Jheath

Hey everyone, Im new to corvette and have some general question to ask. Im planning on buying a corvette in a couple years and while id love a c5 im leaning towards a c4. The look of them has really grown on me and the generally lower price of 8 to 15k is more like what I can save up for. Im looking to get a 92-96 for the updated body style and lt1 engine. Id love to know if the opti spark problems are really as bad or as common as said by many for 1. Id also love to hear from those who have owned one for awhile what general maintenence costs are and what the c4 ownership experience is like. Lastly its my dream to race a corvette on a track and want to know if a c4 can be tracked safley or if id need to install better breaks, tires, suspension etc. Thank you very much to anyone that takes the time to respond!

slammin

Welcome to the forum! At this point, you need to read every thread that might interest you. I would recommend you buy:

C4 Corvette Buyers Guide: A Reference for the Purchase and Maintenance of the 4th Generation Corvette Paperback –by John Loughmiller

You can usually find it at most internet bookseller for under $20.00 It covers the engineering involved in the C4 development. Lists each year with stats covering production numbers, options, improvements of previous year and much more. Points out what to look for when shopping for your first C4. While you can find that information here on the forum, the book presents it in a very readable format.

rocco16

I've had mine since 2002 and have put over 50K miles on it. it now has over 100K miles. It was bone-stock when I bought it. Other than brakes, batteries, and tires (and three windshields), the only thing I can think of that needed replacing was the clutch slave cylinder.
The car has never been in a repair shop, but the top was in an upholstery shop to have the headliner replaced several years ago. Actually been the most reliable vehicle in my stable.
You can use the car on track days, but better tires, brakes, and shocks would make it a little faster.....but that's the case with ANY track car.

yakmastermax

Howdy howdy!

Welcome!

$8-$15k is a solid budget for a 1992-1996 car. Are you wanting a manual??

Have you worked on cars before? At the core of C4 ownership and racing, at least for most of us on here, is that capacity, inclination, and desire to work on the car oneself.

Daily driving and racing a C4, or really ANY car for that matter, things will break and you will have to replace them. That is the nature of the beast (machine).

When it comes to tracking a C4 we have a track thread where we discuss, go check it out!
The basics though are good fluids, brake fluid, pads, and bleed especially. Sometimes the power steering high pressure line starts leaking under heavy use and needs to be replaced...

Wheel bearings, but those become a snap once you have done em once.

Biggest thing I will say, for most people a C4 Corvette should NOT be your only mode of transportation!

QCVette

Welcome to the forum.

I like your choice of the LT1 and newer body style. I currently have a '95 and a '96.

I have had 8 opti equipped cars and driven them for over 200k miles. Never had an opti failure. And this includes a Z28 that lost a water pump and dumped water on the opti.

I have had 7 C4s and daily drove a couple of them with a 100 mile per day commute for about 95k miles in 5 years. They have been some of the most reliable cars I have had. Other than normal maintenance I have had very few problems. One of the things Yakmastermax mentioned is wheel bearings. I have replaced the rears 7 or 8 times but it only take a couple hours when needed.

Although they have been quite reliable, there have been a number of minor issues. Most of the issues have been age related. Some of the issues I have had are the radio antennae not going all the way down, the headlights making some noise when rotating, the hood or back glass lift struts have lost pressure, and I have had a few plastic or leather getting older and cracked (like the shifter boot, seats wearing, a plastic AC vent broke a clip, and probably a few other minor things)

The C4 is a fun car to track. Although later cars have improved, when the C4's were new they won every SCCA race for a couple of years so that SCCA kicked them out to make the Corvette Challenge series. After the Corvette Challenge, corvettes still won a lot of races. So although they are not the latest best car to track they are certainly capable of good track performance. As with any track car tire and brake improvements can help a lot.

I certainly recommend the C4's.

Good luck in you search.