Would you buy an LT4.....would you sell one?

[AlHewitt]

Hi all;

My 96 CE LT4 is my first Corvette and it's a keeper in my humble opinion. The car handles great as it should and it feels very stable on the roads.

The LT4 pulls away effortlessly from stops and accelerates on the highway with very little effort and the tach indicates it's hardly breaking a sweat at 80 MPH!

The sad part is that the public highways/speed limits don't allow a car like this to reach anywhere even near its full potential.

As for collectibility, I think the special editions will eventually work their way to the top of the list as more and more people would like one of these cars for their own. It's a case of supply and demand among the buyers.

The CE is a very rare edition here in Canada with only 83 being exported so it attracts attention from other Corvette owners as well, most whom have never actually seen one.

The only thing that would make my car better would be if it was a convertible. That B pillar on the coupe behind the doors just ruins the smoothness of the car's lines. When the top is down on the convertible, it's just a flowing line from front to back.

Either way, I'm going to keep my Corvette!

I also have a CE coupe with the LT4, Z51 suspension and 26K on the clock. It is the second LT4 that I've owned and I really like it. I have not driven it much lately as a year ago I bought a new 2010 GS with the LS3 - silver also. Comparing the two cars is difficult; both are very fast in my opinion. Even with the larger tires the LS3 has traction problems in first gear, I don't notice this as much in the LT4. I recently had a body shop 'detail' the paint - this involved touching up a few rock chips. It sit in my garage beeging to be driven...

I also have a bike story. Several years ago on a road trip through the north
Cascades in Washington State, two crouch rocket bikes passed me as they were 'getting after it'. I got with it too and followed them through the curves, great ride. We got behind a truck and were down to 20 MPH when all three of us could pass the truck together. I don't know bikes but shifting at 6000RPM I could stay with the them through 100MPH and that was enough for me... Al

[longspur]

If I had no other choice I would buy a 96 LT4 vert. Unfortunately there are too many other better vettes to choose from these days.

[DSM9]

I am uniquely positioned to answer this question (Would you buy or sell your LT4?).

I had owned 2 Corvettes (a 1980 L/82 and a 1993 Ruby), and wanted something different. I bought a 1996 LT4 coupe.

I loved the 1980. But I sold it in order to buy the 1993. I really love the 1993, and didn't sell it when I bought the 1996. Now I really, really love the 1996 - especially that engine and the 6 speed.

Not selling either of them. I guess I need a 3 car garage if I want another Corvette.

[southernmotorsports]

Havn't had time to view site in a while. I have a LT-4 and its Great. I tried to sell several years ago to buy a new car for my wife. The best offer was $12000. For a second owner 1996 LT-4 Conv 6-speed with 54000 miles. Needless to say it was a no sale. This corvette had a window sticker of $49200. new in 96. Now, my wife has moved out and the Corvette is still here. My son who is 12 has a eye on this one. There are really super cars even in completely stock form. I realize this was an old posting, however its still a good time to purchase a C-4, although the values are sneaking up. Finally.

I like the looks of the C4 a lot better than the C5, and a C6 is out of the question for me at this time in my life.

So that makes the '96 LT4 a very tempting option for me. It is probably the absolute best bang for the buck out there, not to mention the most refined C4 you can get.

I love that the LT4 is relatively "unknown", and the fact the engine puts out a lot more horsepower than GM admitted.

[Hib Halverson]

You say "...values are sneaking up".

Tell me more about this. Where do you see a general appreciation of used C4 prices?

I've been thinking about putting a C4 on the market, but I've not seen that prices are headed up.

[Kevin Doyle]

I watch flea -bay and auto trader for 96 lt4 corvettes and to me (Not an expert) it seems like the lt4 corvette has finally started to rebound just a little especially lower mileage and convertibles as always,Kevin.

[southernmotorsports]

I checked the book values with KBB in 2008 and again last month. The value based on the site had increased by about $3000. Dont know what actual price thay are bringing , but is was good to see.

You say "...values are sneaking up".

Tell me more about this. Where do you see a general appreciation of used C4 prices?

I've been thinking about putting a C4 on the market, but I've not seen that prices are headed up.

[lt4 gs]

i'm not seeing the upward trend in west mi.
i've had my lt4 since new....i'm not tired of her at all.............just flipped 22k....3k on the pplant

i'd sell...........and i'd buy...............if i liked the numbers
a couple cars i'd like .....would be a 40th LT1 6spd rdstr...or a 40th LT1 ZO7 Auto.....if either were really mint....i'd pay a fair price
i've owned the later and i miss her.....
light em' up...............we northern rebels will be parking them soon...............

[CoronetRTguy]

I'm in the process of buying a 96 LT-4. This one is black on black and needs paint. The paint is not bad all over just on the sides, someone took a key down the side of it.

I made an offer of five and it was accepted so next weekend it will be in my garage. I will get the paint and the ruber around the top replaced and clean the car up a bit. I will be the third owner of it. This one I aim to keep.

I called my bank before I did anything to get values and high retail is 12 grand low end is 8 grand. There was three other prices that I was given I just dont have the paper in front of me as of right now.

[xfirez51]

Try an LT4+1 = LT5.

[LT4CE]

Try an LT4+1 = LT5.

When I bought mine, there were several ZR-1's on the market. They cost a bit more, although from what I could see their prices had been dropping. But that wasn't what made me go with the LT4. Performance is close to the ZR-1 as any other C4 (still falls short though!) Also, I bought into the thinking that parts would be tougher to come by for the LT5, although my mechanic at the Corvette garage told me he could get them, but the cost might be higher than an equivalent LT4 part since the LT4 takes most of the same parts as the LT1. Since my purchase (Jan '10) it seems that ZR-1 prices have continued to drop, even though my sense from looking at various used car sites is that Corvette prices in general seem to be stabilizing. I don't know that that's necessarily true for the C4's (yet, hopefully), any of them.

[xfirez51]

When I bought mine, there were several ZR-1's on the market. They cost a bit more, although from what I could see their prices had been dropping. But that wasn't what made me go with the LT4. Performance is close to the ZR-1 as any other C4 (still falls short though!) Also, I bought into the thinking that parts would be tougher to come by for the LT5, although my mechanic at the Corvette garage told me he could get them, but the cost might be higher than an equivalent LT4 part since the LT4 takes most of the same parts as the LT1. Since my purchase (Jan '10) it seems that ZR-1 prices have continued to drop, even though my sense from looking at various used car sites is that Corvette prices in general seem to be stabilizing. I don't know that that's necessarily true for the C4's (yet, hopefully), any of them.

Time to trade it in on a ZR-1. Seriously, the performance isn't really comparable. The LT-5 is making 330-340rwhp in stock trim.
Some DIY modding (ie top end porting + headers) gets you to ~ 400rwhp on a stock 5.7L motor. Its not even close. My car was trapping at 118+mph. The 1000' mark is when the LT-5 is beginning to stretch its legs. Its feels like the Energizer Bunny. Keeps pulling and pulling and pulling. Ask the C6 and C5 guys at the Crowne Pointe, Ind. Corvette Challenge.
More recently, with ported heads and larger intake cams, I dyno'd 430rwhp @ 6700rpm. Somewhat breathtaking.

[LT4CE]

I think I'll stick with the LT4. From what I've read and seen, the LT4 was under-rated by Chevy so as to make the next year's C5 buyers feel like they were getting something that was an improvement over the C4 (one reason why they didn't make a '96 ZR-1.) A lot of dynos show the stock LT4 in the 350 - 360 rwhp range, which is pretty decent. I've never taken mine to the track, but on the lonely highway it really starts pulling around 4000 rpm, especially in 3rd or 4th. I've never come close to even tapping it's potential, because by the time I feel the pull, I'm going way too fast to be safe anywhere but the track. So I'm pretty confident that the LT4 has plenty of potential for increased power, or at least all the power I would want.

All that having been said, I want to be clear that I mean absolutely no disrespect to the mighty ZR-1. I almost bought one! I'd be foolish if I failed to recognize that it's superior in terms of performance and potential when compared to the LT4. I'm not a mechanic, but mine also told me that aside from costlier parts, the repairs (labor) would cost more as well. And I don't think just anybody can work on them. Of course, I wouldn't let just anybody work on my LT4 either. So my main reason for going with the LT4 was practical.

I'm tempted to buy a ZR-1, because the prices seem to still be dropping! They're definitely cheaper than they were two years ago. We have some nice ones locally on craigslist. I suspect the prices will have to drop before they sell, so patience is an ally. And I think most people that have them realize that they have something special and take very good care of them.

There's a nice looking black '92 here in the bay area for only $20K, Although the 66K miles are a little higher than I'd like. : 1992 Corvette ZR1 Clean Low Miles

Here's another beauty, a black '91 with only 12K miles for $26.5K: 1991 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1

I'd probably prefer a '95. Here's a nice looking white '95 going for $29.9K with 24K miles: *** 1995 Chevy Corvette ZR-1 ***

Even if I bought a ZR-1 now, I'd definitely keep the LT4. Then I'd have all the time in the world to compare the two!

[AlHewitt]

I've had an LT-5, 2 - LT4's and an LS3. All are great cars/engines but all are very different. My first Vette was a red 96 with the LT4; it spoiled me as far as driving fun. I loved the low end torque and mild manors of the LT4 touch the start key and it is running. I never raced it or dynoed it but it was a great driver. My LT5 was an animal, very different driving experience. I assume mine was stock but one never knows when you are the 5th owner... At 7000 RPM it was a monster but at 2000 RPM it was not an LT4 in term of fun. Some will point to the torque curves and say the LT5 makes good low end torque, even as much as the LT4, maybe so but mine did not FEEL as strong as my LT4 did. After owning the LT4 the LT5 was a disappointment. That engine weighs (I'm told) 200lbs more that the LT4 so it is a boat anchor up there in turns, acceleration and braking. As far as appearance goes there is not an engine is any Corvette except maybe the Rochester FI system and ZR-1 of late that comes close to looking as good as does the LT5 epically if someone has powder coated the intake and cam covers - it is beautiful. So, the LT5 is great to look at and drive at 5000+ RPM - but like all Corvettes if you turn it into a daily driver its net worth is inverse to the mileage. The more it is driven the less it is worth... I sold the LT5/ZR1 and bought another LT4 this one is a CE. I'm up-side-down as far as the price I paid for it vs. resale value on it but do not care - as I like this car. The LS3 in the 2010 GS is another story. What Chevy has done with the push-rod motor is amazing. It is something like 200 lbs lighter than the LT5 and with an extra 26 cubic inches over the LT5 it is a wonderful engine. Tremendous amounts of low end torque, mild manors but only about 0.2 seconds slower in the 1/4 mile than a stock LS7/Z06 and new cost are $20K less in price! There appear to be no end to aftermarket bolt ones available for the LS series engine - but sadly not so for the LT4. The LT4 has to be the best bang for the buck out there... Al