Barchetta

Hello,

First of all, I appreciate you taking the time to read this somewhat lengthy post. I'd like some advice from some of the experienced Corvette owners.

Was talking to an out-of-state friend who owns a '97 corvette and is considering selling. He asked if I was interested. My trepidation is that I've never owned a Corvette, and I don't know how they drive, and have no idea on the reliability for that year.

I've always loved the 'Corvette' in general, from afar, but new prices have always been way out of my reach. This car and price I could actually afford.

It's a '97, silver, auto, glass top, with low, 30-40k miles he said. He's the 3rd owner. It's been kept in pristine condition throughout it's life, always garaged during the winter, well maintained. Not one single service issue since new. I've seen it, it's beautiful. He's offered it to me for $18K.

Questions:

Do you think this is a fair price for a 15 year old Corvette in such condition? Kelly and NADA say $16.5K to $17.5k. Edmond's says $10K - Such a wide range. In your opinion, what is a fair price?

What about reliability for that year, and in general for the C5 Corvette?

How do they ride? Some write they ride smooth similar to a touring sedan, others write it's a more feel-the-road sport.

Is it a good car for a daily driver? or more for long road trips? or both?

What is the actual, real world gas millage? I've read some say 30 MPG, or like an Accord, and others write 12-15 MPG.?

I've read that only 9,752 Corvettes were manufactured in 1997. Do you think for being rare, if mileage kept low, and condition kept pristine, it could retain it's value or be a collectors car?

Lastly, what do you love about your Corvette? Share your passion.

Thanks in advance for your help.

s'noJob

Welcome to our forum! I'm sure you'll find lots of help here. And congratz for considering Corvette. Here’s my opinion, and others will chime in, I am certain.

First, I think 18 grand is a lot, even with what would be considered a low mileage for any other car. And it’s a friend? Sounds like you and he need to test your negotiation skills!

The C5 generation has been known to have pretty good reliability, even as a daily driver, based on my experience driving 32 miles a day in mine. Keep in mind, however, that I have the last of the breed, the ’04, which benefits from being “younger,” so to speak, and has most of the bugs worked out. You’re talking about the first model of the C5, the 1997, and the first model of any car can be risky business. So be careful. If it’s a friend, I’m sure he’ll be happy to show you any service records he has saved.

Regarding ride, in my opinion, with non-run-flat tires, the C5 is great for long trips. When I’m cruising down Hwy 95, sometimes it feels like I’m driving an ordinary sedan, and the car I traded in was a Camry!

Regarding mileage, I have the 3.15:1 performance axle, which I test out on occasion, and I get mixed mileage of 20 mpg. On the highway, loaded with luggage, I have consistently gotten 25 mpg with the 3.15s. Those with the normal axle can easily get over 25 mpg.

Please do yourself a favor and disregard any notion of a ’97 C5 with more than 10,000 miles to be collectable. Just drive like it’s alive!

Regarding sharing my passion, that would be the subject for another lengthy post.

Good luck!
.

rbrumm

I bought a 2001 vert two years ago for 15k with 51,000 miles. In great shape. The price seems a little high. There are a lot of newer ones out there for some fair prices if your willing to take your time and look

As for reliability , I have a 2001 and have not had very many issues. You can read through this forum in the stickies area and find common issues for various years. I know a lot of 97 owners can chime in on this

The ride ... It is more of a sports car than a sedan. So it rides a little harsher you can do a lot with shocks, tires etc. to soften the ride but it is a Vet. Aka "race car".

Daily driver & gas mileage. If I did not have a company car and my daily commute was not 50 miles each way I would Cruz that bad boy every day
But currently she is my summer weekend car. I average 26 to 28 mpg on the the highway

I'm not sure how rare the 1997 are. They did not make a lot of white 2001 convertibles. But. That's about the same for all years and styles and colors compared to all other cars made you just need to feel good about the price you pay for yours

What I like... There's nothing better for me but to drop the top on a nice summer day and take a ride through the mountains life's good.

Would I buy my vet again yes.

Cheers

azmusclecar

So many questions.....so little time to answer.

Welcome to the Corvette World and to the C5 section.

Now, I bet every question you posted has been asked, and has been asked many many times.

I can't address all of them. Many of the answers you seek you may need to find for yourself. Some answers you will get from here will be OPINIONS..........not answers.

Some times what is good for one is NOT good for all. So, with that said, let me address just one of your questions.

You did not define collectors car. Some people collect Corvettes with mod-red interiors. Some people collect Corvettes with very low miles. Some collectors buy cars for their build number such as either the 1st one built or the last one.

I don't believe your car has any collectable factor in it. What would make your car rare?

The mileage would have to be extraordinarily low like less than 1,000. It would need a special option that other 97's does not have. Was it ever owned by someone famous?

Look up the word "collectible" and see what it says. I suggest you dismiss that factor and look more for the fun of ownership factor. And even then, there are those that just don't like Corvettes. Drive the car, do a lot of reading and research BEFORE you buy the car so you know all about the issues you may encounter owning a 15 year old car. Some owners find out the hard way buying someone else' problems. These cars are cheap by some standards........... but can break your bank and your heart if you're not careful.

I'll stop my answer there and let others direct you with their "ANSWERS" or "OPINIONS". It's up to you to find the wisdom among that mass of intelligence here. Good luck.

Suthunman

You have received some good advice already with the posts above. I would only add that you should do your research to decide just which Vette is the one for you. Likely it's not the one you are looking at for one reason or another, or it could be. It seems a little pricey to me.

Find some Vettes in your area, dealers and/or private sellers, drive them and see what you like or dislike about them. Once you figure out what you want THEN start looking to buy. Be patient in your search. Dont worry about paying a little extra for the right car. A cheap one can easily be more expensive in the long run if it has problems. When you find the one for you, you will know it.

f6john

It may be a really nice 97 but for 18k you have a lot of choices out there. You really need to drive a couple of C5s to see if they are right for you.

JaxEagle

I stressed a lot over price before I bought. Now I blow money on all sorts of stuff. In hindsight, I would have considered only how much I liked the car because it doesn't matter in the long run whether you got a great deal of 1,000 below value or paid 1,000 over value.

DDaaryl

If the 16 year car has original tires be prepared to write a big check

jcgunn

Price seems way high to me, shop around, try to get the newest C5 you can afford...

donald4972

Welcome. Driving a C5 Corvette will give you superpowers. Use them wisely, and (mostly) for good!

With that said, buying a C5, or any car for that matter, should not be an act of friendship.
Consider the money you have to comfortably spend, research C5's, look at all color options, wheel options, Vert vs Coupe, things like that. Test drive a couple, or more. Look at the forum here, there are posts with thousands of photos of great looking C5 Corvettes or all colors and styles.

Find the nicest car, you can afford, and want. If that happens to be the one your friend has, so be it. But don't let that (friendship) be your determiner, of which Corvette you buy.

Don't be afraid to ask questions here on the forum. Many many guys will give you the straight answers, as best they can.

Good luck, you won't regret driving C5, and the thrill of all that comes with Corvettes.

moonglowfarm

I love my silver C5 ... it is not a passenger car but it is a pleasure to cruise down the highway with on a weekend trip. The price you state seems a bit high - shop around and buy the car that you want ... there are enough of them out there for sale. Don't rush into a purchase until you check this model (C5) out and are satisfied that you'll be happy with ride quality, handling, braking, etc. - Corvette's are great machines but you'll pay dearly to have one worked on if it's got problems.

Barchetta

Thanks to everyone so far for your help. To others, please add to this discussion if you can help. I respect all of your sincere opinions.

The quote above is another trepidation I have about owing such a complex machine like a Corvette. I say this to everyone for comment. Unlike what most Corvette owners seem to do, I tend to find a sports car I like and keep it for many years, of not for all of its useful life. I know that all cars, regardless of purchased condition and miles, will eventually need some maintenance over time. It's important to keep on top of it, which I always do with all my cars.

But I worry if owing a Corvette means shelling out a thousand bucks + every few months, or every time something goes wrong --that could break a person financially very quick. This is why I wont own a 90's Benz 300SL, or Nissan 300ZX. Even though like them, repair costs are insane.

To get an idea can anyone tell me roughly what typical repair costs would be for Corvette shop or dealer service? This is not including the cost of the multitude of 'power' options and sensors, etc., the car has that can go bad, but it will give me basic idea.

- Timing belt, water pump, and drive belt(s) service
- Fuel injector, throttle body cleaning/service
- New tires
- Brakes
- Shocks /struts

What has been some of your most costly service repairs you've had done so far?

What are some of the more costly items to have repaired on the Corvette?

Thanks again.

Vetteman Jack

$18K does seem high for a '97 even with the mileage on that one. For that amount, you most likely can find a newer model with more options on the car. The C5 is actually a pretty reliable car. It makes for a good daily driver and the gas mileage is very good for a car with it's capabilities. My '00 was a 6 speed car and it got high 20's, low 30s for the mpg on the highway and around 17-18 mpg in town. My '03 is an A4 and gets between 25-27 mpg highway and 16-19 mpg in town.

As for maintenance costs, new tires can be bought for around $700 for a good set of non-runflats (I'm running a set of Hankook Ventus V12 EVOs on mine and paid less than $675 mounted and balanced for mine - Hankook had an $80 rebate on them at the time). If you go with runflats, the costs go up considerably. The C5 does not have struts - and a good set of say C6 Z06 shocks are around $250 + install (unless you do the labor yourself). Brakes are easy to do and GM ceramic pads run about $120 for a full set - other brands, like Hawk HPS pads will be a bit higher.

Buying any C5 at this point will most likely be cause for wanting to do a full fluid change out (unless the seller can document that fluids have been recently changed). Just a good preventative measure IMO. Belts and hoses should be looked at also.

A '97 is not a rare car nor will it be a collector's car anytime soon, if ever. And the C5 makes for a great long distance car - it rides well, handles great and is comfortable.

CBZZZC5

I purchased my 97 with 40K in the same condition you discribed for 14K

s'noJob

The Corvette is not a complex machine. OK, it is complex, but not much more than many other cars built in 1997. It's a car. A used car.

I have a question for you. Do you want a C5 Corvette in general, or are you looking to buy your friend's '97 Corvette?

We may be able to provide better help if we understand your ultimate goals.

Here's a thought. Tell him to take it to his nearest Carmax and have them appraise the car. Then have him fax you the page with the value they have determined.

Then you can talk about price. If he calls you back.

.

langsbr

From what I've seen, the timing chain, water pump, and belts, etc that you mentioned aren't that bad.

You might get the "corvette tax" from some places, but most of those items are relatively inexpensive.

I think you are doing yourself a disservice not including the "multitude of sensors" as the Corvette has MANY and MANY can and do go bad.

The 97, being the first year is probably a bit more prone to experiencing those issues as well. The EBCM I believe is one of the biggest PITA to deal with, and is very expensive - some of the experts here correct me - the 97 is NON-rebuildable, correct?

I don't know if the 97 had dual climate control, but that can go out as well.

Did the 97 have HUD? That's another potential issue that is relatively common for going bad.

Don't get me wrong, they are great cars, but electronic gremlins can be a PITA when parts are scarce or non-existent.

Suncityan

For the "what it's worth dept.".

I purchased a '04 Coupe last Friday and am in Corvette heaven. Need I say anything else?

I want to, so here goes:

It took me two years to "do it" even though owing one had been on my radar since buying my first 2-door '55 150 - in '55.

It's weird how this particular car jumped out at me as said, "take me home". I was driving down the freeway looking across to the other side where there was a Corvette dealer with about a dozen vehicles sitting there looking at all of us flying down the 75 mph speed limit road.

Another mile along the way my little '02 Civic found a turnaround and headed back the way we had come. The blue Commemorative Edition was just sitting there - it wasn't an elusion.

Ten minutes before I had no idea what a Commemorative Edition Corvette was or if I had any yearnings to own one.

The price was in line with what I had been researching and the push that made me write the check was the dealership's office manager was looking for a car like the one I drove in for her son.

The rest is history although with a very short timeline.

The moral of this post is, "if it fits, don't fight it!" (And you'll know it when it fits.)

rws.1

$18K is a bit high. $16.5 would be the high end value for a car like that in PERFECT condition. If it was me shopping I would look longer. I don't like buying cars from friends.... 1)too much can go wrong that may impact the friendship, 2) I think you can buy newer (2000-2001) for that price if you look had enough. I have a friend from Ohio that bought a 2004 Z-06 with 40K miles for $20K. He found someone who was starting a family, needed a car with a back seat and was willing to sell to anyone who who give him the remaining balance on his car loan.
Many of us love our Corvettes so much that we do not want to let them go and put unrealistic high prices on them (compared to those who just drive a vehicle for transportation)

From your questions, on ride, it sounds like you have not driven it.... Drive it or another one, The feel varies based on suspension package.
The feel will depend on the year and the suspension packages that were offered throughout the model life (FE1 Base,FE3 sport, FE4 special ride and handling, FE45 real time dampening Z51, Z-06,) As well as any aftermarket changes ( non fun flat tires, new shocks)

Tom Keitzer

Bought my pristine 02 vert with 19K on the clock five years ago for $25K from a great guy whose wife was about to have twins. (Poor fellow was replacing it with a minivan) There were tears in his eyes when I drove away.

franklc

i have owened a few that is very high priced. i just found an 05 c6 red 70k on it in memphis they asking $17,000 obo. thats not a bad deal even if it has had damage, if you cant see any. and it drives out fine. on craigslist with chrome wheels. i just sold an 02 81k for $13k 6 speed loaded every option. they are defenitely out there just dont by first thing that pops up. even though we have all done it, try to buy atleast an 01 up would not regret it. fewer problems.