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ChildishEgg

ChildishEgg

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Nov 6, 2020
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196
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United states
I need help form Corvette C4 owners. I have made it my mission to get one as my first car as I will be getting my drivers permit next year I think. Here are the things I need to know. Is the car manual or automatic, Will I have to learn stick shift? Is the car easy to see in. Are there and major blind spots. How reliable is the car? Is it easy to drive? Is it comfortable? Would It make a good first car (regardless of your answer to this question i'm still trying to get one.) Anything I should be worried about?
 
Lots of questions...no easy answers to a lot of them.

Auto or Manuals? Both autos and manuals were available, I believe in all years 4 speed autos and 4+3 (earlyC4s) and 6 speed manuals were available. Why not learn how to drive one?

Easy to see in? Like from the outside, or from the inside out to see what is going on? All depends on tint of windows... no tint easy for people to see inside. Viewability from inside? How tall are you? adjustment of mirrors. how much junk is stacked on the dash and in the storage area? Really tough question to answer. Go look at a few and determine for yourself.

Blind spots? Check out above answer.

Reliable? Depends on the car, maintenance, miles... a lot of things. Find one that has been well maintained to reduce problems.

Easy to drive...No more difficult to drive than any other car. Generally more powerful than it's peers (similar year models) Very responsive compared to other cars.

Would It make a good first car? Anything I should be worried about? Corvettes demand respect when driving them. Because they are a sports car, they tend to be powerful and without restraint, they can get you into trouble quickly. I believe they are a safe vehicle, so, I wouldn't worry about that. The other thing is insurance.....better check out that cost. One young person I know of found out that the cost of actually owning the Corvette was WAY LESS than the cost of the insuring it. Monthly payment on the loan was 1/2 the insurance cost per month. That being said, I bought my first Corvette at 19 (back in 1974) and, because I had a good driving record and a good student, insuring the Corvette wasn't much more than a normal car...Times have changed since then. Also, because the newest C4 you can buy is 25 years old, make certain you have a monetary reserve to fix things that will inevitably break (this is actually the case for any car)

Good luck with your search and purchase of your first car. I'll say this, my 16 yo grandson is driving a first generation Cadillac CTS (2007). This is plenty car for him.
 
Yeah, Because it is an 80s car It is bound to break. My mom agreed to match the amount of money I save up for the car. I might just buy a honda civic to get used to driving first and for the winter.
 
If you go for a manual trans try to get the 89 or later they are the 6 speed. Very tough and shift like no other trans I have ever driven.It is called the ZF only downside to it is that the dual mass flywheel is no longer available and should be replaced if you need to replace the clutch. Read up on that there are non dual mass flywheels available but be aware of that . My 90 with the 6 speed (double overdrive BTW) is the best gas mileage vehicle I own. I live in a mostly rural area and 20+ mpg all around driving keeping your foot out of it is pretty consistent. You have to get used to the short wheelbase and quick steering but once you get used to that I think it is a really nice driving car. Mine is a convertible, visibility is only restricted by the headrest with the top down :) With top up it may be not as good as a coupe. It has been said that you may be able to afford buying a corvette but owning it may be a diff story. If you can work on it yourself , that helps a lot but if you need to pay someone to do all your work it can get costly. Also some parts are only available used. Others you have to search long and hard to find. But that is the case with many older cars.Be sure to check with your insurance company on insurance cost for your age. It would be a real kick if you find out after you get a corvette and can't drive it because of insurance cost. I am a senior and when I bought mine at age
54 my insurance was never any higher than any other car. The later in the model generation that you buy the better they seem to be . Like instead of a mid 80s you buy a mid 90s it will be a much better car. One last thing not many repair shops still have the OBDI scanners . In another post I gave links for cable and software to scan OBDI .
here Question: - How do you scan/read live data on a 1985 L98
I wish you luck , do your homework learn everything you can before you buy. Corvettes are a fun car to own and drive but do take some commitment.
I just noticed you talked about driving in the winter.. with the wide tires and 4 3/4 road clearance , they are not fun and near impossible to drive in much snow. I got caught out in an early snow that was about 3/4 in deep and wet, was difficult to get 13 miles to home. Don't plan on it for a yr around driver if you are in a snow region.
 
Last edited:
GWinter said:
If you go for a manual trans try to get the 89 or later they are the 6 speed. Very tough and shift like no other trans I have ever driven.It is called the ZF only downside to it is that the dual mass flywheel is no longer available and should be replaced if you need to replace the clutch. Read up on that there are non dual mass flywheels available but be aware of that . My 90 with the 6 speed (double overdrive BTW) is the best gas mileage vehicle I own. I live in a mostly rural area and 20+ mpg all around driving keeping your foot out of it is pretty consistent. You have to get used to the short wheelbase and quick steering but once you get used to that I think it is a really nice driving car. Mine is a convertible, visibility is only restricted by the headrest with the top down :) With top up it may be not as good as a coupe. It has been said that you may be able to afford buying a corvette but owning it may be a diff story. If you can work on it yourself , that helps a lot but if you need to pay someone to do all your work it can get costly. Also some parts are only available used. Others you have to search long and hard to find. But that is the case with many older cars.Be sure to check with your insurance company on insurance cost for your age. It would be a real kick if you find out after you get a corvette and can't drive it because of insurance cost. I am a senior and when I bought mine at age
54 my insurance was never any higher than any other car. The later in the model generation that you buy the better they seem to be . Like instead of a mid 80s you buy a mid 90s it will be a much better car. One last thing not many repair shops still have the OBDI scanners . In another post I gave links for cable and software to scan OBDI .
here Question: - How do you scan/read live data on a 1985 L98
I wish you luck , do your homework learn everything you can before you buy. Corvettes are a fun car to own and drive but do take some commitment.
I just noticed you talked about driving in the winter.. with the wide tires and 4 3/4 road clearance , they are not fun and near impossible to drive in much snow. I got caught out in an early snow that was about 3/4 in deep and wet, was difficult to get 13 miles to home. Don't plan on it for a yr around driver if you are in a snow region.
Click to expand...
Haha, my grades are great right now so I think im good with homework. I might reconsider a c4 as my first car. But I will one day own a corvette c7. I refuse to die without owning a corvette
 
Spend a week of Sundays reading the C4 Forums before you decide. Different years encounter different problems.
 
I think he saw the price . when they first came out I didn't like them as well as previous models
but they really grew on me to the point I like them better than the C3
 
ChildishEgg said:
I need help form Corvette C4 owners. I have made it my mission to get one as my first car as I will be getting my drivers permit next year I think. Here are the things I need to know. Is the car manual or automatic, Will I have to learn stick shift? Is the car easy to see in. Are there and major blind spots. How reliable is the car? Is it easy to drive? Is it comfortable? Would It make a good first car (regardless of your answer to this question i'm still trying to get one.) Anything I should be worried about?
Click to expand...
Hello C4's are great first Corvette. There years 95 and 96 are the best because there are more options for you. I love loved the car shocks are cheap compared to the C5's if you stay away from the select ride option. Convertables are the most fun!!!
 
Super charged LT4 with the Opti by pass,Sweet !
002-1992-chevy-corvette-lt1-v8-small-block.jpg
 
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