Contemplating a ZR1 Purchase

[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) 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.