C4 advantages over C5?

[WantaVette]

I am an 18 year old college student hoping to buy his first vette by christmas and am already set on a 94-96 6sp coupe. A lot of my friends however just ask me why i want an "old" vette. Other than personal preferences, what are some advantages the c4 has over the c5.

 

[WEFs02]

Some people (including me) think the C4 is a better looking car. That is the only advantage.

 

[craig0ry]

It's cheaper. That is it.

Also you're 18 or 19 and can afford a 94-96? I'm 20 and I could barely scrape together for an '84.

 

[Tims93]

Being 18 you'll probably find the insurance is a little cheaper on a C4, but it's still going to hurt. Good luck on your search, Tim

 

[craig0ry]

insurance is dirt cheap as long as he does liability only... it's only the comprehensive that kills you

 

[WantaVette]

"Also you're 18 or 19 and can afford a 94-96? I'm 20 and I could barely scrape together for an '84. "

Buying this vette is a huge deal for me. I'm not some spoiled brat that can get any car they want, I am working to save up about $3000 plus the money from the mustang I'm in now. (I'm in college and thankfully have enough scholarships to pay for most things.) The rest will have to be financed. So as of right now, I'm not even close to affording it. Also, I drive a 2000 v6 mustang and the insurance when I checked with my company is $5 per month cheaper for a 95 vette.

 

[KOPBET]

Dang! I would think insurance for an 18 year old with a Vette would have to be $200-$400 a month!

 

[Rain]

Main thing I hear re: C4vsC5

C4 has the raw horsepower feeling when you drive it. You feel the road and the car..

C5 is refined and luxury. The AC works consistantly. Its still fast as ****, but you don't feel it as much as you do in a C4

Hope that helps
Rain

 

[craig0ry]

Dang! I would think insurance for an 18 year old with a Vette would have to be $200-$400 a month!

Because you are thinking of comprehensive insurance man!

My full-coverage liability insurance is only costing me about $100 a month, which is what it cost me in my old truck. I have a real low deductable and am insured to the fullest possible against vehicle, personal, and property damage, so that drives up the cost.

Now granted, if someone steals my car, I'm kind of s.o.l.

 

[Tims93]

I'm not sure how other states are but in NY if you finance the vehicle you are required to carry collision and comp ins.. I know other states may be different but make sure you check before you buy. Take care, Tim

 

[KOPBET]

Because you are thinking of comprehensive insurance man!

My full-coverage liability insurance is only costing me about $100 a month, which is what it cost me in my old truck. I have a real low deductable and am insured to the fullest possible against vehicle, personal, and property damage, so that drives up the cost.

Now granted, if someone steals my car, I'm kind of s.o.l.

Financing = Comprehensive. Like it or not.

Only a hundred dollars a month ...

 

[Vettefan87]

Yup if you have to borrow against the car it has to be under full coverage so to speak so if something happens the bank or whoever gets there money back. I like the way the C4 looks, feels, drives, all over the C5, plus if you plan do do modifications you can get away with a lot more in the C4 then with the C5.

 

[Edmond]

I got it for you:

LT4

Power of a C5 with the style of a C4. The motor was underrated and good LT4 drivers can hang with any C5 anyday, sans the Z06.

I don't know what your friends drive but I would think that "old" LT4 would shut them up pretty fast. :L

 

[WantaVette]

I hear you on the LT4, it'd be great if I could afford one, we'll have to just wait and see. On the insurance, my mustang is about $212 per month. When i turn 19, it will drop to about $110. And thats with full coverage including comp and collision. When i had progressive figure my policy as if I had a 95 vette, they said the cost would be within $5 of what I'm paying now. I guess all they care about is that its an older car.

 

[Edmond]

Ever think about having one of your parents insure the car? It would be much cheaper that way.

 

[rrubel]

Here's, IMHO two BIG advantages of C4 over C5:

1. They're a LOT easier to work on. BIG open area under the hood, nothing crammed in underneath (check out the exhaust on a C5), simpler to maintain.
2. Lots of used parts available...
[RICHR]

 

[sothpaw]

c4 almost as good as C5

It's not that the C4 is better than the C5 in any catagory other than Looks(debatable) or price.

What you should emphasize to your buddies is that C4 is nearly equal in performance to C5, excluding the Z06 of course.

1/4 mi for C5 6spd is around 13.3, for LT1 C4 it is 13.8 or so. 13.3-13.4 for the LT4 C4.

I think C5 coupe weighs 3250 lb, my 1993 C4 weighs 3320 lb and it is the heaviest of the bunch.
This difference might amount to .08 s in the 1/4 mi. C4 could make some of it up by dropping out his spare tire and loosing the stock mufflers for straight pipe instead (loud but GREAT idle).

Handling is a little better in the C5, but I doubt that you will notice. The C4 is raced at autocross events and can beat the C5 easily if the driver of the C4 is a little better than the other guy. The C5 does not have such great handling that it can overcome even small differences in the driver's skills. And that's on the track.

Handling of the C4 will probably whip the C5 all day if you put sticky street tires on the C4 (like the Z06 F1 supercar tires) and leave the stock runflats on the C5 (hard tire=not good road adhesion).

Brakes on C5 are not much better than the C4 ZR1 brakes you get with a 1995.

Main difference: C5 feels more refined, more like my Dad's Oldsmoblile to me. C4 is raw. Feels like F-16 cockpit. Those fighter pilots don't have a lot of room in there, neither do you. C4 squeaks and rattles, C4 does not (would a Caddy or $50 grand car rattle? you'd hope not). C5 has more cargo room.

Got the picture?

 

[BigRed]

I remember a few years ago Motor Trend or one of those high up the ladder magazines did a worlds fastest car thing and had Mario Andretti do the driving.


Mclaren, HKS Toyota, Ferrari were all there and also J.Lingenfelter with two vettes one C4 and one C5 done up to the max!

After driving both Mario said the C5 was very unstable at high speeds due to aero-dynamics and all he could say about the C4 was....Nice Car and stable at high speed.

So apart from the high tech factor and slighty more power the C4 would be a better platform for a "super car" than the C5.

I believe the C6 also resembles a C4 FAR more than the C5 for this reason. Is you were to chop the roof off a C6 from the bottom of the glass up and mount it on a C4 it would be a near match. (telling from pictures)

My opinion anyways.

 

[B17Crew]

I am an 18 year old college student hoping to buy his first vette by christmas and am already set on a 94-96 6sp coupe. A lot of my friends however just ask me why i want an "old" vette. Other than personal preferences, what are some advantages the c4 has over the c5.

WantaVette,
Nice choice of car! I’d drive them both and see which one fits you the best. Compare insurance rates between the two. Several years back I considered trading my LT4 for a C5. Called to see what the rates are, turns out the C5 was cheaper for me to insure. Test drove the C5, very nice, but not nice enough to pull me out of an LT4. If I would’ve driven a Z06, it’d be a different story.

What I wonder about having a Corvette in college is the cars security. I don’t know if you’d be keeping the car on campus or if you commute from an off campus site, but having a Corvette in college may be kinda risky.

Where I work we have two college students who are interning for us. Just about every other month, they take me out to the company parking lot to ask me how to fix this dent or fix the broken taillight they received on campus.

Not to be discouraging by any means, just make sure that you can secure a car like a Corvette from kids on the go and who are in a hurry to get to class.

B17Crew

 

[Goose]

I own a 95 model and one of the factors for me was that the C-5s has no spare tire and uses run flat tires(hard ride) and the tires are very expensive compared to C-4 Tires. I know I am being old fashioned but I like knowing that I have a spare tire to put on when I am out in the middle of no where.

Goose