vinniemc

This is quite true, make sure you buy a polo green Corvette!

eatmydst1234

OP, you say you are in Ga. Where at? I might could help you out with your search. I'm not much older than you, 23, and am on my second one. I do know my way around these cars very well and know ost of the weaknesses and if somewhat local would be more than happy to go look at a few for you.

Cygnus

1993C4LT1

x2

95tripleblack

Buy a C4 for 5 or 6 grand, upgrade the tunes for a grand, pay off the insurance for 6 months, and put the rest in a college fund. Then if you need to buy a used Focus/Neon to get to school and back (just in case) you have the cash.

ps. Don't listen to your buddies at school when it comes to performance parts (Ie. Bolt on crap), if you want real performance go listen to an older guy and make a plan.

pps. race at the track and not on the street, people get killed that way esp. kids (no offense)

84VetteMan205hp

i got my 84 when i turned 16 i worked for 4 years thinking i was working for a Camaro project car, but instead got the best present ever a c4. but which ever corvette you get drive normal don't drive stupid that will cause you to loose your car. and remember a ticket in another car isn't the same as a ticked in a corvette. you stand out more

VeryUnoriginal

There's a guy I know with an automatic '98 Z28. It's got a cold air intake and some weird external computer "chip" plugged into the ECU which gives him, and I quote, "about 400hp at the wheels, bro"

rocknroller

You can get a well maintained, quality, fairly low mile C4 for under $10k. I have a 1990 coupe and a 2002 C5z. I enjoy the C4 more, if that tells you anything, or even means anything to you.

Ronaldo

I pay around 300$ a year for my '87 with approx. 20000$ coverage (I'm 30)

I have a '87 C4 in that price range and it's a lot of fun for the money. Almost more fun than my '68 conv

DinoBob

Great thread. Many impressive and well spoken young Corvette owners who have said great things. Applause, young dudes.

Bout' Time

I had a budget of $12,000. Drove C5's 1998 and 1999 with 80,000 to 90,000 miles. Great Cars. I drove a 1995, one owner, 24,000 mile automatic. Honestly, I liked the C4 better and bought it. My wife and I each have a daily driver. The C5, to me anyway, just felt like my other "normal" everyday driver. The C4 felt special, it was like I was driving a classic muscle car, but way better. To sum it up, the C4 was just more fun. I have only owned for a month and have not put 500 miles on it yet, BUT wow, it is a fantastic car!

VeryUnoriginal

This is literally just about the best description of a C4.

vinniemc

Has the feel of classic American muscle but it can handle great and actually gets decent gas mileage as well! In one word, I would describe the C4 as FUN

DinoBob

I have never driven a C5. Nor have I ridden in one. A friend has one and I hope I'll get a taste of it soon. But one thing I definitely love about the C4 is that it does NOT feel anything like my daily driver. It feels like a different and special experience when you are behind the wheel. I love the way the car wraps itself around you when you are in the cockpit- my wife says it's like riding in a spaceship.

blacknwhite92

Student parking lot? Sounds like a good place for a Vette to get keyed or otherwise vandalized by the same people you want to impress.

Cygnus

I have driven the C5 and C6 and they are considerably quicker than a 4 but ride much smoother. The steering is different also. It's hard to explain, but once you drive one you'll notice it.

To me, both road more like luxury cars with a lot of power. Granted I had driven C3's for almost 20 years prior to my current 91, so most newer cars ride like a luxury car in comparison.

You really have to drive both to find out which one fits you better.

eatmydst1234

Not necessarily true, it really just all depends on the school, but I never had an issue with that at my school.

Stingray_47

You are in the same situation I was in a few months ago. I just turned 19 and I bought my '85 C4 back in July. It has the 4+3 tranny with a removable hardtop and let me tell you, nothing felt better than driving down the highway with the top off and tunes up. I absolutely love the C4.
Now my brother recently got ahold of a '99 FRC and he's about to have his first kid, so I'm taking it off of his hands and that is what I'm driving now. I've been driving that for over four months now and it is a blast. So having driven both of them for a good amount of time I am now able to determine which suits me better and I am going to have to go with the C5. It's a little more expensive than the C4, but it's newer and more up to date than the C4 (obviously). It's much easier to daily drive for many reasons. It's smoother, more reliable, much easier to drive (with the gear shifts being more fluid and pedals not so stiff), and I can actually fit more in the back. I believe the C5 just fits my attitude a little more. Remember this is just my opinion, I don't want to start any arguments, but I believe it is highly more customizable to a person of our age and also fits the persona of a teenager.
They are both great cars and I guarantee you will not regret your decision, whichever you go with. They are both awesome cars that are an absolute joy to drive. There are things that I really like about the C4 that I wish the C5 has, but there are also things I really appreciate about the C5 that I don't have in the C4.

It is really hard for me to talk down upon any kind of Corvette, but I'm just giving you my personal thoughts and experiences. I hope they helped!

Final thought: If you go with the C5, definitely get an FRC. They're a little hard to find and a little more expensive but SO worth it! And if you go with the C4, PM me because I have a beautiful car for you to see.

Good luck and welcome to the family!

desertmike1

Drive a beater to school.. save the Vette for cool rides on the week ends.

DHobbs

I am 22 and ive had 3 c4s now. 2 right now. Ive almost always had a "beater" to drive around. Mainly because these older cars are so unpredictable. Now I just have my 2. No other cars. My 90 6 speed is fun and smooth and all but my 85 is just a road beast with a matte red paint job. And i love it so much. But ive put sooo much money into it (much more than the ops budget) and all the work myself.
When i was sstationed at Bragg I went and test drove an 04 6speed w/ 20k and it was great but.. it didnt have the same feel (obviously) like it wasnt me.. so I stuck with my c4.
Ya you can get a quality c5 or you can get an amazing c4 for your price. But the one thing i would recommend is to have a good understanding of everything with the car so you dont get screwed on corvette tax at shops and parts.