423brian

I was wondering how practical a C5 is as a daily driver and if there are any expected expenses I have forgotten to consider? My current ride is a 2008 VW GLI with about 80,000 miles. Blue book value is about $10k, so that should cover a good chunk of the car I'm looking for. I currently get about 28-29 mpg on the highway, usually about 26 mpg on a tank w 93 octane so that shouldn't change much, right? I know my insurance will go up some and there will be some minor repairs that come with a used car. I'm looking at a frc with a 6spd. Mileage and year will kind of depend on how much I expect to spend on repairs and maintenance.

Any thoughts on expenses or concerns I may have forgotten to consider?

Thanks

troyguitar

Insurance probably won't go up, actually. My Z06 is the cheapest car I've ever had as far as insurance goes.

The only annoying parts about daily driving a C5 are low ground clearance and large turning radius. The FRC also has a small-ish trunk compared to the targa, but it's still big for a sports car.

Rexde1

I drive mine daily but mostly short trips because I work close to home. Have to put a battery in about evey three years. I dont drive it when it snows. It does good in the rain. I average about 13 mpg.

sfc rick

The downside is there isn't enough days in the week to drive it. I absolutely love getting in my c5 everyday and driving it for the past 5 years.

FrankLP

Just about 5 years for me too. Due to the winters here in Nebraska, I do store mine for about 3 months each year. But those 3 months are good for mods/projects!

Sox-Fan

Very much on the money.

Insurance is surprisingly inexpensive for these.

My z is my third daily driver C5. Last two were coupes. Amazing how much you can pack into those coupes. The z, not so much.

Being low means having to pay attention to how far into parking spots you pull, speed bumps, things like that. But paying attention to what you're doing is hardly a bad thing.

Gas mileage on the highway is pretty darned good. Around town not really.

Turning radius has never been an issue for me.

Eaglerulez

I daily drive my C5 Corvette, and I think it is a wonderful car to daily drive.

Here are the pros

In my opinion the coupe has more trunk space than I have found on most four dour sedans, so there is not a whole lot of compromise on that front unless you are used to a truck or SUV.

The car is very easy and fun to drive around town. If anything, I have found myself enjoying going 55mph on the highway in my Corvette way more than I have found myself enjoying 80mph in my 2012 Camaro.

Gas mileage is not terrible. When I get a few more city miles in each week I average around 19.5mpg when I get more highway miles in I average around 21mpg. If I were to take a full road trip on the highway I would probably average around 30mpg. This is in an A4, M6's probably have a little more control over their gas mileage.

I personally always look forward to getting into my car and I always have something to look forward to after a long day at work because of it.

You start to realize that you have one of the nicest cars in a parking lot 85% of the time.

The car is just very fun to drive. Speed when you want it, tame when you need it to be. Just driving the car to a destination is often just as fun as the destination itself.

Somehow my insurance as a 22 year old is about $100 cheaper each month than my girlfriend's 2014 Camry. The fact that these cars are older make them very affordable from an insurance perspective, and I'm in one of the worst age ranges for insurance prices.

The cons

You will worry about scraping a lot, and will probably scrape on some driveway at least once a week.

The large turn radius can get you into some trouble in tight spaces. This will not really be a problem if you know where you are driving each day, but I personally go to different cities every week so I am never familiar with the area.

The electronics in this car are pretty unreliable and you will be perplexed as to why your window motor stopped working randomly, why your doors sometimes unlock when you press the keyfob, and why they sometimes don't other times, etc. Fortunately a lot of these issues can be fixed, but they can be a pain to deal with.

If you are using the car as a DD, I would not go too gun hoe on cosmetic improvements to the exterior. My car has a lot of scratches and paintchips from previous owners, nothing noticeable from a distance, but I'm happy I haven't tried to get rid of all of them yet because more random ones keep happening. It is part of daily driving a car.

The car is squeeky and rattly. On some days you will not even notice it, on other days it will drive you crazy.

Depending on the condition of your suspension the car can feel very rough on some surfaces, and oddly "floaty" on others. Getting some suspension upgrades in place after purchase is always a good idea to help smooth these flaws out.

The car is powerful and can be very dangerous if not driven properly. Whereas in most other cars you can just floor it without much real consequence. In a Corvette, flooring it can produce too much torque for the car to really handle and control safely. In other words, you have to be very careful about when you punch it.

All in all though, it is a great car and a wonderful vehicle to daily drive.

RicardoFors68

Been dd ing mine ever since I bought it in march plus drive it anywhere I can find an excuse to. Seems lime the more I drive it the better it behaves, kinda like aircraft. No issues with scraping or turn radius, just drive it. No special issues, after owning bmw for over 20 years this has been, so far, a more affordable ride. Time will tell though.
Electrical gremlins evry once in a while,, and keeping an eye on the fun meter, aka avg mpg display is what keeps me engaged.
no different than the window regulators, the radiator expansion tanks, replacing brake rotors every other brake pad change, on and on with german automobiles.
Good luck and enjoy

corvette77

I have been driving mine daily for 6 years now, and have zero regrets! I would suggest getting the newest one you can, because I believe there are some parts that are not available on the older ones (97-00).

8T5Vette

I have been using my 97 as a DD for 3 years except when the white stuff is forecast. 21 mph around town and the last road trip through the Rockies netted 27.9. It is a great ride and it is amazing the number of "road" conversations I get into. As for insurance it is the same as my wife's 03 liberty and the 05 Hemi Grand that I drive in the poor weather conditions. I have never regretted purchasing it as a DD.

Koufax

I've only had my '04 convertible for a couple of months, but I drive it daily on my 30 mile commute. I am fortunate in that I am able to avoid most rush hour traffic. My commute is now the high point of my day, which I could never ever say before. No issues with the car. Yes, you have to be careful about parking lots and those low concrete barriers at the end of some spaces, but you learn. I get high 20s in mpg. I could do better but I can't resist punching it every now and then.

I can't stand the rainy days when I decide to drive my Lexus. It's such a letdown.

Vetteman Jack

Nothing at all wrong with a C5 as a daily driver. It is a reliable car, gets good gas mileage, and is a blast to drive. Only downside is if you live in an area where there is some winter weather - they are not the best in snow and ice.

As with any used car, how it was maintained will determine in large part how reliable the car will be. Things can still happen, but chances are lessened if the previous owner really took care of the car.

donald4972

I drive my C5 daily, and can't imagine not doing so.

There is only one reason I can think, which may stop a guy from driving Corvette daily. That is the price of gas. If it bothers you, that this car needs good premium fuel, instead of 87 octane like a Prius, and it's not going to get the mileage around town like a Corolla, then don't do it.

Otherwise, there is no reason at all, not to. As some have mentioned, you have to be mindful of speed bumps, and driveways more in this car. But you get used to it.
And they (C5) are such a hoot to drive!!!

You give this car TLC and good maintenance, and you might get 1, 2 or 300,000 miles from it. Many have.
And once in a while when something gives, you just fix it. But that can happen to any car you drive, new or old. If you don't think so, go read in the C7 section for a while.

Drive it, you'll love it more and more.

Don

I8URSVT

Poor steering radius shows itself in tight underground parking lots in the city. Ive been dd'n mine since i bought it, 10months ago and have put 14k miles on it in that time. Car is a blast to drive everyday

OKZ06

I love driving my car daily, however as it has already been said I have another junk vehicle to drive in the ice and snow.

My car sits outside year round, I am fully confident in the car in slick situations but I do not trust the other drivers nor do I want to take the chances of being forced to run through big snow piles.

FinalJenemba

I purchased my 02 coupe with the intent of possibly daily driving it. I ended up not doing so and leasing a Prius C to handle daily use. The main reason is simply because my commute is just god awful. 25 miles of hot, rainy, stop and go traffic on terrible roads, sometimes I'm not a fan of living in Florida. If my commute was more pleasant id be much more willing to dd it. I make it a point to drive it at least once a week, and will probably drive it more once it cools down and stops raining all the damn time.

One nice thing about not using it every day and that when you do take it out its a bigger deal. It feels special.

Cliff8928

I DD mine rain or shine for over half the year. Another thing to note is that the traction really goes down in cold temps (40°F or lower) if you have summer tires. I get pretty well the same MPG in the C5 as my 2011 Saab 9-5 Turbo4, both are 6-speed manual.

540i 6spd

I got caught in the snow once.... That was not so fun with summer tires. Otherwise it is a great daily.

runner140*

Corvettes have been daily drivers for me for the last 11 years. Great value, good gas mileage and low maint. LSx's have been known to get into the 250,000 to 300,000 miles.

C5Wolfe

My wife drove her "97" daily for three years and 75,000 miles trouble free! She drives 70 miles round trip every day but we do live here on the O.B.X. and the roads are really good and weather pretty great too.