Giving them away

[tomtom72]

Okay, Lou is right.....kind of. May be we are our own worst detractors.

I know one thing for sure, though. As a relative noob, owner since 12/04, I never usually compare my 90 ZR-1 to much of anything made during the same time frame....except to turbo 911's or Testarossa's & cars like that. I don't even stop to consider any other domestic production cars vs a ZR-1. Mostly when I do the compare mine to yours thing; I'm comparing C5's & 6's...all of them, ZO6 et al....and all the stuff from Europe that costs twice as much as a new 90 ZR-1...and I learned that method from the senior ZR-1 owners, I hardly ever hear them rate their Z's to say an L98/LT1/LT4.

My point is that if you own a 90 Z, most of us measure our cars against what you can buy right now....whenever NOW is. That says quite a bit about our cars , which are at least 18 model yrs old right now!

Oh and my comment about the headers being a normal preventative maintenance thing.....I don't want my LT5 ingesting the results of my OEM cats suffering a catastrophic failure & taking my motor with them. That's my story & I'm sticking to it!


Tom

[FU]

Lou's response should be printed in the Registry's next newsletter

[Z Factor]

Originally Posted by louispf

In our arena, the registry & the zr1 forum we are our own worst enemy in devaluing our Z's. I was @ the Norwalk, Ct. event last night w/ Tom. The 2 of us parked next to each other. Within a couple minuets of parking & opening our hoods we were swamped with people asking tons of questions. Purest from the Hot Rod & Custom arenas were in awe. They were for the most part all familiar with the "King of the Hill" although none have ever seen one.. While answering tons of questions & educating our admirers they were all shocked that our cars are not selling for much more then what I had told them the going prices were. Go to the other forums & the other C groups never talk as smack about their Vettes as we do. I have been around Vettes since 1972 & have bought & sold my fair share & have seen it all. Ups & downs, recessions, skyrocketing markets. We need to have a positive response to the public about these cars & stop devaluing them to all that read our forums to educate themselves on rare & potentially appreciating automobiles. A rare stock automobile that is taken care will always be an investment that you can enjoy. We are to accustom to investments sky rocking overnight. A stock or bond that tanks can only be used for toilet paper, art that tanks can only be looked @ in disgust. A car can always be used or driven. These (our ZR1's) are the next Big Brake, Fuelie, Big Block Tri Powers & LT1's. But first we must all give them the respect that they rightfully deserve.

Originally Posted by Sihler

Just a week ago or so, on the other forum, somebody was asking what they should offer for a black '90 with less than 1000 miles on the clock that wouldn't start and hadn't been driven in a while, everyone was telling the guy that a '90 with less than 1000 miles was worth around $25-$28k, so he should offer $20-$25 'cause of the no-start issue. I took exception as I see ultra low mileage(sub 1000 miles) cars always selling above $30 grand, regardless of year. I couldn't believe that our own people were devaluing our cars right in front of my eyes. Those same people bitch and moan whenever someone sells one for cheap, unbelievable.

Good thread and posts.

It is a dilemma we face when trying to advise people what value our ZR-1's have. For instance I would never sell mine in the current market, yet I am quick to advise people looking for one that this is the time to buy. I try not to be guilty of under valuing them, but I also try to give accurate information. I remember when I first bought mine, I got it for what I considered a steal, yet found that some felt I should not announce it to everyone since it hurt us all in the long run. After some thought I agreed with that thinking and now keep my original purchase price to myself.
I do believe ZR-1's will go up in value, and tell people that on a regular basis. The only question is how long it will take for it to happen. Like everyone else I hope it happens sooner that later, even though I have no intention to sell.

[Tim]

When I bought my Z I did'nt consider it to be a money making investment. As a friend once told me " It sits in your garage, something happens to you, your estate sells it for nothing, what have you got. So go and enjoy it." I bought it for market at the time and was happy with the price. Just got it back from Marc after investing a S$$$ load of money doing the p & p, headers, injectors, and some other items. Love the increase in power. 414 at the tire. I to am a little distressed at the current market and understand I"ll never recover the $ I put into it, but the pleasure my wife and I get from it is worth something as well. Have kept the stock parts but you can't undo the p&p oh well. I guess the point is to enjoy these " Special" cars as much as you can ,as long as you can, and if and when you have to sell, do the best you can at the time and don"t look back. If we sell cheap they will continue that trend. Agreed this is a buyers market now and I don't see it changing anytime soon so get out the and drive them.

[DaveK]

When I first fell in love with the ZR-1 - all of 18 years ago now - I never for one second dreamed of stuffing it in a garage in cotton wool balls, I dreamed of driving it. Cruising around, giiving it hell, just going places. All driving, but never just to look at.

As for the pricing. I paid market for mine last year and was happy to do so. Let's face it though - your economy is in the tank at the moment , thats got to have a huge knock on effect everywhere. The ZR-1 is also little known outside the fairly small circle of us who are enthusiasts. I imagine eventually the prices will rise again - and probably reach levels where I wouldn't be able to afford one again

Just enjoy your car, enjoy it the way you want to, keep it stock, mod it to hell and back. Just enjoy the fact that you own one of the best 'vettes ever built, a legend that still reverberates 18 years after it was created and the fact that you took the road less well travelled.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

[tccrab]

Originally Posted by DaveK

Just enjoy your car, enjoy it the way you want to, keep it stock, mod it to hell and back. Just enjoy the fact that you own one of the best 'vettes ever built, a legend that still reverberates 18 years after it was created and the fact that you took the road less well travelled.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Damn.
Just Damn.
Truer words have never been spoken.
TomC

[jonszr1]

to me , quite simply i fell in love with this car 5 years ago when i got the blk one . have put 80 miles on her with the only problem being the tranny.i dont even think of owning another car . to me my 2 zr1s are the last cars i will ever own . they are so special words cant convey how great they are . one day others will see how special they are .

[8upZR1]

I for one believe that the current going price for ZR1's is excellent. If you look at other cars from the early 90's that sold for similar $$ you will see that ZR1's are holding their price nicely. Right now the prices are just about as low as they are going to get. In a few years the price will start going up cause the car will be a classic, but 18 years just isn't enough time. Cars from the 90's just aren't cool yet. Give it till they turn 25 or 30 and then the price will come around. Today, for slightly more cash than a ZR1 you can find yourself in a MY 2000 Z06 or equivalently potent performer. When you look at a ZR1 next to a C5 or C6, especially a Z06, it just doesn't make sense to buy the ZR1, even if the initial cost is less. The C5 and C6 vettes are light years ahead of the C4 in both engine and chassis and everything in between. I dunno if anyone remembers but nobody liked the C4 vette and nobody bought them. At least not in the numbers that people buy C5 and C6s. When you read car magazines from the early 90's the biggest complaints about the C4 were interior, exterior, styling, power, suspension, brakes, EVERYTHING!!! When the C5 came out everybody said, "HURRAH! the Corvette will not go out of production yet!!"
The C5 was truely a leap ahead from the C4 and the market reflects this. If anyone is to blame it is the designers of the C5. If they had done their jobs as ussual then the ZR1 would still be the fastest Vette ever made.

With the prices so low it is feasible to purchase a complete car just for parts, as parts are not only limited, but they are always going to be $$$.

If you bought a new ZR1 and have stored it diligently with the intent of getting rich I would say that the prices are exactly what you deserve. Storage = death to a car. I have driven lots and lots of really fast and expensive cars that were put in storage and they never seem to be as fast as you remember them being when they were new. A car will go to SHite in front of your eyes if it is not driven. Neglect is worse for an LT5 than abusive driving habits.

[cuisinartvette]

Originally Posted by cuisinartvette

Looks like my bucket is still available -someones wife was less than happy about it .

Marriage...you guys can have it.


Ugh.

[louispf]

Originally Posted by 8upZR1

I for one believe that the current going price for ZR1's is excellent. If you look at other cars from the early 90's that sold for similar $$ you will see that ZR1's are holding their price nicely. Right now the prices are just about as low as they are going to get. In a few years the price will start going up cause the car will be a classic, but 18 years just isn't enough time. Cars from the 90's just aren't cool yet. Give it till they turn 25 or 30 and then the price will come around. Today, for slightly more cash than a ZR1 you can find yourself in a MY 2000 Z06 or equivalently potent performer. When you look at a ZR1 next to a C5 or C6, especially a Z06, it just doesn't make sense to buy the ZR1, even if the initial cost is less. The C5 and C6 vettes are light years ahead of the C4 in both engine and chassis and everything in between. I dunno if anyone remembers but nobody liked the C4 vette and nobody bought them. At least not in the numbers that people buy C5 and C6s. When you read car magazines from the early 90's the biggest complaints about the C4 were interior, exterior, styling, power, suspension, brakes, EVERYTHING!!! When the C5 came out everybody said, "HURRAH! the Corvette will not go out of production yet!!"
The C5 was truely a leap ahead from the C4 and the market reflects this. If anyone is to blame it is the designers of the C5. If they had done their jobs as ussual then the ZR1 would still be the fastest Vette ever made.

With the prices so low it is feasible to purchase a complete car just for parts, as parts are not only limited, but they are always going to be $$$.

If you bought a new ZR1 and have stored it diligently with the intent of getting rich I would say that the prices are exactly what you deserve. Storage = death to a car. I have driven lots and lots of really fast and expensive cars that were put in storage and they never seem to be as fast as you remember them being when they were new. A car will go to SHite in front of your eyes if it is not driven. Neglect is worse for an LT5 than abusive driving habits.

Here we go again. If our Vette the beloved marque does not have a next generation that enhances it's existence then it would have been extinct. Every generation has to improve on the previous. It is not always tied to sheer speed & performance. There needs to be gaps @ times that lead our Vettes to be more luxurious & catch up to our personal comfortable tastes. In 78 a new Pace Car would get more $$ than a 67 435 big block. Let me take this one step farther @ this point in time it was almost impossible to find a complete original 67 435 tri power. Why? Because @ that point of time it was not the holy grail. There are more 435's kicking around now then made (almost). Ask for the documentation & you will get every story under the sun why is not available. Matching #'s. Anybody that has stamps & a steady hand can do that. Our Z's are a different story. It can not be duplicated through reproduction. In valuing any car against the model ahead & it's improvements is what the classic car market has been built on. But, for some of the near sighted ZR1 owners this seems to be an issue. I challenge all of you to give me a Corvette model superior to the ZR1 previously. This my friends is the role model of a marque. 53, 56, 63, 68, 84, 90ZR1 & 97 are marque years for the Vette. Any other improvements to the car during this period is an enhancement of an existing model.