crimsondave

C4 auto. I know the newer gens would be more reliable but I just don't like the C5. The C6 is OK I guess. I can't afford a C7. I just think a C4 is the best looking Vette I can afford. I guess it's nostalgia from my teenage years. The trouble is, while I am mechanically inclined, I despise working on cars. On the rare occasion my truck or wife's tahoe needs repair I just take it somewhere. I guess I COULD work on it, but I'm fat, 40, and I can't jump up off the floor of the garage like I used to. Would paying someone to fix a C4 put me in the poor house?

It would be a Sunday driver with maybe an occasional road trip. I'd want to have the rear gear changed if it's a 2.59 and a catback installed and that's it.

TIA

TorchTarga94

If you are set on a C4 and want to minimize time under the hood I think the 95'/96' auto is the safest bet! Good call.

95LT1ZF

Buying anything that old that you don't want to work on could be tough. If you ante-up for a very well maintained C4 that has a good history, you can certainly curb some of the maintenance time. I'm cheap, so I got a good deal on my C4 because I bought it knowing it had some maintenance items I would have to handle in the coming months.

FAUEE

Agree. Its hit or miss. Even the best 95 or 96 is 20+ years old, it will need stuff. If you're paying people to do everything, including basic upkeep, it could become an expensive car easily.

The nice thing is c4 parts are cheap and they're fairly easy to work on and very robust. Any used car can have issues. A c5 or c6 would be no different.

drcook

In order to have the speedometer and other electronic readouts read correctly, as well as the computer programming, the gear ratio has to be adjusted software wise, at least in the 96. I am going to assume the 95 is the same way. I can't look at 95 tables as my evaluation copy of the software has expired and I can't reload it on this machine.

To adjust the gear ratio in a 96, you have to either buy a Jet box, pay someone to sacrifice one of their Vin numbers (if someone close to you has one), be prepared to forgive them if it goes wrong, etc. and bricks the ECM.

There are multitudes of tables in the 96 that a MPH related, most if not all in the automatic trans section so for a stick car, it is important, but doesn't affect the programming tables as much.

2LZ

Bingo... I have a '96 LT1 A4 and had the 3.54 installed. Love the gearing but finding someone to calibrate the speedo, at least around Sacramento, is an act of futility. It runs good, shifts well, but the speedo is way off. I'm adjust to it as opposed it adjusting to me. It would have been far easier just to change a plastic gear.

crimsondave

So nobody makes a handheld tuner to do that anymore? Wow. I had a hypertech for my Camaro back in the day and I had superchips tuner for my G8. I just assumed they were still being sold. That sucks.

drcook

Back in the day was 20+ years ago.

I did find this

https://www.ecklerscorvette.com/corv...984-2004.html#

I have no idea how it affects the shift tables though. The 1996 was a 1 year only interface. The first year of OBDII and the transition to LSx Corvettes and beyond.

You could find out if it will convert the signal correctly for the ECM to make adjustments.

That just might do it

http://www.abbott-tach.com/ERA.html

http://www.atrol.com/speedometer/era.htm

2LZ

Thanks drcook. I just ordered one. Hopefully this will be the fix I'm looking for.

marines

I love my 96. Very little goes wrong with it. Changed out the coolant, replaced opti-spark and water pump, change oil frequently and just "go". I have my work done because I am 80 and it is fairly inexpensive if you deal with a private garage. Great car and fun to drive.

jgalfo

PM me , I have a 95 auto with 3.54 gears, new opti and waterpump and 65K miles

revival1

I got this 94 with 110,000 miles 7 months ago for $5,000. There's been 0 problems

MatthewMiller

As drcook mentioned, the issue is that 96 C4s are the one and only year of OBD2 compliance. The cheaper programming suites like Tunercat don't work with the 96, and neither do the ubiquitous recent tuners like HPtuners. If you bought a 95 you could use Tunercat with it, and there may still be some other options out there. Also, before shopping you should check your local inspection requirements. Where I live, all OBD2 cars have to do a plug-in emissions inspection every two years. That's not a problem with Jet DST (which I have), but if I had a 95 or earlier I could avoid emissions inspections altogether. If you're just doing the speedo and cat-back, then you won't run afoul of emissions inspections. It's just an inconvenience unless/until something goes wrong.

MatthewMiller

Actually, the VSS sends its signal to the PCM first, which processes it into a digital signal for the CCM. Then the CCM sends it to the radio, cruise control, and real-time damping shocks (if equipped). As you said, the CCM controls the speedo directly. So you change the speedo multiplier in the PCM with tuning software like Tunercat or Jet DST. That will send the corrected digital signal to the CCM afterward.

95tealconvert

One thing that you will want to check out is to see if you fit better in the 95 to 96 sport seat over the regular seats. The sport seat is an option and I found that I did not fit well in the regular seat but fit great in the sport seats. If you are a large 40 year old you may find that the regular seats will feel very tight between the bolsters and can also be a challenge getting in and out of.

This was a big enough issue for myself that before I found out about the sport seat option I almost passed on the C4 because i just did not find the regular seats to work well for my size. Very happy with our '95 and best advice beyond the seat issue is to get the best 95 or 96 you can afford. Very costly to repair or replace sun damaged items both interior and exterior. The opti is vented on both the years you are looking at so this is not a big issue on these.

Great cars and well worth taking the time to find the right one for yourself. Good luck with your search. Be patient and take your time. Better to spend a little more on the front side to get a well maintained example than to jump on one that will cost thousands more down the road.

drcook

My buddy who is also a big guy found it to be the opposite. The side bolsters and electronic seat controls of the sport seats were uncomfortable for more than short trips. So he took out the sport seat bottom (disconnected the electronics of course) and bought the standard seat bottom. No high sides on the standard bottoms allow him to get out easier also. His problem is not so much the overweightness (he is a bit) but that he is big in stature.

Since no one else drives the car, there is no issue about adjusting seat position.