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Re: Deciding between 3 cars
I have seen C5s for mid $20Ks here locally. They are getting more affordable for the average gear head, but there's the dreaded high insurance premimum. Mine is listed as a secondary car and is insured through a classic auto insurrer (for less than $200 annually).
You can't go wrong w/the C4. For an older car with 135K+ on the clock, mine runs good, rides good and handles excellent. It's an older L98 (TPI) car, I have made a bunch of little modifications and really kept up w/servicing all the mechanicals. I drive the thing on a daily basis (weather permitting/time allowing) I enjoy it so much.
There is no comparison, in comparing it to the Z28 that my wife had. The Z had terrible road noise and crappy seats, but it ran really good. The Vette is an all-around comfortable car. It rides firm (w/new Bilstein shocks), gets excellent gas mileage and it gets attention from the general public. It stays comfortadle even on a several hundred-mile trip. I wouldn't say that performance is outstanding (I could fix that if I really wanted to) but it's no slouch either. The LT1 cars do make more power than a stock L98.
Have you driven a 6 speed F body? If you can't live w/o a manual box it would be ok. For me, in an "every day" car, I would get tired of it real quick. Though they do sound cool. Rowing through the tight gates of a 6 speed takes concentration at first, then it becomes natural.
If you can afford the C5, get it. Each generation gets more refinement. If you like the looks of the C4, then get that one. Just remember that most people drive them hard, and some are ragged out, so don't get the first one that comes along (I shopped for 2 years before I found the right one). If you find one that looks good, inspect it closely. If you drive one, listen for squeaks and rattles (mine has over 135K miles and is almost squeak free), it can tell you a lot on how it was maintained. Search the classified ads and get one from an older adult, it would have been better taken care. Shy away from used car lots, they also tack on an extra price and have more fees (costing you more).
Good luck.
Hey, how'd the tranny swap end up?
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