Hi all :) down under newbie here
 

Lol well as the title suggest Im your newest member, Currently in the market looking for a C4 Vette, preferably 85+ and definatly manual.
I have been browsing this site for a little while now and have decided to finally pipe up and say hello, this is certainly one of the best corvette forums I have encountered and the wealth of information combined with how friendly you all seem is second to none :)

Well im 24, so far ive had the pleasure of owning; a 89 300zx TT, a 95 Mk4 Supra TT 6spd, a 1978 c3 Corvette, and an R32Nissan skyline GTR, so I have been a Corvette owner before and loved every minute of it :)

Corvette ownership here is a little different to over there :P apart from it having to be RHD converted if its newer than 30 years old, they are quite an expensive car, VERY expensive :P so hence apart from the one I owned, Ive seen 4 others out and about in my lifetime :P If you consider that a C5 corvette in very average condition costs about $100,000 which is about $90-95,000 of your USD.. ouch :(

So i'll be hovering around here getting as much info and knowledge as I can :) Which makes me your ever humble student...

RE: Hi all :) down under newbie here
 

Welcome aboard. And yes, I'm aware of how much it costs you fellows to own one over there. I've spoken with a few of your countrymen on various boards and needless to say and by necessity, they're as dedicated of Corvette fanatics as you'll find. Are you near any areas large enough to have clubs or anything? Obviously this would aid in your search for that right car for you. Good luck and stick around.

RE: Hi all :) down under newbie here
 

Thank-you :)

Yes there are certainly a good number of corvette nuts around here, and rightly so, the car almost carries the same status as a Ferrari since it is a super expensive import :P personally Im a big fan of "old school" Americana...

Yes there is a club quite close to me, I was a member when I owned the C3, Corvettes Queensland, great bunch of people, like I find all corvette owners to be :) There are plenty of sources for these cars, although there are limitednumbers so the pickings can be rather slim, I have read here that you guys hold out until you find the car you want, but here its just a matter of getting what you can, when you can.. :P especially as many of the cars available are still LHD and need a conversion, since thats $15,000 it makes things harder. :( man im jealous of you guys :P

RE: Hi all :) down under newbie here
 

$15K, ouch! I knew those conversions were high. C4s are getting so damn cheap over here now, it's ridiculous. I'd hate to be trying to sell one right now. Maybe we should put together an export business from here to there! Early ones like what you're looking for are going for $4-5K all day long and often even less. Many LT1 cars are down in the $6K range now. I figure with the money I've put into mods and the used purchase price I paid a few years ago, I've now got 3 to 4 times in my car what it's worth! [sm=boohoo.gif]Hell, at current book, it's worth about what I've got in the shortblock and heads!
It's all good though, since she ain't for sale.

RE: Hi all :) down under newbie here
 

Whoa.. here you can forget about an LT1 for any less than $35,000 (about $30,000 USD) and Ive budgeted about $25k for what I want but its nearly impossible to pick up a manual C4, so I'll see how I go :P problem is if there are no manuals for sale its not a matter of waiting a couple of days until one is available, it can be a matter of months or years :P

If you want wow factor, a 2nd hand C6 is about $215,000 (about $186,000 USD) You guys dont know how lucky you are.. What does Australia have?.. the Holden commodore :(

RE: Hi all :) down under newbie here
 

Let's see then, figuring a few thousand to ship mine over there, sell it for $30K USD..... yep, I could about break even on it then![sm=lol.gif]

RE: Hi all :) down under newbie here
 

[sm=welcomesign.gif][sm=welcomesign.gif][sm=welcomesign.gif]

RE: Hi all :) down under newbie here
 

Welcome from California!! You guys might be on to something. C4s for Australia!! Hope you find a car soon. They are the BEST!

[IMG]local://upfiles/3556/83F9252D91C043979B3CD5D7E906D851.jpg[/IMG]

RE: Hi all :) down under newbie here
 

I have an '87 auto I might be persuaded to part with, most everything has it's price. LOL. good luck in your search. Cheers

oh yeah....welcome to the site. gooday mate!

RE: Hi all :) down under newbie here
 

Hehe thanks guys :D

Notorious - You would get that easily for your car :) ooh If its a ZR1 ive only seen one for sale and it was about $70,000 (condition wasnt great)

LT4Dave- Thanks man :)That would be great too... please feel free to flood our market, it would be nice to have some quailty to choose from!
blueshark - An 87 would be awesome.. you would make a killing on that here..Ill be lucky if I can find something that "new" here for the right price [8D]

RE: Hi all :) down under newbie here
 

http://www.carsales.com.au/used-cars...3&trecs=66

Here you go.. something like this..

RE: Hi all :) down under newbie here
 

$25000 + you pay the shipping might consider getting rid of mine I would just have to start over and mine is so near new its sad!in the last 1000 miles new motor new 6 speed richmond tranny, new carpet headlight gears power antenna radiator all new a/c parts $4800 paint job new tint new tires, damn the list goes on but cant think of it all! LOL

RE: Hi all :) down under newbie here
 

Damn.. that would be an awesome offer, but I will be able to get one here for $25k with the RHD already done, butbelieve me it will be in quite terrible condition, thats the equavilent of something you guys would pay about $6k for.

Yours at $25k would be $30k AUD shipping is $3.1k Compliance is $5k RHD conversion is $15k.. hehe $53k is WELL outside my little budget :( Believe me, if I had more money I would most definatly be sourcing something from the states. :) as It is ill be looking at getting any year as long as its not an 84, and it will be Auto, since manuals are nearly impossible to get here.. Lucky though the V8 is basically the Aussie culture, so engines/parts are cheap as chips, a 350/350hp Crate motor goes for about $1500 of your USD new,butI want an L98.. a manual conversion will be a must.. Dont suppose you can point me in the direction to get info on this swap?

Because of RHD conversions, there is no such thing as an "original" c4 in this country :P

RE: Hi all :) down under newbie here
 

I always thought that would be a nice place to live...[sm=oopssign.gif]

Maybe just visit now[sm=icon_cheers.gif]

RE: Hi all :) down under newbie here
 

Hehe well it is a Nice place to live, I think you would be very happy with the "who gives a Sh1t" aussie way of living :)
And you could always bring your vette or a couple over and Make so much you could retire;)plus any money you bring over gets increased thanks to the exchange rate. Or just bring it over for a little bit and upgrade it while your here, Our chev and V8 parts are so cheap we usesmall block 350's for door stops and paper weights. [8D]A brand new LS1 engine is about $2500 USD.. (shall I set the dinner table for you?)

RE: Hi all :) down under newbie here
 

Carefull, I may take you up on that offer[sm=icon_cheers.gif]