Corvette reliability? (Thinking about buying)
12-18-2016, 09:24 AM
#22
Le Mans Master
Member Since: Sep 2006
Location: Sunnyvale CA
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St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16,'19
.C6 Corvettes are very reliable vehicles, reading the issues that members post on this forum would make you think that these cars are all lemons... listed below are some of the well known problems
1. Harmonic balancer wobble
2. Fuel sending unit & fuel tank hoses/fittings cracking and leaking
3. Shift cables breaking on A6 cars
Numbers 1 & 2 are expensive to repair, north of $1,500.
1. Harmonic balancer wobble
2. Fuel sending unit & fuel tank hoses/fittings cracking and leaking
3. Shift cables breaking on A6 cars
Numbers 1 & 2 are expensive to repair, north of $1,500.
12-18-2016, 10:04 AM
#23
Le Mans Master
The search function on this forum isn't that great so your best bet is to just go through the dozens and dozens of pages and read the threads that pertain to what you're after. There's a treasure trove of info here; enough to have your head spinning after just a few hours. It's the best Corvette forum on the net by a wide margin.
As for C6 reliability, most folks never have a significant issue if their car is properly cared for. Are there problems that arise? Sure but nothing close to putting them in the Lemon category. As others have said, find the newest and lowest mileage car; do your homework to ensure it has been properly maintained and then buy it. I highly doubt you'll have any regrets.
As for C6 reliability, most folks never have a significant issue if their car is properly cared for. Are there problems that arise? Sure but nothing close to putting them in the Lemon category. As others have said, find the newest and lowest mileage car; do your homework to ensure it has been properly maintained and then buy it. I highly doubt you'll have any regrets.
12-18-2016, 10:42 AM
#24
Drifting
If I were buying a C6, I'd feel comfortable with any year other than '09.[/QUOTE]
? Why ? Just wondering.
? Why ? Just wondering.
Last edited by PAULEB07; 12-18-2016 at 10:42 AM.
12-18-2016, 11:50 AM
#25
Race Director
Look beyond anecdotal evidence. Consumer Reports' 2016 Buying Guide provides evaluations of many used car models, and they don't have an ax to grind. To them, it's all about the numbers.
They rate the 2011 Corvette as much better than average and the 2012 - 13 years as average. In my mind, a sports car that rates as average when compared with, say, the Toyota Camry, is doing very, very well. It's certainly many grades better than 'lemon".
The 2013 Buying Guide (Which I still have for some reason) lists the '06 and '08 as average; and the '07, '09 and '10 as above average. The '09 (made while GM was insolvent) is shown as much worse than average.
If I were buying a C6, I'd feel comfortable with any year other than '09.
They rate the 2011 Corvette as much better than average and the 2012 - 13 years as average. In my mind, a sports car that rates as average when compared with, say, the Toyota Camry, is doing very, very well. It's certainly many grades better than 'lemon".
The 2013 Buying Guide (Which I still have for some reason) lists the '06 and '08 as average; and the '07, '09 and '10 as above average. The '09 (made while GM was insolvent) is shown as much worse than average.
If I were buying a C6, I'd feel comfortable with any year other than '09.
12-18-2016, 12:05 PM
#26
Safety Car
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Another vote for the Grand Sport here. Had mine for almost 4 years and it's been trouble free. I personally never buy the first couple years of any model (05, 06 C6). If you go older get at least an 08 with the LS3. It truly is a rock solid engine that will easily get 200k miles of smiles.
12-18-2016, 04:04 PM
#27
Pro
Hello everyone.
Been wanting to get one of these beasts for few years now so I've been looking at them more and more. Seems like a big portion of them are lemons plagued with problems. Comments?
As far as the model. i wanted the z06 but i've spend some time reading about people reporting problems with bad manufacturing of the heads blowing up the motors. I've only seen people report the problem but minimal info on actual repairs or a cost of the repair and reliability after the head is repaired by a different shop.
What are the big differences between the z06 and the other models other than the engine? Any differences between the years or are all the c6 base models the same, all the c6 z06 the same etc?
Anything else to look out for when buying?
Thanks for reading.
Been wanting to get one of these beasts for few years now so I've been looking at them more and more. Seems like a big portion of them are lemons plagued with problems. Comments?
As far as the model. i wanted the z06 but i've spend some time reading about people reporting problems with bad manufacturing of the heads blowing up the motors. I've only seen people report the problem but minimal info on actual repairs or a cost of the repair and reliability after the head is repaired by a different shop.
What are the big differences between the z06 and the other models other than the engine? Any differences between the years or are all the c6 base models the same, all the c6 z06 the same etc?
Anything else to look out for when buying?
Thanks for reading.
12-18-2016, 04:23 PM
#29
Team Owner
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C6 of Year Finalist (appearance mods) 2019
12-18-2016, 05:14 PM
#30
Race Director
Member Since: Jul 2000
Location: Out Where the Buses Don't Run, Eglin AFB/ Niceville FL
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2022 Corvette of the Year Finalist -- Modified
2021 C6 of the Year Winner - Modified
Finalist 2020 C7 of the Year -- Modified
2020 C6 of the Year Finalist - Modified
I bought my 2006 convertible new on 30 Jan 2006 with 2 miles on the clock. Here are the things that have gone bad in almost 11 years:
Air bag light. Re connected the connector under the seat.
Tear in head liner. Warranty replace, no issues since. (manual top)
Broken shift cable last year. ~$400 repair with towing to dealer included.
I did have to replace the transmission last year but that was no fault of GM. I knew the trans was a weak link when I supercharged it. It took 6 years to fail.
All other maintenance has been modifications and general (brakes, oil changes, etc).
If they've been taken care of they are very reliable. Good luck with your search.
Air bag light. Re connected the connector under the seat.
Tear in head liner. Warranty replace, no issues since. (manual top)
Broken shift cable last year. ~$400 repair with towing to dealer included.
I did have to replace the transmission last year but that was no fault of GM. I knew the trans was a weak link when I supercharged it. It took 6 years to fail.
All other maintenance has been modifications and general (brakes, oil changes, etc).
If they've been taken care of they are very reliable. Good luck with your search.
12-18-2016, 06:39 PM
#31
I would recommend not getting a Z06 unless you want to race. Having the top off is one of the best things about the car. Get an 08 or newer unless you just find an awesome deal on an older one. I personally wouldn't buy one that has been modified with headers, cam etc. Get a Carfax report. Also get a VIS report from a Chevy dealer service department. The fewer owners the better. If there is a Vette specialist in your town have them inspect it. Otherwise a Chevy dealer can do a multi point inspection for about a hundred bucks. High regards
The way i see it if 100 extra horses is only 3-4k i might as well just get the 7L. The extra stuff the z06 comes with is a bonus.
As far as the convertible top goes. Having only convertibles for the past 10-12 years i was actually looking for a hard top.
12-18-2016, 07:39 PM
#32
Racer
Another vote for the Grand Sport here. Had mine for almost 4 years and it's been trouble free. I personally never buy the first couple years of any model (05, 06 C6). If you go older get at least an 08 with the LS3. It truly is a rock solid engine that will easily get 200k miles of smiles.
I am the original owner of 06 Z06, (got it on 10/20/2005) 0 problems so far.
good luck with your C6 what ever you get
Last edited by royalcasa; 12-18-2016 at 07:41 PM.
12-18-2016, 08:37 PM
#33
Racer
I have found my Vettes to be some of the most reliable vehicles I have ever owned. I will agree with the known C6 issues: Harmonic Balancer and shift linkages on the automatics...and I have done both. Neither are real significant issues though...
12-19-2016, 02:25 AM
#36
I appreciate your reassurance guys. Just last thing i cant find is the cost to fix the head issue on the z06s. Are new heads required or what? Cost of the entire service? What about reliability after the heads are swapped or do I need to check the valves every summer?
12-19-2016, 06:29 PM
#38
12-19-2016, 10:13 PM
#40