jjaaam

Hello everyone,

Sorry if this is posted in the wrong place, so if it is please let me know...

I'm planning on joining the "brotherhood" soon and finally getting my first Vette. Budget is a factor for sure, but I have always been partial to C5's.

I have identified one that is about 500 miles away from me. Would anyone mind looking at this link and seeing if it is worth while?

http://luckylinemotors.com/used-1998...VETTE/vd/14143

It is exactly what I have always wanted with a very minor exception - the grey interior instead of all black. I can deal with that though. Mileage is not extreme but it's not a spring chicken either...but from the reasearch I've done on this forum 77k isn't a deal breaker if the price is right.

What do you all think? Would it be worth my time?

Again...I apologize if I am asking questions that are buried in the forums...I just know that you guys are the experts and I trust your opinions.

Thanks!

Jerry

cor28vettes

Looks clean enough. I agree on interior color being so so. Seats are the base which actually look better. Asking price is fair enough but I'd like 1-2K off to replace the tires. Wagon wheels are so so.

Why not buy from a private party. That dealer knows very little history on that car. Plus it's 500 miles away. I'd keep looking and don't buy on impulse. Lot's of nice cars FS right here on the forum.

Koufax

Color choice is personal. I like the gray.

I'd have the car professionally inspected. You never know what gremlins might turn up. And learn how to pull the codes on the car. (A search here will turn up many links to a video showing how to do that). You will then know more about the car than the dealer does. I hired an inspection service and sent them the instructions on pulling the codes. Between the codes and the other observations they made, I chose not to by a vette on a dealer lot that seemed so beautiful. $150 spent on the inspection saved me a 500 mile trip. But there was another one waiting for me nearby, it turned out.

You are likely to get a better car in a private party transaction, but you never know -- this one might be perfect for you. Just be careful.

jjaaam

I will be financing this purchase so I had thought it would be easier to go through a dealer.

I've never purchased private party before. Will I be able to get the $$$ I need from a bank without a lot of headache?

Silverbullet00

Nice looking Vette but I would try to buy a newer model, 2002 plus. Parts for the older C5's are getting harder and harder to find. I have a 2000 so I know. Saw a local 2004 Vert for sale for under 19K for an example.

Good luck!

cor28vettes

It would benefit us to know where you are from. See the Welcome in front of your user name? Click the user name and use the eraser to add location, location, location.

If there's a credit union near you drop by and talk to a loan officer. If none is close try rounding one up on the internet. I have one a couple miles away yet I used one before that's 50 miles away with a lower rate.

Find out how old a car you can buy and if they will process out-of-state deals.

Silverbullet00

Vetteman Jack

Gray interior might be a blessing - stays cooler in hot weather and does not show every piece of dirt.

jjaaam

Well, thanks to an honest dealer at the lot I'm gonna pass. Said there was evidence of paint work on the driver's side fender and on the front bumper cover. Tires were worn, and wheels were pitted.

Sigh. Oh well. Wasn't meant to be for me to have that one I guess...

Maybe I'm nuts, but I'm having a hard time finding a white coupe with all black interior. Were they rare? I can find red or black exteriors all day long but white seems to be a challenge.

I remember seeing one about 10 years ago and it knocked my socks off...been wanting one ever since.

Thrill of the chase I guess...the hunt is part of the fun!

jjaaam

Couldn't find an "eraser" to add my location...what am I missing?

I'm from the Flint area in Michigan BTW...

racebum

wouldn't touch it unless you can get it for 10k

pre 2001 cars, especially autos, sit, and sit, and sit

not going to be an easy car to get back out of if you get in it that high, then start fixing things

you can find a nice 2004 with the same mileage in MUCH better condition for 16-17 all day long

BamaJ

Glad you are passing on this Vette. I'm surprised that no one else noticed this but it appears that there has been major damage to the front end, and the repairs were definitely NOT performed by a good body shop. In the side view photos the front fenders are obviously a different shade of white than the doors, and the fit is terrible. Uneven gaps between the fenders & the doors, and around the headlights. I'm wondering if the replacement parts used were even genuine GM? They don't look right, at all. Did they not offer to send the Carfax?

Am I the only one that noticed these things??

jjaaam

No, you aren't. I saw the fender mismatch and the gaps on the headlamps...but I thought I may have been seeing things on the fender and thought the headlamp fit could have been an easy fix...

fwrogg

Nice job, so obvious now that you pointed it out.

woodman300

i totally agree. the first thing i notices was the passenger rear area looks like the fascia is dimpled. in the pic of the driver side wheel you can see the wheel well is broken off. this looks like a terrible deal at that price.

SG Lou

Smartest decision you made....keep looking, there are plenty out there !

cor28vettes

Not a problem. Upper right find the Welcome, click jjaaam behind the Welcome.
Go to the window results, find city and/or State, click the pencil eraser behind city and/or State, add yours.

laurent_zo6

All great advice from CF members.
In my opinion, unless you get a killer deal, I would buy 01-04. As mentioned above there are parts for previous years for the C5 you cannot find anymore from GM.