Hey guys. New to corvettes and I so stoked to get mine soon. I'm a miata guy at heart but I'm now 42 and find it to be a bit rough for me. I'm getting softer with age I guess. My budget is $10-12K so I'm limited to certain models such as the C4 and a Higher mileage C5. Probably thinking a 93 or newer with a manual 6spd for sure. Yellow tops the list as well as burgandy and silver. I've got a ton of questions but for now I will start with only a few.

What's the most common problem with C4's that I should look for?
Any special options that are more valuable than others?
Which motor is best?
Are higher mileage vettes worth a look?
Does the Fiberglass crack in these?

Thanks guys!

 

Having owned both the C4 and C5 models I will recommend going with the C5. As long as the car was maintained and not beat on the miles should not matter. I have owned many Corvettes since 1978 and never had an issue with fiberglass cracking. That is a myth, the C5's are strong and have a hydroformed steel chassis.

http://www.thegreatamericansportscar.com/history5.html

http://www.vetteweb.com/tech/vemp_1104_corvette_frames/

http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/gm/n...e_chassis.html

 

First time I've ever heard Miata described as "rough". I guess it would help to know what you mean by rough. If you mean suspension-wise, you should probably stay away from any c4 or c5 with the Z51 suspension as they ride stiffer than with the standard suspension.

Also stay away from the '84. Its under-powered and difficult to find parts for.

If you are looking for seat-of-the-pants thrills, you probably don't want 92' - 96'. The interior is more refined on the LT1 coupes, but the torque curve peaks in the higher RPMs, so even though they have at least 300hp, they don't feel like it, IMO.

You really be happiest, I think with an early or higher mileage C5. Good combo of grin-factor and refinement. I've got 100k+ on my 97 and it has been extremely reliable.

 

Depending on your area, you can find a very nice 80k-120k C5 for $12k.

http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/cto/4205273524.html '01 Z06 with a new clutch for $14k asking.

The miles might scare you, but there are a number of guys well into 6 digits on a C5 with no major issues.

 

I love my 2000 C5. I bought it with approx 82k miles and almost have 85k miles on it now from one season.

I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can start enjoying it again.

 

I limited my search to '01 and newer based on the info I gained on this forum about EBCM issues. I know my late model C4 was a lot nicer than the early ones. A lot of the bugs seemed to have gotten shaken out by '01 I guess.

I had a little more budget, but not much. There were quite a few in the $14k range.

 

Welcome! I'm a newb myself, but we got ours from Buyavette.net. Very pleased with the experience and everything seems reasonably priced. Talk to John Ivankovich (that was my sales guy). ZERO pressure and very informative. Positive all the way around.

 

Those prices on that site look ridiculously high to me.

 

Well, you can't please everyone. They were much cheaper than dealers in our area. For that kind of purchase, I'm more comfortable getting the warranty than going with a private sale, but to each their own.

 

You lost me after the "Miata guy at heart."

 

DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT GETTING A C4. Your miata is better than that thing. C5 OR HIGHER. The LS Series motor stomps the lt in its face and spits on its grave.

I paid 8k said and done for my c5.

140k, near perfect compression/leak down, Properly running, instant startup, maintained, modified exhausts, bolt ons, bilsteins, 7/10 paint, faded roo, good running motor with a valve cover leak, z06 interior, and fresh racing tires.

Found it on craigslist. Lowballed from 10k obo. Took me about 1 month after seeing a few of them. I caught about 10+ c5's for under your budget EASY. Just have to play the game smart and know what you are doing.

Do I regret not getting a z06?

Not really since I chopped up the car and will be redoing everything.

*IF* I wasn't who I am would I rather save up and get a z06?

YES. Well worth the couple thousand you will put on top. Better motor, diff, upgrades etc. All you need is to slap on bolt ons and your car is done.

Modifications can also change everything. Z06's are going for 14/16k.

Check a website called blue808.com. Find the phone number and call them up! The owner was selling a SUPER sick deal on a c5. It was like 14k obo for a highly modified track ready car. Very sick steal IF I didn't already own one.

http://zilvia.net/f/cars-sale/506440...g-bananas.html

Offer 11-12k and you found yourself a SUPER SUPER solid deal.

 

I have had some C4's and C5's.

The C5's will cost a little more than a comparable C4, but have a number of improvements too. The LS1/LS6 motors are great, and can easily be modded to make a lot more. Overall the C5's are faster, handle and brake better, and even get better gas mileage. The C5's can last a long time. There are a lot of them going strong well into the 100 or 200 thousand mile mark with some more than that.

There are some issues with C5's such as the EBCM on the 2000 and older cars is out of production and not repairable. The harmonic balancer can fail (either separating, walking forward or back, or wobble) at low mileage (I had one fail at 30k miles) I have two '99's now and do not regret the choices, but I would look for a 2002-2004 as my first choice since they have a few upgrades.

The C4's have few issues too. The Optispark distributer on the LT1/LT4 cars gets a lot of people scared. Yes, they can fail, but it is just a distributor and can be changed out if needed. There are a lot of little bugs too, like the headlight motors/gears failing to work or making noise, the radio antenna frequently stops working, the Bose stereo's break down.

The C4's are bad mouthed by a lot of people. They have less power so slower than the C5's and up. The LT1 cars run mid 13's while the LS1 C5's (and LT4 C4's) run low 13's. The C4's don't handle as well as the C5's, but they are still good handling cars. In the '80's they won every race for about 3 years so that SCCA kicked them out into their own Corvette Challenge races. That was a while back, but the point is they are still a good handling car.

For your budget, there are a lot of very nice C4's but more towards the bottom of the C5's (although there are some nice ones out there if you shop around)

The biggest thing is that the C4's and C5's have a very different "feel". You need to drive a few of each and see what you like.

Good luck with your choices.

 

Not to knock the C4, but for a little extra money, you get a whole lot more car. My LT1/4L60E '94 was no slouch, but after chasing my little brothers C6 everywhere, I needed a little more power and a stiffer chassis.

I do think my C4 seats were WAY better, though.

 

I think you can buy a great C5 for $10-12k especially this time of year just be patient! That was my original budget but when we found this Nassau Blue '98 with 44k on it I stepped up to $15 k, It is about as good of shape as one can expect so let your search begin, and good luck!