Alley Oop

I’m thinking of buying a coupe with a manual transmission, it will have no more than 50,000 well maintained miles on it. I will not be racing it. Now I know that there can be a large difference in costs but I’d like to get an idea of how much people spend per year driving their Corvettes 5000 miles or more?
Thanks in advance.

Alley Oop

Forgot to add that I will be doing almost all of my own maintenance and my repair work.

striper

I have an '03 Z06 which has about 168,000 miles on it. I have no idea how much I spend on it yearly, but mainly I buy gas. Some on doing the occasional mods, and a little bit on maintenance. This car has been extremely dependable and has needed a minimum of repairs. I did do the clutch on it once, but it really only needed the slave cylinder. Other than that, it's been great.

grantv

I DD my Z spring summer and fall. I started with around 40K miles and will hit 4 years in July.
In that time aside from mods; tires, both belts, battery, one pulley. Think that's it.

Tsumi

Oil every 10,000 miles (I was putting almost 10k a year before changing jobs and getting a company car). Mobil 1 rebates and sales make oil + filter approximately $30. Tires good out to about 30k miles, about $700 for Continentals. Haven't changed the clutch yet, I drive very light and easy.

​​​​​Most regular maintenance items on the Corvette aren't that expensive. Treat it nice, and it will go for a long time before needing major repairs.

My Vette Life

I daily my car year round and drive it everywhere, I drive as I 'm just cruising and also drive the hell out of it on the backroads every other week.

plain and simple, COST will vary depending on driving habit just like any other car.


I change oil every 1-1/2 months due to my driving habits.

Things will fail due to wear and tear also age.


I do my own maintenance so big cost is going to be tires and maybe brakes. Thats if nothing major breaks down such as your Diff, Trans, Engine.

Doing your own work or most of it will cut your cost drastically.

Corvette#2

I've put about 40k miles on mine in the last 38 months. Parts and labor:

Harmonic balancer plus belts ~600
AC compressor and blower motor control board ~1000
Brake pads and discs on all 4 wheels ~600
Shocks ~600
Tires ~1400 (2 pairs in front, 1 pair in rear)
Plus oil changes, transmission, differential and brake fluid services.
Gas, I use premium and average around 18mpg. Mostly city driving.

Insurance ~4000

Not the cheapest car to own, but I figure things like the harmonic balancer and AC compressor are one time expenses.

corvettezman

I pay $450 a year with Haggerty. Agreed value of $19000 on a 73k miles 98 Vert.

awches

Gas, tires, oil / filter change / wiper blades for the normal maintenance in the last year. But with a 120,800 mile car, had to change a few things that had not been changed before. Like HP Powersteering hose, Pull ECBM apart and resoldier, pull Air Conditioner control out and resoldier the resistors. Pulled the nose off to repair light damage from a parking lot tag and go by ?????.
Right at 10,000 miles last year on it.

jrprich

[QUOTE=Corvette#2;1597154778
Insurance ~4000
[/QUOTE]

Is that a typo? $4k a year for one car?

I pay under $400.00 a year for full coverage on my 03

Tsumi

My Vette Life

Wiper blades, I never changed them in all 6 years of owning my C5. It rarely rains and when it does, only get used for about an hour.

Stuff can break down. Your job is just to prevent by general maintenance.

I strongly stand by my statement the cost of ownership will vary depending on driving habits.

jackthelad

Had mine from new, now has about 90k on it. For the first 5 years or so, it was my commuter car, now it's pleasure only. Lot of issues under warranty, but reliable since. It's on it's 3rd battery (since 1997). The first one did the well know Delco split and was replaced under warranty. The second Delco lasted about 7 years, and the current Sears Platinum has been in since 2007, and is still fine. Started the car easily after some long winter non driving periods - I don't use a tender, never needed one.

Apart from that, a new fuel filter (the early cars have them in the fuel line, so a relatively easy job), an oil pressure sensor, a hazard switch (no brake lights) and I need to get inside the driver's door to sort out the door locks - OK with the key, but won't lock/unlock from the driver's switches. And new tires.

Add ons include Baer brakes, new wheels and tires (18/19), a Halltech Stinger and an Adjure. Never did an exhaust as they really don't add any power, and I am not an enthusiast for adding noise.

Basically a cheap car to run. Even buying it new and loaded, it's only about $2k/year depreciation. Leasing an econobox will cost you more than that, never mind the fun factor comparison.

One thing I did learn - the "lifetime" trans fluid in the MN6 is a myth. I was getting some very "balky" shifts at around the 70k marker, so changed the fluid as step 1. Nothing special, just regular Valvoline Dex/Merc. Made a world of difference - problem solved for $20.

c51stvette

Bought my 2001 convertible 8 years ago with 24,000 miles. Now at 62,000.
New tires-Michelin non runflats $1100
All the following replaced myself. Ignition switch, hazard bypass, daytime running light, headlight motor, waterfall lifts, battery, drivers side sunvisor, belts and main radiator hoses.

Insurance and license fees in Mich cost as much as premium fuel.

c51stvette

Forgot one repair on my list-drivers side rear axle seal last summer

oneandgone

I put about 7500 miles on mine in the last year. Think I have like 50k in it now. Pretty sure I only work to feed my addiction.

Corvette#2

You're lucky. There are a lot of illegals/insurance fraud/uninsured drivers here which pushes up the rates. I saw in another insurance thread, someone in rural SC, with a DUI no less, was paying less than me.
4k for the whole time I've owned the car. It's like flushing money down the toilet.

HotrodZ06

In 2017, I drove my '02 Z06 approximately 4,500 miles. I am retired so it is not really a daily driver but I do drive it 1-2 times a week with occasional road trips. My total cost for 2017, including gas, oil, insurance, license, and replacement emergency brake handle was $1,742.

In 2016, With about the same miles, including all the items above and a smog check, new Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, new powder-coated Z06 calipers, 2 new Z06 rear wheels, new roof rails, Mgw shifter, and other miscellaneous items, the total yearly cost was higher at $4,930. I do all my own work on the car so I paid no additional labor cost.

ClipperFan

it's been nothing but regular maintenance for my 1997 C5.........had it 5 years or so with 130,000 miles

envisi0n91

I just bought a daily driver with 47k miles. 6 speed 2003. So far I've needed to replace the harmonic balancer, front main seal, both belts, some pulleys, both tensioners, and now I'm looking at a diff or tranny repair (Must've been abused by previous owners because how the hell do you get a 47k mile car with a bad tranny or LSD). Hoping that she holds up after this nightmare is done.