abecon5

I feel lucky because the C4 is the car i dreamed of owning since high school. now its very affordable....relatively speaking


but i wonder how many people want a C5 or C6 and get a C4 because it is the only vette they can afford.

I actually want a c4 over a c5 or c6. it's been my dream car for over 17 yrs.
I guess I am just lucky to get them while they are affordable

abecon5

now if i can only afford a 95 ZR-1

Sweet 90

I'm in a C4 because I want to be. That being said my wife and I will be looking at a C6 probably next year

RollaMo-LT4

Yeah, I really would like to have a C6 vert. But I like my LT4 so much, I just don't want to part with it.
I can't have both. Too many toys now.

Maybe for next year's Power Tour.

ejscarfo

Interesting topic. I wound up with my C4 as a consolation prize, so to speak. While I always wanted a Corvette, any year, I always thought they were out of reach. Plus, I just started a family and I wanted something with a backseat so the whole family could enjoy it.

When I started looking for a project car, my heart was set on getting another Nova, a 68-72. I had a 70 SS in high school and sold it to pay for college and to this day I regret selling it. I figured if I could find another, it would be a perfect project. I looked at so many and even in the roughest shape, they were too much money. I wanted a running, drivable car and I would have to lay out $10K for one and still put another $10K into it to for completion. A buddy of mine suggested looking at C4's. I told him he was nuts and there was no way I could afford a Vette and the wife would probably give me lip being its only a 2 seater. But, to humor him, I checked the eBay listings and was surprised that the car I thought I would never be able to afford was actually cheap! It took me a month to find my Vette and as soon as I saw it, I feel in love with it and totally forgot about the Nova. The day it came home, my wife said I was like a little kid on Christmas morning, I remember like it was yesterday.

Its been a great ride and has given me almost flawless performance. It never ceases to amaze me, especially for a car that's now 25 years old. Next to my wife and son, its one of the few things that can always put a smile on my face. Its been an incredible learning experience as well and I am a much better mechanic because of this car.

It was 5 years in February that I purchased my first Corvette and I have no desire to sell it anytime soon. I would probably move to a house with a 2 car garage if I ever found another project car I wanted so I could keep my C4. My son says he wants it, but he's only 6. With any luck, by the time he's ready, the car will be finished and we can enjoy it together.

5POINT7

I bought my first c4 at 19. At that point i was looking for the best sports car I could by with the money I had. I was happy with the C4 and wouldve been happy if I had a c5. After an unfortunate accident 2 years ago(t-boned by a suburban), I couldve probably landed in a C5 if I wanted to but choose another C4. I guess I didnt have my fill of the C4s yet. I am sure I will be in a C5 or C6 one day. Not anytime soon tho

ignatz521

Tkis is my 2nd c4 and by the time I get done with fixing it I will have spent enough cash to afford c5 but it wont have the same feel as the c4

Sweet 90

And just maybe by then, the C4 might be worth something

Relic

I'm a realist. I have a C4 because it's what I want to afford. Doesn't mean I don't like my C4, it just means it's not my first choice.

I'd like a chrome bumper C3, and some can be had for not an outrageous sum. The chrome bumper C3 is the first Corvette I became aware of. But those cars are old, and have some real issues.

I'd love a 60-61 Corvette, but I flat out can't afford that.

I'd like a C5 Z06, and could afford that, but I don't have an extra $12k that I'm mad at.

I'd love a C6, but it's like the 60-61 cars, I can't afford one.

WW7

Well I must like the C4 because after my new motor install 2 weeks ago, I now have about $20,000 into this car...I could buy a fairly nice C5 for that amount if thats what I wanted......WW

npbassman

I drive a C4 because this was the car that I had to have when I was 18. That said, I certainly didn't mind that the resale value of these cars was bottoming out when I was in the market.

pologreen1

choice, but it is not the way I want it yet.

dizwiz24

Trading in your c4 for a c5/c6 is like burning your money.

you will get so little for it that its worth keeping.

You mention too many toys, so Im assuming garage space is getting small. I live in one of those stupid developments where I live 15 feet from my neighbor...So I can kind of relate. Park it to the side of your house with a cover on it?

Next house...will be on a 5+ acre lot with separate pole barn.

I chose to mod out my c4 so that it can keep pace with the newer cars. I hate the c6/c5 owners that treat c4 owners like second class citizens. Unfortunately, you will find a lot of them on this website in the off-topic section.

I know this is different than your situation, but:
For those of you that need the little amount of trade-in money you will get, for a paid-off c4, to buy a c5 or c6.... You really arent in the correct financial position to be buying a more expensive car.

My $.02

Flamesuit on.

dizwiz24

Ive analyzed this question many many times.

Yes, the newer corvettes offer superior performance over c4's.

However, I keep coming back to one reason why I keep it.

I dreamed of having this car when I turned 16 in 1993. I also toured the factory then too, as part of a family vaction to mammoth cave.

This was what I wanted.

I didnt dream about a c5 or c6 back then and I dont have those kinds of vivid impressions/desires anymore.

I have what I wanted then (and didnt have means to get then - no, my parents were not rich or did they believe in spoiling me).

This is why I hang on to my c4....

ejscarfo

that's the plan

Sargevette

I had a beautiful 93 C4 for several years and wish I still had it. The bottom line is it's a Vette and an awesome ride. I never have looked down on C4 owners. Get what you can afford and are happy with. A Vette is a Vette.

94z07fx3

1st C4 I bought in calander year 96. The 97 model year was out and in those crazy times the dealers were charging $5k ADP. So I bought the 94 that I have now thinking that I'd trade up one day to a C5+. I did some auto x and some time at the drag strip too. I haven't modded anything for performance. I got into motorcycles in 2000. The slot that a C5 or 6 would fill is taken up nicely by the C4 and the bikes. My wife asked me what I thought the most car for the money was a few years back. She was looking at Altimas Maximas GS300s and such. I told her that the C4 prices were way way down and to look a the features of the C4 vs the newer jellybeans. She found a polo/tan one and wanted it and has been very happy with it since. Having a Suburban that we both drive when needed lets us tow anything or haul anything that the C4s can't. Some people have been amazed to see how many grocery bags fit in the hatch of a C4 though lol.

If my C4 were to vanish suddenly I think I'd look at an SLK or Lex with the retracting hard top.

dizwiz24

thank you for your respect for other vette owners - regardless of vintage.

Ive found myself better 'friends' with mustang people than c5/c6 people because so many c6/c5 people are out there trash talking c4 owners.

Heck even c3 owners are trash talking c4 owners on this discussion website.

I had a discussion with a local dyno-operator and he told me that the corvette is the only car he knows of where owners of different vintages bash and trash talk each other instead of working together. Truly sad.

94z07fx3

The only other place I've seen that is the Porsche 914 is or was hated by that community.

gator2206

I chose my C4 because it's the Vette I wanted in high school, it's far from the way I want it but with time and money I'll get it that way. I've had goodluck around my home town with C5/C6 vette owners being friendly, and even the C3 and earlier Vettes always give the wave. I'm an Olds guy but I have always loved the Corvette no matter what generation it is.