PioneerSX-1250

Hi all,
I've been researching C5s for the past few months and have gotten close to a few local sales. Thankfully with a lot of the detailed information from here I am continuing to learn more about what to look for. However in my area it seems the deals are much harder to find. I am seeing some fantastic vehicles for sale in the for sale section, lovely colors, lower miles and much better prices than what I can find locally.

Location: NW Suburbs of Chicago
Goal: C5, prefer base w/ removable top. Z06 fine as well. Manual only. 75k miles or less preferably. Budget ~$17k - $20k. (would do ~$23k to $25k for a mint Z)
a. something clean - something I can keep clean and just stare at it. Wont be modding it or anything.

Can someone take a look at these two vehicles and let me know what they think? Should I keep looking, ask for less, etc?

Option 1/ 2000 base black, m6. 75k miles. $18.500. Newer rubber. Clean interior/exterior. Nearly bone stock.
8 owners. Carfax shows past few years having service done at a Chevy dealer (oil changes, rubber, etc).
http://www.facebook.com/marketplace/...30493358472145

Option 2/ 1998 base black, m6. 86k miles. $18,000. Needs rubber.
Has a decent amount of basic mods, particularly a cam and supporting mods. This is exciting if its tastefully done.
I will be verifying soon but much of the work has been done at a local speed shop (Speed Inc) which is very well known for being a great shop.
I'll hopefully be taking a look at this vehicle this evening. Hoping its clean, and healthy. If I can verify the local shop has done all the work I am hoping I can have the shop double check the vehicle before sale.
www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/622105859729906

Thank you!

smitty2919

I'd skip any 97-99 cars. They had different ABS and presumably more electrical gremlins.

Don't put too much emphasis on Carfax...My wife owned a car that said it was in for service in a shop we never visited.

Those links bring you to the same listing. I see a 2000 with magnesium wheels (somewhat rare) and overall looks clean. HUD is nice along with magnetic ride shocks seeing the selector button.

PioneerSX-1250

Thanks for the info - yeah those wheels are sweet. Unfortunately, they a few of the wheels have some bad curb rash so they may need to be reconditioned. What do you think about the price?

Here is the second listing, I thought I updated the OP but just incase: http://www.facebook.com/marketplace/...22105859729906

Prop Joe

I don't do FB.
Medium Spiral Grey Metallic, one of the best colors (imo) on a C5, but a little out of your price range. Just over the border and you could go look at it. You could always make these guys an offer...
https://classiccars.com/listings/vie...isconsin-53072

hyperv6

Look for a 2002-03 as these were the 2 prime years for the C5.

try to find a car with 25k to 50k as they are still low mile but enough miles to be in good condition but also enough to have them in good service condition. Many times lower miles can be more money and more trouble.

Here in Ohio $18k to $25 K can get you a very good no need of much car.

Z06 can be $4k to $10k more. The best to buy there is an unmodified one unless the owner has all the mods well documented. If they can’t tell you what heads, cam or clutch it is not a good thing.

I got a 31k clean convert for $22k with new roof and tires. I did need to fix the seat rock and a few small items but they were cheap and easy.

grinder11

I've got a Sansui 9090db!! SX1250s awesome too!!! As for your question, even though I've owned a 2000 Vert for 20 years, I'd avoid the '97-2000 models. As long as I'm nitpicking, GM, in their infinite amount of wisdom, can't leave some things alone. Even if there's nothing wrong with them. The 2004 cars had a gas tank change that requires a Helluva lot of work to change the fuel sending units. As in dropping the rear cradle!! At least, that's what I've been told. Up until then, just remove the rear tires and the shields, and you're ready to go. Own a C5 long enough, and you WILL be changing senders, unless you don't mind the gauge going from 1/2 tank to empty in any given 3 second time period. If I were buying a C5, I'd look hard at the 2001, 2002, and early to mid year 2003s. My opinion......

Vetteman Jack

My advice - don’t be afraid to travel a distance to find the right car. And be sure to have the car looked over by a qualified tech before plopping down the money. A lot of platform changes happened in the ‘01 model year s d going forward - well worth giving them extra consideration IMO.

hyperv6

Follow this and if there is anything wrong that bothers you take your time there are a lot of C5 models out there. They are not rare so don’t settle.

There was a valve spring issue on some of the early Z06. Someone may be able to give more detail or look it up on this site. Nothing fatal just something to be aware of and know if it was repaired.

3sACROWD

OP. this is a car you WANT and don't NEED. Take your time looking. Part of the fun is looking and the other part is owning. You'll know when you've found "the one". The deal will look and feel right. You won't be able to stop thinking about it. I looked at nearly 40 cars and the one that I picked had WAY more miles on it that all of the others and has been an awesome machine. I bought it with 167k miles and it now has 316k miles. Gas, tires, and insurance are my biggest costs.

It wasn't GM's "infinite wisdom" that drove the change. It was compliance to the government's regulations to reduce gas & fumes escaping into the atmosphere.

hyperv6

You may look at 40 cars you may look at 2.

I told the wife I was going to look and I expected it would take time to find the right car and price.

In my case it took just a week and the second car I found. I also got it in March before the summer prices hit.

The prices are starting to move to their winter levels and are dropping a little. People wanting to move cars so they don’t have to store them.

I was just lucky to find mine so fast as I did everything for a week to find a reason not yo buy. I had a list of must haves and it met and exceeded my list.

I took a couple C5 buddies and hoped they would find something wrong. One told me if I did not buy he would.

You just need to work the process to try to reduce the risks. Buying a Corvette can be very rewarding if you get the right one or a nightmare with the wrong one.

So far I can say I have no regrets.

Due to the great number of C5 models out there and the web you will find one that meets everything you want.

Note I found in looking the drivers seat is a good tell on the cars condition on the web. The better original seats are on the drivers side the better the rest of the car may be. If the owner took the time to care for the seats he likely did the same for the rest of the car.

vette4fl

Might need to cast a wider net. I bought mine two states away, but it was the right car for me. The coupe and the Z are very different cars. I’d suggest locking in on one model along with the must have options. For me it was an unmolested 6speed base and the upgraded interior features including HUD.

2000-2003 have the fewest gremlins, but there are plenty of excellent examples across the C5 run on this forum.


Good hunting!

grinder11

Maybe, in that case. But do you really think they had to design it the way they did? I can assure you very little thought was, or is, given for ease of servicing. But they do change some things that have nothing to do with government regulations. Some are made to make things more complex just to try and ensure you go GM for service. GM is probably not the only one who does this. Government has their nose in way too many things, but thats another story.....

JMG2

I second this. Make a list of what you want in the car -- separate it out into non-negotiable, and things you can compromise on. There are tons of resources out there that list all the options that were available -- you want z51 suspension? Active handling? dual zone climate control? the Heads-up display (a really nice option)? get a list of all the available options, and just like you'd do with a new car tick off what you want. there are SOOO many of these cars out there, it's not worth settling!
a few bits of advise:

• Generally speaking, I'd say get the newest car of the c5 generation you can afford. That said, these cars are generally not daily drivers, don't shy away from a great example of a early c5 if the price is right and it has everything you want.
• 1999 and older cars had the "wagon wheels". I'm not a fan, but this is subjective and something to keep in mind.
• EBCM: all c5's have an ebcm (electronic brake control module). Handles antilock braking and traction control if your car is equipped with it. There is a lot of overplayed hype over failures of this module -- it's one of those things that have received more attention than it deserves. All you need to know is that for 2000 and older cars, *if* the ebcm fails, it cannot be fixed and must be replaced. GM no longer makes them, and you'll have to source a used one off flea bay or somewhere. for 2001 and newer, if the ebcm fails, in certain cases they can be repaired (but not all), and you'll still have to source a replacement (pre 2001 ebcms are different than 2001 and newer ebcms, and are not interchangeable without a bit of work). I've had my '00 for 23 years, 50k miles , and not a peep from the ebcm, but if this bothers you, keep it in mind and see my first point (replacement ebcms are running around $1k on popular auction sites, but you can source them from a lot of places )
• Look for stock -- People have modded the **** out of their vettes. So unless you're pretty sure the owner knew what he was doing, has receipts from reputable shops that did the work, or can tell for your self that it was done right, stick to a stock vette and build it yourself. (I say this having performed substantial mods on my car -- I know from personal experience how many corners that *could* have been cut , but I didn't.)
• take your time !!! the first car you go out and drive, you're gonna want to buy it. Unless it hits every item on your list, resist , make sure you've looked at at least a few before making a decision.

Enjoy the process-- finding the perfect car itself is a fun exercise! !

Missileboy

Only difference with me, it took me 3 months, and I looked at maybe 10ish cars total. I was very picky and wanted ~50K mile unmolested (stock) car and found it, at a Nissan Dealer! It even had the stock exhaust, now that is rare! HyperV6's point about the drivers seat is a good one. Tells you if it was a weekend cruiser or a daily or just how the previous owners took care of the car. Hell on mine, you could barely even see any real heat cycles on the engine bolts and such. As stated, many C5's made, be patient and you'll find a good one.

EVL JAKE

I'm in NW IL and had my car up in for sale last Spring. I'd entertain selling it. 99 FRC, manual, HCI. 48k miles. Pics in my profile. It's a clean car.

hyperv6

He should be ok finding a car local. The Mid West is chocked full of used Corvettes.

A jump on the web you can check everything up to 2-3 hour radius.

turbobuick33

What's the price?

grinder11

I bought my 2000 on July 3, 2003. a couple weeks later I was talking to a different dealer about what the best time was to buy one. Should've talked to him BEFORE I bought it, but I'm still happy with my purchase. My point is this: My dealer friend told me that Summer season items, like boats, sportscars, pwc, motorcycles, etc., are all harder to sell after the 4th of July holiday. For the best prices on things like Corvettes, he told me that late August until just after Labor Day is probably the best time to purchase a Corvette. There are other things to consider, like waiting that long in a Northern state will get you only a couple of months use before Winter storage comes into play. He was speaking about price, and getting some use only, and didn't take collateral things into account. Obviously, Winter would find the rock bottom prices, but most of us wouldn't use it for several months. So apparently, if you find the right car, and want to get 2 or 3 months use out of it, right now is probably about as good as its going to get for price.......

EVL JAKE

Asking 20k

MWWarlord

This is great advice. If i were you, I would stick to '01 plus cars. The downside is that they are going to cost a bit more. With C5's the most important thing is how well they have been cared for. Don't buy any used car without a pre-purchase inspection. Good luck with your search.