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ZR-1 or Grand Sport??

McD

Active member
Joined
Dec 11, 2003
Messages
43
Location
Southern Illinois
Corvette
'69 Fathom Green Conv and '63 Tuxedo Black Conv
If you had the opportunity to buy a '93 ZR-1 with over 100K miles for under $19K, or a '96 Grand Sport convertible with over 30K miles for just under $40K...which would you choose??

;shrug

McD
 
Why not go for both of them? Ok ok, I know that isn't the answer you were looking for. Both have ups and downs I suppose. The LT5 is less known about as far as internal operations compered to the LT4. Man, this is a tough decision. The ZR1 had five years, the '96 Grand Sport was of course one. I guess if you have your choice, price will be a major factor in this Do you like the Color of either one more then the other? With the ZR1 at the 100k it will need maintence? Also the '96 Grand Sport is 11 years old.

Let us know what you decide... but this sounds like a good problem to have.
 
Why not go for both of them? Ok ok, I know that isn't the answer you were looking for. Both have ups and downs I suppose. The LT5 is less known about as far as internal operations compered to the LT4. Man, this is a tough decision. The ZR1 had five years, the '96 Grand Sport was of course one. I guess if you have your choice, price will be a major factor in this Do you like the Color of either one more then the other? With the ZR1 at the 100k it will need maintence? Also the '96 Grand Sport is 11 years old.

Let us know what you decide... but this sounds like a good problem to have.

Yeah, pros and cons for both. Price does come into play a bit, but then again doesn't it always ;)

I love the added HP of the Z, but love the uniqueness of the GS. I also want to drive my car, not look at it in the garage wishing I could drive it, so I guess adding extra miles on a 100K mile car isn't as big a deal.

Any other inputs?
 
Sounds like th GS is a bit high. I was talking to a fellow this weekend who picked up a low mileage GS for 25k about 6 mo ago. I know that the GS commands higher prices, but c'mon. I'll take the exotic ZR1 anyday, if money wasn't an issue I would look for an even lower mileage car and pay a bit more.
 
405 hp ZR1 vs. 330 hp GS...

...Hmmmm, that's a tough one for me.

As said earlier, they both have their advantages but I personally would lean towards the GS because of the lower mileage, rag top and that skunk stripe.

~40 grand seems a bit high though. Check these ZR1 and GS sites for more info. They each usually have some cars for sale so you can easily check prices.

I've looked at a few ZR1's with around 100K and I always wonder what it costs and how difficult it would be to work on one. Maybe someone on the forum can answer that.

Good Luck and let us know what you decide.
 
Thanks for the input. A tough decision, but a great decision to have to make :D
 
How ¨original¨ is the ZR1? I bought a Z with a highly modified engine and was totally unhappy with it. I got lucky and sold it for a good profit and am back in the market for an ¨original¨ZR1.

$40K is a lot of cash for the GS. For that money you could find an almost perfect ZR1 with low miles.
 
McD,

Of course, one could say that I'm a bit biased as I own a Grand Sport convertible;) , but I'm going to say to go for the GS!! It's a numbers thing...they only made 1,000 Grand Sports, of which only 190 were convertibles. How many ZR1's were made in all?? Go for the GS!!!

And $40k is not a lot of money for one of the 190 convertibles!!!! The coupes sell for less, but the convertibles are always going to be more expensive...and quite possibly, more desirable.

Of the entire C4 run, the Grand Sport is holding its value over and above any of the others. As I said, it's a numbers thing. The fewer there are, the more money they'll bring.:)

Please let us know how you make out.

Elaine
 
McD,
And $40k is not a lot of money for one of the 190 convertibles!!!! The coupes sell for less, but the convertibles are always going to be more expensive...and quite possibly, more desirable.

Very good point.
 
McD,

Of course, one could say that I'm a bit biased as I own a Grand Sport convertible;) , but I'm going to say to go for the GS!! It's a numbers thing...they only made 1,000 Grand Sports, of which only 190 were convertibles. How many ZR1's were made in all?? Go for the GS!!!

And $40k is not a lot of money for one of the 190 convertibles!!!! The coupes sell for less, but the convertibles are always going to be more expensive...and quite possibly, more desirable.

Of the entire C4 run, the Grand Sport is holding its value over and above any of the others. As I said, it's a numbers thing. The fewer there are, the more money they'll bring.:)

Please let us know how you make out.

Elaine

I'm looking at this a little bit like an investment ( a drivable one ;) that is ). Like most, I want to try to sell (if I ever do) for at least what I paid for the car. I think I'd have more fun in the ZR-1, but I love convertibles, and the GS isn't a slouch under the hood either.

Someone asked how original the ZR-1 was...I'm not sure, I've only seen it online.

Now here's the sad part...I've tried to contact both owners for additional info/pics, but I haven't gotten a return call or email. Maybe this is only as far as I'll get...for now.

McD
 
Here's another website you might want to take a look at. Roger's in FLA has some beautiful cars, but like any specialty dealer, their prices are generally on the high side.

I'll let GS Diva give you the pointer for Corvette Mike's (New England) in Plymouth, MA. :) They too have some beautiful cars in their inventory.


http://www.rogerscorvette.com/generationlist.php?GenerationID=C4
 
McD,

Do you know the last 3 numbers of the Grand Sport's VIN? If so, I can try to find out if it's registered with the Grand Sport Registry which might give me the owner's email address.

Elaine
 
Here's another website you might want to take a look at. Roger's in FLA has some beautiful cars, but like any specialty dealer, their prices are generally on the high side.

I'll let GS Diva give you the pointer for Corvette Mike's (New England) in Plymouth, MA. :) They too have some beautiful cars in their inventory.


http://www.rogerscorvette.com/generationlist.php?GenerationID=C4

Nice cars here.

The more I look at the '96 CE's w/the LT4 the more I like them. It is essentially the same car as the GS and for the most part cheaper on avg. Hmmmm.....
 
McD,

Do you know the last 3 numbers of the Grand Sport's VIN? If so, I can try to find out if it's registered with the Grand Sport Registry which might give me the owner's email address.

Elaine

#588. I saw this on the GS Registry. I guess maybe it's sold already??
 
Thanks. The ZR-1 I was looking at was under $20K. The GS was almost $40K.

1. The GS at Rogers only has 4800 miles, and was a $45,000-46,000 car new. If you put many miles on it, of course the value would go down. So, fun, but at a price.
2. The ZR-1 will sure be fun, and you won't have to worry about miles. But How may miles before a rebuild? But more importantly, can you afford a catastrophic failure with that engine?

Either one could be a good choice. I guess it depends on what you can afford. Doesn't it always.
 
1. The GS at Rogers only has 4800 miles, and was a $45,000-46,000 car new. If you put many miles on it, of course the value would go down. So, fun, but at a price.
2. The ZR-1 will sure be fun, and you won't have to worry about miles. But How may miles before a rebuild? But more importantly, can you afford a catastrophic failure with that engine?

Either one could be a good choice. I guess it depends on what you can afford. Doesn't it always.

True, true. Just out of curiosity...how much would a total rebuild be for the LT5?
 
Well, it looks like the GS I was looking at is sold. Wasn't meant to be I guess; but I'll keep up the hunt, which I find much cheaper than the catch, lol.
 

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