C5 What's the best year?
 

Hey all, I'm looking at purchasing a C5 within a month or so. Where can I go to research the differences? Any opinions? Thanks -Kevin

A lot of upgrades happened in 2001.
"01-"04 Vettes are essentially identical
here is a good resource... go through every field by year

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/specs/

I will save you the drama by telling you that the best year will the one that the replying member bought.

The real answer is basically, get the newest one you can afford. The biggest difference from year to year was the 2001 model, so start there.

I think that it's the same with every type vette. The last year a particular model was made is usually the best because all the bugs are worked out, and the first year of production usually has the most issues. I have an 03, but there is little difference as far as I know of with the 2004s. Get the one in the best condition at the lowest price. I would tend to go for an 03, or 04 though.Good luck.

All of the above is very true!

:iagree: :thumbs: :cheers: ;)

Yeah, thats pretty much it. I went with an 02 because it had 350 horses over 345....yes, 5 horses help me sleep at night. Anyway, if i could have afforded it, i would have gone with an 04, only because its newer and because its the last year of the C5.

Another thing to do would be buy the Corvette Black Book. It tells of all upgrades and changes from year to year. It does say there were some changes in '01. I wound up with a 99 'cause it is clean, tight, looks great and was close to home and had a great price. I love it. Upgrade the whhels and no one knows the difference.

The 04 is the best a C5 can ever be!:flag:

All of em'!!!

:iagree: :iagree: The newest lowest mile one you can find/afford!!:thumbs: :cheers:

01 to 04 and buy the cleanest and most cared for of those years you can afford. Clean and low miles is more important than the year in my opinion.

AMEN BROTHER anyone who owns one loves it when I was out looking for mine I went with the attitude best BANG FOR THE BUCK THEORY and I got a great looking , running 2K for 18k have put 3k in it for some up grades

!
 

Newer is better, but ALL years of the C5 are good!

Some 01s had oil consumption problems.

if i was in the market, i'd get an -04 with the lowest miles i could find.

Any of the C5 model years would be a good choice. Just check out the car carefully and buy the best, and newest, one you can afford.

They are all good but 03 ro 04 would be my choice.

2004
 

2004 :cheers:

I went with the 2002; 350 horses and does not have the possible oil consumption problem from 2001. Earlier had lower horsepower and I don't like the wheels.
I would say any 2002-2004.
There is a lot of information available on the National Corvette Museum site as well as here on the Forum.
Good luck in your search.:thumbs:

:iagree:
Yup!
I hope so, anyway. I just bought an '04 last week. Got a GMPP, just in case. ;)

Thanks everyone! I've been scanner the net for 3 nites straight now looking for my perfect car in Illinois and Indiana areas.

Logic would suggest the 2004 just because it's the end of the line. And GM made improvements and adjustments on the car almost every year.
I may be a little biased though seeing as how I'm currently driving a 2004 around.

<-------------------- 04, with a CE vert of course being the best. :rofl:

The MSRC suspension while pricey, is nice. Available on 03's and 04's.
Spend some time and you can find low mileage, excellent condition, late model examples.
Good luck.

2001 of course:D

You have to make a list from most important to least important.

I started with price
next 01-04 due to I liked the upgrades after 00"
Then low mileage/ good shape
vert
would of liked 6 speed - but had to settle for automatic

Good luck with finding what you want there are a lot out there and great fun to drive.

1999:lol: :lol:

Subjective data indicates 2004.

:iagree: :D

Did tons of research, looked for many months, decided on the options, color, and trans, and ended up with a 99. I could not be happier! I believe ALL "well taken care of Vettes" are worth it.

2004

But I really love the 2001 SW Z06

Perhaps it is the one with the most complete service history, or the most anal retentive and trusted seller?

I'd rather buy a 97 from someone I trusted with a complete (and not scary) service history, than a 04 from some unknown seller without a scrap of history.

Look to see it has CLB done etc. Give me a PM and I will send you the longest C5 buyers checklist known to man.

Do you know how to check for codes after your test drive?

Best of luck!

In addition to the Corvette Action Center link posted above, here's another nice site to help in your C5 research:
http://www.rogerscorvette.com/history.htm#c5info

I went with the 99 because I loved the way the FRC looks, and it was taken care of. Everyone is right, you look for the person that loved their car, and took care of it. Age means nothing if it was neglected/abused. Look for cars with no mods, you can personalize it yourself, and it is an indication of how it was driven.

:iagree: Don't forget that even an '04 is a 4 year old car and out of warranty. If buying from a dealer, perhaps extended warranty should be considered in the purchase price and be a negotiable item. They are all great cars, but none are infallable.

If it weren't for my lusting of FRC's, I would have gone with a 2002.

- Slight increase in hp
- LS6 manifold (vs LS1)
- LS6 engine block (vs LS1)
- Cheaper TPMS sensors
- Potential ease of installing headers (AIR bypass)

Mind you, most of these apply to the 2001 but I'd stick to 2002 since there were some 2001's which consumed excessive oil. Besides, the difference between a 2001 and 2002 is probably a matter of hundreds of dollars.

I have an '04, and think that would be the best model year to buy. As has been pointed out, it was the end of the line for the C5 and most of the common issues had been worked out by then. Additionally, you might find an '04 with a lot of desirable options you won't find on some other model years you may come across out there because GM made a lot items that were options on '97-'03 Vettes standard on the '04 (sport seats, polished wheels come to mind).
I was lucky in that I got one that had every option avaliable that year and then some (XM radio and dealer installed Corsa Touring exhaust, HUD)

However, an good, clean, well-maintained C5 of any model year will serve you well. Shop around and by all means, don't buy the first C5 you test drive, unless you get lucky:thumbs: Good luck:cheers:

I personally like my 01 Z...but that's MY personal preference.:thumbs:

any car between '01-'04. the best? i would say '04. by that year everything was nearly perfected. would i pay $8,000 more from a low millage '01 in Almost perfect condition to a low millage '04 in good condition? Nope...

Y2K...are thin spokes are better than all yah's...:lol:

My '99 has 30k, no complaints!!!!!!!!:thumbs: :flag:

:iagree: In my case it was a '97 Arctic White coupe.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...anclassic1.jpg

:flag: :flag: :flag:

How about instead of asking what year, you ask look for specific features. Find the Vette that YOU like, and the year won't matter. Look for the options you want, color, maintenance records, etc etc. After that, I bet you won't think twice about what year it is, as you will be too busy enjoying it to think about it. Good luck!

-Alex