Well, I think It's Now Time to Find My ZR-1

[RichieDMD]

About 18 months ago, I first came here as I had gotten interested in C4 ZR-1s and I wanted to learn about them. I didn't want to just dive in...I wanted to understand the car and save some money before committing to it.

I'm now ready to commit and find my car.

Here is what I am looking for. I would be interested to know what you guys think as far as difficulty to find and what I can expect in the current market. I don't think I'm looking for anything too crazy...but please let me know if I need to dial back my wants.

I would like to find a 1994 or 1995 (but 1995 is preferred-double ideal is a double Dunn car but I'm not holding my breath on that).

Red is ideal, but black or yellow would also be considered if the right car came along...but I really want red.

I'm not super picky about interior colors. As I understand it, red cars could have black, red, or tan interiors and all look good in my opinion.

I'm looking for a pretty stock/original car. A couple little updates is OK but I need it to have catalytic converters and be able to pass emissions. 100% stock is preferred.

I would really prefer a car which comes with 2 tops.

I would prefer an original (or reproduction) ZR-1 windshield with minimal delamination but wouldn't pass up on the right car with a standard C4 windshield.

I want a driver. I'd rather not buy a car with more than 50,000 miles on it...but I'm not looking for a 1000 mile survivor. A well maintained driver is the goal.

[bb62]

Based on what I am seeing, low mileage (below 1000 miles) are creeping up to the $65K to $75K range. That green 1990 selling for $73K on BaT recently is one example - and the later 405HP cars should be more valuable given the rarity.

Over 50K miles should be possible in the $30-35K range. I would estimate that what you are looking for (assuming a car in excellent condition) could range from high 30s to mid 50s.

There were 120 red ZR-1s in 1994 and 140 red ZR-1s in 1995. In 1995 there are reputed to be approximately 130 dual Dunn Head cars (although all 95s have one Dunn head). Based on these estimates, there may be 40 to 45 red 1995 Dual Dunn Head Cars. 1 red/red 1995 Dual Dunn Head ZR-1 is in the Corvette Museum (with awful delamination). I have another. They are out there so be patient.

[RichieDMD]

Originally Posted by bb62

Based on what I am seeing, low mileage (below 1000 miles) are creeping up to the $65K to $75K range. That green 1990 selling for $73K on BaT recently is one example - and the later 405HP cars should be more valuable given the rarity.

Over 50K miles should be possible in the $30-35K range. I would estimate that what you are looking for (assuming a car in excellent condition) could range from high 30s to mid 50s.

There were 120 red ZR-1s in 1994 and 140 red ZR-1s in 1995. In 1995 there are reputed to be approximately 130 dual Dunn Head cars (although all 95s have one Dunn head). Based on these estimates, there may be 40 to 45 red 1995 Dual Dunn Head Cars. 1 red/red 1995 Dual Dunn Head ZR-1 is in the Corvette Museum (with awful delamination). I have another. They are out there so be patient.

I just watched a 21,000 mile red/red 1994 sell on BaT last week for around $36K. I would think a higher mileage car would be less than that. I almost bid on that car but I could not get my wife to give me the thumbs up on short notice.

I'm also not going to hold out for a dual Dunn car. If I find one, that's great. If not, that's OK too.

[TX '90 ZR1]

Originally Posted by RichieDMD

I just watched a 21,000 mile red/red 1994 sell on BaT last week for around $36K. I would think a higher mileage car would be less than that. I almost bid on that car but I could not get my wife to give me the thumbs up on short notice.

I'm also not going to hold out for a dual Dunn car. If I find one, that's great. If not, that's OK too.

I watched that car also. Honestly, I think the seller got the short end of the stick that day. Auctions depend on two people competing for the same item. There may not be two on every occasion.
Good luck in your search and be sure to post up here with any questions about any you are looking at. I would suggest you try to buy a car from a member if possible. The properly vetted car is definitely worth the difference!

[95 LT5]

Originally Posted by RichieDMD

About 18 months ago, I first came here as I had gotten interested in C4 ZR-1s and I wanted to learn about them. I didn't want to just dive in...I wanted to understand the car and save some money before committing to it.

I'm now ready to commit and find my car.

Here is what I am looking for. I would be interested to know what you guys think as far as difficulty to find and what I can expect in the current market. I don't think I'm looking for anything too crazy...but please let me know if I need to dial back my wants.

I would like to find a 1994 or 1995 (but 1995 is preferred-double ideal is a double Dunn car but I'm not holding my breath on that).

Red is ideal, but black or yellow would also be considered if the right car came along...but I really want red.

I'm not super picky about interior colors. As I understand it, red cars could have black, red, or tan interiors and all look good in my opinion.

I'm looking for a pretty stock/original car. A couple little updates is OK but I need it to have catalytic converters and be able to pass emissions. 100% stock is preferred.

I would really prefer a car which comes with 2 tops.

I would prefer an original (or reproduction) ZR-1 windshield with minimal delamination but wouldn't pass up on the right car with a standard C4 windshield.

I want a driver. I'd rather not buy a car with more than 50,000 miles on it...but I'm not looking for a 1000 mile survivor. A well maintained driver is the goal.

RED with Gray interior is possible as well.
10 in 1995.

[WARP TEN]

RichieDMD, I think your approach to seeking a ZR-1 is right on. What you need, though, is a considerable amount of patience. Absent some remarkably good luck, plan to spend the better part of a year searching for the car that fits you best. My ZR-1 searches definitely predated BAT and other online auction type forums, but the plan was the same: I wanted to get the latest used ZR-1 I could afford. In 1994, that was a 1993 and in 2012 it was a 1995. I am definitely a fan of the last three years of production for several reasons. Rarity is one, the engineering improvements made in the later years of the model run are another, and the slight increase power (any porting or other power increasing modifications negate that advantage of course). Dunn heads don't make a bit of difference to the car's performance; GM simply replaced one foundry with another making the same heads. But most of the '95s had one or two Dunn heads if that is important to you. My #409 had two and I think that two were on cars back to about #150 or so, but others can comment on that.

If a ZR-1 has been well maintained, preferably by one of the well known C4 ZR-1 experts like Marc Haibeck, Pete, Steve Schroder, Aaron Scott, Corey Henderson, and several others including the Wazoo group, that would be much more important to me that mileage. If you can find a car you like from a Registry member that would be a plus in my mind. I sold my '93 in 2007 with 74,000 miles and it today has more than 120,000. C4 ZR-1s are quite durable and trouble free. Many are over 100,000 miles. The LT5 is essentially bulletproof and the rest of the car is for the most part an ordinary C4. There are a number of common maladies in all C4s ZR-1s, and there is a large owner's group here and on other forums with an extensive knowledge base and experience to help out on fixing almost anything.

On my 1993, I spent about 8 months looking for a Dark Red metallic car but by happenstance found a 6,000 mile Quasar Blue one and got that. Kept it for 13 years and put almost 70k miles on it. On the '95, my search took about 9 months in 2011-2012 until I finally found a relatively low mileage (20,000) stock car in a color I wanted. I paid a little more than I wanted to for it but got what I was after. In both instances upon acquisition I immediately sent them to Marc Haibeck for him to go through thoroughly and make them perfect drivers. He changed all the fluids, fixed things that needed it and even found a few needs that I wouldn't have even thought to ask about. Money well spent. I also added a few modifications like 4.10 rears, Hurst short shifters and Corsa exhausts. But no need to do that. So my overall advice is to clearly decide what you want in terms of colors, stock vs. modified, mileage and keep looking. By the way, modifications done by the well known experts like Marc are nothing to worry about and can increase enjoyment. I eventually did Marc's 510 HP package on the '95 but kept the look stock. A very enjoyable eimprovement. Good luck with your search. --Bob

[RichieDMD]

Originally Posted by WARP TEN

RichieDMD, I think your approach to seeking a ZR-1 is right on. What you need, though, is a considerable amount of patience. Absent some remarkably good luck, plan to spend the better part of a year searching for the car that fits you best. My ZR-1 searches definitely predated BAT and other online auction type forums, but the plan was the same: I wanted to get the latest used ZR-1 I could afford. In 1994, that was a 1993 and in 2012 it was a 1995. I am definitely a fan of the last three years of production for several reasons. Rarity is one, the engineering improvements made in the later years of the model run are another, and the slight increase power (any porting or other power increasing modifications negate that advantage of course). Dunn heads don't make a bit of difference to the car's performance; GM simply replaced one foundry with another making the same heads. But most of the '95s had one or two Dunn heads if that is important to you. My #409 had two and I think that two were on cars back to about #150 or so, but others can comment on that.

If a ZR-1 has been well maintained, preferably by one of the well known C4 ZR-1 experts like Marc Haibeck, Pete, Steve Schroder, Aaron Scott, Corey Henderson, and several others including the Wazoo group, that would be much more important to me that mileage. If you can find a car you like from a Registry member that would be a plus in my mind. I sold my '93 in 2007 with 74,000 miles and it today has more than 120,000. C4 ZR-1s are quite durable and trouble free. Many are over 100,000 miles. The LT5 is essentially bulletproof and the rest of the car is for the most part an ordinary C4. There are a number of common maladies in all C4s ZR-1s, and there is a large owner's group here and on other forums with an extensive knowledge base and experience to help out on fixing almost anything.

On my 1993, I spent about 8 months looking for a Dark Red metallic car but by happenstance found a 6,000 mile Quasar Blue one and got that. Kept it for 13 years and put almost 70k miles on it. On the '95, my search took about 9 months in 2011-2012 until I finally found a relatively low mileage (20,000) stock car in a color I wanted. I paid a little more than I wanted to for it but got what I was after. In both instances upon acquisition I immediately sent them to Marc Haibeck for him to go through thoroughly and make them perfect drivers. He changed all the fluids, fixed things that needed it and even found a few needs that I wouldn't have even thought to ask about. Money well spent. I also added a few modifications like 4.10 rears, Hurst short shifters and Corsa exhausts. But no need to do that. So my overall advice is to clearly decide what you want in terms of colors, stock vs. modified, mileage and keep looking. By the way, modifications done by the well known experts like Marc are nothing to worry about and can increase enjoyment. I eventually did Marc's 510 HP package on the '95 but kept the look stock. A very enjoyable eimprovement. Good luck with your search. --Bob

Hi Bob. I really appreciate all of the advice. What I really want is a moderate mileage, well maintained, original (or mostly so), 94 or 95 red ZR-1. I have a whole list of things I would like (like double Dunn heads) because I think it makes it more desirable...but they really aren't necessary and aren't deal breakers.

I think you are right, just take time and keep my eyes open and one will come along. I'm kicking myself for not jumping on that 94 that sold on Friday on BaT...but I hadn't really been vocal about my desire to actually buy one of these with my wife and when I mentioned it I don't think she believed I was actually serious (and I'm not going to spend upwards of $40K of our savings on a car without her consent). Oh well, another will come along.

What I need to do is not buy the first car that comes along. In the past I have gotten excited and jumped on a bad deal (once or twice). I can't do that here.

As far as more performance, I'm pretty confident I will be happy with stock. I don't need a car that's going to be insane to drive. My former daily driver is a special edition 2002 LS-1 Camaro which I love and am turning it into my hot rod. My daily driver is a 2017 M3 so plenty of power there as well. I don't need absolute power here. I just love the story behind the C4 ZR-1 and think it is an awesome piece of American auto history and I want to have one for myself to enjoy.

I've also never owned a Corvette (I'm a huge Camaro guy...in fact on most message boards my handle is CamaroDMD but I didn't think that would work here). I think a C4 ZR-1 is the ideal first Corvette.

[Norwegianmopar]

I agree on the ZR-1 being an ideal first Corvette (but a regular C4 will be outta the question after owning a Z) as we did the exact same thing.

We bought a white on red 91 ZR-1 that was stock besides 4,10 gears, but sold it after a year to buy our dream ZR-1 - an Admiral Blue 94.

We (well mostly me I guess) wanted a modded car and found one with Watson headers and Corsa exhaust, lightweight flywheel, 4,10 gears and Haibeck chip. We sendt it by Marc Haibeck who gave it a full tune up and service before it was shipped over to Norway where we live. Highly recommended!

We got quite a bit of $$$ invested in it, but getting the right car was important to us.

Best of luck in your search. 20210701_182157.jpg

Sent from my SM-G955F using ZR-1 Net Registry mobile app

[WARP TEN]

Originally Posted by RichieDMD

Hi Bob. I really appreciate all of the advice. What I really want is a moderate mileage, well maintained, original (or mostly so), 94 or 95 red ZR-1. I have a whole list of things I would like (like double Dunn heads) because I think it makes it more desirable...but they really aren't necessary and aren't deal breakers.

I think you are right, just take time and keep my eyes open and one will come along. I'm kicking myself for not jumping on that 94 that sold on Friday on BaT...but I hadn't really been vocal about my desire to actually buy one of these with my wife and when I mentioned it I don't think she believed I was actually serious (and I'm not going to spend upwards of $40K of our savings on a car without her consent). Oh well, another will come along.

What I need to do is not buy the first car that comes along. In the past I have gotten excited and jumped on a bad deal (once or twice). I can't do that here.

As far as more performance, I'm pretty confident I will be happy with stock. I don't need a car that's going to be insane to drive. My former daily driver is a special edition 2002 LS-1 Camaro which I love and am turning it into my hot rod. My daily driver is a 2017 M3 so plenty of power there as well. I don't need absolute power here. I just love the story behind the C4 ZR-1 and think it is an awesome piece of American auto history and I want to have one for myself to enjoy.

I've also never owned a Corvette (I'm a huge Camaro guy...in fact on most message boards my handle is CamaroDMD but I didn't think that would work here). I think a C4 ZR-1 is the ideal first Corvette.

What you'll find is not only is the C4 ZR-1 a very special car due to that very special LT5 engine, but it also comes with an amazing group of dedicated, enthusiastic owners and specialists who are always helpful. Great camaraderie and knowledge. When we get back to Bowling Green gatherings you must go to one. And I like your choice of a DD. I have owned M3s and now drive a 2019 540xi, swapping it with my 2016 Z06 as my two DDs (another great Corvette). But I do miss my ZR-1s!

[RichieDMD]

Originally Posted by Norwegianmopar

I agree on the ZR-1 being an ideal first Corvette (but a regular C4 will be outta the question after owning a Z) as we did the exact same thing.

I've done the downgrade thing and it doesn't work. I currently own 2 Camaro's, an LS-1 M6 car and an LT-1 A4 car. I owned the LS-1 car long before I got the LT-1 car. As much as I like looking at the LT-1 car, I never drive it because it is boring to drive. I always wanted one, but it's currently for sale as I just don't enjoy getting behind the wheel.

I honestly wouldn't buy a standard later C4 anyway...I just don't trust the LT-1 distributer. I've never had an issue with the one I have, but every time I start that car I wonder if it's gonna be the last.