ALLEGRO

C5

striper

Just getting in and out of each is enough for me to make a decision. The decision wasn't an age thing either, the C5 is just a roomier, more comfortable car to drive, especially if you want to drive it more than just occasionally.

C5 4me

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A Great looking C4,I would love to own Whatever you do you will still be a member of the family.

retaf

C5 looks so much better!

bontrager

+1; couldn't have said it any better!

jimb100

I owned a 94 vert and I now own an 04 coupe.

I've not noticed much difference in acceleration, braking, etc. in most around town and highway driving situation. If you aren't racing, they are about the same around town. The C4 understeers more but unless you are pushing it hard in the corners you won't notice it much. I actually notice a bigger difference in ride quality going to the C6 from the C5 as opposed to the C4 to C5. The C6 has a very well controlled and damped ride.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

The inside of the C4 is tight. You'll develop a sequence for entering the C4, the C5 you just get in like any other car. Once inside, I've not noticed much difference in driver comfort. Digital dash, love it or hate it.

Weather stripping is horrible on the C4 and expensive to replace. Opti spark on the C4 is in a bad location and will fail if the water pump leaks. Oil leaks are not uncommon from the rear main seal on these older cars. I haven't notice any particular failure problems on the C5.

If I had $10K tops to spend on a vette I'd look for a nice 94-96 coupe. You just might find one with 50-60K miles on Craig's List. I'm afraid a $10K C5 might not have all that much reliability.

With $15-20K to spend, I'd go for the C5.

Good Luck.

bonnell

I drove an '88 coupe for four years as my DD. Whereas some don't like the styling, I did. I especially liked the clamshell hood.

I purchased an '02 vert and intended to continue to drive the '88 daily and drive the vert once in a while.

After the '88 sat for months at a time I finally sold it. This was my test. I simply did not want to drive the C4 as much as I wanted to drive the C5.

The '88 had 166K miles on it when I sold it. That should tell you that they can last a long time if serviced properly.

Good luck with your decision. As others have pointed out, you will get a much lower mileage C4 for the money you are looking to spend.

xpunter83

I was in the same situation as you last year, I ended up with a C5. Newer parts, larger aftermarket, no opti-spark, targa top easily removable without tools and my favorite feature HUD. If you cant afford the C5, get a low mileage C4 enjoy it until you can afford a C5. Both are still Corvettes at the end of the day

ripperoo187

I've owned both a C4 and now a C5. In fact I traded in my C4 for my C5.

1993 C4 - Feels like a space shuttle when you get in it, seats really hold you in place. You can feel the road, I mean really feel the road every single bump. Rattles and squeaks. Optispark and that blasted weatherstripping which both failed me. A blast to drive, much more exciting ride.

2003 C5 - Easier to get in and out of, my wife loves to drive this thing as opposed to the C4. Now I have a car payment whereas I owned my C4 outright, gotta pay to play!

Depends on what you want a more sports car like feel of the "sleeper" C4. Or the refinement and dare I say the "numbness" of the C5.

Vetteman Jack

I've owned four C4s (84, 89, 94, 95) and now three C5s (99, 00, 03) and yes, the C5 is a much better car in many ways. Better ergonomics, more room, less parts to break, more HP, better fuel economy - the list goes on. It is also a very reliable platform.

That said, I never regretted owning a C4 either. Yes they are more difficult to get into and out of, but the later LT1 engines have plenty of power. The weak spot seems to be the Optispark distributor.

I doubt I would trade my C5 for a C4, unless it was for something like a really low mileage '96 GS. Since you have a budget of $10K, you should be able to find a fairly low mileage C4 for that price - and if so, try to stick with the 94-96 cars. Ideally, see if you can find a '96 with the LT4 engine in it.

If you want to go with a C5, you already know that it will have a lot of miles on it. Just check it over very carefully is the only advice I can give on one in that price range.

Vetteriffic

C5 for sure...but maybe wait until you have $15k and get a great C5 that you will love for years...no rush...

Big Phil

IMO the degree of difference between a C4 to a C5 is huge, whereas the C6 feels like a more powerful & smaller C5.

gregm999

I've owned 3 C4s including a ZR1. I currently own a C5Z. The C5Z feels much more powerful than any C4, including the ZR1. But beyond that, the C5 as a platform is leaps and bounds ahead of the C4. The C4 was an amazing car for it's time, and still holds up pretty well today, especially for a car that was designed in the late 70s. The C5, firstly, just feels more solid and drives smoother. The frame is much more rigid, so you don't have to worry about rattles. The car just feels a lot tighter and more substantial going down the road. Kind of hard to explain until you experience it. Braking is lightyears better in the C5. Handling is better. The interior is much more modern and easy to get in/out of. You have some newer features in the C5 such as the HUD. The styling is much more modern and sleek compared to a C4. People still think my C5Z is a new car, while any year C4 is pretty much going to look like an 80s car. Bottom line, as someone who's owned several C4s and currently owns a C5, I could never go back to a C4, except maybe for a project car or second vette. The C4s are definitely cool cars, but like I said, the C5 is a step up in every aspect you can imagine.

QCVette

I have owned five C4's and two C5's. I liked them all.

They are different with pros and cons for both.

The C4's get a bad rap from a lot of people for power and handling, but objectively they are still pretty good. The LT1/Lt4 cars can run mid 13's which puts them on par with a lot of "modern" performance cars. The C4 handling was so good that they dominated SCCA racing in their class winning every race for several years until they were forced into their own Corvette Challenge races. The handling is very good.

I am more comfortable in the late C4's than my C5's.

The C5's are a more modern cars and many systems are improved. The LS1/LS6 engines are great and they can be easily modified if you want. The C5 trunk area is much larger and easier to access than the C4's.

As some others have said the C4's feel more "raw" and the C5's more "civilized". I like both, but prefer the handling feel of the C4's.

Both can be pretty good highway cars. I drove my C4's about 100 miles per day on the commute to work. They made the drive a lot nicer. The six speed cars get good mileage too. My 94's were getting about 30 to 31 mpg at just over 70 on cruise. With my mix of driving it averaged about 28.5 mpg (mostly highway). After bragging about my C4's, I have to add that my C5's do better. They are faster and get about 2 mpg more also.

If you are looking at the low end of pricing on the C5's, you should think that some things will need repairs and factor those costs into your decision. You may have repairs with anything, but a bottom priced car is more likely to need something. Some of the repairs can be costly and/or difficult to do yourself.

You really need to test drive a few and see which you like. They are very different.

Tough choices, but both the C4's and C5's are great cars.

Good luck.

rebelheart

I have owned both.Drive a C4 back to back with a C5 and you will take the C5 every time!