1990 ZR1: park it or drive it?
 

My Dad bought a 90 ZR1 when new hoping it would be a great collectors car and be worth a bunch of money some day. So far that hasn't panned out. Due to the fact that he can no longer drive it and his loss of hope to ever sell it close to what he paid for it he gave me the keys to take it home and do whatever I want with it. He almost never drove it and spent most of it's life in a plastic bag in a garage. It currently has 4,600 miles on, runs great, and is in near perfect condition. I'd love to drive the car and enjoy it like it was originally intended, but I'm hesitant to drive it and lose a bunch of value in the car for him. For me it depends on how much the car is worth and if the value is likely to go up in the near to mid term. It's hard to get a solid number for the true value, but after consulting NADA, KBB, and checking online listings my best guess is $25,000 - $45,000 currently. Any thoughts?

30 years of that car's life and your dad's...have been wasted. Drive the WEE out of it. :thumbs:

I don't think you'll really hurt the value if you drive it occasionally. I wouldn't use it as your daily driver, but take it out when you feel like it on nice days. Do club events like car shows and cruises. Take it to dinner on special occasions. You'll have fun with it, and it's actually much better for the car to be driven regularly than to let it sit. It will take you many years of occasional drives to rack up 15,000 or 20,000 miles, and even then the car would still be considered low mileage. There are plenty of these cars that were put away when new and never driven, and now have only 100 or 200 miles, so it's not like you have the only sub-5,000 mile ZR-1 in existence. Have fun with it!

What is the color combo?

D.

90s even in exceptional condition won't be of huge value until they go way older

due to the condition, you COULD save it for the next guy, and you might make 5k if you are luck

right now the car won't pull the low end of that range above, and won't climb back for many more years

does it really run fantastic or just look good? Many of the early zr1s that sit have LOTS of maint issues that are not a big deal but people spend too much on things like injectors swaps and ignition system maint which is pretty much all the lt5 typically needs as the hard parts are very durable.

check the prices on cars for similar miles and condition for the selling not the asking prices

c4s are in the toilet and the zr1 isn't much better off there.

once the c8 comes out, you'll see plenty (many already) in the 15k range for the 90s

I'd drive it and have as much fun as you can. As stated, the values are pretty establishes and the mileage wont make that much difference on value unless you get above 50ish.

You may not get the value you think as the car will need LOTS of maintenance to get it back to "bullet proof." In the ZR1 culture a well maintained car with 35ish is more desirable than a never driven car with 4k.

Do the maintenance, square it away and drive it.

Color could matter if it is an ultra rare yellow 90.

D.

I absolutely agree with this.

You should enjoy it as a way to honor your dad.

Your Dad gave it to you. Maybe you should sell it and get a left over C7?

Post some pics.

Which VIN is it?

D.

^^^^ This exactly. Enjoy. ^^^^^

Oh, and welcome to the forum !

Drive it and enjoy it. I have seen my father do this time and time again but when he finally decided to drive his c6 zr1 on track his new acr viper went right to the track and he enjoys them. Now he does have an 06 ford gt with hardly any miles which is a shame anyway end rant drive the car how it was meant to be driven and enjoy it!

I agree with the others - DRIVE IT (a little)!

But, FIRST! Some basic knowledge about the general maintenance of your LT5 is in order. And, Marc Haibeck (the ZR1 Specialist) has a series of papers he has presented on the care and maintenance of the ZR--1 that make excellent reading. That, and a copy of "The Heart of the Beast" too will set you up to better understand the history and development of your BEAST. Nest up: A copy of the 1990 Factory Service Manual (aka "FSM") is a MUST HAVE and also worth skimming through to get a good feel for what and where information can be located.

With any car that has been in storage for a long period, dropping and replacing all of the fluids, except perhaps the transmission and differential fluids, is in order. You can expect to have a few seals that have dried out and will need to be replaced, especially the secondary port throttle system (under the plenum) will likely need some TLC and maybe replacement of some parts (Jerry's Gaskets is where you go to find all things regarding the LT5 maintenance).

And, take it to some car shows/cruise nights. I've been a regular attendee to a local cruise night for 15 years now; 11 years with the ZR-1, and I can tell you there has always been interest in the "Z" as there are so few out there that many have never seen one. And, interest has picked up, especially in the past couple years. (And, I think it is interesting that the "Fast and Furious" crowd tend to be much better informed about the LT5 that the average car show attendee or muscle car nut. (Anyway...after reading "Heart of the Beast", you'll be ready to answer most of the questions people are gong to ask about the car, once they realize what it is they're looking at!)

Welcome to the "Brotherhood of the Beast"! And, I extend an invitation to join the ZR-1 Net Registry too to keep up on special events and items of interest - especially for new "Z" owners!

Paul.

Red paint end red leather interior.

Go drive the wheels off it and if your Dad is still able take him with you.

^^^^^


BEST SUGGESTION YET!!!

You've a Son to pass it on to OR your Dad a 'Grandson' that you could pass on to?

The nicer you keep it, the more it will be worth, but you're not going to see a lot of appreciation in value. If you find you enjoy driving it, go for it. Under 20k miles condition is more important than mileage.

You saving your girlfriend or wife for the next guy? No? Why do that with a fun car? Drive the wee out of it.

Best case scenario in today's market, you might get 20k.

Drive it.

Thanks for the feedback
 

Thanks for all your comments. You've all convinced me to go ahead and drive it at least some. Here's some pictures of the car.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...5d9a440201.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...043c3766ac.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...3b8e3caead.jpg

Everybody knows that Red '90's are the fastest of all ZR1's.
;-)
That being said, if you plan on driving it at all, put some new rubber on the wheels.
Those 30 year old Gatorbacks are long expired and will hurt you.
Set them aside in a warm dry place for the NCRS guys.

'Crabs
'90ZR1 #792
Red on Saddle