6SpeedTA95

Hello all, been a few years since I've been here. I've got a couple of options on the car front that I'm exploring...

1) Buy something nice for a DD like a TSX, BMW or Audi...though leaning more towards the TSX if I go with option 1. The TSX with the 6MT is fun to drive and makes the drive to work entertaining.

2) Buy a decent DD/Beater, something like a 2010 mazda 6 or a 2010 Ford Fusion or Honda Accord. Pile miles on it so I'm only depreciating a 10 to 12k vehicle...then spend 15 or so on a weekend car.

My options for weekend car in order of preference are as follows:

LT4 powered corvette
96-00 Mustang Cobra
1992 Z28 25th anniversary....(Not sure if I'd go Auto and L98 350 cu in or Manual and LB9 305)

Anyway, the Corvette tops my list, I had a 1995 Trans Am 6MT for several years and liked that car a lot. It was also pretty reliable. I had a water pump fail and a wheel speed sensor fail, in 3 years of ownership and 45k miles those are the only issues I had.

The LT4 similar bottom end to the LT1 I believe, but had higher compression heads, different valve springs and valves. If memory serves me correct they were available in the CE, GS or on 6MT cars ONLY and only for 1996. They also made closer to 350 hp from what I remember. Seems like I remember a few at the "Dyno days" years ago and they consistently put down 295-305hp in stock trim...

I realize the C5 is arguably the better car, as is the C6...

But the three above cars really are sentimental and emotionally appealing to me. The Corvette started my love affair with cars...a guy down the street from us had a 70ish model and a mid 80s model and I remember loving those two cars...then a friend of ours picked up an 87 Vette in 1991 (I was 9) and he popped the hood and my eyes fell out of my head when I saw that L98...then we went for a ride and as a 9 year old I thought that car was about the most ridiculous thing ever. That experience kicked my extreme like of cars over into EXTREME car guy...since then I've amassed a 23 years of Motor Trend and Car and Driver magazines as well has a few others off and on through that time (including 12 years of R&T)....

Anyway, I guess I say all that to say, I was a huge fan of the C4, still they have this emotional appeal that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to some folks...we all know the interiors pretty much suck, the early C4's had some significant reliability concerns....but I clearly remember my lust for the ZR1 and then the LT4 powered cars...not to start a total war but I actually prefer the LT4 powered cars personally to the ZR1.

I also think these cars in very good to excellent condition have perhaps bottomed out in price and will remain somewhat flat for the next couple years before beginning a slow climb. So this means I can get a bigger car to haul the family around in (see Fusion, Mazda6 etc) and have a car that will likely stay with me for a decade or perhaps forever (I'd like to think forever).

Any thoughts? words of wisdom?

Anything in particular I should look out for when searching for an LT4 powered car?

I probably prefer the GS the most but the CE is ok with me...the regular 6MT I can get for a bit cheaper the way it looks but is it worth it to stick with the CE or GS?

Thank you for your time

mcm95403

If I had 25K and was on your thought train, I'd buy the LT-4 car and use it as a DD, then keep the 10K for mods/upgrades/repairs.

You'd have a nice emergency fund in case something bad happened and you'd have a great DD.

RollaMo-LT4

ALL 1996 manual transmission Corvettes got the LT4 engine.
A GS will command a premium price over other '96 Corvettes, just because they only made 1,000 of them and they have a unique VIN.
The Collectors Edition was the most produced '96, and really shouldn't be priced any higher than any other '96.

Grand Sports were all LT4 (6-speed)
Collectors Edition could be had in either LT1 (Automatic) or LT4 (6-Speed).

6SpeedTA95

I already have an emergency fund for emergencies...also, it's possible that my commute could go up significantly over the next year and I don't want to pile miles on the vette...finally, it's not really practical with a kid and soon to be second kid to have a Vette as my DD regardless of what the wife drives...

I may do a few minor upgrades but my "modding" days are largely behind...I would consider a more radical cam and some stuff to free up the breathing...make some brakes if I track the car a bit...I've tracked a few cars over the year thats fun for a couple days a year type of deal...

6SpeedTA95

6MT is the only way to go IMO.

6SpeedTA95

Any additional thoughts on this?

I'd like to find something with less than 60k miles in great shape. The market seems to be all over the place with regard to pricing but it seems finding a good LT4 car is doable for 12-15k?

Anything in particular I should look for that could be trouble down the road?

Axial

Well, I got mine at a used-Corvette speciality dealer for $16,500 with 78,800-some-odd miles on it. Everything works, she pulls hard, shifts great, the factory weather seals are 95%, and the factory paint looks good from 5 feet (I have water-marks that I'm told by other enthusiasts can be gotten rid of with a wet-sanding job). The driver's side vent panel is cracked at the upper attachment point, but it doesn't affect anything and isn't noticeable until you crouch down and look. The interior is great with minor wear displayed on the pastics (rubber coating was a bad idea by GM) and no cracking on the seats. My car is a "plain Jane" with no options whatsoever apart from the LT4/ZF6. KBB value for my car at the time of purchase was around $13,400 so, yes, there was some dealer mark-up. It paid off, however, when the original brake master-cylinder gave out two weeks later. Sometimes, it's worth the extra to purchase from somebody who will stand behind the vehicle. They even replaced the after-market short-throw shifter with a factory unit at my request as part of the purchase.

I am the second owner, and when the previous owner found out that somebody bought the car, he sent over NCM goodies such as a reproduction brochure, period dealer sticker, and the build-sheet. The car came with three sets of keys and the original owner's manual.

So, that was my experience purchasing an LT4 Corvette. I was constrained to buying local, and it was the only local LT4 at that time. All in, I'd say I faired pretty decently. The dealer knew their stuff, the car has been a joy, and I would do it again if I didn't want an '87-'89 in white or a '90 ZR-1 in white next time! I'm all smiles.

Edit: my car is apparently worth more now than it was last year. The above value was for a "Good" example. Now, it's worth $14,572 according to the suggested value of a "Good" example...that's with 10,000 more miles. Not bad!

ZRide

I had an base model LT4 for a couple of years & wish I still had it. At the time, I had the 96 & the 90 ZR-1 I currently own. My wife & I had our second child a year after I bought the 96 so neither Vette was driven much. I ended up trading the 96 & my DD at the time on an STS-V. I needed 4 doors & wanted Corvette power.

Mine was very reliable and other than normal wear items I only had to change the flasher relay(which is a bitch to get to). The previous owner changed the Opti-Spark and water pump so that wasn't a concern.

In general, the 1996 is very reliable and probably the best of the C4's due to constant tweaking through the generation. A couple things to be aware of are that the headlight bushings will fail at some point and the Bose speakers may need replacing/rebuilding. If you get a car with these items replaced you will be in good shape. The other thing to keep an eye out for is the weather stripping. This can be very costly to replace.

Hope that helps!
Travis

GS 163

I know of a sweet GS for sale.

6SpeedTA95

Link? Downside is the GS is probably going to be a bit more than I want to spend...

Anyone think this would be a "bad move"? I don't really think so, a couple of my friends are saying get a C5 Z06...great car no doubt but not the car I lusted after as a kid. That was always the C4 corvette in one of its various forms.

To me there are several cars that I will own one day, preferably all at the same time. A C4 Vette, a 32V Cobra and another 3rd generation Camaro, preferrably a 1992 25th anniversary.

Although, a big part of me wonders if the itch just goes away when I get a C4? Who knows...

I'm excited about the journey but a little nervous too...

GS 163

Grand Sport 163

Pretty sure you would be the only one in your town or cruising group with a red interior Grand Sport, and as an added bonus, it has all of the good mods done already.

Cygnus

They're are out there if you are patient. There seems to be a few in the SF area all the time.

There are several good threads (no sticky ones for some odd reason) about the general things the C4 are known for. Squeaks, rattles, weather stripping, opti, brake boosters, etc.

Find one that has a nice history and continue to take care of it and it will take care of you.

1985 Corvette

You can find a nice ZR-1 for that money. Will spin higher, go faster, and be more powerful right out the gate. Not to mention an engine which has not been surpassed in handsome looks. Got the money, go for the top dog. For example:

http://www.richardscarco.com/detail....efID=736&.aspx


Asking $18,290 on the website but is listed in the local newspaper in their add for $17,000. Not even at 44K mileage....LT5 durability is unquestioned, this one is just getting warmed up. Wish I hadn't blown all this money on an old sentimental Vette, otherwise I would take that. It is located here in Jacksonville, Florida. Good beach cruiser....

6SpeedTA95

Well I certainly would not be opposed to a ZR1, although may prefer an LT4...

LT5's are durable but so is the LT4 is it not? Not to mention when something breaks on the LT5 it is big bucks...it's also harder and more expensive to do even minor mods like cam kits, etc???

tahoemedic

Well having owned a really nice 91 Z28 with all the options and selling it shortly after buying my 92 Vette, I can honestly say shy away from the Z. The cars had rearend and trans problems when they got close to 100k mi. I would go with the LT-4, or even the LT-1 which you'll get at a lower price and can mod it with the savings to outperform the LT-4 in stock form...plus have money left over for racing gas!

6SpeedTA95

Thank you for the info. Not really interested in an LT1....would prefer an LT4 but would also consider an LT5. LT1 is a great engine in a great car but been there done that. I would consider some mods down the road but looking to keep the car basically numbers matched and in streetable form.

1985 Corvette

Parts aren't as scarce as some make them to be but be prepared to pay a premium for gotta-have-it items like NOS parts. The key being if you can live without factory correct replacement parts. In my experience around them, parts wear out around the engine, not the motor itself. LT4s are durable as any other sbc. Take it for what it is worth but porting of LT5 intake and heads alone nets an impressive return for the effort put into it....and we happen to have a former ZR-1 owner roaming this section somewhere who is quite good at porting (shameless plug for Cuisinartvette). Big bucks is wanting to do a LT5 stroker motor.

Anything outside of that and expect the maintenance will be similar to any other LTx Vette. If you have to have a traditional cam in block C4, the LT4 is the one. Special cars but the LT5 does everything the LT4 does better and when you see some for sale ads for LT4 cars with price tags within a few thousand dollars or less of ZR-1s with identical mileage and condition, picking the LT4 is usually due to a preference and nothing more. Nothing wrong with that as long as you enjoy your purchase.

Axial

There are several ZR-1s for sale over on the ZR-1 Registry that are well below the $20,000 mark if you haven't already looked it over. I wish I was in the market, because they have two that fit my tastes.

As for LT4s, there are several over in the For-Sale section of this forum in both coupe and convertible form. There was a very nice black-guts Grand Sport going for $15,000, if I recall. It was certainly a driver, not a garage queen. To me, that's a desirable trait.

6SpeedTA95

Ahh ok, good to know. I didn't realize good examples of ZR1's could be had for less than 20k but it seems like they can. The one you linked to has me pondering...


I've never seen a GS for 15k that didn't have an ungodly amount of miles or was salvaged....I"ll have to go check it out!

A big part of me thinks the GS and LT4 cars will command the premium in 10, 15 or 20 years because there are just fewer of them...but I could be wrong on that, the ZR1 was clearly the king of the hill in terms of power and performance.

Coupe89

You many find a modded out ZR-1 in your price range. I picked up one with a Street Skinner package one for under $13K. Go test drive a ZR-1 out.