BKLYN_VETTE

hey everyone im 16 and my friend told me to look into a 1989-1994 corvette because they have alot of power for now that much money.

im looking into the 1993 one because of the air bag and pke system.

is there anything i should look out for on these cars? any years better then others?

also how much would insurance be for like a 18 year old driver in ny?

AORoads

You must be kidding! Insurance--if sky high is too little, just don't faint when you hear the number. I could be very wrong, but if you pay less than $200 a month, I'd be surprised and I'm sure others on the forum would like to know the name of the company.

As to things to look for, all the normal things you'd look for in any car. The Corvettes over the years have had a small problem with door seals and rear hatch seals cracking or becoming less than effective. The LT1 engine in the '93 is an excellent reliable engine. Unless you like punishing yourself in around town traffic (Gowanus, Belt, 86th st., Eastern PKwy, etc.), the six speed manual transmission may not be to your liking. Consider the automatic.

Depending on your level of knowledge, definitely ask around and find a knowledgeable, reputable technician/mechanic who knows Corvettes to check the car out for you. If it costs a couple hundred or less, it could be the best money you'll spend espec. if he saves you from buying a great looking dog that'll cost you up the wazoo in repairs.

As a matter of fact, that might be your next question here. There's a guy who just asked about a good Corvette shop in Orlando. You could do the same for either Brooklyn or even the Island or Queens.

Good luck. Hope you get it. Post what happens.

cv67

Both the L98 and Lt1 vettes are great cars. I'd try driving both and see which one is the best for you. Be paitient, and don't buy the first POS you see (like I do ). Good luck!

VR'92

If money is a real issue I would go with a well taken care of L98. I would think the upkeep would be a little easier than an Lt-1 and they are plenty fast for a 16 yr old.

SmokinBlack

I'm certainly not going to discourage you from looking into a Corvette as your first car. There are not too many kids your age that are interested in anything beyond common front wheel drive rides.

As stated before, I would think that you are looking at something like $2500/year to insure the average C4. In my opinion, the chances of a younger person getting killed in a vehicle like a Corvette is much less likely than in these things that many of the younger crowd are running around in today. It's a sad thing, but the insurance companies don't recognize that a 16 year old driving around foolishly in their parent's Honda is probably more dangerous than somone who takes great pride in a vehicle like a Vette.

I was 21, just out of college, and starting my first job when I purchased my '87. At the time, since I had another vehicle as my daily driver, I insured the Vette on a 9 month (March to December) limited use policy. For me, it cut the rate in half. I know that these policies are still common here in PA and I would think that NY would have something similar. Now, many years later, insurance is drastically reduced for someone my age.

If you decide to go the Vette route, try and find one that is in the absolute best overall condition you can find in your price range. There are many to choose from out there right now, so take your time in your search.

Good luck and keep us posted...

Justin

Rich Silvestris

16?? My son got his first car at 17. It was a gray mazda MX6. No accidents and one ticket during the year and a half he had it. Then he got a red Prelude and put a kick-azz stereo in it. Within two years he had cracked it up a couple of times, gotten a few tickets, lost his license and lost that stereo to a break-in. The car attracted too much attention, and drew out too much of his youthful exuberance.

Let's assume that you are more responsible. Do you live where you can protect the car? Do you live where the police won't view the appearance of a very young man behind the wheel of a vette as some kind of challenge to find something wrong? Can you resist the pleas of your friends to do things you shouldn't?

I applaud your desires, but I encourage you to seek the advice of the folks who might have to share in your misery if this move goes wrong. Many of us here are testament to the fact that you will have a long time to enjoy cars. Good Luck.

Nathan Plemons

I was 19 when I bought my car. Assuming you will be on your parents insurance policy and they have a clean record, you might be OK. In KY you can get your license at 16 so I had my own clean driving record for three years before I bought the car. Insurance then was $150 a month for full coverage with a meager $250 deductable. We later raised the deductable to $500 and the insurance fell to $100. As I get older and my driving record stays clean the price only goes down.

There are people on here who pay less for insurance, there are people who pay more. I could likely get insurance a little cheaper if I really looked, but my insurance company is actually respectable and they are local. Every claim we have ever made to them they have handled without question.

As for what type of car you can get? Buy the newest you can afford. The '93 is a good choice. The only reason I don't like the '93 as much as the '92 is that they do not have the same size tires all the way around. In '94 they made some interior changes that I didn't like so much. In '91 they had the L98 which I am not so much a fan of, as well as the interior color scheme. For me the '92 is the perfect car, although it does not have the factory PKE, aftermarket alarms and keyless entry are readily available. Now if I could have any vette I wanted, '93 ZR-1. The tire size would cease to be an issue because ZR-1's had different size tires anyway, the interior is what I like, and the engine is of the 405 HP variety. It'll never happen but we can dream anyway.....

neat

92 doesn't have the same size tires either, unless it's a ZO7.

IMO, it's an admirable aspiration, but you'll crack it up. Everyone wrecks their first car. Ask around on here and other forums.

If you're anything like I was at 17, no one is going to tell you what to do. You've proably all ready made up your mind and are just looking for validation.

If you want fast for cheap, look into later model LS1 F-bodies. Faster than any LT1 or L98 vette in stock form, newer car, cheaper insurance, and probably cheaper to get in to.

Last thing, then I'll shut up. I'm 25 and my insurance on my 91 is $1206 every 6 months.

H P Bushrod

I'll assume from your name, you live in Brooklyn. I was born and raised in Woodside, Queens. Before you buy your car, get a insurance quote. Because of your age, I hope you're sitting down when you get it. It's going to be sky high. The insurance is what killed me from getting my Vette when I was 21. Do you have a garage to park it in? Vettes are theft magnets in NYC. If I wanted a Vette, I'd consider moving from the city to Long Island or somewhere else. The streets in NYC stay tore up and will tear any car up. I know how you feel wanting a Vette at your age. I felt the same way. But realistically, Unless you have alot of money lying around for maintenance, insurance, and anything else that may come up, You'll probably have to wait on the Vette. Good luck to you.

Nathan Plemons

Incorrect. '92 had the same size tires all the way around, and it was the last year that came with that on base suspension. '93 only had the same size if you had a special suspension package which may have been ZO7.

Yellow95

Make sure you factor in repair costs. Parts can be more expensive, $200 for an LT-1 starter. If you do the repairs yourself it helps a lot. If you have to take it to a shop, bring large cash. C-4 Vettes are good cars, but they are 10-20 years old. I use mine as a daily driver and it works well, but I have put a couple of grand into it in the past two years. All "normal" maintenance. (Radiator, a/c, starter, water pump, tires, ...)

Repairs are part of running with the big dogs.

dchildress

If you are truly 16 looking into a Corvette as your first car, find a driving school nearby. NOT THE REGULAR DRIVING CLASS!!!! Find a performance school that will teach you to contol your car, teach you how to control a four wheel drift in opposite lock at full throttle(if you don't know what that means...buy a Honda).

My ten year old has been riding quads for 5 years. He knows how to start, contol, and end a slide or spin. Just this week I let him take my 86 AE86 Corolla GT-S into my field to start learing how to control the thing with me in the car and one hand on the e brake!!! At 10 years old and 5 foot high he can drive a stick and do a nice little 30mph drift in the grass. I take my driving seriously and in 19 years of driving have only had one accident...on ice I slid through a stop sign and hit a mailbox. I have passed this on to my son, that is my job as a dad...to keep him alive. He will probably get my '77 or maybe the '94 as his first car. I need to know he knows what to do with it.

Think twice before you get behind the wheel of a 250 hp to 325 hp car that will become a 3500 pound saucer sled if you don't know what you are doing!!!!

byebyeL98

Yup - my first car was a 1976 Monte Carlo and i pitched that car off the road more times than i'd like to admit, smashing 3 of the 4 corners at different times. It happens when you're not an experienced driver.

I wanted a Vette before i could ride even a bike. Had to wait until i was 25 and married before i could actually afford it. NYS insurance rates dropped significantly for me at that point.

The F body is not a bad choice at all if you are seriously looking to get a hot rod.

Good luck!!

AORoads

I'm not gonna tell you anything that hasn't been written here. For the money, you will never buy anything car-related that will be more valuable or useable than a performance driving school lesson. It' worth your life, your car and some other persons around you. I'm so slow learning, I took it twice!!! Absolute true.

And whether you know it or not, you can get into the same kind of accident and lose a leg or worse with a Honda Civic as a 1993 Corvette. Things tend to happen a bit more suddenly however the more horsepower you have.

Even if you can't always control your urges, learning to control the car could bring you out of a situation.

And the words on insurance, New York City, parking, cops looking at you really carefully, wanting a Vette from way back when, I know all of it. First hand, I've done it. Except for buying the Corvette and living in New York City at the same time. But I've done them both.

Let's hear from you!

illinest

im 25 and pay 288 every 6 months (just liability right now)
never wrecked my first car either.
i think if you havent yet wrecked or been ticketed then you should be able to find an insurance policy for under 1500 a year at your age. I always could.
i waited until 22 to buy my vette though. you just need to find the right insurance carrier. i used to have a 15 mph over speeding ticket that didnt hurt me much because they started their big penalty bracket at 16 mph over. one extra mph would have netted me an extra 1000 per year on the quote.

bogus

well... considering you have 2 more years to look and save, it may not be all that deadly.

save up and pay for the car in cash.

By the time you get there, 92/93 vettes will be cheap. You may want to move up to 95/96 by then, too. They are newer and will be cheaper then a 92/93 now!

Budget $10,000.00 to $12,000.00 for the right ride. You want one of 2 cars:

1) moderate miles, under 50k. This way, you can drive it for a year or so before the maintenance cycle hits.

2) higher miles, about 110k. This is a car past it's maintenance cycle, but still not so high to be ready for round 2.

The LT1 is no more expensive to maintain then an L98. The only real difference is the waterpump and optispark. But those are DIY projects. Whatever you do, get the factory service manual for your vintage. www.helminc.com or check ebay and the CF sale sections.

Also, join a forum that caters to the C4, www.c4guru.com.

Finally, READ. Read everything you can. Ask questions. Save and or print threads of importance.

You don't want to do this blind... if you do, you will be broke.

Oh, and don't expect insurance to be less than $2,500.00 a year. I would expect it to be higher.

bogus

oh, another thought... keep good grades! many auto insurers offer discounts for good students. Also, some states offer defensive driving discounts. they are separate classes held on evenings or whatnot.

It's like voluntary traffic school. When I was still living in Delaware, I took that class every 3 years and saved a bundle!

15% off my liability coverage each year for 3 years!

Here in CA, I don't have that avaliable.

My coverages in DE were marginally different, by my rates there were $350 every six months, and now, in CA, are $560 every six months. same car, same driver (39, clean record), so keep that in mind. State Farm is the insurer.

Red Tornado

andy, please come home. there's too many reasons to do so! J/K

VR'92

Thats a nice looking site. I thinks I'm signing up!

kpforce1

Why don't you have your parents put it in their name and insure it... have you pay for it if they want. Sh*t, i had my parents insure my vette until i turned 23. Had a truck insured under my name, but not the vette... wasn't worth the $2360 a year.

Oh, and who the hell wants to wait until they are in their 20's 30's or 40's to get thier first vette? I sure as hell didn't... so i found a way to drive the car I wanted... if there is a will there is a way.. lol