I joined this forum in order to get some help/advice. I'll introduce myself first and then get to my question.

My name is Jennifer and I live in KS. (Please hold all "Wizard of Oz" jokes...unless you have one I haven't heard before!) I am a mom and a grandma and tend to prefer the kind of horsepower that you find in an actual horse. I enjoy barrel racing and, most weekends, you will find me hauling a horse somewhere to make a donation in the form of entry fees.

So what brings me here? My husband has wanted a Corvette forever. I see him looking at ads almost every day and I fully intend to surprise him with one sometime this year...hopefully within the next few months. The problem is, there are SO many choices out there that I don't know where to start. I was hoping maybe I could get some advice here.

He doesn't want a new one (which is good because that is completely out of the budget) and would be perfectly happy with one that is under $10,000. So far, so good because there are all kinds of 70s, 80s, and 90s Corvettes for sale and some of them are even in the $5,000-$7,000 range. So, my question is which decade to look in? I want one that's fast...but I'm assuming they all are?? And we want either t-tops or a convertible. Beyond that, we're not picky. So, if you were looking, what decade would you look in? And what is the biggest motor you can get in those decades? I will take any advice I can get! Thanks in advance. (And let's all hope he doesn't find his way onto this forum.)

 

Welcome to the Forum Jennifer. The one big thing I will tell you is, what ever generation vette you pick, buy the best you can with your budget. Paint and interior can run into big sum of money when you have to redo them. Look through the For Sale sections in C3 and C4. With $10,000 a C4 would be the best bet for getting a very nice car. Good luck

 

Thanks for the tip! Honestly, I'm sure he'll be happy with whatever I find. He wants one he can use as a daily driver, so it doesn't need to be perfect.

PS-I see you're located in Wichita. We're about 12 miles east of you!

 

I agree. If you can find a nice LT1 powered model that would be great. That would be 1992-1996.

 

Awesome! Thank you!!

 

NP.

I feel the LT1 is the best bang for the buck. Search Auto Trader, Cars.com, etc.

 

For a daily driver in the price range your talking about, a C4 would be your best bet. Like C7 said a 92-96 would be your target years. If I can help in anyway let me know, just go into my profile and leave a message.

 

Next question...When you say LT1, is that a specific car within those years or does that refer to all the years you mentioned? In other words, do I need to be looking for LT1 in the ads?

 

Correct. That means Corvette model years 1992-1996. LT1 is engine name given by GM. With the exception of the LT4 in certain base models, Collector Edition, Grand Sport, and the DOHC LT5 in the ZR1, all have the LT1 engine.

"5.7L" "350ci"

Nice cars.

 

Got it. Thanks again. I really appreciate the willingness to explain this stuff! This will make my search much easier.

 

Jennifer if your looking for infromation on a C4, a good place to ask owners is over in C4 http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-g...discussion-34/. There are guys over there that know these cars very well (far more than I do) and they will be glad to help.

 

Great! Thanks so much!

 

Welcome to CF

 

Thank you! Hopefully I'll have some Corvette pictures of my own to share before the year is over!

 

Welcome! Your husband is a lucky man!

 

welcome Jennifer and good hunting!

 

Thank you all for the welcome! I figured if my husband is willing to put up with my horses, it's only fair he have some fun of his own.

 

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your search. We also have horses and the wife just had too have a pony and cart a couple years ago. That is how she allowed me to buy my 92 Vette.

 

I have a pony and cart too! When it's all said and done, I have three horses and one pony. And no money. Ha! But, I figure if I can keep my husband distracted with his Corvette he'll stop noticing what I spend on my horses.

 

Welcome to the forum Jennifer!

The question is what generation would he be happy with that's within the budget?

Late model C3's and C4's are probably the best bet.

If you keep an eye on the C3 and C4 for sale sections - you will get an idea on the prices. The benefit is most of the members have realistic prices and tend not to think the cars are worth more than they really are. (a common problem with some other sources - private sales and car dealers, etc.)

Some questions are: what body style do you think he would like better? manual transmission or automatic? Is he mechanically inclined and likes to work on cars? (If you farm out all the work - it could get expensive) If he likes to work on cars - he could get enjoyment out of working on the car and save money.


A friend of mine who restores Corvettes and other collectible cars as a hobby and flips them - told me that generally most guys want the Corvette they couldn't have when they were in high school - and when they get into their 40's they buy it when they have the money. (Don't know if that's true for everyone, but it sounds right.)

The C4 is a good car and a lot of people tend to bash it - my C3 turns more heads and gets more attention - but it is not a comfortable car on long rides. The C4 is more comfortable for long rides but doesn't get as much attention. Obviously, you can renew/upgrade the suspension and re-do or replace the seats on a C3 and make them more comfortable. The late model C3's at this point have a better chance of appreciating in value. But realize that you will probably put more money into any generation than you'll get back and you spend time/money to have the car the way you like it and not for an investment.

Good luck in your search!