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So here's my dilemma.... We currently own and cherish our '85 911 triple black coupe. Problem is we go off to work in separate directions so only one of us gets to drive it. I have been looking for another 911 and have located several which may warrant further attention. Now my wife says she would prefer a vet (*#$_#U#UJ#) as our second fun machine. I just don't like them but.......I unfortunately have a line (via a very knowledgable friend who verifies the cars quality) on an very low mileage '88 anniversary model drop top for a ridiculously low price. Price is about 1/2 what a same year 911 would be.
I've begun looking at 944 and 928's just to scare off the thought of going for the vet but none seem as good a deal.
What would you guys do? I don't mind the look of an '88 vet (kind of plain vanilla without a single curve) but I hate the digital dash....besides it's so totally opposite a P Car.......you know huge engine (at the wrong end) long front end etc. On the plus side its fully optioned with increadible leather seats...damn.
Please help save me. I need some comments and advise.
thanks

smshirk

I was torn between a vette and a 911 at one pont about 4 years ago. My son's advice. Go find a vette with 50k miles and see how it feels, then compare to a Porsche at 100k miles, then decide........

Pcar944

"but I hate the digital dash...."

I agree. I've been tempted by Vettes in the past but the interior ergonomics has always put me off.

Besides aren't they known for their rattling and creaking and slightly "loose" build quality compared to a P-car?

-mike
_____________
1986 944 Red
1988 944 Blue

Capt. Carrera

Go drive a Z06. Then see what you think...

Daniel Dudley

Who's it for ?

Ed Hughes

IMO, any Vette from the 80's is going to be a POS. Had an '87 a long time ago and it would be overvalued if it was 1/2 the cost of a comparable 911. No such thing as a free lunch.

RacingBeat

yep........built like crap.........drives like crap..........

Loaded

80 vettes=POS

DARISC

Well,, never much cared for Vettes, but when my 95 RX7 R1 threatened to drive me into bankruptcy I bought a 99 C5 6spd hard top ( the light one they made into the first Z06) just to have "the Corvette Eperience". It was a rocket and handled extremely well but just driving it around in a non sporting manner was as exciting and stmulating as a Jeep Grand Cherokee (and as long).

The C5s are a much better built car than previous models and were I to spend the bucks on a rocket I'd probably buy a Z06 (they equal or beat similar Porsche models performance & handling for much less money, like it or not - and I'm not thrilled at all about owning a newer, bigger, fatter Porsche than my SC anyway).

So, I got bored with the C5 after a short time but drove it up to 74k miles. Bought my aforementioned SC then (for a daily driver, as was the Vette) which is nowhere near as fast, couldn't hope to keep up with the Vette in any circumstances, (again, like it or not), but is one helluva lot more fun to drive at any speed.

If it's looks that grab you, well that's entirely subjective and to each their own. I would't buy an earlier Vette than a C5 though if you want a solid and fairly well built car. Oh, and seems they are no less costly to repair and maintain than a Porsche, considering that they break sooner and more frequenty than Porsches do.

DARISC

Incidentally, Corvette leather is incredibly cheap quality - had to have mine reupholstered after only 25k miles (got all leather, not just between the bolsters on the seat and seatback [the bolsters and back side of the seats are, as in most cars, vinyl, which is actually more durable than leather, by the way]).

Jay H

Before I bought my first 911, I was hot after a Corvette. At that time (1994-1995), an '80's vette with relatively low miles was about $17,000 to $20,000. So, I test drove a bunch of these things. I personally like the round tail light cars ('vette's got the more squared off ZR-1 tail lamps in 1991) and the '88 is my favorite since you could still get the 4+3 trans and it had 1988 only rims to make it a bit different.

I got in a 1984 with the Doug Nash 4+3 manual trans and the Z51 suspension option, a 1989 with the beloved skip shift 6 speed, a stunningly beautiful 1988 anniversary model in white with the 4+3, a gold 1988 with the 4+3 and mid mileage, a 1992 with the then new 300 hp LT1 and a 4 speed automatic (with the new for '91 front end treatment, more analog gauges and new rims) and finally a completely beat to hell 1987 with the 4+3 trans.

The '84 was pretty mint and drove nice, but it had ultra low miles at 14,000. With the suspension option it had (Z-51), it road a bit more harshly than a dump truck. The 1984 Z51's were known to have been way too stiffly sprung due to it's development by GM on race tracks and to make the first year of the "new" 'vette handle extremely well on the track (and look good on paper in all the mags that were testing this new 'vette when it came out in '83). However, I'd avoid a 1984 Z51 car like the plague unless you have billiard table smooth roads in your area.

I distinctly remember the '89 had 29,000 miles and it was full of rattles and the electronic dash had issues. I really like the electronic dash just because it's so very '80's and I grew up in the '80's, but it seemed like a very unreliable dash. The 1992 was tight, solid and dumb fast, even with the automatic. I took that car well over 120 mph and loved it. However, it was also nearly new with only several thousand miles on it. The new digital speed readout along with the analog tach and secondary instruments were a nice change from the full digital displays of prior years (pre '90) and if you must have an older 'vette and hate the full digital displays, is a good compromise.

The 1987 was cheap, $9995, and had about 65,000 miles. It was completely worn out and would not keep running. It was an absolute disaster mechanically and cosmetically and I was surprised this well known Chevy dealer that specialized in used 'vettes and F-Bodys had it on the lot. The '88 Anniversay was collector car nice, but the dealer had an insane price tag on it and wouldn't deal with me on pricing. They thought they had something special with the Anniversary model. I sure liked it... The other '88 in gold was just fair and had issues both cosmetically and mechanically.

The torque on these cars is extremely addicting. I tend to like the L98 motors for their torque curve for some reason. The LT1 is a sweet motor as well, but found myself prefering the L98 with the Doug Nash 4+3. For those that don't know, it's a 4 speed manual transmission with an electronic overdrive in gears 2 through 4 - effectively making it a 7 speed car. However, you tended to just shift it normally from 1 to 4 and then hit the overdrive button [on top of the shift ****] for "7th" gear on the freeway. A novel idea, but somewhat of a waste since you never used the overdrive in 2 or 3. The Doug Nash trans has a reputation for being a solid transmission and a bit more "old school" (probably why I liked it) with the traditional 4 speed.

The skip shift in the 6 speed is extremely annoying and was put there for emissions purposes. GM could get better city mileage when the shifter (via electronics) forced you to go to 4th gear from 1st gear on very light throttle inputs. However, that feature can be disable by (shhhhhhh!) "cutting the green wire" or buying an electronic device to defeat it.

I just finally gave up looking for a 'vette since the only decent ones were nearly new and/or out of my price range. Anything older was just a rattle trap and EVERY ONE of them had annoying issues such as way too many rattles (how do you fix rattles in cheap plastic?) or seemingly expensive electronic issues. I agree with DARISC that the seat leather is like cheap deer hide from China...and the paint seems thin to me-typical '80's GM. But, damn, all of them put the power down well with that torque and big tires. They can be a hoot to drive at full tilt.

I was really a 911 guy at heart, so I just gave up and waited and bought my first 911 in '97. I still have a soft spot for a round tail light '80's vettes since reading about the then new 1984 'vette in Road and Track in the middle school library when I was 15 years old, but would never, ever give up my 911's for one of them. Not in a million years.

Hope this helps a bit,

Jay
90 964, 84 3.2

Ed Hughes

I'd put a 928S4's or a 928GTS' torque against a late 80's Vette's tq any day. And the cars don't fall apart. They're Porsches.

DARISC

I agree with Jay (Hey, Jay - so you gave up on the Vette for wifey?) He's only posted 2,544 times, but he seems to know a bit!

Just for grins, here's the beast I used to own (and oh yeah, the torque IS addictive!).

Jay H

Our conversations have made me a lot more cautious on the earlier C6's...however my wife would love a new 6 speed '06 or '07. She's a muscle car girl at heart. But, we're just waiting due to not wanting to spend that kind on money on a 'vette...

Cheers!

Jay

Jay H

I know starting in 1993 the F-Body cars (Camaro, Firebird twins) got assembled with the body goop that Chevy was using on the 'vette for a few years prior, so I would bet the rattles are minimized in the '91-'92 and newer vettes. Those years still have the old school look of the C4, but have some improvements that probably make them better cars. I haven't checked pricing lately, but can't be too much more than the '80's cars...

Here is an example of the '88 Anniversary Model in question on this thread: