For you car guys: Opinion on toy for retirement. 87 GN VS C4 ZR-1

Grand National = Nuclear Powered Medieval Battering Ram.


Vette = Where's my Viagra?

 

From what I understand the C4 Corvette (in general) was plagued with problems and was just not that good of a built car. Now seeing the ZR1 was a specialty car it may have been a little better built.?? I'd go over to the Vett sites just to see what they think about the C4's. I think they are kind of ugly as far as Vetts go. JMO.

The GN on the other hand is considered more sought after. There's a lot of them around me and I know the speed shop that build engines for them. Some of these guys are running 11's at the strip and still driving to the grocery store with them. It's amazing how much power the little V6 can put out with the right turbo setup. As you probably know the GNX was not only the last one but the most sought after. Though it's not hard to take a regular GN and get the performance of the GNX or better.

When I see a ZR1 (even if I notice) it's just like meh..... When I see a GN black vader car, I go like niiice!

 

I think we are seeing Hemmings in one hand and carrot wax in the other.

 

All very good points. The GN has a ton of character. A GNX would be amazing to own but the price on those has risen far above what I can pay for something. Wouldn't be hard to do a tribute GN with the GNX wheels and performance though. Yeah, I want one. Even to me the C4 Corvette was never a great looking car. I just like the specialness of the ZR-1.

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm glad there are others on here that recognize the coolness of the Grand National.


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Here's what I had for a toy about 5 years ago. 1992 Toyota Supra Turbo. All original, rust free and unmolested. Hard to find in these cars. I've always really liked the Supra and this one was a beauty. I kind of regret selling it looking back at these pictures, but it just lacked something I can't describe. Plus it was around this time I bought my Mazdaspeed 3, which ran circles around the Supra so I found I drove it less and less.






If anyone has a pic of their present or previous man toy post it up. Would love to see them.

 

I had the same supra in a beautiful brown with bronze metallic. It had a bronze tint to the glass and beige leather. But I'm 6'1 and had to ride with the seat gangsta style.
It had no A/C and no soul. First and last Toyota ill likely own.


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Always like the Supras.

Previous toy: 93 Lightning w/ Vortech supercharger. Fast (for a pickup), loud & not very practical.

 

I stay away from all things GM... but if I had to pick from the two I'd choose the GN. I love my Jap cars, my fun car that turned into a high power project is a 1987 Mazda RX-7 TurboII. Once I graduate and start making proper money I'll turn her into a turbo rotary monster.

 

I guess that's a good way to describe what the Supra was lacking for me too. No "Soul". I loved the look but it really wasn't fun to drive.

I am an import guy myself too. Haven't bought a domestic in many years. But for this era there are just a few cars I would really want. Yes, I would love an NSX. But they're a little out of my price range.

The Ford Lightning was a pretty cool truck too. Rare.

The Syclone and Typhoon were awesome. I've only ever seen one or two of these on the road. Like ever. Great sleeper.

 

If you want something sharp, new, and fun the FR-S might fit the bill. One of the sexiest cars under $100k I've seen in a long time.

 

Those and the Subaru twin are a pretty sharp ride for sure. I've heard reliability is pretty poor on both. Which is strange as both companies have very strong reputations for good cars.

 

That is unusual. I haven't heard either way, but being out of my price range for the near future I haven't bothered to look.

 

The ZR-1 was junk. It handles like a pig and is unreliable. Everyone I ever knew that had one grew to hate it (and get rid of it). I'm amused by the criticism levied at the C4. It was, arguably, the first true sports car America had ever mass produced. Tranny in the rear to balance weight distribution, chassis 3x stiffer than the ZR-1. No less than Mario Andretti sang its praises.

 

ZR1 or GN? I'm another guy that would lean towards the GN. But I've been able to spend some time with one of those, and not a Vette. Family member owns a GN, so that's where I get my "experience" from. Its been worked with some exhaust, fuel system, suspension, trans, etc. Also has a bottle. That's a 10 second QM car, but is everyday street drivable.

It really is a personal choice. I've never been a fan of the looks of Vettes up until the most recent model years, but that's just me.

I've had a few cars that I really liked. Still enjoy good old fashion Detroit muscle. That goes back to my '69 Chevelle. Wasn't a numbers car, body was rough, had a deer paw in place of the Hurst handle, but man that car was an animal. There was some rust through the wheel wells. The stereo and speakers had been removed. When you lit up the tires, all the smoke (and road debris) would fly up through the wheel wells/speaker holes pelting any rear seat occupants, as well as filling the car with a "different" kind of smoke. Ahh, to be young, stupid and carefree again....

Had an '87 T/A. That was worked a bit, but I'll never remember the details. Different rear, trans, carb, exhaust, tires/wheels, etc. Probably my personal favorite.

Also had an 87' Mazda Turbo II. Never did like the lag of the single turbo, but once it was spooled, that car was a hoot. I think it redlines somewhere around 7 or 8k, and when you hit the redline, a little buzzer goes off letting you know (it was a great idea so you never had to look down at the gauges).

Good luck with your purchase.

 

I've still got some time left before I'm ready for this one. All this talk has been great. Kind if turned off the Vette at this point. I had a sweet spot for the GN for ever now.

I'll probably change my mind ten more times and add to the list a few more times before I'm ready.

I've always kind if liked the Trans Am WS6 models and SVT Cobras too. I need to win some money...


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The stock turbos weren't really laggy for what they were, you might have had lag issues due to a malfunctioning twin scroll system or if you just had stock exhaust. Rotaries aren't known for their low end torque though. It does redline at 7k, the later 2nd gen turbo models were 7.5k I think, and IIRC the buzzer switch can even be adjusted if you pull the meter from the dash. I've laid hands on damn near every part of that car... They're disturbingly stable at 150+ :crazy::chaingun:

 

"Well, I've had many Corvettes," Andretti said.

"The last one was a Z06 and so, with the ZR1, I couldn't pass it up. It's clearly the best Corvette ever. It stacks up to the best supercars in the world. It's the best bang for the buck as well."



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Yea keep dreaming there kiddo. Ever hear about the 289 Shelby Cobra that became a 427 Shelby Cobra and how many road races did they win. I think they were mass produced by Ford back in the 60's. Those were true sports cars. Didn't even have roll up winders.

You could of at least picked a C5 or C6 to make your point. But a C4 hahahahahahahaha now that's funny right there fella........................................................

 

I have driven a 2003 Z06 a few years back. 50th anniversary, black on black with 8,000 original kms. Beautiful ride. Sometimes I see those come up at a decent price. I could live with one of those. ;-)


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