Hello all, this is my first post to this forum, so please let me know if I'm breaking any rules. I just sold my //M Roadster in hopes of thickening my wallet and stepping into something a bit more economical. For the last month I've been searching for the right miata. Seemed like a fit. They're economical, relatively fun, ect., but I never really got excited about any of them. Then I drove a C4... whoops. I'm surprised about how inexpensive these cars are. Seem pretty easy to keep on the road too. Well, I'm now in the market. I'm looking for a 6 speed, the newer the better, under 100,000 miles, in the $6-9k range. If any of you happen to be selling, or know of any good cars in my area, please let me know. I'm doing the normal craigslist/autotrader thing, but I just find it's much better to deal with enthusiasts.
Located in Tacoma, WA.
Cheers

 

Check out the C4 cars for sale section. One nice thing buying from a Forum member is that you can search the members name and see the history on the car.

Then try the normal....AutoTrader...etc.

 

I know that you want a C4 but have you tried a C5? You might like that a lot better and find a way to get it.

Just sayin'....

 

I agree completely. Get hold of Mr. Peabody. He has a C4 and a C5. I'm sure he can tell you the benefit of going for a C5 and they are a much more comfortable car. The 2001 C5 had major improvements over the '97-2000 years. But I had a 2000 and loved the car. Traded it in for a C6. Good luck!

 

Thanks for the response. I have read that the c5 is a substantially better car, but I just didn't think I could get into one in my price range. Is there any way I could get into to for under 10k? Comfortability is of no concern to me. I'm looking for fun and economy (relative), so reliability is important. Are any of you going to be at the Redmond show tomorrow? I'm heading up in the morning.

 

I think you should be able to find a nice C4 at 10K or under. Good luck!

 

I have a 1992 automatic coupe I bought in Phoenix and a 2002 Z06 I bought in Sacramento. I found I was able to get a better car selection at a much better price by being willing to travel. I live in Puyallup. If you want to come over and compare the two cars and BS we can do that, although you will not get a good C5 for under 10K. You should be able to get a great C4 for under 10K, however.
You say you sold a M roadster. Was that a BMW M roadster. We have one.

 

Hi and welcome to the forum. As noted above I have both a 95 C4 and a 2004 C5 and I have driven them both a lot. While the C5 is a technically better car in every way and I use it as my daily driver, my C4 is more fun to drive. You have much more connection to the road when driving the C4 than the C5 and you just can’t beat that cockpit like interior in the C4. By the way I did daily drive the C4 for 6 years and 90,000 miles from 2005 - 2011. It still runs like a champ, it’ll still burn rubber and I still drive it on the weekends.

You can buy a top quality C4 for relatively little money but I don’t think that you will find many in the $6 - $9K range. Everyone has an opinion, I have mine ….. and mine is that with Corvettes and particularly older Corvettes you get strictly what you pay for. I don’t think that you are going to get a top quality C4 for $7K. I think that you are really going to need more like $10 - $12K. (Now just watch how everyone is going to jump on that statement LOL) but here is why I feel that way. A 17 -20 year old car that is driven a lot requires a lot of maintenance to keep it reliable condition. Lots of, not just short term but long term, wear and tear parts are going to need to be replaced if the car is always kept in reliable condition. So either you are going to buy a nice looking C4 and then end up having to replace a number of long term wear items or you are going to pay for someone who already has ……… just my opinion.

I’ve been on this forum for quite a while and still read the C4 section every day. People buy C4s for $5K - $7K all the time. Very few people will admit to buying a $10K to $12K (or more) C4 because everyone else will tell them how they “over paid” …….. however if you read all of the posts of the people who buy and stay on the forum you will see what they ended up replacing after they bought the car. In many cases they end up paying another $3 - $5 to get the car in the condition that they want.

Kmcoldcars is a friend of mine and you should take him up on his offer to compare his cars as he has both a nice C4 (though not as nice as mine) and a nice C5. I agree with Keith, don’t be afraid to go a long distance to get the car you want. I bought my C4 down in Modesto but I bought my C5 locally from a member right here in the PNW section of the forum.

To buy a really nice C4 I think that you need $10K - $12K. For a really nice quality C5 I think that you need $18K - $20K. Lest you misunderstand …… I’m not trying to sell you mine. Mine is an automatic and you want a 6 speed.

 

There's a bright red with black leather C4 for sale in Molalla for $5000. The body looks good, not many rock chips on the nose. The wheels look like a 1988, all chrome with center caps. It also has the corvette insert where the front license plate goes. No front plate on it at this time.

My avar is in this message is a 1988 bright red but the wheels are american eagle not the wheels that came on the car.

 

My C4 is NOT AS NICE as Marks C4. Mine is actually nicer as it is Black Rose Metallic and his is the YUCKY Polo Green.
I bought mine a little over a year ago in Phoenix with 49000 miles on it for $ 8300.
As I bought it.

As it is now.

 

[QUOTE=Kmcoldcars;1584401012]My C4 is NOT AS NICE as Marks C4. Mine is actually nicer as it is Black Rose Metallic and his is the YUCKY Polo Green.
I bought mine a little over a year ago in Phoenix with 49000 miles on it for $ 8300.


Oh goodness I have been mortified once again and by a purple car yet

But I think that we would both agree that a late model C4 is a great car to own and drive.

 

Mark, you are a good guy and you have two beautiful Corvettes. Young Grasshopper is alright, too which means you did good again. Or was that all Anita's doing. Your Anita, not mine.

 

You are 100% correct on your info on the C4 thanks to you directing me to the right shop to have mine worked on it is finally done except for the cosmetics but underneath she is 100% tip to tail and a screamer to drive. You get what you pay for and sometimes less so what ever you look at take it to a quality shop that knows vettes and have it checked out so you know what you are getting into.

Best of luck. And Mark is also correct the C4 is way more fun to drive it was designed for the SCCA Showroom Stock competition back in the day so it was made to be on a race track in stock form no tweaks needed.

 

I loved my '95 C4, but my '02 Z is way more fun and get more thumbs up!! Hubby's C6 is wonderful, but I think C4s and C5s are better looking. Still deciding on the pictures of C7s. Need to see one in person. Hubby is thinking of getting one. (but, the first off models aren't a good idea-work out the bugs!) Each generation has more upgrades. Love the heated seats and keyless in the C6!
Had lots of wonderful C4s at the So Oregon Corvette weekend. Best and most fun show we have ever been to. It is every other year. If you haven't been to it, go in 2015!! Mt Hood Corvettes had 15 cars and won "lots" of trophies and already made hotel reservations for 2015!!!

 

This was largely true of the C6Z as well but I can tell you and I have said this before many times that the C5Z is a much more fun car to drive than the C6Z to me. Given a choice I would drive a C5Z Mon - Friday and save the C6Z for weekends. The level of refinement of the C6 has taken away a lot of the driving experience. Same goes for a C6 ZR1 compared to a C6Z. Even more refined even more removed from the driving experience. Don't get me wrong they are still ALL GREAT cars and fun to drive but I really miss the C5Z. I don't have much seat time in a C4 to compare it against a C5Z. I hear the improvements made on the C7 had given back some of the feel and fun lost on the C6 generation.

 

I was reading Car and Driver from March '13 issue while at Modern Classics this afternoon (had end links replaced). Boy they had great details of the C7 and it sounds like they did lots of research to make a great Stingray!!

 

We have a C4 listed for sale on the MtHoodCorvettes.com website

 

I would consider trading my 88 for a S2 Europa

 

You might want to try going to some of the shows that are coming up. You might be a able to find a C4 for sale at one of them.

 

There is a 1988 Red Auto on the mthoodcorvettes.com website-Classified for $6,700 or best offer. Don't know anything about it 'tho.
I started my recent Corvette ownership with a '95 white auto(had a '62 when I was younger). Now have a "02Z. Like night and day. Husbands '07 auto is nice but he would rather have a stick. I actually love the looks of the C4 but feel the power and handling of my C5Z is way better, but then it is a "Z"( I have over 85,000 miles and hubby's '07 just turned 80,000+ they are our DDs).
Go ahead and buy a Vette in your price range and upgrade as you can. There is probably going to be a lot of activity once the C7s are out and people try them!! Sounds like Corvette finally woke up and realize they have to keep building better cars.