Why a ZR-1?

[rhipsher]

Out of all the muslce/exotic sports cars we have to choose from, why did you choose the ZR-1 over all the rest? Was it pure chance? Or was it something you've always wanted and were actively looking to buy at the time you aquired it? Maybe it was a hand me down from a family member. I'm curious to read how the ZR-1 came into your lives.

I would make this a poll but there may be more reasons than I can come up with.

I guess I'll start. For me it was very unexpected. I always kinda new what they were. And the last time I saw one was in California some time around 1990. It was on highway 101 and it was white. It had the little ZR-1 badge under the right rear tail light. And I remember thinking well thats stupid! You mean chevy couldn't of advertised the super vette better than that? Of course I was 20 years old and was looking at it with an untrained eye.

I thought my next muscle car was going to be a 69 ss396 chevelle or a camaro. Maybe a 68 R/T 440 mganum charger. Something along those lines. But the thought of owning a ZR-1 never crossed my mind.

What about you guys?

[ZR1Vette]

For me it was three things (not in order of priority):
-Connection to Lotus (having owned Lotus cars)
-being a Corvette
-just one of the very special very limited production Vettes

AND

Just a damn cool special ride
M

[MB ZR1]

I've been a vette nut since I 12 or so. I'm 30 now, so I grew up with the C4 and wanted one for years. I'll admit I never knew that much about the ZR-1, but when I seriously started really researching what car I wanted to buy the obvious choice was a ZR-1. It took 2 years until I made my choice. I at 1st was going to buy a 96 Collectors Edition with the LT4 (I really wanted a GS but realized how rare they were) but as I found out more about the ZR-1 I decided it was for me. May of last year I drove my dream car home.

[vettn71]

I remember when they first were introduced and the absolute uproar they created! I didn't give owning one much thought, as I owned a 1971 since 1987. LS5, 4spd, ac, red-on-red I thought I would own it forever. However, I just got to the point where I had no time to finish it, and if I did, I had soo much time and monay invested I was afraid to drive it. I started lurking here and 1990 #4122 came up. It just reignited the fire! There's some definite drawbacks to owning such an exotic, but no more than if it were a Lambo or high-end Porche, plus I honestly believe they are the next L-88s in the Corvette market. It's going to take 10 years or so for the market to recognize them. That's what happened to the L88 and the LS6, and now any big block Corvette is like gold. Now's the time to buy. If I had any place to put another one, I'd buy it.

Jim

[jonszr1]

guess i came to know about them when i went to dick gulstrands with my 92 lt1 to get an idea about what mods would be best. i had this car paper that the used car guys in reno put out . the wilson brothers had this zr1 for 13995 in 2003 with 70 k miles on it . so i asked dick about the car and the look on his face was amazing . he said dont worry about modding the lt1. tomarrow just go to reno and get that car if it cks out ok. he gave me a ck list of thing to look for . so the next day i drove to reno and traded the lt1 and 4 grand for my blk zr1 . i have been in love with these cars ever since . i bought another a year later with high miles that i was going to mod . then bud eyre chev called me telling me of a callaway they had that might have a bad motor ,that they would let loose of cheap .i ended up trading the red car and 8,000 for the white callaway with 42k miles on her . the engine problem turned out to be a dissconnected vacume line from the secondary pump which i fixed before i left the lot . best part was gary burke the saleman (who i knew) asked if there was something wrong when he saw the hood up . i said i am fixing what is wrong with the motor .he said B>S. i said hop in and i will show you .prceeded to burn about 30 feet of rubber on a side street ,and said what do you think, is it fixed? he muttered a bunch of 4 letter words when he got out of the car . i thanked him and drove ole Farrah home . put a big red bow on it for my wife . not enough space to share the deal i pulled on her .but it sure was fun . i really miss her , she really loved that car ,and gave her the name she has now .

[Ccmano]

I've been a car nut all my life, from my first car, a 66 GTO (in 1971) till now. I've gone through muscle cars and imported sports cars. I even work in the car business. I had 3 Miata's just prior to my vette obsession, including turbo and supercharged ones. As much as I liked the Miata's I always just barely fit into one. I've always lusted after corvettes but didn't own one till 2004 when I picked up a cherry low mile 1991 Vert. that one of my dealers had taken in on trade. I was hooked. In 2006 I had been watching e-bay ads and a 1990 Z caught my eye. That's when I started researching and discovered what they were and this forum. I had to have it and it was cheap. I ended up buying the 90' direct from the guy after he had posted it 3 or 4 times and it didn't sell. Since then the car has had all the usual C4 and Zr-1 issues, and I've done several upgrades. I have to say this is the most involved I've been in any of my cars in long time. These cars are truly exotic and special..... not to mention a bargain.

[Z Factor]

I've always loved Corvettes and remember when the rumors started about a super vette that was being drawn up. The anticipation built my interest to a fever pitch, and when I saw my first ZR-1 in person on a dealers showroom, I was slipping on my own drool. Trouble was that there was no way I could afford the $60K back in 1990. So I made due with a few other sports cars until I was able to afford one. To me, the Corvette was not a muscle car, but the ZR-1 made a perfect blend of a prestigious sports car that packed plenty of muscle.

[Aurora40]

I grew up thinking they were cool. I looked at B2K's as well. Though there is less selection with them, and I felt like the ZR-1 would be more reliable to drive often.

[Z51JEFF]

Little more than a year ago I was in the market for my dream car,the one I had always wanted.Didnt have any one car in mind,just the car Ive always wanted.Thought about a 69 Z/28..........not gonna pay $40K for a Camaro.Ive always liked Midyears so I started thinking about those,found a nice 64 but it was 2 hours away and wasnt about to drive that far to look at a car with unknown history.A new Corvette,how many people get the chance to buy a new Corvette.Checked em out,had the options I wanted in the car but the quality issues in the new cars put me off,I wont take my car to anybody for repairs and the thought of taking my new Corvette back to the dealer for anything wasnt going to work.You want to talk about a bunch of arrogant pr!cks,check out the C6 section on another site.You mention quality issues to these d!cks and they have an answer for everything.So I start thinking about a ZR-1,Ive always followed the car since the late 80,s,knew exactly what the car was so that was my choice.When the C5 came out in 1997 my brother asked me if I had a choice what would I own between the 2,I told him at the time it would be a tough choice.When I bought my ZR-1,didnt even consider a C5,any C5 for that matter.Ive always known these cars are gold and one of these days the value is going to shoot through the roof,its a bit odd knowing I have one of these in my garage.

[Cdn ZR1 95]

Couldn't resist an practically new Z at less than half the original price