Thinking about a Corvette and it would be great to chat :)
Discussion
I'm seriously thinking of buying a Corvette. After much debating and searching for a fun V8 2 seater, which is fun to drive, relatively reliable and well priced.
The other option seemed to be a TVR wedge with the Rover V8, which also has an engine that sounds lovely.
But the Corvette has several advantages, at least looking at both from the outside. Without ever owning either one.
I'm focusing on the C4, for several reasons. My goal is not performance, but fun. This will be a weekend car.
A C5 is great. But costs quite a bit more and lacks a few things I really like in the C4. So I will give a C4 a go and I can also move to a C5 later if I feel the need.
Once I decided on a C4 I took a couple of days to search, talk to people, watch some buying guides and all that. So far I only have 2 worries. Reliability and build quality or scuffle shake and rattles.
Looking at buying guides and advice, first thing that changed was the feeling the C4 is very reliable, because it's simple. There seems to be quite a few things which go wrong with them, and they vary basically by model year. This put me off a bit. I'm aware it will be the case with any 30 years old car. But a huge selling point with American cars is exactly reliability and easy to maintain. It off sets the lack of build quality and refinement somehow. So if it will be a headache to keep on the road, it loses the advantage over going with something more refined, perhaps European.
So how is the C4 here? Little niggles and things that might be ignored by others drive me crazy. It was the reason I got off Alfas. Little things that don't stop the car from running, but are annoying. Like a window switch here, some other small thing there. Is the C4 a good solid candidate for classic car ownership? Or will it drive me crazy with little niggles and things? I don't mean normal wear and tear.
The other bit that worries me is the build quality. Scuffle shake and that type of thing. Drives me crazy. I have owned my share of Lexus and Mercedes and really appreciate the solid feel, without much if at all scuffle shake. Is there a way to at least diminish that a little with the Corvettes? It has been a while since I drove a C4, back in the U.S. actually. But this was something I remember. And a friend had a Camaro 4th generation for years and that sounded like junk with all the rattling and scuffle shake. Almost ruined the fantastic V8 burble.
Apart from that, I'm pretty happy with the performance and handling. Sure is not a C5. But it is a lot of fun. It feels special to sit in and drive. It feels like an event, which is exactly what I'm looking for. V8 burble, quick enough, a manual transmission, RWD and the roof comes off for some extra fun. Handles well enough for fun on B-roads and hopefully wouldn't cost much to keep on the road.
All the American car jokes aside, I think the C4 is a nice option. Corvettes are probably the only American car which could ever outhandle and beat European things like Ferraris and Porsches. So it stands on a different level from the other American cars. But even so, already during my research and before even owning one, I have had to endure the usual bashing. Just today, when I mentioned the TVR wedge I had to hear this person going on about how the TVR handles better and is easier or better to drive on European B-roads and the C4 is more of a cruiser. Even though I have read exactly the opposite. Maybe somebody here has driven both?
But none of that bothers me. Only the two points above. Reliability or easy to keep on the road. Plus build quality and rattling or scuffle shake.
Since I will most likely be buying from the U.S., I need to be sure. I want a manual and a very specific year range and even colour combo. So the U.S. has a much bigger pool, obviously. I don't want to be searching forever for one here. But that means I need to be sure.
Any experiences you could share are very welcome and appreciated.
The other option seemed to be a TVR wedge with the Rover V8, which also has an engine that sounds lovely.
But the Corvette has several advantages, at least looking at both from the outside. Without ever owning either one.
I'm focusing on the C4, for several reasons. My goal is not performance, but fun. This will be a weekend car.
A C5 is great. But costs quite a bit more and lacks a few things I really like in the C4. So I will give a C4 a go and I can also move to a C5 later if I feel the need.
Once I decided on a C4 I took a couple of days to search, talk to people, watch some buying guides and all that. So far I only have 2 worries. Reliability and build quality or scuffle shake and rattles.
Looking at buying guides and advice, first thing that changed was the feeling the C4 is very reliable, because it's simple. There seems to be quite a few things which go wrong with them, and they vary basically by model year. This put me off a bit. I'm aware it will be the case with any 30 years old car. But a huge selling point with American cars is exactly reliability and easy to maintain. It off sets the lack of build quality and refinement somehow. So if it will be a headache to keep on the road, it loses the advantage over going with something more refined, perhaps European.
So how is the C4 here? Little niggles and things that might be ignored by others drive me crazy. It was the reason I got off Alfas. Little things that don't stop the car from running, but are annoying. Like a window switch here, some other small thing there. Is the C4 a good solid candidate for classic car ownership? Or will it drive me crazy with little niggles and things? I don't mean normal wear and tear.
The other bit that worries me is the build quality. Scuffle shake and that type of thing. Drives me crazy. I have owned my share of Lexus and Mercedes and really appreciate the solid feel, without much if at all scuffle shake. Is there a way to at least diminish that a little with the Corvettes? It has been a while since I drove a C4, back in the U.S. actually. But this was something I remember. And a friend had a Camaro 4th generation for years and that sounded like junk with all the rattling and scuffle shake. Almost ruined the fantastic V8 burble.
Apart from that, I'm pretty happy with the performance and handling. Sure is not a C5. But it is a lot of fun. It feels special to sit in and drive. It feels like an event, which is exactly what I'm looking for. V8 burble, quick enough, a manual transmission, RWD and the roof comes off for some extra fun. Handles well enough for fun on B-roads and hopefully wouldn't cost much to keep on the road.
All the American car jokes aside, I think the C4 is a nice option. Corvettes are probably the only American car which could ever outhandle and beat European things like Ferraris and Porsches. So it stands on a different level from the other American cars. But even so, already during my research and before even owning one, I have had to endure the usual bashing. Just today, when I mentioned the TVR wedge I had to hear this person going on about how the TVR handles better and is easier or better to drive on European B-roads and the C4 is more of a cruiser. Even though I have read exactly the opposite. Maybe somebody here has driven both?
But none of that bothers me. Only the two points above. Reliability or easy to keep on the road. Plus build quality and rattling or scuffle shake.
Since I will most likely be buying from the U.S., I need to be sure. I want a manual and a very specific year range and even colour combo. So the U.S. has a much bigger pool, obviously. I don't want to be searching forever for one here. But that means I need to be sure.
Any experiences you could share are very welcome and appreciated.
Edited by CM2020 on Wednesday 22 March 22:55
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