i'm hoping to have my first vette by 2007 and i need help deciding on a year...i have heard that the crossfire engine has it's limits...what year did the tpi 350 become widely used? and the Lt1? I'm settling on a c4 due to lack of money and so I want a decently priced car that can become a screamer with the original engine....most the aftermarket parts I've seen are for 1990-1995 vettes what's the price difference between say an 84 and a 91 or 92? thank you for ur advice...

 

Have fun shopping and be picky! The L98 TPI was offered from 85-91, it got aluminum heads in 87. HP ranges from 230 in 85, 235 in 87, 245 in coupes in 88 and maybe 250 in 90 or 91. The L98 is a torque monster. The 300 hp LT-1 was introduced in 92. The 6spd man was introduced in 90 I think. There are many good cars to choose from, I'd advise having a car inspected before buying and if it doesn't feel right, pass on it. I purchased an 84 even though it's a crossfire car. They aren't bad, they're wrongly maligned, but they DO NOT have the go of a TPI car. That said-87 88 and 89 models sometimes have mid 2 series gearing-not the fast ticket,pay attention to the RPO codes if you can. Some other members on this site are really knowledgable so don't hesitate to ask for help. I've found the Vette community to be much like the sportbike community and is very friendly and helpful. Good luck and enjoy the journey!

 

You will do better overall to find a later model LT1 with an M6 trans and 3.42 gears. You can certainly mod the earlier cars but the LT1 is newer and a bit better in regard to accepting mods and being modern.

The '96 had the LT4 (335 HP): essentially a ligthly modded LT1 for an extra few HP. I would not pay extra for that if you plan to mod the engine anyway: you can spend your money boosting the LT1 to more.

 

the only problem with getting an LT1 car is that I'm looking at maybe a 8grand price tag if I'm lucky....I'm kinda on a budget here....but thank you for the advice its is appreciated...oh and xrcrx i used to be on the cbr forums too and i hope ur right because they helped me alot also...

 

I payed 7 for my 84 and it's a really nice car for daily driving and a good platform to personalize to my tastes. The LT-1's are nice but if you find one in your price range find out if the optispark has already been replaced. If it's over 80k and hasn't you'll be doing it soon. It's a pricy repair. The L-98 TPI cars are great daily drivers and actually have more low end than a LT-1 but the LT's will drive by on the top every time. Seat of the pants the TPI will feel a bit stronger but run out of breath on top. Either way they're both great platforms. I'm on the RR.net forum-more of a lurker. only post occasionally, I use TLPlanet.com more often. My Repsol is a street/trackday bike, the TLR is my racebike. Good luck and if I can be of help feel free to ask

 

if it is power you are worried about, the later model c4's came with more power as previously stated and in my research, i have found so many more parts for late model c4's rather than the early ones. a big thing with my choice in years was also the body styling. the rear end and the front bumper on the early models arent too attractive in my opinion, i like the smoother look. i bought a 94 for 9k and it had some problems but its nothin i cant handle. 92 was the first year the c4 came with 300hp and with a lot of other cars, for one example are 94 and 95 mustangs, the engines are tested and tested before production but theres nothing really like good old fashioned wear and tear on a vehicle to find out what needs to be changed and i think that in two years of producing the 300hp LT-1, corvette worked out all the kinks and perfected the engine, hence moving on to the LT-4 2 years later. for the price tag you are looking at though, the late 80's model c4's are probably ideal and just as easy to work on but the parts may be a little pricier and harder to come by.

 

Now styling is subjective. Kinda funny, I prefer the round taillights and edgier look of the early C4's. L98's most problematic area are intake leaks, LT1's have optispark concerns. Both cars are easily modded. That said, there are enough cars to be picky, if ya look long enough an attractively priced LT1 in good shape might be found. I'd say an 88-90 model L98 car would probably be the easiest to locate for a good price.

 

I agree with the replies, but I think someone should mention that the 6 speed ZF transmission is amazing came out in 89 or later models. just test drive everything because if you find one that doesnt shift right they are major expensive to repair.

I personally would avoid the cross fire models unless you plan on doing some major expensive upgrades to gain peformance. there are a ton of options for the l98's and Lt1's

also the newer the car, the better the suspension, and so on. there where many upgrades that came in the later eighty's to fix the early problems of the C4's like the headlight gears wearing out... seems to me after 87-88 is when these cars have most of their little kinks ironed out.

 

like the others said, BE VERY PICKY, you do not want to buy a car that someone beat the crap out of and have to fix all the time.

 

Hello my friend.The L-98 became the standard engine for the '85 model year.It got upgraded with aluminum heads in '86,along with a slight bump in power.the LT-1 replaced it in '92.The six-speed replaced the 4+3 in '89,the Vette being one of the very first production cars to offer one.Which one to get?I say,get the best you can for your money,as long as it has been properly maintained.When you get it,and I'm sure you will,you'll know what its like to drive one every day and enjoy it like we all do.If you get it in your favorite color,well,that's just gravy,isn't it?Good Luck and let us know what you get,ok?