Newbie questions - ZR-1 Net Registry Forums

BBBAD94ZR1 · 11-10-2005

Good afternoon,
Im new here and have some questions about purchasing a Zr1, Im looking to buy a 94 ZR1 with 29k miles the car is stock except for a Ripple chip. The guy is asking 33k is this a good price? High or low?
It there anything I should look for when inspecting the car other than the obvious. Was there any major issues with this year Zr? I gave up my 86 Grand national to get a Zr1.

Thanks
Ray

Z Factor · 11-10-2005

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBBAD94ZR1

Good afternoon,
Im new here and have some questions about purchasing a Zr1, Im looking to buy a 94 ZR1 with 29k miles the car is stock except for a Ripple chip. The guy is asking 33k is this a good price? High or low?
It there anything I should look for when inspecting the car other than the obvious. Was there any major issues with this year Zr? I gave up my 86 Grand national to get a Zr1.

Thanks
Ray

Hello Ray, and welcome to the forum.

It would seem based on your forum ID that you have your heart set on this 94 you are looking at.

As with any vehicle, it depends largely on it's condition and maintenance as to what it is worth.

As far as things to look for when inspecting it, to get started read this article;

http://www.zr1netregistry.com/ZR1_buying.htm

Also, may I suggest you go into your User CP and list your location so everyone knows at least what state you are in.

BBBAD94ZR1 · 11-10-2005

Im looking for a low mile unmolested well taken care of ZR1 91-05.
I looking for a car no higher than 35k. I would prefer black.
I will pay cash for the right car. Looking to buy within the next two months.
The best car I have located is this 94. I look at the cars for sale on this site daily. If you have a car like this and looking to sell please let me know.
My #609-208-0688
Ray

WB9MCW · 11-10-2005

welcome ray to the site...re this comment---I gave up my 86 Grand national to get a Zr1... u need to meet ron kreigh he is a big gn guy as well as a zr-1 nut i'll pm him and get him to view this post---If u have time and don't rush too much u will find the best zr-1 from a member cause they tend to take better care of the zr-1 than non-members... jimo

BBBAD94ZR1 · 11-10-2005

Thanks for the welcome, I miss my Gn however I know the Zr1 will be worth it.
I always wanted one, I remember in 1990 I was a tech for Chevy and the first Zr1 hit the showroom. I wanted one however the 65k price tag was out of my league. I purchased a Gn in 90 and drove it till last month and parted with it. It only had 47k orig miles on it. Mint car.
I cant wait to get the ZR however Im very fussy overall.

Take it easy.
Ray

WB9MCW · 11-10-2005

Same for a lot of us Ray we drooled till they came down out of the stratosphere...for me it was 10-10-03 when of all things my nearby neighbor who has bought/sold a ton on gen 1 and 2 vettes came drivin in a local car hop on a sat nite at the local a&w in fox lake in my dream a black on black zr-1. lucky 4 me he was my dad's barber as well as my neighbor. my dad had just passed the year b4 from prostate cancer and for all those reasons and a little luck he sold it to me for his cost(a gud deal 4 sure). now i have two vettes the 84 (i scored it in 02) and the zr-1. my mech and best friend liked it so much(he is a big mopar nut) he went out a got a 98 vert...here is a link to the trib.zr-1 site and on p2 is my buddies vert and his other toys....trust me once u get behind the wheel of the zr and wot her thru the gears ull never regret the $$$. 7200 rpm's in a dohc all alum. PENT ROOF HEADS has an attraction that can't be overstated...lets see a ls7 run wot for 5000 miles!!! the zr-1 is in a class by itself!!!

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/390224

WB9MCW · 11-10-2005

here is the link to the members 4 sale section...

http://zr1netregistry.com/ZR1_sale.htm

tomtom72 · 11-11-2005

Hi Ray & welcome to KOTH!

I'm a rookie owner, had my 90 since 12/04, and I would just put this out there for you to mull over. I'm not a mechanic & never had a Z until I bought this one. I also didn't know anything about C4's in general as the only other vette I had was a 72. I bought the lowest milage/one owner car I could find because I thought I could be the one to "use up the unspent life" of the car. I neglected to take into consideration that a higher milage car would have had most of the "common issues" addressed just because it was used more frequently. Those cars are also much less money than the "low milage, stock cars".

I'm not familiar at all with the "common issues" of the later production year Z like you are looking at so I can't comment in any specific area. They were out of my budget so I paid little attention when I was shopping.

I think the only valid point I have is about the price vs. milage equation. If you are going to use the car as opposed to NCRSing & showing the car then it may pay for you to consider some of the advantages of the higher milage/lower priced cars vs the low milage/higher priced cars.

Just look in the tech section and you can see some of the things my 9200 mile stock one owner 90 had as issues. I look back & feel that a higher milage car would have had most of my issues addressed out of necessity.

Sorry to be so long!

Welcome & good luck in your search. I think you picked an excellant time to go Z shopping!

Tom

BBBAD94ZR1 · 11-11-2005

Thanks for all the great info guys, you have some nice cars, I will post some of my past rides. I had a 86 and 87 vette they were nice but were nothing special.
My Gn would out perform than any day of the week. I cant wait to get my Z, I have went to tons of car shows and never seen a Zr1. What is your take on a car that has a aftermarket chip in it, good or bad choice? Is this any indication of the driving habits of the owner. Most cars I worked on as a tech that had a chip and mods had the snot driving out of them.
How about insurance any one have classic car insurance on thme. Just curious.

Thanks for reading
RAY

tomtom72 · 11-11-2005

Hi Ray, The Insurance on mine is lumped in with my DD & homeowners package discount with Travelers. I think it raised my car ins. prem. about 1K. The policy is an agreed value type on fire, theft & vandalism with a 1K ded. on collision. I was told that it didn't qualify for "classic", "collector" &/or "antique" type ploicies. That may not be true as I really didn't think the price thru Travelers' was excessive for where I live, NY/metro/suburbs. Look around though. For me it was price vs. lack of having to do any research right away plus I have no milage/use restrictions.

Modified vs stock is tough to answer & it is more personal. I'll offer this thought to you. Box Stock: These cars were big $$$ new so most orig. owners probably were like the guy I bought mine from: well healed, paid cash for the toy, went back to dealer for service except oil changes. Therefore now the guy is my age, 53, & doesn't use it enough to keep it because it just sits in the garage. Money not the problem, just a change of mind-set or scared of parts being NLA & doesn't want to be a shade tree mechanic because he's too busy making $ in his own business. So sell the car & find another hobby. Or they sell because the value increase didn't materialize like everyone thought. Either way the car was book maintained...not perfect but better than nothing.

Modified cars: way enthusiastic orig. owner or the second owner. Either way these guys are real "car guys" and you know that means anally retentive maintenence! Yes the car is driven hard...but how do you drive an F1 motor hard?? As a rookie I'm learning that the few judicious floggings I do to mine the more it says..."bring it, dude!"...and the smoother it runs. Oh, the mods for these cars are not cheap! So who is going to neglect that kind of investment??? Just go to Haibeck's site & see how much $$$ it costs to get some real HP gains over stock. These cars are not like a regular sb chevy...change the cam & heads & intake & away you go!

Bottom line, due your research on a particular car...ask here & probably someone knows the car if it has been modified. Why? There aren't many places that do that stuff to ZR-1's so it's a small community & you will get the dope if it is out there.

Sometimes I wish I had bought a modded car, would have been less $$ than my box stock, one owner... 400 rwhp from Haibeck costs about $10,000.00...see what I mean? Would you abuse that?!?

Again, sorry to be soooo long about this.

Tom

11-10-2005	#1
BBBAD94ZR1 Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: NJ Posts: 299	Newbie questions Good afternoon, Im new here and have some questions about purchasing a Zr1, Im looking to buy a 94 ZR1 with 29k miles the car is stock except for a Ripple chip. The guy is asking 33k is this a good price? High or low? It there anything I should look for when inspecting the car other than the obvious. Was there any major issues with this year Zr? I gave up my 86 Grand national to get a Zr1. Thanks Ray

11-10-2005	#3
BBBAD94ZR1 Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: NJ Posts: 299	Re: Newbie questions Im looking for a low mile unmolested well taken care of ZR1 91-05. I looking for a car no higher than 35k. I would prefer black. I will pay cash for the right car. Looking to buy within the next two months. The best car I have located is this 94. I look at the cars for sale on this site daily. If you have a car like this and looking to sell please let me know. My #609-208-0688 Ray

11-10-2005	#4
WB9MCW Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: McHenry, Il. Posts: 6,607	Re: Newbie questions welcome ray to the site...re this comment---I gave up my 86 Grand national to get a Zr1... u need to meet ron kreigh he is a big gn guy as well as a zr-1 nut i'll pm him and get him to view this post---If u have time and don't rush too much u will find the best zr-1 from a member cause they tend to take better care of the zr-1 than non-members... jimo __________________ http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o...9mcw/SIG-2.jpg http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o128/wb9mcw/vcm.gif "The Budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed, lest Rome will become bankrupt. People must again learn to work instead of living on public assistance." - Cicero, 55 BC " We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution." - Abraham Lincoln Last edited by WB9MCW; 11-10-2005 at 07:38 PM.

11-10-2005	#5
BBBAD94ZR1 Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: NJ Posts: 299	Re: Newbie questions Thanks for the welcome, I miss my Gn however I know the Zr1 will be worth it. I always wanted one, I remember in 1990 I was a tech for Chevy and the first Zr1 hit the showroom. I wanted one however the 65k price tag was out of my league. I purchased a Gn in 90 and drove it till last month and parted with it. It only had 47k orig miles on it. Mint car. I cant wait to get the ZR however Im very fussy overall. Take it easy. Ray Last edited by BBBAD94ZR1; 11-11-2005 at 09:10 AM.

11-10-2005	#7
WB9MCW Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: McHenry, Il. Posts: 6,607	Re: Newbie questions here is the link to the members 4 sale section... http://zr1netregistry.com/ZR1_sale.htm __________________ http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o...9mcw/SIG-2.jpg http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o128/wb9mcw/vcm.gif "The Budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed, lest Rome will become bankrupt. People must again learn to work instead of living on public assistance." - Cicero, 55 BC " We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution." - Abraham Lincoln

11-10-2005	#6
WB9MCW Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: McHenry, Il. Posts: 6,607	Re: Newbie questions Same for a lot of us Ray we drooled till they came down out of the stratosphere...for me it was 10-10-03 when of all things my nearby neighbor who has bought/sold a ton on gen 1 and 2 vettes came drivin in a local car hop on a sat nite at the local a&w in fox lake in my dream a black on black zr-1. lucky 4 me he was my dad's barber as well as my neighbor. my dad had just passed the year b4 from prostate cancer and for all those reasons and a little luck he sold it to me for his cost(a gud deal 4 sure). now i have two vettes the 84 (i scored it in 02) and the zr-1. my mech and best friend liked it so much(he is a big mopar nut) he went out a got a 98 vert...here is a link to the trib.zr-1 site and on p2 is my buddies vert and his other toys....trust me once u get behind the wheel of the zr and wot her thru the gears ull never regret the $$$. 7200 rpm's in a dohc all alum. PENT ROOF HEADS has an attraction that can't be overstated...lets see a ls7 run wot for 5000 miles!!! the zr-1 is in a class by itself!!! http://www.cardomain.com/ride/390224 __________________ http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o...9mcw/SIG-2.jpg http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o128/wb9mcw/vcm.gif "The Budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed, lest Rome will become bankrupt. People must again learn to work instead of living on public assistance." - Cicero, 55 BC " We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution." - Abraham Lincoln Last edited by WB9MCW; 02-11-2006 at 12:48 AM.

11-11-2005	#8
tomtom72 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Jacksonville, FL USA Posts: 4,645	Re: Newbie questions Hi Ray & welcome to KOTH! I'm a rookie owner, had my 90 since 12/04, and I would just put this out there for you to mull over. I'm not a mechanic & never had a Z until I bought this one. I also didn't know anything about C4's in general as the only other vette I had was a 72. I bought the lowest milage/one owner car I could find because I thought I could be the one to "use up the unspent life" of the car. I neglected to take into consideration that a higher milage car would have had most of the "common issues" addressed just because it was used more frequently. Those cars are also much less money than the "low milage, stock cars". I'm not familiar at all with the "common issues" of the later production year Z like you are looking at so I can't comment in any specific area. They were out of my budget so I paid little attention when I was shopping. I think the only valid point I have is about the price vs. milage equation. If you are going to use the car as opposed to NCRSing & showing the car then it may pay for you to consider some of the advantages of the higher milage/lower priced cars vs the low milage/higher priced cars. Just look in the tech section and you can see some of the things my 9200 mile stock one owner 90 had as issues. I look back & feel that a higher milage car would have had most of my issues addressed out of necessity. Sorry to be so long! Welcome & good luck in your search. I think you picked an excellant time to go Z shopping! Tom __________________ 1990 ZR-1, Black/grey, #2233, stock. ZR-1 Net Reg Founding Member #316 & NCM member

11-11-2005	#9
BBBAD94ZR1 Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: NJ Posts: 299	Re: Newbie questions Thanks for all the great info guys, you have some nice cars, I will post some of my past rides. I had a 86 and 87 vette they were nice but were nothing special. My Gn would out perform than any day of the week. I cant wait to get my Z, I have went to tons of car shows and never seen a Zr1. What is your take on a car that has a aftermarket chip in it, good or bad choice? Is this any indication of the driving habits of the owner. Most cars I worked on as a tech that had a chip and mods had the snot driving out of them. How about insurance any one have classic car insurance on thme. Just curious. Thanks for reading RAY

11-11-2005	#10
tomtom72 Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Jacksonville, FL USA Posts: 4,645	Re: Newbie questions Hi Ray, The Insurance on mine is lumped in with my DD & homeowners package discount with Travelers. I think it raised my car ins. prem. about 1K. The policy is an agreed value type on fire, theft & vandalism with a 1K ded. on collision. I was told that it didn't qualify for "classic", "collector" &/or "antique" type ploicies. That may not be true as I really didn't think the price thru Travelers' was excessive for where I live, NY/metro/suburbs. Look around though. For me it was price vs. lack of having to do any research right away plus I have no milage/use restrictions. Modified vs stock is tough to answer & it is more personal. I'll offer this thought to you. Box Stock: These cars were big $$$ new so most orig. owners probably were like the guy I bought mine from: well healed, paid cash for the toy, went back to dealer for service except oil changes. Therefore now the guy is my age, 53, & doesn't use it enough to keep it because it just sits in the garage. Money not the problem, just a change of mind-set or scared of parts being NLA & doesn't want to be a shade tree mechanic because he's too busy making $ in his own business. So sell the car & find another hobby. Or they sell because the value increase didn't materialize like everyone thought. Either way the car was book maintained...not perfect but better than nothing. Modified cars: way enthusiastic orig. owner or the second owner. Either way these guys are real "car guys" and you know that means anally retentive maintenence! Yes the car is driven hard...but how do you drive an F1 motor hard?? As a rookie I'm learning that the few judicious floggings I do to mine the more it says..."bring it, dude!"...and the smoother it runs. Oh, the mods for these cars are not cheap! So who is going to neglect that kind of investment??? Just go to Haibeck's site & see how much $$$ it costs to get some real HP gains over stock. These cars are not like a regular sb chevy...change the cam & heads & intake & away you go! Bottom line, due your research on a particular car...ask here & probably someone knows the car if it has been modified. Why? There aren't many places that do that stuff to ZR-1's so it's a small community & you will get the dope if it is out there. Sometimes I wish I had bought a modded car, would have been less $$ than my box stock, one owner... 400 rwhp from Haibeck costs about $10,000.00...see what I mean? Would you abuse that?!? Again, sorry to be soooo long about this. Tom __________________ 1990 ZR-1, Black/grey, #2233, stock. ZR-1 Net Reg Founding Member #316 & NCM member