Initial Thoughts on the C4

[CorranC484]

Hi all,
I'm a newbie to the forums, but a long time lover of Corvettes. My parents have an '84. Its in ok shape, negelected for a little while, but I'm starting to work on it here and there. Anyway, I was wondering, after reading people's reactions to the C6, and how it relates to the C5, what was everybody's reaction to the C4 when it replaced the C3? I wasnt around then, since I was born in '86, so I'd just like to see what people thought at the time.

Chris

P.S. If there's anyone living in the Hampton Roads area, would love to talk!!

 

[HTRK-1]

The magazines talked about the C4 about the same way they now talk about the C6.

 

[Moonunit 451]

Welcome to the forum Chris :cool I loved the C4 when it came out, it was a radical change. Liked the C5 too, but I never even thought I'd be able to afford any Vette, so I'm really in love with the one I got. Not crazy about the C5, and looking forward to seeing a C6 LIVE

 

[Vette_Newb2]

My buddy was a huge Vette fan, we were in 11th grade when the C4 hit, and we were both unimpressed lol. The C4 at that time resembled a T/A to us, and the performance numbers were kinda weak (but then again, the last 3 C3's were no race cars either hehe). He had a 74 that we spent one summer building and it was one hell of a car, about 400hp with a 4speed tranny and a 150 shot of NOS. When the 86's came out, I was starting to like the C4 and appreciating what a great car the C4 was. He has owned several since then, a 92 LT1 6SP a 94 LT1 vert and I think he had a 95 for a while, he hated the vert (GM ended up buying it back) but the coupes were a lot of fun. This is my first Vette but it wont be my last.

 

[invinceablevett]

Welcome to the forum.When the C4 came out I was really impressed and fell in love with the pop-up lights(the turn the lights make was awesome),the digital dash was a thrill,and the way the hood opens was so cool.Performance-wise I really didn't care and only got into it when the "king of the hill"came around....As for the C6...I love it so far and 400hp is a goodlooking number.I do however feel that the C6 should be considered a C5.5 because it resembles the C5 alot.I know styling cues are hard to acheive but because of the back end of the C6, to me ,it still looks alot like the C5...I'll take a convertible one in Lemans Blue

 

[photovette]

I had a C3 when the C4's came out. I loved the C4 but I thought the styling was a bit subdued for a 'vette. The new C4 owners at the time (1984) were pure elitist stinkers and looked down on C3's with a passion.

 

[Tuna]

With each new generation, there have been those that bad-mouth the new version for being:
too plain,
too much like some other car,
too big,
too small,
too different from previous Vettes
not enough like previous Vettes,
not what they expected,
yadayadayada

Each new generation has proved very successful. The C4 was a big leap in performance and handling compared to the late C3's. The C5 a huge jump in the sports car world - who can argue with sales of 30,000+ per year.

While the C6 may look a lot like a warmed over C5, all indications are it is not. Time to go drive one.

I still love the C4 lines the best but I own both a C4 and a C5. If I had the money, I'd own a C6 also. (and maybe a C3 (70-73), and a C2 (67) and a C1 (57 would be nice))!!!

Don't worry about what the "pundits" say - make your own decision about how you feel about the C6.

 

[Shriker]

I was also a junior in high school when the C4's came out and I was and still am a car fanatic. I remember seeing spy photos in mags and reading about how radically different the car was.

The C4 was a HUGE leap. I think much larger than the leap from C4 to C5 or from C5 to C6. C5 was a fix for all that was not as good with the C4 - gettin in and out being difficult, interior space and comfort, structural rigidity, quality control, etc. Performance was essentially the same as the last C4 , the 96 LT4.

The C4 was first to be designed with computers and people. First Vette to be extensively tested and designed with aerodynamics playing a larger role. Huge advances in electronics in the car. First 1g capable street tired production car (this is debatable though). The car looked like nothing else, cornered phenominally well and truly brought the Vette into the 80's . The last few years of C3 were truly the most lame Vettes in history, no offense to those that love them (I love all Vettes) and own them, but those were dismal days.

The 85 was truly what the 83 should have been (remember , no 83 officially and the 84 had the leftover crossfire V8). The 85 introduced the TPI L98 to the C4 and truly made it a world beater and a complete package. Now it had power to match the handling . The C4 offered FIVE engines throughout its lifetime, two manual trannies....from the Crossfire to the L98 to the LT5 to the LT1 to finally the LT4. The car was so dominant during its time NOTHING could really compete with it in different types of racing or on the showroom floor.

The japanese tried to get in on the action in the early 90's with the 300ZX Turbo , 3000 Turbo/Stealth, RX-7 Turbo, and finally the Supra Turbo. All excellent cars, especially the RX-7 Turbo and Supra. BUT, the Vette just stepped up with the LT1 (and of course the LT5 ZR-1) and later the LT4 . All the japanese competitors , sadly , have left the game (though Nissan has brought back the Z - but NOT to compete with the Vette - Lesson learned).

Anyway you really should read the EXCELLENT book by Dave MClellan titled "Corvette from the Inside". C4's are great cars and are very worthy of the Corvette name and heritage.... they put PERFORMANCE back to the TOP of the Vette list of attributes.

 

[vetteboy86]

I was born in 1983, the only production year since 1953 that the vette wasn't produced. My father on the other hand was born in 1953 the first year of production. So I feel like it was written in the stars for me to love vettes. I do love all vettes. My father always had them when I was growing up. I remeber the bumper cars he had. Although the first vette's I really remember were the C4's. My father had a new 86 Al head coupe. It was awesome. So I always have loved the C4. Now that I have driven one for 5 years I am hooked. I love the car. The feel of the cockpit is unmatched in my opinion to any other car I have sat in. So in my opinion it is the first world class sports car.


Craig

 

[tyrel]

Oh boy, when I first saw the ads for the C4 in 1983, I thought it was the most beautiful car I'd ever seen in my life. The car is still beautiful today, it has a clean, simple, classic Corvette shape, there is nothing quite like it on the road. I remember this two-page ad in a magazine, showing all the neat features about the car, the lift-off roof panel, the side gills, the clamshell hood, the outstanding handling, the fore-and-aft transverse-mounted fiberglass springs ("fiberglass springs?!@?" I thought to myself), the heavy use of lightweight aluminum throughout the car, the gigantic rear hatch window. To me, it was miles ahead of the C3 in terms of looks and engineering. The C4 still stirs a passion in me, even when I see a beaten-up one I want to buy it and restore it. I have always loved the lines on the car, the long hood and the short rear deck, and I especially love the way the car looks from the back at a 3/4 angle, with the four round rear lights and the way the door panels wrap around and under the frame rails. It's no wonder the C6 looks so much like a C4, Chevy got it right with the style of the C4, the shape is timeless and classic. I always felt the C5 was too big, nothing against the car really, but it says something that the C6 is five inches shorter than the C5.

 

[bluetex84]

Hey there,im new to this forum also ,but yeah I love my 84.first vette for me,I always told myself before I die I WILL own a corvette so I'm living my dream now everyday.Hope you enjoy yours as I do mine.By the way I'm from Virginia.miss that beach!

 

[ProEMTPFF]

I was still in High School when the C4's first showed up and I hated them by looks alone. My parents have always had at least one Corvette since I was born and most were C3's some C2's. Anyway, in 1985 I started to like them, then in '86 my parents decided to stop showing the '75, sell it and buy a 1986. By that time I came to love the C4. In fact I liked that '86 2 tone metallic silver beige/metallic medium brown that I just bought it 3 weeks ago. Now for the C5 from day one they came out I loved them, still do and will try to own one in the next year or so. The C6, nice car, love it for the most part but I can't stand the lights........it needs pop-up's to be a vette.

 

[NevadaJim]

I have to admit, when the C4 first came out I thought Chevy had lost their minds; not that I thought it was ugly or anything like that, just that it was such a big leap from the stingray style. The first Vette I really remember seeing and just salavating over was a red '73 coupe. I've owned a couple of C3s ('75 and '82) and I still love that body style. But, the body style of the C4 grew on me and after driving a few, the performance and handling sold me.

 

[Skyguy007]

Hi all,
I'm a newbie to the forums, but a long time lover of Corvettes. My parents have an '84. Its in ok shape, negelected for a little while, but I'm starting to work on it here and there. Anyway, I was wondering, after reading people's reactions to the C6, and how it relates to the C5, what was everybody's reaction to the C4 when it replaced the C3? I wasnt around then, since I was born in '86, so I'd just like to see what people thought at the time.

The first Vette in my family was a new '58. I loved that car, but quickly forgot about it when my dad brought home a red '65 fuelie convertible. The '65 was scary quick and handled well as long as the driver was careful. (This was way before the days of antilock brakes and ride stabilization.) Also, it had very few squeaks and rattles. Unfortunately, he sold the '65 for a '69 390 hp 427 I still get sick just thinking about it!

While the C-3 looked good and was fun to drive fast in straight lines, it lacked the tightness of the mid-year - too much frame twist on rough roads and too many rattles. The '96 GS coupe I own now is pretty cool, but there's too much body twist to run it without the top in place. After driving the '69 for a couple years,it's neat now to be able to cruise in the '96 at 85 all day with the climate control, adjustable seats, and cd player keeping the passenger (my wife) happy.

Other than the obvious styling changes and enhancements to the suspension and brakes, there wasn't much difference in technology from the C-1 through the early C-3s. Most guys with a timing light and a set of wrenches could work on all of them. C4s were a big leap ahead in sophistication, considering the auto technology at the time, and C5s were yet another leap. The C6 has too many changes to deserve being called a C5.5, but each person has their own take on it.

I think the 2006 (second year of production) C6 equivalent to the C5 Z06 will have a lot of C5 drivers jumping ship as soon as their leases expire or their loans are paid off. Right now, too many C5 owners are too busy getting rid of their jealouy to be objective. Wait a year or two to get a better comparison.

My only real regret is that the small-block powered mid-engine Vette has never come to fruition. Mosler's done some neat things with this concept, but they don't have quite the development resrouces GM could throw into the project.

 

[warren s]

The C4 seemed huge when it came out !! Remember that the late 70s and early 80s didnt excatly seem to "performance car" friendly. Many people thought the days of American performance cars were gone.


So here comes this new Corvette that says "Were back!" The 84 Corvette was a wonder for its time. Almost 1g on the skid pad, clamshell hood, race car suspension parts, digital dash, brakes that didnt go away after a few stops.

It was a really cool car.