90 ZR1 vs. 93 ZR1

[Tommy L]

Buy a ZR-1, drive it, enjoy it, and in ten years you should get what you paid for it (if it is taken care of)...Not an investment, "but you shouldn't loose on it either" especially with prices like we are seeing right now! Not a bad deal, other then Harleys, not too many vehicles you can do this with.

 

[lakemeadzmonster]

ZR-1 as an Investment??

:eyerole I don't think the average Corvette owner should look at their car as an investment or any car for that matter. If you factor in yearly licenses, taxes, smog tests, insurance, yearly preventive maintenance costs, and by the way my time is worth something what about yours?

I do think the first year will always be worth the most. It was suppose to be released in 1989. (SORRY 91 to 95 owners I really like them ALL and I think if parts are hard to find in the future the ones they made less of will be even harder to find!!)Why?? It was also the year of the most anticipation and all of the wonderful old fashion American HOOP HA from GM, All the crazy people laying out way more $$$$ than sticker price for a $60,000 car. and it was First!!!

Low production serial numbers are always a plus. 1990 it even sounds good. A Rare color is a plus!! Charcoal Metallic, is a sleeper color.... and of course everything has to WORK!!! Have you ever got into a ZR-1 and the seats don't work or a warning light is on...or even worse the information center is hidden by a special cover made for hidding faulty information lights.....

I bet more 1990 to 1992 models had the crap driven out of them and it would be really be interesting to know just how many are actually left. Thus lowering the number of the actual drivable ones on the road.

I found out I was talking to a Chevrolet service manager, about a month ago and he didn't even know what a ZR-1 was. It made it whole lot easier for me when I was writing out his invoice for the work I performed at his house, and I didn't waste any of my time telling him what a ZR-1 was either. He can pay to see mine at a car show.

I've probably made much more money on a few Topp's Baseball card's than I could ever hope on making on my 1990 ZR-1, not to mention something proven like investing in REALESTATE!! If you don't own a house do yourself a favor and get a house before you buy your first ZR-1 you can't go wrong.

NOW the realistic factors about buying a ZR-1 or older Corvette, it is an instant win, win financially. You can buy one with low milage for about the cost of an average everyday newer car, but when you go to license it and insure it unless you are below 25 and have a bad driving record you can walk away with a lot of extra money in your pocket, to do other things and year you save and save every time you renew.

They don't get bad gas milage in Normal mode, using the 1 to 4 shift method, and you own a car that on weekends is carshow worthy, an American Legend and a HEAD TURNER to boot!!! and you join a group of overall great Americans.

And anybody that has ever driven one or would like to drive one, they are faster than most people want a car to go anyhow off the track. Life begins at 180 mph. If you lift you lose!!!

 

[Aurora40]

What you said about the rare colors is something I always find odd about Corvette owners. This is not meant as a bash or anything. Generally, red, then black then white (or maybe blue) will be the most produced colors. But it's for a reason, because people like those colors. So I find it odd that rare colors are more collectible or more prized. Don't get me wrong, some of those colors are very sharp. I love the dark metallic red on C4's, polo green looks quite sharp, dark metallic blues are always nice, and that charcoal looks good in pictures (never saw it in real life that I can recall). But these are colors to buy because you like them, not because it should be more collectible.

I don't really understand why they'd be more collectible anyway. Collectible comes from desirable, and these colors were obviously less desirable to most people, or they would have bought them (again, not saying these colors are bad or ugly or anything like that, just by numbers, they clearly are less desirable to the average buyer). So I would think bright red will be the most collectible if this car ever becomes a valuable collectible.

Just my opinion. I love the 1990 too. I love that 80's muscle look of the inset fogs and black beltline. And the 1990 model was when it was really an exotic, a real supercar. The age of the F40, 512TR, Countach, The Lotus Esprit still had a 4-banger, etc. 375hp was a ton. By 1995, it wasn't. The ZR-1 was still a great car, but the times were different. To me, the 1990 ZR-1 (and any clean '84-90 C4) recalls that era. But then, I was in high-school in 1990, and not in 1995. So I'm sure much of my preference stems from being a kid in jr high/high-school dreaming about the state of sports cars at the time.

 

[ZRXMAX]

Charcoal ZR-1?

:eyerole I don't think the average Corvette owner should look at their car as an investment or any car for that matter. If you factor in yearly licenses, taxes, smog tests, insurance, yearly preventive maintenance costs, and by the way my time is worth something what about yours?

Amen to that...

I do think the first year will always be worth the most. It was suppose to be released in 1989. (SORRY 91 to 95 owners I really like them ALL and I think if parts are hard to find in the future the ones they made less of will be even harder to find!!)Why?? It was also the year of the most anticipation and all of the wonderful old fashion American HOOP HA from GM, All the crazy people laying out way more $$$$ than sticker price for a $60,000 car. and it was First!!!

To bad they didn't produce a load of 89s... that would have been my 1st choice...

Low production serial numbers are always a plus. 1990 it even sounds good. A Rare color is a plus!! Charcoal Metallic, is a sleeper color.... and of course everything has to WORK!!! Have you ever got into a ZR-1 and the seats don't work or a warning light is on...or even worse the information center is hidden by a special cover made for hidding faulty information lights.....

Where have you seen that cover hiding the info lights ?must be a Vegas thing...

I bet more 1990 to 1992 models had the crap driven out of them and it would be really be interesting to know just how many are actually left. Thus lowering the number of the actual drivable ones on the road.

The good news is they can take a lot of crap...er... beating

I found out I was talking to a Chevrolet service manager, about a month ago and he didn't even know what a ZR-1 was. It made it whole lot easier for me when I was writing out his invoice for the work I performed at his house, and I didn't waste any of my time telling him what a ZR-1 was either. He can pay to see mine at a car show.

I've probably made much more money on a few Topp's Baseball card's than I could ever hope on making on my 1990 ZR-1, not to mention something proven like investing in REALESTATE!! If you don't own a house do yourself a favor and get a house before you buy your first ZR-1 you can't go wrong.

That is easy to say when you live in the strongest real estate market in 2004... No matter how you slice it a house is a very expensive investment... unless you pay cash in a strong rising market and sell it... No matter what, you need a place to live... but paying a mortgage is not cheap unless your at the end of the loan... do the math...

NOW the realistic factors about buying a ZR-1 or older Corvette, it is an instant win, win financially. You can buy one with low milage for about the cost of an average everyday newer car, but when you go to license it and insure it unless you are below 25 and have a bad driving record you can walk away with a lot of extra money in your pocket, to do other things and year you save and save every time you renew.

They don't get bad gas milage in Normal mode, using the 1 to 4 shift method, and you own a car that on weekends is carshow worthy, an American Legend and a HEAD TURNER to boot!!! and you join a group of overall great Americans.

I agree with most of what you said there... however... disconnect that skip shift crap and just go 1 to 3 to 5... forget 6th with stock gearing unless you can cruise at 90 and above...

And anybody that has ever driven one or would like to drive one, they are faster than most people want a car to go anyhow off the track. Life begins at 180 mph. If you lift you lose!!!

BTW... what is the production number on your car ? I use to own #334... a charcoal metalic 90 model... Where were you when I owned that car ? I had it over to Vegas a number of times... Where did you find that 90 you have now ?

 

[Koop]

ZR1 Sold price

I saw a Red/Black 1990 ZR1 40,000 miles, car go at the Palm Springs auction a couple of weeks ago for $18,500 Sold. I gave it a light look over it appeared to be exceptionally clean and a very straight car. Rare color? No. Desirable color? Yes. Sorry, but weird color combinations do not appeal to the vast majority of car buyers and are more challenging to unload.

Don't buy some throw up colored car because the color combo is rare, buy what you like.

Not sold: 1967 Coupe, Steel Blue Grey color, 327/300 4spd, AC. Absolutely immaculate, rolling resto (not frame off), no stress cracks anywhere, I mean perfect beautiful car...The seller turned down $82,500. Go figure.

Are our C3's or ZR1's actually going to go up in value someday? If that '67 really saw $82,500 I suppose it's possible, but you never know what's real and what's fake at an auction.

In 1990, the dealer I had ordered a ZR1 from 2 years earlier went BK and returned my deposit. However, my Dad got his from Cal Worthington in TX for $1,000 over sticker. It was Red/Red and the first one the dealer received. In late '98 (Three crashes later) he turned it in on an active C5, he got $19,000 trade in with 78,000 miles.

Active = no more crashes!

 

[JJS]

The other day I was checking out the cars, and prices on Proteam's website.
OUCH!!!! The prices are out of sight!! In fact, they're not even listing prices on most of the cars. Instead, they list them for sale at "Market Price."
Apparently the cars at the auctions are fetching phenomenal prices, and their website reflects that.

-John

 

[JimVette]

Buy the color that suits your needs. If it is only for your personal gratification then get the color that turns YOU on the most. If you are into car shows and are the spit and polish type then get a color that shows well ex; red, black, yellow, but not soft colors. I have entered shows and beat other cars that in my mind were better or pristine just because red, when clean, is tough to beat. After all aren't "All Corvettes Red and the others a mistake." Ha! Ha!

 

[koolaid117]

ZR-1. Every Corvette enthusiast knows the lettering. Will they be collectible in the future, probably ones that have been taken care of. They might not have had the race history, but IMHO, I think there is still a mystique about them. I personally hope the price goes down some so that I can pick a good 50k mileage car up for less than $20k. It will not be an investment, but it will be something special for me to drive.

I worked in a junk mail factory in 1990 when the ZR-1 came out and someone was offering one as a prize and we were sending out the mailers. I kept one of those flyers for years. I didn't think I would ever be able to afford one. I can't quite yet. Hopefully next year. To me, they will always be a collector's item.

Just my .02

 

[Rex Ruby]

NO one mentioned it held (for a long time) the 24 hour speed record. I believe the car that broke it isn't a regular production car.

I'll go against the grain here, I bought mine for an investment. When the C4 generation starts to be worth some money the ZR1s will be the first to appreciate. I know I have at least a 10 year wait but I'm taking care of her and enjoying 1 - 2K of mile a year. I have a Ruby that gets most of the pleasure miles which really lets me appreciate the ZR1.

 

[tomtom72]

2 cents from a new Z owner...

Hi Dave,

If you want one & can afford it with no pain, then go out & look for "your right car". When you find it, buy it! Investment potiential = a big maybe, IMHO. That shouldn't determine the purchase though. Get it because you want something different. Get it because you want your right foot to be talked to, your butt to be pushed seemingly endlessly, your ears to be sung to in the melody only a 4-cam motor can play! Get it because you love vettes and a ZR-1 is a vette...!

I once had a 72 LT-1 & after that not too many cars that I could buy were gonna speak the same language to me. So why bother, right? I mean I only had 25K to spend & if I wanted an investment I should buy stocks, bonds or property, right? My Z is no investment, it is a toy just like anyone else's vette. I will never recover the $ spent on owning it & I don't expect to. I guess I will not loose too much on the purchase price? But it's a toy that speaks to me & that's why I bought a Z! Get one because it is the one vette that whispers to you & no one else can hear that exact whisper!

Tom

 

[Hib Halverson]

Last year for the BB was 74. In 75 it was either the L-48 or the L-82

8388 is correct.
I made in error in a post back on the first page.
74 was the last year for the 454.

 

[BLOWNZR1]

i can beet all the zzsssssssssss

go blooown or go home i say

 

[Boatman]

Investment angle on ZR-1? If you have one now, and wait until ROI is a meager 50%, it may be sitting in a museum. I recently obtained a 90 black on black ZR-1, 15K original owner miles, all docs from day one. Investment? Absolutely not. I have other avenues for that. I have had many Vette's like a lot of us, but the ZR-1 to me is my old muscle cars all over again, but no comparison, different animal.
Not re-living the past, but kick ass acceleration at a great price.
Shortly I will be accumulating parts for this fabulous automobile, and hope it keeps performing like it was made to.
Boatman

 

[Hib Halverson]

This thread kinda died last month, but I just want to thank everyone for adding to it and to say that it's an interesting subject which has become one of my talking points at the Gathering banquet this week.

cYa all in B.G.

 

[FrankUrbinati]

See you in B/G.............safe trip.

 

[*89x2*]

93 Zr1 in the local paper over the weekend for $24,500 w/ 54k mi on it - One hellova bargain in my book :eek

 

[Koop]

93 Zr1 in the local paper over the weekend for $24,500 w/ 54k mi on it - One hellova bargain in my book :eek

http://www.classic-carauction.com/html/auction_results.cfm

Look at car # 148, it sold at $19,250 but it's now showing as not sold. This was a very, very nice car! ZR1's are a bargain.

 

[stuckatcuse]

Anyone have any idea how the release of new models with option codes similar to old models affects value? For example: What if the blue devil was released with the RPO code ZR1?

 

[1995 RedVette]

I've seen a couple go locally both 91's red one with blk and one with red interior. One went for 19,000 and the other for 17,500. I would love to have had either. Both were in the 50K mile range and seemed very clean and well taken care of. I have been thinking of looking for one this fall when the weather starts to turn cold again. If I could find a nice one in the 15K range I would make it my daily driver.

Brett

 

[rhanselman]

Thanks, I have seen a very sharpe Ruby, but not a ZR1. The first reponse to my post has me sort of baffled. I always thought the ZRs would steady off around 25K, sit for a few years, then slowly head north a bit. Not looking to make a killing because I want to buy a car to drive and enjoy for at least a decade. But when the time does come to sell it, I want to be sure It is at least worth what I paid for it. I have two kids that will be hitting college at the same time. Active Duty military guys don't make that much...

Thanks, David

Some of us Active Duty guy's own two ZR1's

Hell, Demps is AD and he owns 4 1995 ZR1's. Go get ya one!