Contemplating a ZR1 Purchase

[564crewdog]

Hello all, I’m considering a ZR1 purchase and would like to gain some insight from you, the experienced experts!
I currently have a 1975 Porsche 911S that I’m looking at selling to fund a ZR1, here’s my thoughts on why in no particular order…
1. A car with A/C!
2. The power comparison…NO comparison
3. Airbags and ABS would be a welcomed safety feature
4. I love the sleeper aspect the ZR1, and the body style
5. I do most of my own maintenance and repairs, access to the engine with the hood design looks fantastic
6. Parts on the Porsche are very expensive and I have to adjust the valves every 12,000 miles
7. Adjustable suspension, sign me up!
8. Removable roof
9. American marque
Here’s some specific questions I have on making the jump:
1. I’m 6’2” 195lbs and have never driven a Vette, will I fit?
2. I want it as a daily driver, the Porsche has never let me down in 10 years, is this car daily driver material?
3. I’ve read about the critical parts that are no longer available thread (e.g. ECM & DIS module), if I experience a failure do I have a garage filled static display?
4. Should I just spring for an 07/08?
5. Your 2 cents?
Thanks!
Rich

[Vetman]

I drive my 1990 two to three times per week, occasionally on 500 mile trips. Never lets me down, love the loooong power band and extremely smooth engine and trans. very comfortable but terrible to get in and out of..... I hate that part... that is why I don't use it to run errands. I am 6 foot, 215 pounds with a skinny butt.... that helps. I have owned several corvettes and love this one, partly because the way it drives and a lot because of it's history which I have studied since 1988.....

[Kevin]

the seats in the 93+ cars are better for bigger gents but I'm 5'8 and 190 with most of that around the middle on a good day and short legs and I love the 90 seats. Wouldn't change them for anything other then the Challenge seats that Brett is remaking. Would I trust a ZR-1 as a daily driver? no, but then again I wouldn't trust any 20 year old car as a daily driver. Parts are available, it all depends on how deep you're willing to dig into your bank account to get them. I'd drive both the zr-1 and the c6 and make up your own mind, the c6 is nearly as fast if not as fast as the zr-1, rides better, will probably cost less to operate and is newer. I'm actually considering selling my zr-1 to get into an older 911. additionally i'm not sure a 20+ year old airbag is actually that safe anymore.

[mike100]

Points 7 & 8 do add to the cost and complexity. The removable targa was always a compromise in the original frame design and the adjustable suspension, while still rebuildable, is quite expensive if yours in in a state of disrepair. Usually the system is not all bad all at once and worth fixing, but if everything is shot, it might be desirable to convert to non-adjustable shocks.

Getting a C6 is probably going to cost you less money in the long run since the depreciation might be less than repairs+depreciation on the older car. That said, I have an '08 LS3 car with an inch of dust on it and drive my 91 ZR-1 much more frequently. The chassis is way way better on the newer car- just to be clear about that, but it lacks personality somewhat.

[We Gone]

Had a 90 I drove as a DD for many years most of the miles were from Atl to Tampa every other week for 2 years never let me down. I sold it and got a new 04 in 04 have put 160k miles on it with no issues been a great DD and don't worry about it much sitting in parking lots, after all its just a Corvette and easily replaced..

[Dynomite]

Hello all, I’m considering a ZR1 purchase and would like to gain some insight from you, the experienced experts!
5. I do most of my own maintenance and repairs, access to the engine with the hood design looks fantastic The Top End is relatively easy to work on (Plenum, TB, Injector Housings).....Cam Covers can be pulled engine in car but more difficult removing original Torx 40s.
1. I’m 6’2” 195lbs and have never driven a Vette, will I fit? A bit tight getting into and out of....I think your head room would be fine as long as you a
are not wearing a western hat ;)
3. I’ve read about the critical parts that are no longer available thread (e.g. ECM & DIS module), if I experience a failure do I have a garage filled static display? ECMs and DIS are very rare failures and lots of parts including every nut, bolt, and gasket is available from Jerry (A26B) and Limey :thumbsup:
Thanks!
Rich

The Big fact on owning a ZR1 is that they are sooooo much fun working on and if you like working on and modifying engines....
the LT5 is for you :thumbsup:

[Jim Nolan]

The 90-92 seats form to you and leave you with the impression that you are part of the car. The reason the seating changed was because of the complaints of the middle age individuals with a wider rear end (sorry guys). That was because GM listened to the complaints of Corvette owners who were buying their lifetime dream, a Corvette and were willing to make changes for the older generation.

When I drive I like to feel as though I am part of the car. True I have to remove my wallet when I drive but I feel every sense of the car when I get on it. Sorry for my rambling it's all a personal thing.


Bring it on!

Jim

[lisounds]

I had many corvettes over the years

currently i have a c3 c4 c5

a few months ago i sold my 610 horsepower 94 corvette convertible.
a car that i built to my specs over the years and ended up with a 10 second beast. now i'm missing that car, but anyway


with a empty spot in the garage that i had to fill i went with a 95 zr1
a car that was on my bucket list

this car is factory original and abosolutly perfect

I chose a zr1 because:

has decent power
plenty of history
kind of rare
selling at the lowest price right now



the c4 to me make me feel like i'm in a cockpit of a plane
you feel your one with the road

my 78 pace is primitive but i love to look at

& my 04 z06 is what i use for ther longer drives

find a lower mile car that was maintained
and have fun

:cheers:

[Don in VT]

Hi,

I really agree with Jim N. regarding the seats in the 90/91. Very form fitting and super comfortable on long trips. We bought ours to drive from Fairfax, VT to Buffalo, NY and we made 12 trips over the 3 years we have had the car. The seats make the difference for us because we can get in the ZR in VT drive to NY and it feels like we just drove it around the block. Not everyone has the same feeling about the seats but we love them. The power train is bullet proof. We did not experience any breakdowns on all of the NY trips or our close in trips as well.

The ZR is a terrific road car even better then my 88 Porsche 928.

Good luck with your purchase

Cheers,

Don in VT

[cvette98pacecar]

Joe Thomas is 6'4 to 6'6 and weighs a bit more than you so I am guessing you will fit easily enough.
As for the parts that are no longer available. Necessity is the mother of all invention. What is not available today will be available tomorrow.
If I had to give you advice buy a modded car you cant go wrong for the price.

[Meanmyz]

I have seen a few people post about seats...

The seats on the '90 - '93 cars are the same, with the exception of the 1990 having controls on both bolsters. In 1991, they removed the controls on the entry side of the seat.

The '94 & '95 have the same design seats (except for minute details) to better accommodate a (read wwiiddeerr:bootyshak) selection of butts.

I will agree, other than the later seats looking kind of cool, the first generation of seats were very form fitting. Better than any Corvette built since, in my opinion.

[edram454]

Having had several c3, several c4's and a 525 rwhp c5 I can tell you the differences. c5 and c6 will give you comfort and the piece of mind that parts are plentiful and not outrageous money wise. You cant go wrong with either of those cars. I would want a c5 instead of a c6 just because it looks better and you can get a better deal. You are talking daily driver so I would choose one of those because you can daily thrash them.

The zr1 is just a fun car to drive. I recently purchased a semi-modded 1990 z and it just howls when it spins up the rpm range. It does have good power, more than enough to kill you but it is an iconic marque. It has a very wide butt which is its trade mark but I dont think I would trust any 20+ year old car for every day thrashing. zr1's I would think would be for enjoyable drives on the highway. going through the gears and hearing and feeling that quad cam motor sing. I am selling my c5 and keeping my zr1. my c5 has way more power but you can see them anywhere. c5 and c6 great cars for daily driving. zr1's are modern classics that can still run with the big boys especially on the highway. Just my two cents.

edramos #3028

[kcl98]

Good luck to you. These cars are Awesome, capital "A" emphasized! With that said, they aren't the easiest to get in and out of. Back in the day, daily driver for a stocker would not be an issue as long as you are in a warm climate as they won't handle snow or ice a lick. They held the 24hr endurance mark for a reason, reliability, however, 20-25 years can do many things to an individual car's reliability. You'll have to judge the condition of the individual car you are looking at. If you can do your own mechanical work, that is a huge plus for keeping any maintenance costs in line. My personal opinion is there is nothing on the road that can offer as much performance as one of these cars if you are willing to modify it. I have a friend with a modified '91 350, ported heads, top end, cams, exhaust, etc, who can and does outrun brand new C6 ZR1s and C6 ZO6s. Not every modified Z can do that, but if you do it right, the potential is there. My biggest concern for you might be competing interests. If you want a daily driver, you might want a car at an affordable price that has already taken most of its depreciation, a higher mileage 90 or 91 perhaps, so your miles won't impact its value much. The problem is that such a car with the wear and tear may not be in the condition you need to be reliable. A lower mileage car may well be, but you will pay for it if you go to re-sell it after piling up some miles. Your call - best wishes. -Kevin 1990 #2870, 710hp 441 cid LT5

[Racinfan83]

I would think that though parts may be a bit hard to find depending on what you are looking for - that the ZR-1 would be easier to find stuff for then a '75 Porsche...
As to the seats - I am 6'1" 230 and have a 90 with the tight Sport seats. Hate em. But I have a set of 95 Sport seats in the garage right now, and the wiring harness and lumbar pump for them are in transit - So the seat problem is fixable... :)

[564crewdog]

Thank you all for the great info!

[LancePearson]

I'm 6'4" tall with a 33" leg inseam so about balanced. I love my 91 Z but I always drive it only on nice days with the targas out as my head hits the targas when in and I end up slightly tilted to drive it and am cramped. Not so with the Targas out. It's a sunny day car with a targa in the back for a rain experience. I drove it home from Atlanta to Richmond with targa in it and on it but it really isn't that comfortable for 6'4" with roof on.

Having said that, with targas out and sunny days, the darned thing flies and just never quits pulling. Here it is hard to find a place to let it out but I have this one 55 mph country straight road of 2.3 miles where I do let it out. I usually quit from a left turn onto it at the shift point into fifth at around 145 mph and by then the trees are really rolling by...no driveways, cross roads, little traffic and no gendarmes. At that speed it's going more than two thirds of a football field every second....very difficult not to like the Z. Way more fun than my stunning looking red 1976.