. Weather stripping need to be replaced. Lots of cracking and missing rubber from the doors and its split on the rear hatch.
4. The top. It seem that someone tried to spay paint the under side of the top. Only comes with one
5. Missing the spair wheel and carrier.
6. Missing the power key. I know you can still test drive. But why at only half power and has a vacuum leak.
7. They dont have the orignal rims.
8. The rear carpet. Looks like someone put dyno mat on the rear cargo area. Not sure if the drive side compartment opens up. But there was a screw holding it down. It was missing the trim for the locks.
9. Paint jobs looks good. Lines were clean
10. Windshield has some delamination on the top.

The dealer was ask $27K for the car. One of the sales guys told me it was an LT1. I asked the Manager for the power key. He thinks you can still get them from the dealer. Manager told me it will be auctioned of some where. Its been on the lots way too long.