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Hey all, I was, still might, go check out an 02 c5 z06 about 3 1/2 hours away from me tomorrow.
Car look good from what pictures I've seen. Dudes asking 17k and the car has 65k miles.
The Autocheck report they have on eBay mentions no accidents or damage. However, I ran a carfax report last night. I'll post a screen shot below. Cars had four owners since then, which I also don't like, but being a corvette they get passed around a good number of them.
So any advice peps? I was really excited about going to look at this thing and have been chomping at the bit to get a c5z as a daily. But, now I just don't know about this one. Where can I go to find out more info on the damage? Is it possible to get my hands on a detailed report?
I previously had an MX5 Miata that was bumped in a parking lot by a BMW. My damage was about $950. Years later I found the Carfax said "accident damage, multiple locations". I was glad I had photos and receipts for the next owner (a dealer). Clearly my damage was overstated and I would not worry about your report.
The car has had somewhere around 53,000 miles put on it since the accident. It's probably FINE. Take CarFax with a grain of salt. It's not a finite science. There is no guarantee that everything that's happened to the car IS reflected in the CF, nor that it's accurate.
IF you are going to physically inspect the car, look for all of the tell-tale signs of body damage. Get them to put the car in the air for you if at all possible to look below as well. Check body seams/gaps. Compare each panel to the others in sunlight. Look at body/panel mounting points to see if they have been mounted multiple times/adjusted. There are other lists and videos on how to check out used cars you can find on the web.
Drive it and look at it close including under hood, frame etc. if thats all good I would not worry myself. If you are still worried, get a reputable body shop to look at it as Jack said or maybe a good alignment shop to make sure there is not some crazy stuff done to fix alignment.
Good luck, I love the c5z, it will easily be the best c5 to hold value.
Last edited by Forcedvert; 11-21-2016 at 09:00 AM.
I agree with what others have stated. $17K is a good price. Look at how things line up and you can usually tell if it was a botch job.
I bought mine almost 3 years ago for more and it also had some front end damage at one time, but was repaired and looks great.
If you were buying this for a garage queen and needed the resale vaule, I would pass, but since you want a Daily ride, I would go for it if it looks good.
Z's are great daily's but they will get roughed up a little with the daily grind (scratches, rock chips, dirt). I got mine knowing I was going to "use it up" and not save it for the next guy.
If it looks in good shape, this might be the one for you. Good price and you won't be "ruining" a pristine example with the daily wear and tear that happens to all dailys.
Many times, Carfax will go by the repair damage cost to determine severity. I had a 2010 Camaro SS that had to have the front body panel replaced, no damage other than cosmetic. Carfax listed it as medium damage when I traded it in since it went over a certain cost. Was not a happy camper that day as it cost me a bit on trade in.
Find a reputable auto repair shop in the seller's area and tell the seller you want to take the car there for a "Used Vehicle Inspection" or "UVI" Look thru the AAA website for AAA-approved shops in that area.
A typical UVI will cost about $150 but you get a written report of everything that is checked and estimates for any repairs that will be needed. IMHO, it's worth the time and money to do as you get information about repairs before you buy. And that information could be used to negotiate a lower price.
When I purchased my 2000 coupe it showed an accident report on car fax, but didn't go into any detail of it. I got a copy of the police report from that accident and it was at a stop light and my car moved forward just a little bit and hit the car in front of them.
In the police report, the officer stated that there was no damage to either car at all. I still took my Vette to a Vette shop for inspection just in case and it was fine.
When I purchased my 2001 Coupe the car fax showed no damage. The PO had records showing a encounter with another vehicle causing the bumper cover to be replaced. They are hit and miss on reports.
I would inspect the car and drive it and if it checks out go for it.
I agree with the others. The accident was 13 years ago. Go look at it. If it passes the looks, feel, condition, and gut test, go for it! Since you plan to daily drive it, I wouldn't hesitate if it checks out.
I paid $17k for mine 5 years ago and it had 168,000 miles on it. It now has 260,xxx and I don't regret the purchase one bit.
Just bought my '99 with 56K on the OD..clean carfax w/3 owners and one "minor" accident. Carfax provided no details on the accident as far as what happened..
Anyway was a used car lot special..you know the story, it looked like a nice car with a decent price..so I pulled the trigger..fast forward..I just bumped it myself, had to paint the bumper cover..now it has TWO "minor accidents, hell now my life is over...LOL
IMHO, when it is cosmetic, not a big deal. I prefer an original car but these cars are getting old so it is not uncommon for paintwork to be done on some of them. If it hasn't ever been hit or painted, I have found the prices rise substantially especially if the mileage is low, too.
If there has been collision damage that involved structure, I would be a little more careful buying it. I would rather buy a car that had a key scratch repaired or a bumper punched in over a car that spent 20+ hours on a frame rack being repaired.
It might have just had the bumper cover replaced but if it was me I'd probably try to contact the owner at that time (if possible to look him up). One thing worth noting is one of the frame extensions just behind the bumper will have the VIN stamped in it. I only bring this up because a while back I was looking at an 04 Convertible at an auction which had 4500 miles but upon closer inspection the front frame horns had been changed and the VIN numbers no longer matched. Incidentally, this car had a clean CarFax so must have gone through repair while managing to keep it quiet
If the car you are asking about truly checks OK you might have just found a good potential bargain.
11-21-2016, 08:14 AM
2002 c5 z06. Carfax report with "minor damage."
