pdx-vette

This question is for anyone who owns or owned both generations. How much more is the cost of ownership of a C5 compared to a C4? Specifically, the cost of maintenance, service & parts. Your informative input is greatly appreciated.

Vetteman Jack

Overall, I never had much maintenance costs in either the C4 (had four of them) or my C5s (now have had three of them). The C5 has more technological pieces that if they go bad would add to the cost of ownership, but thankfully things seem to be pretty reliable on it. Nothing really wrong with owning either the C5 or a C4 - I enjoyed each one that I had. The C5 is more friendly ergonomically than the C4, has more power, and IMO gets a little better fuel economy. The C5 has less parts to go wrong than the C4 also. But, it comes down to which design you like best and whether you can find a really nice example of either one to consider buying.

QCVette

So far, both have been pretty reliable, so not much major.

The maintenance like oil changes, brakes, shocks, etc have been pretty similar.

I suspect if you need drivetrain work like a clutch or transmission work done, the C5 will cost more for labor.

My C5's get better mileage than my C4's.

For me the biggest factor in cost of ownership was simply the initial purchase price.

Mr.Bill

The C4 and C5 are 2 different animals, You need to decide which you want and not worry about the cost difference in upkeep between the two. In my opinion the cost to run them both will be about the same. In my opinion anyone would have better results with a C5 as long as you like the design.

StatmanRN

I have both a 95 and an 01.I find that working on the C5 is much more difficult whereas there isnt much I cant do on the 95. I actually like the looks of the 95 better but the C5 even stock is a much better performer.

danziger

Both platforms have high maintenance costs if you are comparing them to a Camry. However, between the two there isn't too much difference. Some C4 parts are getting harder to find and the aftermarket certainly isn't develping too much for them anymore. C5s are more complex and the transaxle can be costly, but the LSx engines still have plenty of support. Balance your desire versus budget and go from there...

dcandel

In 2001, I purchased a 1994 C4 coupe (automatic) with 24K miles on it. In the 5 years (and 25K more miles) that I had it I had to have the transmission fixed (it blew the first year I had the car), the water pump replaced and the fuel pump replaced.

3 years ago I bought a 1999 C5 coupe (6 speed) with 52K miles on it. In the three years I've had it (75K miles on it now), I've only had to replace the oil pressure sensor.

99 VET

Agree that general upkeep is about the same for both the C4 & C5. In my case I've spent more on various appearance mods for my C5 then on the C4 (only owned it 3 yrs) as I've had my C5 since '99. Our vendors keep coming up w/good stuff for the C5's, ha, ha!!! I guess I have the "mod fever"!

mguerra

Leo23

Corvettes are high performance machines, and parts are expensive. When you find that particular Vette that "speaks to you" you just need to buy it. If you start worrying too much about cost of ownership, and the like, you will never be able to justify the purchase of either.

With that said, I don't see a huge difference between C4 and C5 in on-going cost, assuming you start with a decent example of either.

Chilliwack vettes

I do most of the work myself which saves a bundle. Overall I'd say that the C4 will be more expensive due to the fact it is older therefor needing more repairs. Both have been pretty reliable.

racebum

c4 is more expensive. parts are difficult to find for it and age failures like that stupid digital heat & ac control that seems to fail on so many is a hot commodity. door sills? good luck finding a mint pair. break any interior plastic, again, good luck finding clean pieces.

right now the c5 is actually fix-able but it's hard to say how long that will last. personally speaking i would never buy a modern car that did not have factory support. they are just a pain in the *** to get parts for.

c4's just aren't a good value. a nice mid mile 92+ car will run you at least 8k and c5's can be had for barely more now a days. hell even a 350z is a better car than a c4. they perform similar with the z being more stable and with a hell of a lot nicer interior

pdx-vette

It's interesting that you mention the Z. Yesterday, I sat in a C5 & felt it was a very snug fit (I'm husky). I thought of how much more space there is in my buddy's '07 350Z. This was surprising because the Vette is larger than the Z.

superjet701k

I have a 96 vert c4 auto and everything is a pita to do maintenance wise
My 01 coupe 6spd is much easier to do maintenance on.
Cost it's a vette with a vette tax but c4 parts on the whole are slightly cheaper.

NVaughn

Here's another good C4 vs C5 resource: https://www.corvetteforum.com/how-to...4-vs-c5-375443

pups

If you think the C5 is snug you are not going to have a good time getting in and out of a C4...

I'm 6' 290, and I feel like the C5 has a decent amount of room for what it is. I could not own a C4.

o2bnkc

Geez, I thought Mr. Bill was answering from the grave until I saw the date on this thread.