Hello all
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 21,468
Likes: 3
From: Detroit MI
Hello all
New member here from Detroit, MI. I'm looking hard for a bargain on a daily driver C4 or C5 and plan to pick your brains in the near future.
I've driven Mustangs (a '66 and an '86) and have been into Miatas for the last 15 years or so (a heavily modified '91 (full suspension upgrade, supercharged and built engine...just running out of things to do to it, and it's about maxed out at ), a '92, and an '02). I'm looking for a different experience, and from what I've read, I think a Vette might be just the right car.
I'm hoping to pick up a cheap car that's fairly reliable with decent (not necessarily show car) cosmetics. I guess my plan is to try the Corvette on the cheap, then upgrade the car if the bug bites me. I figure the C4s and maybe the C5s are about bottomed out on the depreciation curve, so it's pretty much a nearly risk-free venture...buy it, drive it for a few months, then keep it, upgrade it, or break even selling it in the Spring/Summer.
I've never really cared as much for straight line acceleration as for handling, although it is a blast to "hit it" occasionally. I'm more of an autocrosser than a drag racer, hence my love for the Miata. I'm pretty sure about any Vette will out drag even my supercharged Miata (although it's about 200ish hp in a 2000lb car, so it might give a few early C4s a challenge), I'm just worried that they won't handle as well as I'm used to.
Any thoughts?
I've driven Mustangs (a '66 and an '86) and have been into Miatas for the last 15 years or so (a heavily modified '91 (full suspension upgrade, supercharged and built engine...just running out of things to do to it, and it's about maxed out at ), a '92, and an '02). I'm looking for a different experience, and from what I've read, I think a Vette might be just the right car.
I'm hoping to pick up a cheap car that's fairly reliable with decent (not necessarily show car) cosmetics. I guess my plan is to try the Corvette on the cheap, then upgrade the car if the bug bites me. I figure the C4s and maybe the C5s are about bottomed out on the depreciation curve, so it's pretty much a nearly risk-free venture...buy it, drive it for a few months, then keep it, upgrade it, or break even selling it in the Spring/Summer.
I've never really cared as much for straight line acceleration as for handling, although it is a blast to "hit it" occasionally. I'm more of an autocrosser than a drag racer, hence my love for the Miata. I'm pretty sure about any Vette will out drag even my supercharged Miata (although it's about 200ish hp in a 2000lb car, so it might give a few early C4s a challenge), I'm just worried that they won't handle as well as I'm used to.
Any thoughts?
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 20,352
Likes: 568
From: Ventura County, Calif
Welcome to the Forum!!!!!!!!! 
Good luck with your search for the right Vette. Based only on what you've said here I think you will not likely be happy with anything less than a C5 Z06 or C6 Z51. The C5 Z06 may or may not be out of your financial comfort zone but maybe if you look hard enough there might be one out there like the '01 Z06's, cheapest, lower hp than later models but all have pretty good suspensions. Enjoy the Forums. 
Good luck with your search for the right Vette. Based only on what you've said here I think you will not likely be happy with anything less than a C5 Z06 or C6 Z51. The C5 Z06 may or may not be out of your financial comfort zone but maybe if you look hard enough there might be one out there like the '01 Z06's, cheapest, lower hp than later models but all have pretty good suspensions. Enjoy the Forums.
