Service in Portland, OR

[mpvuk]

At some point in near future will buy first ZR-1. Recommendations for a service shop, if any, in the area?

[Locobob]

I can help you out myself with quite a few things.
Good Corvette shops in the area with some ZR-1 experience:
Wongs Performance in Vancouver - Tom Wong
Modern Classics in Lake O - Steve Heino
One more I can think of but the name escapes me right now, shop owner has or had a Z

[mpvuk]

Thanks Robert. I live in LO so glad to know there is a shop in athe area. I'll let you know when I'm a proud owner. I bid on three ZR-1's at an auction a few weeks ago in Portland that Bonhams conducted to sell off a deceased individuals private collection. All three showroom condition...red 91 with 7k miles sold for $23k, yellow 93 with 15k also sold for $23k, and white 93 with 7k miles went for $27k (plus 15% buyers fee on all). My budget tops out at $20k. Likely going to have to go out of state. The for sale area of this site is excellent. I've already contacted a few sellers.

[4DSZR1]

Wow... Fair price for all three IMO

Good luck with your hunt

[mpvuk]

Slight correction, the last ZR-1 sold at auction was a 95 (not 93). Knowing what I know now, I was a fool to not keep bidding on it.

[Locobob]

Are you looking for a low mile stocker or more of a driver with fun mods?

[mpvuk]

That's the debate we are having. My preference is a driver, mild mods. No racing, street use only. Thinking mid-high teens for price. Wife prefers the original, low miles. She is considering the investment potential down the road, and willing to spend twice the money.

Either way, probably drive 2-3K a year. We are late 50's and just kicking into a semi-retirement mode. This is our "retirement" gift to each other. I've wanted a ZR-1 for a long time but thought wife would prefer the "comforts" of the C5. She drove both and opted for the ZR-1. I'm sure partially due to my interest but she likes the "story" behind the ZR-1. She is our unofficial financial planner and thinks the ZR-1 has more $$$ upside than the C5 (and who am I to argue).

I have my eye on a couple of ZR-1's on the For Sale site, depending on which way we go.

Would appreciate your, and others, thoughts on the decision process in choosing your ZR-1.

[Locobob]

You should buy two then :mrgreen:

I would look for a nice clean car without too many miles on it - either all stock or a few bolt on type mods. Headers and catbacks are easy to reverse but these parts are getting hard to find so if you plan on being all stock someday it might be best to get a car with these included.

[mpvuk]

That's the direction we are leaning, low miles/stock (or easily converted to stock). So, a couple more questions....should I be too concerned with the year? In other words, is a 93 with 20k miles worth more than a 91 with same miles? I'm assuming the stock engine mods made in 93 add value, but is that true? I'm considering the 94/95 model due to the new seat design. My girth is ok now, but not sure about a few more years down the road.

Second, what do you consider low mileage? I've been thinking around 20k. Seems there is quite a premium to get under 10k. Is 50k getting to high for a "low mileage" car? I'm guessing we put a total of 20-30k on the car.

[A1990]

I'll throw in my .02. The 93-95's would be more desirable due to the 405HP engine and the low number produced, 448 each year. 95s would be the most desirable of the group, especially if a 2 Dunn head car.

To me <10K miles is ultra low miles, 10-20K would be low miles and 50> would be less desirable. The overall condition is more important as you may have lots of minor repairs to do on a low mile car if it wasn't care for properly.

In addition to those items staining or color of the LT5 is a factor as well as the body color. The reds and blacks are going to be more available and the blues and yellows more desirable do to rarity.

If I was a buyer today, I'd be buying a 95 with less than 20K miles in yellow or blue. I wouldn't be afraid to paint or powdercoat the LT5 if needed to bring up to standards of the rest of the car.

[Kevin]

with the amount of these cars that were mothballed when they first came out, if you've got over 1000 miles on it then it's a low mile car but not ultra low. these cars aren't good investments and there are very few that are. even when you're dealing with a 1 of 1 or 1 of 6 you still may not get what you want for it. I'm thinking of the autounion that went up for auction a few years ago and the shelby daytona cobra. if you want an investment, put your money in the bank or if you want to have a full size model in the garage get a ferrari daytona. those cars seem to be exploding in cost. as it sits now, the zr-1 isn't a good car to bank on making money with, and it may never be....it is however a good car to bank on making you smile.

I have 64,000 miles on an 21 year old car, is that low mileage to you?

[Locobob]

There are no guarantees regarding future value. The ZR-1 may be the next big block mid year or it may simply stay a budget semi collectible niche car.

The 405hp cars generally sell for a substantial premium over early models, I don't think you will find a solid, low mile late model in your price range. Personally I think the whole Dunn head thing is overblown. The factory used the head castings interchangeably and its not a visible bragging point like say a tri-power set-up.

I wouldn't worry too much about mileage either, it tends to become less important as cars age. Look at the mid years, a nicely restored 67 big block is big bucks whether it has 30K or 90K on it. I think condition is way more important once a car hits real collectible status.

If you are going to stay around the 20K ballpark then I'd look for a clean, close to stock car in a color you like and not worry too much about model year and mileage. I'd probably shoot for less than 50K miles for your expressed use and purpose. That way you'll have some room to put on miles without getting into replacing a lot of worn out parts.

[mpvuk]

Thanks Dennis. Curious, how much value do you place on the 2 Dunn heads? Would you take a 48k miles 2 Dunn head or 20k w/o both Dunns, everything else being equal (price, equipment, condition, etc)?

[mike100]

Of course I'd like to have more than one so I could keep one in perfect condition with no accumulation of wear and tear and have another to drive, but what is the worst case?

You run the hell out of a $20k car for a few years and sell it for $10k less? When I'm not feeling like keeping my mileage low, I sometimes like to think that all these original owners and collectors were just keeping these cars nice for those of us too young or broke to own one new.

last comment: A dormant car can cost a lot if the previous owners didn't handle issues that came up. I put several grand into mine and I did a LOT of the work myself, only farming out the ZF6 work to the ZFDoc (Bill B). One of the previous owners thought he was John force and used up all 6 u-joints and 2nd gear. The rest of the car had sitting-around-too-long-problems, but were more expected and easily solved with more modest doses of cash.

[Kevin]

Thanks Dennis. Curious, how much value do you place on the 2 Dunn heads? Would you take a 48k miles 2 Dunn head or 20k w/o both Dunns, everything else being equal (price, equipment, condition, etc)?

if there was a performance difference then yes, but since there isn't no. condition is more important than heads.

[A1990]

Thanks Dennis. Curious, how much value do you place on the 2 Dunn heads? Would you take a 48k miles 2 Dunn head or 20k w/o both Dunns, everything else being equal (price, equipment, condition, etc)?
Everything equal 20k car. While the two Dunn head cars may end up more valuable nothing is guaranteed. Like I said earlier though, color condition of LT5 and exterior color would play a roll in my choice too. So if the 48K 2 Dunn head car is yellow and the 20k car is red...everything equal I'm buying the 48K car.

But that is me...your mileage may vary.