Upland, California
Over the course of driving 10 Vettes in 10 days, I have learned that defining a good deal is the most difficult part of buying a car as all of these cars have been a lot of fun.
For my last Corvette test drive, I decided to give the C4 one more chance. This particular C4 was in much better condition than Emily the yellow C4 I’d driven early on. First, unlike Emily, this jet black C4 looked the business with chrome C6 wheels. It has only 88k miles. It has a 6-speed manual gearbox. Critically, the roof was bolted down all the way.
If this car were a person, her name would be ‘Ruth.’ And like Ruth Langmore from the Netflix series Ozark, Ruth wasn’t dealt a good hand in life. However, like her namesake, this C4 is not satisfied with a life of shotgun weddings, cheap beer, and trailer parks. No, she showed me she’s on her way to a better life.
For starters, the clutch – my God! – the clutch is one of the smoothest I have ever experienced. Better still, this car has had its notoriously unreliable Opti-spark distributor fixed (rebuilt – as it was positioned underneath the water pump where it would invariably get leaked on), so it runs great. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the shifter. The throws are long, numb, and laborious in action. However, unlike the porn star Z06 from the earlier story, the C4’s power is far more manageable. I feel this car has something to teach me! I’m learning how to be in-tune with the Corvette without fear that the Corvette will kill me in the learning.
Better still, beyond the C4, Jim, the very chill owner of the dealership is cool. We chat and he recognizes that I’m on a quest. He takes the time to show me all of his eclectic inventory (spread across several buildings) in addition to letting me try out several other cars to determine which might be the best fit. He explains the purchasing process with simplicity and minimum pressure, the likes of which I haven’t seen in any other dealership so far. Jim is the kind of salesman we all hope to do business with.
But back to the C4 and Corvettes in general. I’ve decided that the C4 is a kind of postmodern American E-Type – it’s an accessible pinup. Next, the C5 is the most versatile sports car I have ever driven. They can be built for straight-line speed but manage to return decent gas mileage. And then the C6 which represented the start of a new era for Corvette. The C6 was such a leap forward in refinement and ergonomics. Lastly, the C7 epitomizes what General Motors is really capable of when production cost is not the first consideration. As for the Z06, that designation will always hold a special place in my heart as my first experience with true supercar power.
This said, 12 days later, I have determined that I really can’t see myself living with America’s premier sports car. I’m not sure if an American car – with convenience and ease of use being paramount to all other factors- can really satisfy my automotive passions. There is something to the precision of German engineering and the romanticism of Italian performance that really speaks to me. Raw American power is thrilling – but – how often and where can we use it on a daily basis? This is where it would make sense to add a Corvette to a car collection. A Corvette represents Team USA proudly in an international garage. But by itself, as my one daily driver, it’s not for me. And if I’m honest, well, there was this old Alfa that I got to experience while I was in Sacramento…
Special thanks to Gunnar Heinrich for inspiring me with this 10 Corvettes in 10 days series and helping me find my voice.
So, what exactly are you looking for in a car? If you’re just looking for driving fun, then maybe something like a used Caterham or Lotus Elise would do the trick, as they are pretty cheap for the value on the market right now. If it’s power you’re looking for though, I’m not sure what to suggest. Obviously you don’t want too much power, as evidenced by your experience with the C7. Yeah, but whatever. If it were my choice, I would go with a Corvette C6 Z06. Not too much power, but certainly enough.
I am looking for a car that balances fun with quality and ease of liveability. For example right now I drive a 1990 Mercedes 300 SE. it’s a great car, but it doesn’t really do fun, so I’m looking for something that takes the good attributes of the Mercedes and adds fun.
Have you tried a Porsche 944 Turbo? It has the German car virtues you’re looking for with good performance (especially for its day) and is probably one of the nicest handling, most balanced cars you’ll ever drive.
I cannot say that I find the result surprising, as none of the cars seemed to speak to you on that level necessary to make a profound change.
This has been a great series – like going with a pal on a series of used car test drives, one of my favorite pastimes.
Let’s see a Miata series next!
I can see why you’d suggest that, unfortunately I have a problem with miatas, I am 6’6 and I don’t fit.
Just take the back seats out.
At this stage in life, the chances of my buying a Corvette are slim to none, so I have truly enjoyed experiencing them vicariously through your writing! Good luck on your search!
Tell us more about the Alfa.
Oh, and a fun series to read.
I’m not feeling the love for this series, and I can’t help but think this was a self-fulfilling prophecy as evidenced by the writer’s selection of some truly awful examples of the breed?
My feeling are similar, though I empathize more with the dealers’ and private party’s time the author wasted.
Sometimes people have to drive something to see if they get it.
I could do a similar series tracking down Jeep Wranglers/CJs from various vintages to see if I can figure out the whole “It’s a Jeep Thing” (cause I don’t get it.)
Our author was in a similar position. With apologize to Jerry Seinfeld “What’s the deal with Corvettes?”
Seems he could have found much better answers to that question if he’d cast his net just a bit wider. One can find pristine low mileage C4s at around $10,000 with very little effort and C5s at well south of $20,000. Why couldn’t/didn’t he?
At worst I’d say it was anticlimactic in the sense that no car proved to swing him, but I found the series enjoyable nonetheless. To me this has been more like trying to get into a musical group or genre by avoiding the hits on the charts, we all know what a good Corvette is, who buys them, why they buy them. Seeing the rough and real alternatives within is an interesting take, and given the general nature of this community, isn’t that kind of fitting?
And I’m a bit over the sentiment I keep seeing that “if you cant afford a nice one you don’t deserve a corvette”. My opinion, if you can’t appreciate a Corvette that isn’t Bloomington gold certified, you’re not really a Corvette person either. My whole life I have heard the Corvette touted as the every man’s sports car, and I take that to heart, if you like Corvettes it shouldn’t matter how much me you or someone else paid for theirs or what condition it is.
“I’m a bit over the sentiment I keep seeing that “if you cant afford a nice one you don’t deserve a corvette.”
That’s fine but the statement remains true nevertheless, although I’d amend it to read “you really shouldn’t try buying one.” A ‘cheap’ Corvette will only wind up costing you more in the long run, and they do demand more care and feeding than your typical Chevy.
However, my main point was that very nice Corvettes are available for not a lot of money. The writer just didn’t seem to spend a lot of effort looking for them, because it’s fairly clear he began the process not really wanting a Corvette at all.
I’m in agreement here. I was a bit confused as to the purpose of the articles, seeing as that Corvettes are known as an affordable, compromised way to get into the supercar field. It’s a bit like going into a Walmart, trying a bunch of things on, and then realizing you should have went to a specialized store for a discerning, better fit elsewhere.
What year was this particular C4?
Ruth looked like a winner to me.
I think she is a 94 and she is the best bang for the buck.
There is no such thing as a good deal. Only a fair deal!
That Ranchero in the background caught my eye…….but Ruth is attractive, of course.
+1 – I thought that the Falcon Ranchero was an Aussie Only thing*. Cool.
* Sorry – grew up in the Torino Ranchero years.
No, that’s a US ’60 or ’61. Until ’66 it was on the Falcon platform. An Aussie ute would have the shorter doors from a four door sedan, not these longer ones from the two door.
Does it count as the CC Effect that I saw my first C8 in person this morning?
I don’t understand all the haters. It is a pretty cool looking car!
Well, cool looking from behind anyway, although I found the taillights a little high and spaced kinda wide. The car was Grabber Blue (in Ford color parlance, anyway), just ahead of me in traffic. The light blue looked great with the black accents.
Loved this series David. As a current Owner of a 2004 C5 and prior owner of a 1996 C4 I can agree with your feelings on your test drives. Hopefully in a year or so onward and up to a C6.
You have to be a Corvette person, and you are clearly not. At least now you know for sure, and I thought it was fun reading about all the Vettes from your p.o.v, thanks for that!
I think the premise that the Corvette would be a daily driver, doomed the quest from the beginning. I actually had a Corvette as my one and only vehicle for three years (bought new in 1979 when I graduated college), until its space and passenger limitations became impossible to ignore. Granted it was a malaise ‘Vette but given what else was out there at the time, the performance (or lack thereof) was not the problem. In fact, I think you have to be young in order for a Corvette to make any sense as a daily driver; the fact that I have not seen a Corvette driver under fifty in God knows how long, tells me that not very many are being used for that purpose.
Speaking for myself, the Corvette should be perfect for me, I don’t plan on having kids, I like fast cars, I love V8s, I hate bodies that rust, when I spend a lot of money I prefer it be on American made products, and my love of history predisposes me to desiring products with a history, of which the Corvette has in spades. But my practical problem is the same one most sports cars have, and even many of the higher end muscle cars now have, and its super wide low profile tires and abysmal ground clearance from the square jawed aero bodywork. I’m willing to make a lot of sacrifices in practicality for something I want, but not to the point that those sacrifices make the car way more vulnerable to pricey damage. C3s were at least reasonable in these two aspects by comparison.
What would have helped my situation a bit was a rear window which opened like a hatchback, which I’ve always felt was a missed opportunity when they redesigned it for 1978. The day I tried to muscle an air conditioner through the passenger side and into the luggage compartment (which actually had some decent space back there) during the hot Summer of 1980, was when I really started to question the wisdom of my choice.
Great point, I only realistically entertain the idea of a Corvette as a daily driver is because of the large rear hatch, a typical C3 is real problematic in that regard. And typical GM, they got it right in the last year they were made as part of a collectors edition package!
Hahaha, I would have loved to have seen you try to fit the air conditioner in there. That is seriously awesome.
David – Thank you for writing this. It turned out to be a waste of my time (and that of the car owners). The series was not serious.
Based on your admitted needs, you need to get a Mercedes 300CE or a Mercedes 500SL. I won’t bother with your next feature about the search for a Studebaker Starlight Commander or whatever.
Chill out, man. It was a great series.
Sometimes you just have to take the bull by the horns. If you’ve never driven one, how are you going to know? Most of the test drives were done at dealer’s lots where they get a lot of lookers and dreamers. That’s just part of doing business, you never know if the next prospect might be the one. Every car guy says that he wants a Vette, I do too. My Wife doesn’t believe me and I don’t blame her. Whenever there was an opportunity I chose something else. Even now with old C4’s cheaper than ever. I drove a ’77 Datsun 280Z and a ’92 300ZX, which except for power, I considered to be superior to the same year Vettes. Am I done with thinking about Corvettes? Maybe, maybe not. I just gotta clear out some excess inventory first.
I disagree. I don’t think the a serious buyer is in the market for a junked C4 and/or C5 or, in the alternative, a 60K C7 Z06. This was not a serious exercise, which is fine. But the author indicated he was looking to buy. In reality, he was looking just to look.
I feel ripped off! Got to the end and you chickened out! C’mon man!