Thinking about buying a C4 ZR1

LT-5 engines get powerful with mileage. The 1991 375hp with 40,000 miles revved better, sounded hotter, pulled stronger than a 1994 405hp with a tranquil 10,000 miles. Commotion wasn't making the '91 seem faster, it was simply an unbridled rager. In & out of two before Goodwrench time.
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I bought my 1991 ZR-1 #508 new in March 1992 and still have it almost 21 years later. At the car's current market value it is very hard to beat for bang for the buck. I took my car out for a drive Christmas Day after it had been hibernating for many months. WOW! I had forgotten just how strong the ZR-1 is.

ZR-1s are now 18-23 years old. All of the cautions about buying an old(er) used car certainly apply to the ZR-1. Z's had class problems with windshield delamination, lousy audio system amplifiers, plenum paint, injector corrosion, and a non-start issue when it was very humid out and the engine was heat soaked from a run. I think the non-start is associated with the original starter motors, but you definitely should get educated on this either before or soon after getting a ZR-1. In 21 years, my car has non-started maybe 10 times. It bump starts very easily (I've done this solo), but the problem is still a PITA and really should be corrected if you are planning on using the car as a daily driver.

There is an excellent ZR-1 owners' group website, www.zr1netregistry.com. Lots of information and support from some very knowledgeable sources. I copied below the introduction from this website that provides information on a couple of ZR-1 issues.

ZR-1's are quite rare. I've seen maybe 10 on the road in my 20+ years of ownership. The motors are bulletproof. The car is a heck of a lot of fun and offers some really thrilling performance. The hard top comes off (with a bit of effort) for open air motoring. I used my Z on many multi-week trips from Maryland to Florida. There is OK luggage space under the rear window. Fuel mileage when cruising in the double-overdrive 6th gear is an amazing 23+ mpg. With its low production numbers, there is some chance for appreciation in value down the pike, but that's a crap shoot.

In short, I would heartily recommend buying a ZR-1. Do some shopping and get one with a solid maintenance history. If you don't like it, you should be able to turn it around without losing your shirt.


COPIED FROM ZR-1 NET WEBSITE:

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ZR-1 Common Misconceptions

Parts are unavailable!

While there are a few parts that are a little hard to find, this is really not surprising with a car this age. It's commonality with the base C4 helps and specialist LT5 parts are generally available in either new or reproduction stock. The Registry community can help you find the best sources for parts from among these dedicated suppliers.

Jerry's Gaskets

White Racing Products

ZR-1 Specialist

They're slow!

With performance numbers like:

0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds

180+ mph

The ZR-1 is far from being slow. In fact it's as close as you can probably get to a 'sleeper' 'Vette. With modifications it can easily be taken to above 500 horsepower and similar levels of torque.

They're unreliable!

All LT5 engines were subject to a 'torture test' of 200 hours, varying from running at peak torque to peak horsepower. In the 1990 record breaking runs a stock ZR-1 ran 24 hours continuous at an average speed of over 174 m.p.h. The registry maintains a special 100,000 mile list of cars that have reached this milestone with no major maintenance work and several cars have gone as high as 200,000 miles!

No one knows how to work on them!

The majority of the ZR-1 is identical to the base model C4s. The unique quality of the car lies in the LT5 engine. Many people successfully work on their own vehicles with the help and information provided by the Registry. In addition there are shops that specialize in the ZR-1, including:

KY-Jim VanDorn : Automasters of Bowling Green
TX-Corey Henderson: Henderson Performance Technology
IL-Marc Haibeck: ZR-1 Specialist
GA-Aaron Scott: South Georgia Corvette
IN-Graham Behan: Lingenfelter Performance Engineering
More...

ZR-1 Parts
Performance
Reliability
Servicing
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Get one. At least 100 time more reliable than anything of the same vintage made in Italy&#55357;&#56842;
Get a heat shield to wrap the starter, problem solved.

 

The ZR1 is a much better car than the Z06. The Z06 is a handful driven in anger. Some people like that and I understand it.

The ZR1 is one of the best cars I own. You can look at my profile to see my car comparisons. The car is fast, easy to drive in anger, reliable as a hammer and cheap to maintain. The Corvettes 2008 or newer are better cars. The steering numbness is gone so you now have road feel. The manual shifting has much better tacit feel, close to the porsche. I understand but do not know from experience the newer vette are better drivers than my 2009. I read this from this forum. I do expect the new C7 vette to be better than my C6. GM always has made the new chasis perceivably better for the driver. I find my corvette very comfortable to sit in and the ride is adjustible as you want it.

My only sownside is the looks, the design is old but I understand that will be changed for 2014. I hope they do a complete redesign kind of like the 63-67 vettes and the current offering. I vote for no family resemblance with the new design.

Regards

Lee

 

Owned a 1990 from 2000-06' and loved it. Agree with most of what has been said here. Never had a starting problem and car was reliable with some minor electrical issues involving factory stereo/amps mostly, inflation restraint sensors and a shock actuator. Also lost a fuel pump as soon as ethanol came into play. Recommend reading book "The Heart of the Beast".
Advice would be same as with any similar car, look for a well sorted and maintained car.
Replaced mine with C6Z and love it.

Bill
FL

 

I had an '84 Corvette & loved it. No major problems at all...not even the "common" issues that you read about everywhere. I drove mine a lot & sold it with about 110,000 miles on it...

 

Love my stroker ZR-1.

http://www.vetteweb.com/features/vemp_0903_1990_chevrolet_corvette_zr1/viewall.html

 

Jay- I owned three C5 Z06s (two C6 Z06s, too) and did not think the ride was bad at all. At least as good as my 92 LT-1 and way better than my 87 Z51. You probably should drive one before buying it if you are worried about ride. Both my C4s had quite a few rattles, too, which the C5s did not.

Great car and would love to have one myself, but you need to know what you are buying. Prices were unbelievably reasonable for what you get on the C4 ZR-1s.

 

Calloway "Sledgehammer" led up to the TwinTurbo ZR-1 "Super Speedster"

http://www.corvettemuseum.org/exhibits/callaway.shtml

 

I'm looking to buy a C4 as well. I've generally heard very positive "reviews" from C4 owners I know, which is why I want a C4 now and not a C5 in a year or so. I've driven both the C4 and C5, and like them both. The bottom line is whether you're talking about a base model or a ZR-1, you can't get this much car for the price anywhere else. And in my opinion, the Vette has always looked more European than other American cars.

 

I've had 3 C4s (84, 85 & 93) and I liked them all. Very good handling, easy to work on, a bargain sports car in todays prices.

 

Yes, yes it is. Callaway did a couple, and Lingenfelter built only 4 turbo cars. More recently, South Georgia Corvettes has dabbled with TT LT5's.

 

I have owned plenty of ZR-1 even rebuilt a few engines over the years.
And have torn a few apart including one of Sanjays cars that has a accident.


If you want to know anything ZR-1 let me know If I don't know I'll point you in the right direction.

Also

www.zr1netregistry.com has everything you need to know about zr-1s

I have owned many corvettes to include a 02 Z06 along with my ZR-1. Nedless to say I still have a ZR-1 and the Z06 is gone.

I also have a 68 Big block.

But there is something just fun about a ZR-1. Get one any issues you have will be fixable.

 

A couple of pics of me working on my ZR-1s I am now down to one.

I know them pretty well


I also used my ZR-1 as a daily driver for over 10 years while I was in the Marine Corps. Since leaving the service I moved back up north so no daily driving

Two biggest issues I have had with mine over the years was a couple of water pumps and my ECM craped out on my current one.

The photos below are of my 90 #354 that needed a paint job and I gave it a complete once over.

The engines tend to have a few leaks here and there but are very easy to fix. I love these cars they are very fast and cheap right now.
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My 2006 Z06 is now a hybrid

Has a C6 ZR1 block built up by Katech

 

I owned 1995 #401 (one of the last 50 cars) and it really was an excellent car.

I traded it for the Rolls-Royce about a year after I got the Testarossa because I was not driving it any more and Mai wanted a sedan. I still miss it.

One thing to note: These cars had a different windshield than a normal C4 Corvette - it had a gold plated layer to help reject heat, with a little trapezoid cut out so you could use your radar detector behind it.p

he problem with these windshields is that nearly all of them have delaminated over time - it is a rather famous ZR-1 issue and Chevrolet did nothing to make it good for the owners. (the last ZR-1 made is in the Corvette museum in Bowling Green, and sure enough it is delaminating too - with less than 50 miles on the car and stored inside all its life) If this special glass is still available, it would probably be expensive to replace. At one time the ZR-1 owners group was trying to get a run of new windscreens made, but I do not know if anything came of that.

Our sponsor RAC performance has a very nice Red/Red 1994 with only 8,000 miles right now.

 

Just to add another comment - I also owned both an LT-4 1996 C4 and also a 2004 C5 Z06 while I had the ZR-1, and the ZR-1 felt better and faster than either of these because of the 4-cam engine and the outstanding upper RPM range.

I suppose everybody here knows that Rob Lay, and administrator of this board, refused me an entry spot in the spring Ferrari & exotics show he used to hold at Boardwalk Ferrari for my beloved ZR-1 (Corvettes were just not exotic enough even with Lotus-designed engines) and this experience caused me great psychological harm.

I have never gotten over it. No Ferrarichat ZR-1 thread could be complete unless I again mentioned this shameful slight.

Farmer Dave drove it to the show for me anyway and we parked it front and center in the Boardwalk parking lot while I entered my Testarossa.