ZR1 Jim

Hi there everybody. I would like to get your opinions on something. I have a 1990 Quasar Blue/Black ZR1 with 29000 miles. It is completely stock, except for the obvious things like tires and engine fluids. It is in excellent shape and runs well. I have owned it for 4 years now and am getting the urge for more power. I have been following the market for used ZR1's and it seems you always lose money on mods. I see guys take a $25,000 car, put in $10K worth of mods and then can't even sell it for $25K. It seems like modded cars are even worth LESS than stock. I think I could get decent money for my car since it is original, runs strong and is a rare color.

I am thinking I can sell my car for $22K or so and get a modded '90Z for $25K. I could easily spend $5-10K modding the car I have now and have to wait for the work to be done, and deal with the inevitable bugs that appear. If I buy a modded car the work is done and the bugs should be ironed out.

I am mainly looking for something with 4.11 gears, exhaust, ported injector housing, etc. I did see a 368 ZR1 with a $31K asking price. A 368 engine package on my car would cost $15-20K.

What do you guys think? Your input is appreciated.

Dr. Evil

Ron is selling his 90' DRM 450 for $22k in the for sale section. That may be the way to go. Goodness knows if I could I would have allready gotten it.

xlr8nflorida

well that depends....

obviously it woud be less expensive to go with someone who modded there car. However, do you really know the history of how the car was driven?

It could grenade the day you get it if it was abused.

You save $ if you buy used moded but you have no insurance policy per se..... if you bring it to ligenfelter and have them do it then at least they would probably stand behind the motor if it grenaded.

Just my thoughts--- i wouldn't buy someone elses moded machine.... people mod them for one reason to race them hard.

ZR1 Jim

Very true, you never know how hard somebody drove their car. It seems like some guys mod their car and then immediately sell it 6-12 months later. :confused: What's up with that?

Buying any used car, modded or not is a crapshoot. I got lucky with mine, my cousin was the original owner and I saw firsthand how treated it for the 8 years he owned it. I had no reservations buying it, and have had no problems in 4 years of ownership.

RatRacer

Well, personally I would not modify a low mileage Quazar Blue ZR-1. They are too rare and desirable. 5-10 years from now you'd regret it. What I would consider is installing a NOS kit. That way when you have finished getting your kicks the kit is easily removed and the car is stock again in less than a hour.

Besides, a stock ZR-1 with a NOS kit is faster than most 368's for about $26k less money.

DDSLT5

I can understand the boys' point of view on the 368 being beat down possibly - but please keep in mind that a stock LT5 is basically bullet-proof - then it is rebuilt to a 368 - this is an EXTREMELY strong engine now - stronger than stock - even if it was beat upon, it would likely just perform better!!! It is my contention that those who mod do so to enjoy the extra power, but not necessarily to destroy the car - to mod this car is VERY expensive - only a complete moron would mod, then disrespect having dumped 15-30 K into the car - just doesn't make sense - I would gues that this person would more likely care for the car even more than someone who just bought a new Z, and drove it.

Just me 2 cents.... and no, I'm not impartial!!!

:cool: :cheers: :cool:

USAZR1

I agree with Dwight on this. Some of the worst condition ZR-1's I see are in totally stock condition. Rarely do you see this in a modified ZR-1. People that can afford the expensive mods have the money to keep the car in good condition. Blown-up ZR-1's? I could count the number of times I've heard about a blown-up LT5 on the fingers of one hand,,and have fingers left over.
These things are way tougher than a small block Chevy,folks.
It's way cheaper to buy a modified ZR-1 than build one. I had over $60K in my modified '90 ZR-1 that Dave bought from me for $25K. My Callaway ZR-1 has over $85K in receipts.
Clint

CATBUCS

This is not a Chevy product beware of someone suggesting ways for you to spend money for mods, including yourself. Think of it in these terms. There was approx. 10 million dollars spent on the development of this engine and drive train between GM and Lotus. There was about 5-8 years of development time before the first prototype was built. After release to the public the aftermarket performance market begins to sell "performance parts". The development of these mods is nonexistant mainly because they do not have deep enough pockets to come close to competing with original design engineers in the developoment arena. So go slow. Bone stock your car will go 180mph. How much faster do you really think that you will go before you go airborne and kiss a tree.
Performance mod manufacturers spend very little money on development but they do lie quite a bit. Read the articles fron the engineers that designed and built this car from the many publications avaliable. With extensive mods I promise you, you will sacrifice dependability,comfort,smooth idle,overheating,gas comsumption etc. for how much more performance?
As for going fast, I have a super gas altered in the garage that I paid 5k for and added about 2500.00 to it and it goes 8.70 in the 1/4. Now that's fast and legally fast.
My ZR-1 will stay just as it is-dependable,smooth and sweet.
All I'm saying is it's the old human trait at it's best. Seems like were are never satisfied. I have spoken to many owners that have modded their cars for thousands of dollars and they didn't recieve what they thought they were going to get. And they always had problems. As far as the street supremacy goes I rarely have to defend the ZR's honor. Most people truly do not want to screw with it.
Don't mess up your car-enjoy it it's a fast classic worth much more than a modded one. :cool:

USAZR1

Stock sucks. If you like a stock ZR-1,you will turn cartwheels over a nicely modded ZR-1. Whatever floats your boat,though. :D

White 68

I want one of both a stocker and a 368 or 415 .... :jester Theres a nice 94 368 lingenfelter for sale on the Zr1.net white/red here in the Dallas area and the red 91 368 both look nice...Both asking 31,000 :cool:


[Modified by White 68, 7:45 PM 12/9/2002]


[Modified by White 68, 7:47 PM 12/9/2002]

A26B

Have you looked the 94 over REAL close? I have.

Demps

I'll take the Quazar 90.


Short of a 368, I'd make your car your own. If you're looking for a 368+, then I'd let someone else defray the cost. What you're missing in the cost of the engine mod is the extras--headers, exhaust, cams, bigger valves, brakes, suspension, wheels, etc. Most all 368+s have the extra accoutrements. BUT, you never know what you're going to get.

I've been struggling with this decision myself. 385 LPE has the car I wanted. I wasn't in a position to get it when it was available. I'm on the lookout for something like that for the price he paid. Gotta be at the right place at the right time. If you're thinking about a different car, get yourself in a position so when it becomes available, you're ready.

RossGN

Jim.....sell your Blue ZR1 for $25k and buy Ron's DRM car for $22k or Jon Robertson's Steel Blue for $24k. Both of these guys seem to be well respected in the ZR1 community. I considered both cars, but really wanted a low mileage stocker (at this point , anyway). If you spent $10k on the mods, you would probably still only be able to get $25k for your Blue ZR1 after the mods. If you want to go faster than stock, moneywise, it seems to make sense to buy one already modded if you can verify the history of the car.

"guys mod their car and then immediately sell it 6-12 months later. What's up with that?"

They have to pay off the credit cards they ran up doing the mods :cry


[Modified by RossGN, 8:02 PM 12/9/2002]

DDSLT5

You got that right Brother! I can verify that the sound of a 368 is heavenly, and the feel of that engine shaking the car is indescribably sweet! I'm sure that the step up from the 368 to the 415 is equally impressive!!! I believe that one day, the 368 should have a brother with 415 cubes!!! This is not because I am unsatisfied with the 368 - I have hardly driven it, it is because the LT5 is the ultimate engine - one that can have 550 RWHP, idle like a kitten, and still get reasonable gas mileage, and cruise, UNTIL you awake the devil inside!!! :reddevil :reddevil :reddevil :reddevil :reddevil :reddevil

threestar40

I agree with Clint, Stock Sucks.

This car really kicks a $ s when you smack the gas and then if you mod it...the thing does it some more.

My car is heavily modded and it Flat Out Rips, I can blow the back tires off at will and feel pretty "street dominant" I don't even look unless 1. it has the tires or 2. its all wheel drive...I mean really how many cars are driving around with 335's or drag radials on them?

I love the headers, the flywheel, the gears, the sound system, the rest of the exhaust, the cams, the port job, the fm5's, the roll bar, the look of lower, and the finish on the paint and all this to mostly love the 440 RWHP :smash:

Stock sucks, smack the gas and rip the pavement to pieces, there are not many funner things you can do while your in route to where ever your going, be it work or play you can enjoy the ride too. :yesnod: :cool: :D ;)

Rkreigh

buying a modified zr1 is WAY cheaper than having it done. FYI, on my 90 DRM the overall mods make the car much nicer than stock, and since the factory "long block" in intact, the reliability is still there.

I drive this car everywhere. been to BG 3 times, ohio twice, atlanta twice, Atlantic city, Englishtown, well, you get the picture, I drive it and it has high miles which scares some folks.

I bought my 93 LPE 368 for 40K, a bit higher than most are going for, but it had 90k in cost so yes, buying the mods is cheaper than doing them. that being said, my 90 DRM pulls 372 at the wheels, and is about as fast as the 93 LPE 368 and has all stock emissions.

car is NOT a show car or a trailer queen but has lots of TLC, new parts and runs really well. I jump in and drive 900 miles in a stint without hesitation.

I want to do some additional mods to the LPE 368 so I would like to sell the car before it spends all winter outside (covered, but outside).

somebody needs to buy this car!!! come on guys!!! and thanks for the recommendations. lots of folks have seen this car and I can tell you, it's a very nice combo. cya. :iagree:

threestar40

Some one does need to by Ron's car, I have mentioned it to a bunch of people, but no one will bite. It's a good one.

BiZ

Buying a modded Z is cheaper than buying one and modding it. But you already have the Z. So really you are better off modding the one you have. And it also depends on how far you want to mod it. Do you want to increase the displacement or just bolt on as much power as you can?

Like RatRacer said you can get 368" power out of a $1k bottle. And for about $3k in mods you can get very close to 400RWHP. It's all in how much more power you want.

ZR1 Jim

Thanks for all the replies, guys. You have given me a lot to chew on. It is going to be a looooooong winter here in Michigan and if I can't drive my Z at least I can plan for spring. :reddevil

I would love to just keep the Quasar and buy RKriegh's modded '90. If I had a deep enough bank account and big enough garage that's exactly what I would do.

Yes, the stock ZR1 is really fast, but I am a typical American and always looking for more. I modded the heck out of my '96 Yamaha VMax 600 XT snowmobile and it made it much faster without affecting driveability or reliability. I am looking for a similar ZR1 experience. I know...it is much easier modding a 2-stroke engine than an LT5. Hmmm, maybe I should just get a 2001 Z06, they must be 2-strokes since they burn so much oil. :hat

Z-Dreaming

If he puts NOS into it, he can forget it's resale value unless he takes it out and then lies about it's history which I assume you are implying :(

Your car will sell for more stock than moded, no question. The only exception would be a buyer that intended to do the exact same mods you did, and was willing to pay for a car already set up. So you can see that your pool of potential buyers would be reduced tremendously.

On the other side of the coin, your looking for a moded ZR1, so the price should be below what you can sell your stock one for. A win/win situation for you. :)