First car old corvette?

[cowkiller6]

I am looking for a pretty cool/affordable first car. I had been looking at a 1997 eclipse, but somehow found the older corvettes. I hope to have about 5-8k to spend on the car. I saw that you can get a low mileage 86 for around 6k. I have a few questions:

1.) Which year is good? (reliability, in my price range, and cool looking)
2.) Are they expensive to fix?
3.) Do they have alot of problems?
4.) How is insurance for a 16 yr old male, good student and drivers ed discount compared to that of an eclipse gs? I called asking about an eclipse and it was about 1200 for 6 months.


5.) PS: I saw the awsome digital display, in the dash. Which years come with this???


Thanks

[89IROC&RS]

1) stay away from the crossfire vettes, they can have gremlins, TPI vettes are a good reliable vehicle, cant think of any major points of concern off the top of my head.
2) the cost of repairs depends on what breaks. The TPI vettes have the same running gear as the camaros, if someone tries to charge you what you think may be too much, as for the price of the camaro part. not much different between the cost of a 283 and 302 crank, or a 396 and 427 crank, the latter always costs much more, even though its exactly the same as the prior.
3) no more than other cars of the same year. just do your best to find one that was well taken care of, instead of one owned by a shade tree mechanic.
4) 16, male, and a corvette????? insurance companys are going to have a field day with you.
5) not sure exactly what years came with the digi display.

[cowkiller6]

Thanks, but what is a TPI vette?

I have seen pictures of a 1986 with a digital display. Does that mean all 86's come with it, or was it an option?

I was hoping, the insurance would be almost the same as an eclipse, since it is an older vette.

How is the safety on one? My mom says they are like plastic, so you have no chance if you get in a wreck.

[89IROC&RS]

TPI vettes are Tuned Port Injection Vettes, it is in reference to the engines they had.

as far as the digital display, i honestly dont know, i think they were standard as i have yet to see an anolog dash in a C4 vette, which is the model of vette you are looking for.

as far as the insurance, i seriously doubt it will be the same, even though it is old, its still a vette, and thats gonna be whats gonna nail ya.

regarding the safty, cant really say about the vettes, but the camaros i have are from the same year, ive totled them four times between the two of them, and all but once not only was i fine, but i drove them home from the accident. while the other cars went home on wreckers. the plastic your mom referrs to are the body panels of the car which are made from fiberglass, but even in cars with steel panels the outer body panels serve no purpose other than aerodynamics and aesthetics. so it really dosnt matter what they are made of. what matters is what the frame is made of and what saftey equipment is in the car. bottom line, if you wear your seatbelt, and arent doing 150mph, youll be just as safe in the vette as any modern day car.

[cowkiller6]

Thanks for your help. Now I just need to check the insurance prices. Is there any C4 year that stands out and is best?

Thanks

[89IROC&RS]

that there is a question i really cant answer, im more of a camaro head, If you are looking at the TPI vettes, try and find a SpeedDensity system, i think they started in 89.

[cowkiller6]

My mom is concerned because she says the old vettes do not have airbags. Is this true?

Thanks

[sub006]

You DO wear your seatbelt, don't you? Tell your mom that the unique construction of the car fiberglass panels over steel cage absorbs more shock than almost any other vehicle. People have walked away from things like triple-digit end-over-end multiple somersaults because the Vettes sacrifice their beautiful bodies to save yours!

[mikeweyman]

when i got my first insurance quote i almost shirt my pants,to transfer my insurance from my beater for the remaining 4 months of my policy ,public liability only, was an amazing 1,800 dollars. i am 42 with a clean record , liscensed since 1979 without an accident ever.also mine is a c-3.
so you can afford the insurance , now to save up for a vette ,mike