[Z06] buying a z06
03-23-2014, 06:38 PM
#1
Heel & Toe
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buying a z06
Hi all
I was looking for a used z06 to buy and i found one... i need your opinion about the deal
Model: 2008
Color: Red
Milage: 45000 mile
Engine: 75%
Car never seen any accidents... only a lil crack behind the front wheel from a bumper... it can be fixed.
Price 37K
what you think? should i do it?
I was looking for a used z06 to buy and i found one... i need your opinion about the deal
Model: 2008
Color: Red
Milage: 45000 mile
Engine: 75%
Car never seen any accidents... only a lil crack behind the front wheel from a bumper... it can be fixed.
Price 37K
what you think? should i do it?
03-23-2014, 06:44 PM
#2
Drifting
Find out of its a one owner and try and discover how the car has been used. Unfortunately a lot of Z's are driven hard.
If you are comfortable with what you find out the price sounds reasonable to me.
Plan to spend 2 or 3 thousand to get your heads checked.
Good Luck.
If you are comfortable with what you find out the price sounds reasonable to me.
Plan to spend 2 or 3 thousand to get your heads checked.
Good Luck.
03-23-2014, 07:12 PM
#6
Heel & Toe
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03-23-2014, 07:17 PM
#8
Oh I see. I would buy that car in a heartbeat. Tires will be expensive, check the inner wear and use it as a negotiation tool if needed. As mentioned before, plan on 2-3k for preventive maintenance on the heads and or extending warranty.
03-23-2014, 07:33 PM
#10
Tech Contributor
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Why do you indicate the engine is 75%?
No need to take to a dyno.
To check out the car just do the typical used car check. Z06s may have been driven hard but as with most Corvettes the odds are likely they haven't been driven all that hard. Some engine checks that can be done: rev the car up in third gear and let it back down while watching in the mirror to see if you get any blue smoke. Some black smoke on hard accel is normal. Be ready when you do this since as you hold the foot to the floor the car from about 40 the car will seem to respond slowly at first but it will all of a sudden start to pull like mad. It will pull like that all the way to about 106 and then more slowly to 123. Black smoke should start to show up around 90. If you don't think you can handle that don't do it. Can get you an expensive ticket or in an accident if you do it in the wrong place. If the car has truly been babied for 45K miles it might not be able to do this very well.
The crack behind the front wheel may or may not be easy to repair. Unlike the base C6s and GS that fender is carbon fiber. Check with a body shop on how easy it will be to repair. I know the SMC used on base C6/GS isn't all that hard to repair.
Plan on getting the heads checked for loose guides. Expect to pay in the $1K range for the check. If you read the latest Vette magazine there is an article about the loose guide and dropped valve issue. You can't go wrong with the Katech solution to the problem.
If you wonder about the car being tracked get it up on a lift and check the bottom of the car for pieces of rubber that get thrown off the tires and for black dirt all over the cradles and the suspension parts. The black dirt would be from copious amounts of brake dust blown off the pads as the brakes are used hard. Rotors might be heat checked could have been changed before being offered for sale. The rubber bits and black dust are a little harder to get rid of without doing some hand work to get things clean under the car.
With that mileage you should see a fair amount of fine chips in the paint on the rockers, lower doors and the rear quarter in front of the fender and around the rear brake vent intake. If you don't see them ask why. Car could have had a clear bra film applied, a paint touch up or something like Turtle Wax Ice applies to the finish which tends to make the chips disappear.
Edit: Just noticed your response to the 75%. No way to know how much life is left. Other than the valve drop issue there is no reason when following GM's recommended maintenance that the engine shouldn't last 200K to 300K miles but as you know Sxxt Happens.
Bill
No need to take to a dyno.
To check out the car just do the typical used car check. Z06s may have been driven hard but as with most Corvettes the odds are likely they haven't been driven all that hard. Some engine checks that can be done: rev the car up in third gear and let it back down while watching in the mirror to see if you get any blue smoke. Some black smoke on hard accel is normal. Be ready when you do this since as you hold the foot to the floor the car from about 40 the car will seem to respond slowly at first but it will all of a sudden start to pull like mad. It will pull like that all the way to about 106 and then more slowly to 123. Black smoke should start to show up around 90. If you don't think you can handle that don't do it. Can get you an expensive ticket or in an accident if you do it in the wrong place. If the car has truly been babied for 45K miles it might not be able to do this very well.
The crack behind the front wheel may or may not be easy to repair. Unlike the base C6s and GS that fender is carbon fiber. Check with a body shop on how easy it will be to repair. I know the SMC used on base C6/GS isn't all that hard to repair.
Plan on getting the heads checked for loose guides. Expect to pay in the $1K range for the check. If you read the latest Vette magazine there is an article about the loose guide and dropped valve issue. You can't go wrong with the Katech solution to the problem.
If you wonder about the car being tracked get it up on a lift and check the bottom of the car for pieces of rubber that get thrown off the tires and for black dirt all over the cradles and the suspension parts. The black dirt would be from copious amounts of brake dust blown off the pads as the brakes are used hard. Rotors might be heat checked could have been changed before being offered for sale. The rubber bits and black dust are a little harder to get rid of without doing some hand work to get things clean under the car.
With that mileage you should see a fair amount of fine chips in the paint on the rockers, lower doors and the rear quarter in front of the fender and around the rear brake vent intake. If you don't see them ask why. Car could have had a clear bra film applied, a paint touch up or something like Turtle Wax Ice applies to the finish which tends to make the chips disappear.
Edit: Just noticed your response to the 75%. No way to know how much life is left. Other than the valve drop issue there is no reason when following GM's recommended maintenance that the engine shouldn't last 200K to 300K miles but as you know Sxxt Happens.
Bill
Last edited by Bill Dearborn; 03-23-2014 at 07:35 PM.
03-23-2014, 07:39 PM
#11
Just go ahead and get the heads fixed cost you around 1200 or throw a came in there also. Like said above check to see on the body if can be repaired for cheap if not just look on the forum lots of deals to be had.
03-23-2014, 07:40 PM
#12
I think that would be wise for any high performance car like this. You should be looking for 4 things (pass this along to the dyno operator):
1. Any exhaust smoke at high power.
2. Any exhaust smoke on deceleration (if they will let you stand near the rear of the car, so much the better -- wear ear muffs!!!)
3. Rated horsepower (around 440-460 SAE on a DynoJet, a little less SAE on some other dynos) along with air/fuel ratio monitoring.
4. Have the dyno operator/tuner plug into the ECM to see if the tune is stock (stock tune is good IMHO). If they will scan the ECM for codes and, even better, datalog the car while it is on the dyno that is a plus (expect to pay extra).
Also run both a CarFax and an AutoCheck on the VIN (one might catch something that the other may not, so safest to do both).
Of course don't go to all this expense unless you're definitely willing to buy it and have the funds lined up. The seller may want at least a handshake deal at a firm price before letting it go on the dyno, but make sure the dyno shop knows it is still the seller's car if it blows up on the rollers
(the seller will have to sign the dyno release... don't sign it yourself).
If the dyno shop has a lift, have them run it up in the air and do a pre-purchase inspection for you... expect to pay ~$100 for that.
1. Any exhaust smoke at high power.
2. Any exhaust smoke on deceleration (if they will let you stand near the rear of the car, so much the better -- wear ear muffs!!!)
3. Rated horsepower (around 440-460 SAE on a DynoJet, a little less SAE on some other dynos) along with air/fuel ratio monitoring.
4. Have the dyno operator/tuner plug into the ECM to see if the tune is stock (stock tune is good IMHO). If they will scan the ECM for codes and, even better, datalog the car while it is on the dyno that is a plus (expect to pay extra).
Also run both a CarFax and an AutoCheck on the VIN (one might catch something that the other may not, so safest to do both).
Of course don't go to all this expense unless you're definitely willing to buy it and have the funds lined up. The seller may want at least a handshake deal at a firm price before letting it go on the dyno, but make sure the dyno shop knows it is still the seller's car if it blows up on the rollers
(the seller will have to sign the dyno release... don't sign it yourself).If the dyno shop has a lift, have them run it up in the air and do a pre-purchase inspection for you... expect to pay ~$100 for that.
03-24-2014, 09:37 AM
#13
Burning Brakes
This is all good advise but let me just say a few things too. First I think that 37k is a low price for an 08 even with 45k miles maybe a bit to low. I'm thinking the car should be worth low 40's. That being said looking closely at the under carriage for signs of tracking is a wise move. Look at the brake pads, rotors and calipers closely for abuse. Also that carfax report will at least tell you if the airbag has been deployed, but you need to look closely to find the other issues.
Finally if I was selling my Z the last thing I would do is allow a maybe buyer to put my car on any dyno. And honestly putting a Z with 45k miles on a dyno without making sure the heads have been addressed could be a fatal and costly mistake. If the carfax, the inspections and paint look good go for it. Just be ready to shell out some cash to have known issues addressed.
Finally if I was selling my Z the last thing I would do is allow a maybe buyer to put my car on any dyno. And honestly putting a Z with 45k miles on a dyno without making sure the heads have been addressed could be a fatal and costly mistake. If the carfax, the inspections and paint look good go for it. Just be ready to shell out some cash to have known issues addressed.
03-24-2014, 09:44 AM
#14
Team Owner
Price sounds in line, especially if it needs a fender repaired/replaced.
03-24-2014, 10:18 AM
#15
As far as damage goes, the car doesn't care if it's on a dyno or being run down the interstate at WOT to 160 MPH (or 123 MPH while looking in the mirror)... no biggie, and the dyno is a lot safer for humanity than the interstate.
Price sounds pretty good... NADA average trade in is $38.8K for a 2LZ w/Nav. They've probably had it a while and want to move it. It does have 2009 wheels on it, some somebody's been making at least some changes . . . .
.
Last edited by Mark2009; 03-24-2014 at 10:22 AM.
03-24-2014, 11:05 AM
#16
Team Owner
If buyer wants to pay for the dyno run why not? Worst case you get a free dyno sheet.
03-24-2014, 11:58 AM
#17
Drifting
I wouldn't touch a car that needed work and it sounds like the fender is messed up. You can't repair carbon fiber and while that repair will bring the car up to 40k with paint, now you have a non-original painted car.
All in all, I wouldn't buy it.
03-24-2014, 12:01 PM
#18
Race Director
The 75% might be oil life remaining? Unless you can verify the oil change was done in the last 6 months, get it done or learn how to do it yourself for about $60 for oil and filter.
How are the tires? A set can run $1200-$2400
Regardless, if it is out of warranty (most likely), I would plan on getting the heads redone immediately. Lots of post on this for what to do and where to get it done.
How are the tires? A set can run $1200-$2400
Regardless, if it is out of warranty (most likely), I would plan on getting the heads redone immediately. Lots of post on this for what to do and where to get it done.
03-24-2014, 01:24 PM
#19
Team Owner
I think it sounds like a good deal. Have it checked out, get an estimate on the fender repair, and go from there.
03-25-2014, 12:16 PM
#20
Le Mans Master
Member Since: Jan 2009
Location: Pottsboro; Sometimes Dallas Texas
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St. Jude Donor '12
Why do you indicate the engine is 75%?
No need to take to a dyno.
To check out the car just do the typical used car check. Z06s may have been driven hard but as with most Corvettes the odds are likely they haven't been driven all that hard. Some engine checks that can be done: rev the car up in third gear and let it back down while watching in the mirror to see if you get any blue smoke. Some black smoke on hard accel is normal. Be ready when you do this since as you hold the foot to the floor the car from about 40 the car will seem to respond slowly at first but it will all of a sudden start to pull like mad. It will pull like that all the way to about 106 and then more slowly to 123. Black smoke should start to show up around 90. If you don't think you can handle that don't do it. Can get you an expensive ticket or in an accident if you do it in the wrong place. If the car has truly been babied for 45K miles it might not be able to do this very well.
The crack behind the front wheel may or may not be easy to repair. Unlike the base C6s and GS that fender is carbon fiber. Check with a body shop on how easy it will be to repair. I know the SMC used on base C6/GS isn't all that hard to repair.
Plan on getting the heads checked for loose guides. Expect to pay in the $1K range for the check. If you read the latest Vette magazine there is an article about the loose guide and dropped valve issue. You can't go wrong with the Katech solution to the problem.
If you wonder about the car being tracked get it up on a lift and check the bottom of the car for pieces of rubber that get thrown off the tires and for black dirt all over the cradles and the suspension parts. The black dirt would be from copious amounts of brake dust blown off the pads as the brakes are used hard. Rotors might be heat checked could have been changed before being offered for sale. The rubber bits and black dust are a little harder to get rid of without doing some hand work to get things clean under the car.
With that mileage you should see a fair amount of fine chips in the paint on the rockers, lower doors and the rear quarter in front of the fender and around the rear brake vent intake. If you don't see them ask why. Car could have had a clear bra film applied, a paint touch up or something like Turtle Wax Ice applies to the finish which tends to make the chips disappear.
Edit: Just noticed your response to the 75%. No way to know how much life is left. Other than the valve drop issue there is no reason when following GM's recommended maintenance that the engine shouldn't last 200K to 300K miles but as you know Sxxt Happens.
Bill
No need to take to a dyno.
To check out the car just do the typical used car check. Z06s may have been driven hard but as with most Corvettes the odds are likely they haven't been driven all that hard. Some engine checks that can be done: rev the car up in third gear and let it back down while watching in the mirror to see if you get any blue smoke. Some black smoke on hard accel is normal. Be ready when you do this since as you hold the foot to the floor the car from about 40 the car will seem to respond slowly at first but it will all of a sudden start to pull like mad. It will pull like that all the way to about 106 and then more slowly to 123. Black smoke should start to show up around 90. If you don't think you can handle that don't do it. Can get you an expensive ticket or in an accident if you do it in the wrong place. If the car has truly been babied for 45K miles it might not be able to do this very well.
The crack behind the front wheel may or may not be easy to repair. Unlike the base C6s and GS that fender is carbon fiber. Check with a body shop on how easy it will be to repair. I know the SMC used on base C6/GS isn't all that hard to repair.
Plan on getting the heads checked for loose guides. Expect to pay in the $1K range for the check. If you read the latest Vette magazine there is an article about the loose guide and dropped valve issue. You can't go wrong with the Katech solution to the problem.
If you wonder about the car being tracked get it up on a lift and check the bottom of the car for pieces of rubber that get thrown off the tires and for black dirt all over the cradles and the suspension parts. The black dirt would be from copious amounts of brake dust blown off the pads as the brakes are used hard. Rotors might be heat checked could have been changed before being offered for sale. The rubber bits and black dust are a little harder to get rid of without doing some hand work to get things clean under the car.
With that mileage you should see a fair amount of fine chips in the paint on the rockers, lower doors and the rear quarter in front of the fender and around the rear brake vent intake. If you don't see them ask why. Car could have had a clear bra film applied, a paint touch up or something like Turtle Wax Ice applies to the finish which tends to make the chips disappear.
Edit: Just noticed your response to the 75%. No way to know how much life is left. Other than the valve drop issue there is no reason when following GM's recommended maintenance that the engine shouldn't last 200K to 300K miles but as you know Sxxt Happens.
Bill