Sids04

There are lots of pristine C5's that were never driven coming on the market nowadays. Be patient and keep searching. You will be able to find wild to mild for cheap.

Shirl

It's simple: If you don't know what you are looking at . Don't buy it. I personally would want a "quiet" convertible.. but that's just me. Coupe on the other hand.. loud and proud.

chasboy

Katie, hopefully we have not beaten you up so much that you've been scared away. Having purchased my second c5 only 2 months ago, I was in your position too. I was glad to test drive the variety of cars I did, because once I drove the one I now have I was relieved about its "stockness". One last "admonishment", which I almost got caught by: don't buy a car with a pile of stuff you don't like and or have to undo or fix. It's not worth it. Start fresh and make it your own, and watch prices. It's very easy to overpay. The time you spend being careful is so worth it in the long run.

Katie22

No I was not scarred away. I used to be a member here years ago when I owned my 40th ruby red.

I love the new car. I just realize I am not a hot rod driver so with that said I am happy with a c5 or c6 that is loaded up.

I want a comfortable car that is reliable and reasonably refinded.

When I drove my Dads 98 I thought dam this is very nice. I Drove it from Michigan to Cleveland and was like I could live with this as a regular car.

So yes I liked the c5. And I loved the one yesterday. You can look up the add on ebay for a 2003 corvette. Its out of Occee Florida (outside of Orlando) price is 26,900.

As ya can see the car is beautiful. I just wanted to know what the hell has been done to it and the guy cant say........

Katie

Katie22

NO its all good. You all are great. I just want a comfortable car that looks reasonable and is reliable.............

Yall can look at the add at http://www.ebay.com/itm/201575133818?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

The car is at a wholesale lot and you know now I think I understand why. Even though its is beautiful the dealerships simply could not sell it either because who the hell knows what was done to it.


Katie

Fast Cars & Horses

Hi Katie..I had sold a C3 to get a C5 vert, like you want. It took me almost a year to find exactly what I wanted, but I never compromised. I wanted a car local enough that I could go see it and drive it in person, low miles, clean carfax, showroom condition, hopefully 1 owner, triple black. My best friend's son is the F&I guy at a local Chevy dealer and he called me about a trade in they were getting on a C7. It was all of the above, a 2001, less than 30K miles, owned by a local guy, and he sold it to me for less than 19K. It's been a literally perfect, no problem car. I put a Magnaflow exhaust w/X pipe that has a low rumble without the drone, and a few other mods. Be patient, they are out there, take someone to help you who is knowledgeable, and only buy exactly what you want so you have no regrets, then make it your own and drive it like you stole it...these cars are meant to enjoy life with, not sit in a garage and stare at.

Katie22

Maybe I just need a corvette therapist.

chasboy

you already have them! Is the car in the ad the one you originally posted about? I don't see a supercharger or anything else over the top. Can't see the headers from the pic, but if you say they are there. The close up pix show a lack of detail attention. I would never take a sale pic of my car unless it was pristine. This dealer seems like a flipper.
Try and relax, look at ALL the ad sites, new ones crop up all the time!

Katie22

Yes that is the car that I drove yesterday. Yes it did not have a supercharger. What I did notice along with the headers is red spark plug wires. Guessing gm wires were black it further made me wonder what was done to the car.

I have been doing research and from what I can gather the c5 and c6 share some commonalities and that a c6 while more refined is not a huge departure from the c5. Perhaps that is incorrect but that's the best I can ascertain.

I would also consider a new z51 but I know I will never use the capabilities. I did ask to drive one at the local dealership but they say not unless your committed to buying one...... told them to stick it somewhere.......

I do know one thing it has to be a convertible. Why do I say that? Because my 93 was a coupe and I was constantly switching on and off both of the tops that it had. What a pain.

warren s

Almost 250,000 C5s were built. Just keep looking until you find exactly what you are looking for.

Its funny how some people exclaim “I would never buy a modified car!” As if they know anything about the car in question. I would rather buy a modified car from an enthusiast then a bone stock car from a person who drove it as daily driver and had jiffy lube change the oil “whenever”.

Katie22

And Warren don't get me wrong. This girl is very technical and a trained aircraft technician. My issue was that the car had with it all the papers that came when new but NOTHING that showed what or who did the mod work.

I asked to see if there was a way to get ahold of the original owner and the wholesale guy said no. Also all the original stuff that was removed was not available to go with the car. Most of us would supply that which we unbolted.

I loved it but it was scarry fast (very abrupt power delivery perhaps due to only four gear ratios) and noisy with the top up...........

warren s

If you don’t know the history of the vehicle, it’s a perverbal cat in the bag, modified or stock. (history being usage, like it was a friends car)

What difference would it make if you knew exactly what it had in it? and who did it? And if it had the stock parts? Were you going to convert it back to stock?

Point is - If its not your cup of tea, just move on. Way too many of them out there. Its not a 63 SWC

If you bought it – and then didn’t like it, now that would have been a mistake.

zrc3john

I am also a new forum member...Im thinking of selling my pristine 91 ZR1 black/black for a modified C5 Z06.....

Also own a 73 convertible which I have owned for the past 14 years and did my own mods to it....Well some,my mechanic did the rest....

I see a lot of forum members suggest buying a close to stock as possible car....I bought my ZR1 back in Nov of 2014 and with labor and parts I have spent around 5,000 dollars modding it.......Car puts down 382 horsepower at 7,000 rpm(car can rev to 7,400 rpm) to the rear wheels with the mods I have done,porting,headers,exhaust,chip etc....

Car runs perfect and I am a mature owner....If I did decide to sell than someone would be getting a good car from an honest guy....I know you have heard this before but its the truth....

Like one of the members pointed out I see a lot of modded C5 Z06s on this forum....475-550 horse to the rear wheels are common and they look inviting and they are not a TON of money it seems....

Now I would like a modded car I would..I would want turn key and just maintain it from there....Question being, do I sell the ZR1 and take my chances looking for a modded C5 or just stick to what I have?

I would love to port the heads on the ZR1 but its something I have no knowledge in doing and it could get costly when you factor in the labor. As far as mods to the Z im basically done but,wanting more.....

I agree these cars were meant to be driven and not stared at in a garage....I feel Corvettes (Ii HAVE OWNED THREE) respond well to mods.....

So feel free to chime in to the question of buying a modded car or close to stock as posssible....

John.....

Katie22

Well if Lingenfelter had done the mods I would have been totally ok with buying it. Same for Calloway and probably others. The fact is if they had done it I would know that all was balanced out. Without that knowledge I could be facing a car with a ton of power and a transmission that was not able to handle that power ect ect ect............

And finally understand I am not exactly dissing the mods. I am saying I need to see the paper trail to see what was done. If someone says heres your car its been moded and its all a mystery.............. that's what I was faced with.......

73Corvette

I sit in the garage and stare at ours with a big stupid grin on my face all the time

Forcedvert

Could you elaborate more on the power monster, did you floor it going in a straight line? Reason I ask is my 01 would not spin my Michelin tires when stock with the 273 gear, but it would spin easily with the old goodyears. After I changed the rear gear (342) it would spin all the way through first. With only that mod and a slight increase in stall. Just curious.

I would not buy from anyone who would not let you drive the car, I bought mine from a internet dealer who was in state and they tossed me the keys and said "take it for a spin".

blacksedan87

Opinions vary - here's another to consider. Modified cars can be a real value too. If a car has an aftermarket exhaust, an aftermarket air intake, upgraded tires and wheels and aftermarket brakes.....is this a car you should turn away? Not necessarily. If the exhaust is one that you like, if the wheels and tires enhance the vehicle's appearance and the vehicle is in good condition and well maintained - you might be getting these mods for pennies on the dollar. These are the most common things changed on these cars. Many owners made changes like the ones mentioned almost immediately after purchase.

My suggestion is to not run away from a car with the right mods and seek that one owner, low mileage, absolutely stock car. Believe it or not - upgrades can be an improvement over 12 - 15 year old stock parts.

Have a qualified shop, that is experienced in C5's perform a pre-purchase inspection of a prospective purchase. Good luck in your search.

Katie22

The car had the auto trans. I suspect that the lack of more gear ratios, a low restriction air flow through the engine, the noise in the mufflers, all made this thing feel scary fast.

My Dad used to own a Buick grand national. That thing was scary too in the sense that it was not easy to control the power. One moment you got a normal car and a bit more throttle and the turbo is coming on and wow.

This car felt so high strung that the ability to control the power was completely dependent upon the traction control. I mentioned earlier I would be scarred to turn it off. As far as the rear end ratio I don't know. I didn't make a notation of the rpm at hwy speed.

I would have expect a more linear power delivery from a car with traction control.

I don't know if the tires broke free. At one point I pulled off the road onto grass and nailed it from a stop to see if the traction control was working. It appeared to not leave lines but dam the engine was still as loud as before as if the traction control was not working. MY 93 you could feel the traction control working.

Forcedvert

A stock c5 is quicker than a stock Buick grand national, maybe your fathers 98 is kinda slow?

Traction control will not allow it to break free, it must have been working and a good thing it was because flooring a c5 on loose ground could end up badly, these cars are much more powerful than the 70's through 90's cars. I think this car may just be loud and pretty much stock by what you are comparing it to, try another 2001 and up and see if it feels the same, but leave tc on.

friou

Hello, if you are still looking check " C5's for Sale" in this forum. A real good place to look to comparison shop is "cargurus.com". This site lists all manner of cars and allows you to fine tune your search nationwide by both dealers and private sellers. For example you can search by Corvette, what years, body type (coupe, vert, z, etc), transmission type, color, mileage range, your distance from the car for sale, price range and on and on and on. Speaking for me, I think its a great way of doing some armchair research for free via the interweb while refreshing yourself with an ice cold brewskie. After some time you will see a pattern develop among the various years and models regarding price. Just handy! Having an idea what various models and years are going for around the country, with specific equipment or what have you that you are looking for, is a valuable resource when you begin the serious search for your buy. Best of luck and best wishes!