frankcfalco

Hi,

I am a C3 guy with lots of experience with C3's. I know VERY little about c5's and I'm looking to buy my first C5 and I need your opinions on a fair price to offer for a local car for sale. He wants $14k but is Very neg. I KNOW it is not worth 14k but want to make a smart offer. Details:

• 2000 c5
• originally black, painted blue now. Paint job was done well (door jams and engine bay), but the paint is cracked a bit on the front and rear, probably from small impacts. And the passenger side mirror is really faded
• the car has a Z06 motor and tranny swap (so not original motor)
• The ABS TC lights are on (Module is bad the seller says)
• It has headers
• the side windows are dark tinted (have to be removed here in NY for inspection)
• Interior is a 7/10 with some small seat tears
• It has straight pipes on it now, but comes with billy boat mufflers which easily clamp on
• Car has 157,000 miles on the odometer

I was thinking maybe in the $8-$9k range? what do you guys think? My purpose for the car is just to make it a nice driver.

Thank you in advance for the help
Frank

Autoeng

I think your $8-9K range is good. More toward the $8. There is a really nice white one for sale that is a better deal in the classifieds. I would set your comparison to this car.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...-000-00-a.html

frankcfalco

I saw that car last night. Beautiful Car. I was trying to think if I can have someone I know in Florida take a look at it lol! Up here in NY, that is a good distance away

Mike98SilVert

This looks like a much better car and deal. I would pass on the other.

MWWarlord

You should find a better car than the one you're looking at. The EBCM issue will be a PITA to deal with. A good paint job will cost you THOUSANDS! If you are patient, you'll find the right car for you.

Autoeng

The seller may be willing to do some video walkarounds or maybe Facetime / Skype for you and you could create a post for Florida members near Jacksonville that may be willing to go take a look and a drive for you before you hop on a one way flight. Flights to FL are generally cheap.

And MWWarlord is right. There are lots of C5's out there and the right one will come along for you. Patience is the key. Right now the increased prices makes it difficult to find good buys but they are out there.

c5arlen

Newbie has much to learn about C5... Get knowledge and experience "here" and make your own decisions. Learn C5 before you leap.

Gunfighter77

As mentioned above the EBCM issue could be a PITA. That would be a deal breaker for me as there are plenty other options if you are patient.

bc6152

I don't see what year the car is anywhere...

Sorry... missed it in the initial post...

Old School

I think that is a good range but I would be surprised and suspicious if he goes from a $14k ask and accepts $8k.
I would pay more and get more but that's just me, I have no idea what your plans are for the car or what your budget is. At 150k miles and < $10k they will all probably be kind of worn and tired. In general newer is better.

97SLVRC5

Since you don't know C5's ....

The module that controls ABS & TC is called the EBCM or Electronic Brake Control Module. In many GM cars, these are a couple hundred bucks or in that ballpark. What the Vette uses is proprietary to the Vette - there are a few of them for the C5 depending on year and options on the car, and they're not interchangeable. They're also no longer manufactured, and some of them can not be repaired. What this means for you is that you may pay anywhere from $1,200 to $2,000 for a used part just to replace this module if you want your ABS and TC to work. There's also still a chance that you'll have issues for other reasons, as well.

Now, what do you define as a "nice" driver? Are you going to leave the seats alone - or spend $300 (vinyl) to $1,500 (nice leather) on seat covers? How about the paint? The factory paint didn't crack, so, is there an adhesion or paint quality problem? Do you care? If so, are you going to pay a bodyshop to prep and respray the areas that have issues? Do you know the story behind this car and how it came to be? How many miles are on the replacement engine?

To me... a repainted 150k mile project car with an engine swap, headers & straight pipes, tints, a bum EBCM and torn leather doesn't fit the profile of a car that I'd consider a 'nice' driver....I see a rebuilt twice painted car with torn seats and no ABS that is being sold off to nickel and dime its next owner. Based on what's shared, I can't see this car being worth much more than $6k.

If you think the car is worth pursuing then pay a mechanic to inspect the car. This will be more telling than my opinion, and if you have a good mechanic you'll know all of your costs up front.

bc6152

This is good advice in my opinion. If you want a relatively trouble free car, spend a little more money and you won't have to worry about fixing this and fixing that and doing without the car. IMO this car is beat and I wouldn't buy it. If you don't have the bread for a nicer car I would wait until I did... The EBCM is a big issue and as previously stated, they are no longer available for some years and cannot be repaired.

laurent_zo6

As mentioned above, you can post in the Southeast "upcoming events and regional discussions forum" and ask if a member could take a preliminary look at the car. In any case, I would pay a professional inspection company experienced with Corvettes to do the inspection.

joeflyer

Run, don't walk, away from that car! There are plenty of nice C5s available for less than $15k. If you buy that car you are in for months or years of disappointment before you give up on it and try to sell it. Also, get a 2001-2004. ECBMs can be repaired or replaced for a lot less money, and you'll get a better car.

kr980

i agree with you on this.