NEV3R L8

I will be the fourth owner...yep she got around. Anyways before you say that I should rethink this decision I'm getting it professionally checked out by CarChex.Com and they seem pretty thorough and profession but of course I will want to do my own once over and be able to look for C6 specific details/features or problems.

So what main things should I look for? BTW it is a VR 6spd with corsa exhaust, intake (not sure which one), HRE rims, NAV and colored roof.

johnodrake

After the obvious - Mileage, options and the like. Get a warranty history.

6spdC6

Two questions come to mind.
What year is it and what options did it come with?
Why is a "that new a car looking for a fourth owner"?

Hoonose

What year is it?

Les-10

heisnuts

A few things come to mind.

1) checking with a dealer for warranty history to see if the same problems keep coming up
2) checking Car Fax to see where the car has been registered and to make sure the car has a clean title
3) any signs of major accident repair or frame repair

If no problems were found with in your search, it wouldn't bug me that it had 3 other owners because whether it had one or three previous owners it is still a used car (which isn't a bad thing... it's just is not a new car).

NEV3R L8

I'm checking right now on factory options but I've done a carfax and it checks out of course that would only show insurance or police claims which is why I'm doing the inspection to double check but it all seems to check out.

Its a 2005 with 16K miles

Seeker135

Make sure you have a dealer run the vin for warranty history as suggested above. I'd also want to know WHERE the car was all its short life. I think Carfax should tell you that. I assume you are buying this in a private sale or at least not fron a Chevy dealer?

UNKNOWN

look to be the 2nd owner when you buy used, would be first and only choice for a c6 series car.

buy from private party or a certified car from a chevydealer.

if it's not (c6) in your price range... buy a c5 zO6 they are great value.

thetopdog

There's nothing wrong with multiple owners, but one owner every 4000 miles is kind of excessive

vetracn98

Did you ask why it has gone around so much. Why is this guy selling it, and why did the guy before him sell it. The seller should be able to answer those 2 questions. It could be as simple as money/debt.

thetopdog

Are you sure that the owner history isn't something like this:
1st Owner-Bought the car brand new
2nd Owner-Reseller/dealer bought the car from the first owner to sell
3rd Owner-Bought the car from the 2nd owner
4th Owner-The current person/dealer that bought the car from the 3rd guy?

Maybe it's had 4 owners but only really had 2 'drivers' and 2 dealers/resellers

If not, I would be wondering why the last 4 people to own the car needed to get rid of it (no doubt at a financial loss) after only 4000 miles

OregonC6

My advice is don't buy a used performance car unless you are dealing with the original owner and can judge his/her honesty in answering questions about how the car was treated.

Performance cars, including vettes, can be run into the ground but still maintained in cosmetic perfection.

The only exception to my rule of never buying a used performance car is if it has very few miles and still has lots of factory warranty left.

But even on low mile cars there are a couple of 'tells' that hint of abuse like replaced clutch and brake pedals ( better to hide wear ), brake pads replaced way early, scored or cracked rotors, fluid leaks, etc.

There is a strategy that some owners of performance cars use. They get the car new, run it very hard but keep it pristine looking, then sell it as a cream puff to an unsuspecting new owner just prior to the lapse of warranty. Part of the strategy is to keep the car all stock so the first owner gets warranty repair of the abuse.

The new owner then inherits all the abuse heaped on the car by the first owner.

Save your money until you can afford a new C6 OR one with lots of the extended warranty left. Never buy a car with serious performance mods of any kind present. That's a real clue to hard usage or possible voiding of warranty.

think NEW

User 020720

My 8 mo old 07 has 13k miles, now keep in mind I drive the heck out of it.

But I'd be somewhat nervous about a car that's had 4 owners in 16k miles.

redrokit8

Could it be two private owners and two dealers who sold the car???

rakuhn

I agree with the previous entries. Four owners in 16K is something to think about.

UNKNOWN

also:

try to guess which guy beat on it the worst #1 #2 #3

the chances of that car being in excellent or even good condition are 14,000 to one against

good luck

UNKNOWN

strong advice

Hoonose

'05 MN6's had a few teething problems. These should all be easy to check and fix if still on warranty.

My early '05 Z51 MN6 VIN 4997
Just over 13,000 miles, daily driver.

Rocker panel and underside damage per dealer PDI right off the bat, fixed! Very common happening. Check your rocker panels!

DBS X 3 or 4, but no more the next 27 months. Got the reflash at 2 years. DBS requires a BCM reflash by the dealer. Make sure your battery in new! DBS is sudden battery drainage.

Clutch 'sticking to the floor' problem several times at high RPM, fixed by me with 50 cent bracket to reduce clutch throw. No more problem in over 2 years. But there is a factory repair:

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/....php?qstId=562

Replaced squealing brake pads under warranty at 12 months. Also took care of excessive brake dust. GM no longer warranties this.

A/C freon removal fix at 12 months. A/C would cycle on and off at high outside temps like over 100 degrees.

Repaired stuck outside rear hatch button ala Pipedreams DIY. Button needs more dust shielding. The DIY is in the forum FAQ section.

Paint chip damage to the front edge of both rear 1/4 panels due to poor door alignment fixed and painted.(at my expense) Home made rubber bumpers installed by me. No more chips. Now GM provides for their own bumpers.

Did the fluid exchange for noisy rear end at 2 years. Seems to have worked, so far.

Replaced clutch slave fluid numerous times with significant and now
sustained improvement in clutch feel and smoothness.

Very loose rear sway bar bolts found when inspecting underside.

Also loose passenger side rear axle bolt, in fact both sides were loose.

Roof still needs repaint and/or replacement. No delamination yet. Roof has slightly mismatched original DSOM paint. Dealer is aware. Make sure your roof is good. Roof delamination was fairly common with '05's.

Driver seat rocking just fixed. Had that twice fixed with my C5. Track seems 'grindy' on movement, and it goes back in for another fix.

Shifter has been rattling at mid RPMs especially when cold (<60 degrees). Getting worse, it would be hard to sell this car with that buzzing noise. Reported to dealer who couldn't help at this point in time. This probably cannot be heard until the weather is cold. There is a GM fix, not yet out.

I still enjoy the car, but I would never recommend an '05.

PM me if you want any more particulars.

shopdog

3 previous owners (the poster says he would be the 4th) in 16k on a 2005 does sound suspicious. But there are some crazy Vette owners out there. It could be this was a summer weekend car for the 3 previous owners and they dumped it at the end of the season. That doesn't sound very plausible, though. One crazy owner, sure, two maybe, but three just stretches credibility.

It could also have been repossessed 3 times. Lots of young guys buy cars they can't afford, and then lose it when they can't keep up the payments or deal with the insurance premiums. Look for subprime lenders on the title liens to spot this possibility.

Neither of those reasons would be serious problems. But it may be that the car had persistent problems the dealer couldn't resolve. That could be a headache. You'd have to find a competent mechanic to resolve the problems correctly before you'd have a good car. (No such thing as a lemon car, just lemon mechanics.)

Finally, it could be a flood car. That's one you'd want to avoid. Cars that have been in a flood can be fixed, but they rarely are fixed correctly. Unless the price was low enough to justify a complete teardown, inspection, and refurbishment of the car, I'd look somewhere else.