50 Proof

I might have an opportunity to trade my current car plus about $16k for an '05 C6 z51 with 67k miles. The owner of the car posts on here, so he'll probably even see this thread

I'm coming from the Mustang world here and I've never owned a GM before. I know nothing about them or what would be considered high mileage. The maintenance records are probably unknown on the car. What would be considered high mileage on the C6 Corvette? Do these cars reach a point, like the Mustangs, where all kinds of stupid stuff starts breaking? What should I look out for besides the known dead battery system that currently plagues this particular vette? My other option is to hold out for a black on black 2006 Vette, but I wouldn't have as favorable trade terms and would have to finance much more.

Any advice you guys can offer is much appreciated.

tampatopless

For most cars, 67K would not be high miles for a 6-year-old car - 6 years/67,000 = 11,000 miles a year.

But it is slightly high for a Vette. It indicates it is probably used as a daily driver, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

I think something in the 30,000 mile-range would be good.

Just my opinion: Mileage is very important for a Vette buy but not the only consideration. The other factors are how was it maintained and how was it driven.

I would tend to stay away from cars where the seller has posted track times, etc.

haljensen

Industry standard seems to be 12,000 miles a year as average BUT, Corvettes are a different animal, maybe 1/2 that figure? The newer 'Vettes come with a 100,000 mile Power Train Warranty

In your case the '06 would "probably" be a better deal, always buy the newest you can afford. On the '06 you'd have no first year hassles, a stronger differential, no column lock, no XM external antenna, etc.

dgrant3830

I have two Corvettes. '07 with 101k miles and a '99 with over 300k miles. Both were used as DD's. The '07 is in perfect condition and I mean Perfect. The '99 is needing a paint job and has a slight oil leak at this instant, otherwise everything else works good. As stated, its all in how they are used, maintained and cared for.

Gering

I have an 07 with well over 110,000 miles on it, as long as it was maintained with records I would not worry about the miles. Something to think about, I believe the 05's have the weaker diff's. Others may chime in on that. Good Luck!

AORoads

why, the underlined above? I would think someone on this forum would HAVE the maintenance records.

but the prevailing philosophy is to buy the newest car you can afford because there are always running (during the model year) changes, as well as year to year changes.

to answer your question tho, a 67K mile '05 may not be considered high mileage on most cars, but on a C6 it's not the norm by any standards. most C6s are second cars, occasional cars, weekend cars, summer-only cars. for those reasons, 5K/yr. is closer to the norm.

and yes, I now have put on my kevlar reinforced firesuit to ward off all criticisms on how this car should be driven all the time, all over the world and can even be driven over water, if not specifically on water....

Tide Will Roll!

Thats the kind of info I look for while reading all these threads
How much repair has been performed on the 07?

I plan on using a C6 as a DD and enjoying it instead of leaving it in the garage and letting it get old, like my wife does with me

Bert

Roll Tide!

Daekwan06

I agree with a few points already made:

1) Buy the newest vette you can afford. Although its more expensive, your getting more warranty coverage & more features. While the 05-11 base models may look alike, they are very different. Almost every year upgrades were added. The 06 received a better auto tranny and worked out alot of 1st model bugs. The 07 received a 5yr/100k warranty, newer steering wheel, Z51 & Z06 package added. The 08 got a new engine, new transmission, better steering, CF interior, standard OnStar, 4LT option. The 09 got blue-tooth, ZR1 added. The 10 got better active handling, GS package added. And we've all seen reports of whats available on the 11. All that is to say, there are some pretty significant upgrades to buy newer, if you can.

2. Average mileage for a vette should still be judged at the normal 12k a year. While vettes are generally driven much less, because they are 2nd or 'weekend' cars for most owners.. they are still very basic, very capable daily drivers built by a "General Automotive" company and should be judged as such. These are not limited production, rare exotic cars. There's absolutely no fundamental reason to be scared to drive a vette every day. While the vette offers world class performance and exotic styling.. its still a GM built product, backed by GM warranty, dealers and technicians. Vettes have always been designed so the common person can afford to own and maintain them. By the time you finish paying off your 4/5/6 year loan.. the difference in value of a 'low' and 'high' mileage vehicle is so small.. that you have only cheated yourself by not enjoying it more as its value depreciated.

3. With any used vehicle purchase, the primary concern should always be the condition of the vehicle and not the mileage. Regardless of mileage or age.. I always prefer a 1-owner, excellent service record, VGC condition vehicle (regardless of mileage) to a several-owner, missing service record vehicle. Because people generally keep vehicles they are satisfied with.. and people generally sell/trade vehicles they are dissatisfied with. I know life changes may happen where someone cannot afford to keep a 2 seat sports car, but "where there's a will.. there is a way". If 2 or 3 people have already owned a car, and its just a few years old, then I'm not touching it. There's a good reason why the previous owners didn't want to keep it.

4. I also stay away from modified vehicles. While others may look for vehicles that are modded, I avoid them. Especially performance modded vehicles, because they tend to be driven hard, tracked or even raced. I also prefer the look, ride, sound and performance a stock vehicle. If I want to mod a car, I'll do it myself and make sure its done exactly the way I want.

AFVETTE

Based on 40 years of Corvette ownership, I'd say anything over 12,000 miles per year puts it into a "high mileage" category.

Having said that C5's and C6's can and do routinely exceed that w/o any difficulties, but if I were looking to buy one that averaged 12K a year I'd want to know the cars exact history and owner info.

And two words of advice - Buy the newest vette you can afford and stay away from modded vette's unless you are able to maintain the car yourself.

Tom

tampatopless

The Lotus/AstonMartin dealership here in town had an Atomic Orange, 2007 Vert with the Callaway package, which is probably an extra $15,000.

It only had 7K miles and it sold on consignment for $41,500. Apparently, some wealthy guy had supercharged a Vette and decided he didn't like it.

I am still kicking myself for not buying it, but it was about $10,000 over my budget.

Torchsport

I have a 2002 Mustang GT, as well as my 11 GS coupe. I can't stand driving the Stang anymore! No comparison. You will love stepping up to a Corvette! I would think it would be a good trade, as long as you check it out thoroughly. Maybe get an inspection for a fee to be safe. Good luck. We would like to welcome you!


Side note: dgrant3830... WAY TO DRIVE THE WHEELS OFF! I think that's awesome!

RtotheDizzy

I'll give you my personal opinion:

Vettes have a near bulletproof powertrain. When they are maintained correctly 200K miles should be no problem. They do tend to develop annoying problems after 8 or so years and 100k mile or so. It's never something that stops the car from running but they are annoying.

The main thing I'd look for on a used vette is how it was driven and how well it was maintained. If the guy can show you his best 100 drag slips you probably want to stay away. If it's had 5 owners who never kept records you probably want to stay away. If someone (gasp) drove it to work every day but took care of it it should be perfectly fine.

Things to keep in mind with an '05:
See how much the steering wheel bothers you. Some people hate it.
The rear is weaker on the 05, if you want to drag it you may want something newer.
There is nothing wrong with the 05 auto, but the newer models have a much better A6.

Other than that, good luck on your purchase.

dgrant3830

Too date, the NAV had an early issue and was replaced under warranty. The right half-shaft seal started leaking at 98k miles and it too was replaced under the 5yr/100k warranty. That's it.

50 Proof

I couldn't agree more with that. Any Corvette that I buy will likely see a lot of miles. A few years back I bought a 1996 mystic Mustang Cobra and was too afraid to drive it because everyone told me how rare it is and that shouldn't be driven. Sold the car because I just couldn't enjoy it. My attitude become such that I don't care how rare or nice the car is. If I'm spending good money on a car, it will be enjoyed as much as possible.

I have a 2001 Mustang Bullitt. I'll tell you what, after driving my friend's C6, I did not want to get back into my mustang.

Funny how you mention the steering on the 2005. I can't stand the way it looks.

I have a lot of thinking to do. I appreciate all the advice given. I think Id prefer tool out for a 2006 with fewer miles but I need to spend more time thinking about it.

RtotheDizzy

It is one of the only ways to tell an 05 from a later model quickly. I personally have an 05. I have never liked the steering wheel in pictures. It has slowly been growing on me. It is better in person. Overall, I am still not a big fan though. There are options to replace it but if it is a big deal to you I suggest you go 06 or newer. The one perk of the 05 wheel is that it is unique, the newer wheel is VERY similar to the steering wheel in a some other GM cars. Again though, I suggest that you consider how the car was treated overall before you worry about the details.

Good luck.

Vette5.5

Finding a used C6 with 30 to 40K mi on the clock shouldn't be to difficult, and probably where I'd be looking. If going auto tranny, would at least go an 06' for the 6 speed paddle shift, as pretty nice and surely hold it's value better.

Tide Will Roll!

Thank you sir
Sounds like they are dependable vehicles.

Bert

Roll Tide!

cor28vettes

Funny that you mention the steering wheel on the 2005. I love the way it looks. It's what comes > that I can't stand. That DD sedan look.
I hope for C7 this gets resolved to mutual satisfaction.

cor28vettes

I'll put it this way, anything < than 3K per model year is low mileage. Between 3K and 6K P/Y becomes more subjective. > than 6K P/Y can't be low mileage. That becomes teaser low mileage. That's IMHOP only. Just made it all up.

To answer your Q. 300K is high mileage. And yes, I have seen it on the forum. Nice too!

canandy2

WOW Like to know more about your maintenance. Plan on keeping mine for a long time.