snaggle

Hey guys! Im a complete newbie to american cars, considering all or most of my cars were all japanese/european.

However, about to buy my first American car, the one I always loved and always wanted to buy, a corvette.

I have always loved them, and now I have got the chance to buy one, however, I know nothing about them, and need some quick tips about buying a used one, as I found a good one at a good price, and everything on it seemed okay.

So its a 2001 Corvette Z06, so im assuming its a "C5" since it was a 5.7L too... Its got 65,000 miles on it, and it had A LOT of power when he took me for a spin in it. Without traction control, 1st gear would get a lot of tire spin, and would also get some spin on 2nd gear too, without dumping the clutch, just accelerating full...

However, considering its a 2001, and got a decent amount of miles on it, I am scared it may have some hidden problems that I may not know about. Plus, the owner kept claiming it had 0 problems, and everything was good, but when I asked him many questions, I could feel he was lying about the car and he was hiding something, but I may be wrong...

Now - overall, from what I saw, I want to buy the car ASAP - for the price, year and other deals we have here locally, its very good.

However, could you guys please give me some tips on these corvettes as for what to look for when buying? I really dont want to end up buying a car with many problems and things I would need to repair like my last car I bought that was also an older model (2003 mitsubishi evolution)... So considering this is a 2001, im guessing it would be more prone to problems.

Anyway, I also plan on taking it to a local garage to test it before I buy it to make sure everything is running great by attaching it to those computers that do all the checking automatically.... but are those check-ups enough to show most of the flaws/problems with the car? So if the garage check-up passed, does that mean its a "perfect car"?

Also, just on a side-note, the car is not fully stock, its got a borla exhaust, and an intake, and he claims its got a "spec racing clutch".



So so far if anybody could give me any help I would appreciate it... as I said, I dont know anything about vettes techinically, and I am really looking forward to buying this one!

Thanks in advance!

BWF07

First off 65K miles on an LS engine is not much. As long as they are maintained they can go a long way. The 2001 was the first year for the Z06, so it has the 385 hp rated engine where in 2002 it went up to 405.
Ask if he has had the column lock issued addressed. That is one that almost everyone has. Also the '01 have a tendency to use more oil then other years. If you have a shop in your area that specializes in Corvette repair ask if you can have them look it over. If there are no issues the owner should not have a problem with that.
Hope it all works out.

snaggle

Would those problems you addressed come up on a full garage check /w computer checking? What is the column lock issue too?

Also, while 65k miles might not be too much, I live on a small island near Saudi Arabia, where all or most of the cars are constantly driven hard and rough, so its very likely this one was driven hard too... But the problem is i have no choice, all the fast cars here are like that..

mydreamc5

TR6speed is correct. The 2001 has 385hp and not 405 like the rest of the C5 Z06. Column lock issues are extremly common in the corvette C5 and if you look in this forumn you will find alot of info just on this issue. I boutght my 2002 Z51 less then a year ago and found a thread in the forum with things to check before a purchase. One thing to look at is under the front bumber, to see if the under part of that bumper is all scraped up. This can tell alot about how the car was taken care of. Also, the car should have a diagnostic check on it so you can see all the past codes on the car. If you:
1) Turn on the ignition but don't start the engine.
2) Press the RESET button to turn off any warning messages. (i.e. door open, trunk open ect)
3) Press and hold the OPTIONS button
4) While holding OPTIONS, press FUEL button four times within a 10 -second period.

Hope this helps!

DARRYLZO6

Hes probably being honest with you. 65,000 mi on a 12 yr. old car isnt much. As the owner of a 2001 ZO6 myself, Ive had a few issues along the way,mostly run of the mill problems these cars have,(ABS sensor,oil pressure sending unit, water pump, hazard switch, DRL bulb replacement, DRL light socket replacement, belt,belt tensioner, coolant resolvoir tank, hoses, AC sensor sending unit, center console lock to name a few, all of which I repaired myself. Im not trying to spook you but these repairs come with the territory considering the age and type of cars these are. I would inquire about possible oil burning issues(which I never had), valve spring replacement (also never had). Some Zs have had these issues, most have not. I will say that one potential pitfall with the 02-04 models is the fuel pump. 01 models are on the outside of the tank, where the later models are on the inside part of the rear where its required to drop the tank to change the pump(lots more expensive!!). Like someone said, if the car has been well maintained(get repair records), you should be ok.Also he says hes got a better clutch as well as a Borla exhaust and intake. If its been well maintained,and not constantly raced,at least these are aftermarket parts that you wont have to worry about buying later. Good Luck.

meadowz06

Alot of 01 Z06's had oil consumption problems. Get the VIN and call a Chevy dealership and have them run the VIN. That will tell the story. Good luck!

6 Shooter

GM Media

snaggle

Ok, first of all, thanks a lot to all the input. So basically, in summary, i need to make sure of 2 things; oil consumption, and the column locking, correct? Is there anything else i should look out for that could be a hidden problem?

memmer

I don't know about any problems with the Z06 but I know that the 2001s had a lot of improvements Over the earlier vets.I have a 01 vert and I have never had any problems what so ever.Good luck on your purchase.
FRED

jpandes

Even if he didn't have the column lock adressed, you can buy the fix for $45 and install it yourself.

Vetteman Jack

If you PM me your e-mail address, I'll send you a bunch of Word files, including a Corvette Buyers Checklist, that should help you out with the car. If you are uncertain if they guy is telling you the truth, be sure to have the car checked over by a trusted (or an experienced) Corvette mechanic.