JR-01

It seems like GM over engineered a lot of components of the C5, but they missed a few things that would have made it better from the factory. Here are some suggestions I think they should have done. Please add to the list.

1. Cup holders. The one they have is worthless.
2. More storage bins or compartments in doors and cabin.
3. Tow hooks. A couple cheap tow hooks would have made it a lot easier to move a dead car around, not to mention prevent damage when pulling it out of a ditch or onto a ramp truck.
4. Stainless steel brake lines.
5. Small mud flaps. The fenders and quarters take a beating from sand and gravel.
6. A removable screen in the main air intake. Seems like these cars suck up debris like a vacuum cleaner. This would help keep radiator clean.
7. Oil drain plug in rear of pan. Make DIY oil changes easier.
8.

Phanni

1. easily fixed, several types on the market
2. It's a sports car, not a SUV
3. Tow hooks? why for the few that track their cars?
4. True, but I doubt many have problems with the OEM lines
5. agreed
6. agreed
7. Say what? buy some ramps.
8. Usable headlights

JR-01

Not talking aftermarket. Anything can be added on.
1. Should have come from factory.
2. Sports car are used for cruising. After taking a 4000 mile trip last summer, extra cabin storage would have been nice.
3. No, for pulling out of ditch or onto a truck, like I pointed out.
4. Eventually they might. Corvettes are on the road a lot longer than other cars.
7. I have ramps. If you ever changed oil in yours you would understand why front oil plug is a PITA.
8. My headlights work just fine. Don't see that as a problem.

Bill Vett

I think for a car that was designed 20+ years ago GM did a good job. Look back at other cars interiors from the late 90's. GM delivered a product that was inexpensive and trend setting. Sure looking back changes could have been made, better cup holder, but more importantly headlights you don't outdrive at 40 mph. After owning my car for over 14 years I still enjoy it as much today as the day I drove it home.

Stroker87

I agree with #7 & #8

after getting the front up for an oil change I have to jack up the back to drain its a PITA for sure! I installed HID's to fix #8 I can see now

JR-01

I don't see new C5s as inexpensive. I just was pointing out little, inexpensive things they could have done to make the car more user friendly. It doesn't mean I don't like my car.

vettefan84

Well these are just a few facts....there are others like bad grounds...oil.sender unit...wiper motor fail for clugged odders ...steering column,,,diferential leak...window leak...etc...i.m a vette guy i.love my c5 but it has problems like any other car....i will only trade my c5 in a further for a c6 only...long life to vettes..god bless

c4cruiser

I agree that the cup holder is worthless, but maybe Corvette drivers care more about driving than having a cup or bottle with them all the time.

Same with storage bins, how much stuff really needs to be hauled around constantly?

Most cars that have some sort of visible hook or loop are really tie-downs used when the car was transported from the factory. BMW, Mercedes, Audi and a few others have the fancy screw-in towing eyes, but maybe those cars tend to see the business end of a tow truck more often... And if those cars get stuck in a deep rut or in the mud, those little towing eyes are not going to work.

Stainless lines would be too expensive and I believe that they do not have the long life that the rubber hoses do.

Things like mud flaps are available in the aftermarket. But newer cars like the C6 and C7 have some level of protection that the C5 didn't.

Even the C4 didn't have a screen to keep stuff out. Stock air filters work fine. A knowledgeable C4/C5/C6 owner will take the time to keep the A/C condenser and radiator surfaces clean.

One thing I have found with the oil pan drain plug is that the forward rake of the car makes the plug location a logical spot. Putting the plug at the back of the pan means that you would have to raise the front of the car higher. If you take the car to a shop for an oil change, the hoists don't raise the front of the car higher than the rear.

roadbike56

JR-01

-Cup holders and more storage would be for long cruises that many of us use our cars for, not for driving to shows.
-The hard lines should be stainless, not talking about soft lines. Not much price difference for factory.
- Vettes are bottom feeders and a simple screen to keep leaves, paper and other debris off of condenser and radiator would be a great feature. Not worried about air filter
- The forward drain plug is a pain in the **** for do it yourself oil changers. See above poster to explain it.

Like I said, I am talking about how GM could have made it better, not aftermarket accessories.

allred

1) Headlight gear problem should have been fixed during the 8 year production run.

2) Shifting seat problem should have been fixed during the 8 year production run.

3) Programmable option of having the windows drop a couple of inches when the door opens/unlocks. It is a C6 feature and would have been a good C5 option.

4) Self-latching rear hatch on the coupe. Firebirds/Camaros/Cadillacs and many more have had this feature, not sure why it wasn't included on the C5.

5) Radiator screen would have been a good idea.

I don't need cup holders, I don't need to drink in my car.

I don't need additional storage bins, there is more than ample storage space in my coupe.


Overall I can't fault the car for the era it was made.




.

Bill Vett

It was not inexpensive in the US but when you look at European two seaters of the time, Corvette was performing as well or better than cars costing three times a Corvette. From the C-4 to the C-7 each generation has improved, with the improvements that were made the price has reflected the changes.

dblerman

#9. Offered the Z06 in a convertible model.
#10. A4 optional 3.42 gear instead of 3.15.
#11. HID factory headlights.

Stroker87

I told my wife I was surprised at how much you really put up with to drive a Corvette, when I say that I'm not speaking for the guys that keep there car out of the rain or put less then 1000k miles a year. I only had my car for a few months but already have fixed half of whats mentioned above. don't get me wrong i love the car but it does keep me busy lol but i like to tinker so i don't mind wrenching on it

duramaxsky

Stainless Steel brake lines should be standard on all GM cars and trucks. They don't cost much more. They would not be in the recall process and law suits over the trucks right now if they had. Otherwise the car is fine. No car is perfect. Lookat all the C7 problems. And they don't have any miles yet. They may turn out to be a real disaster. I hope not.

duramaxsky

HIDs in 97?

donald4972

Well said. I agree in total. And furthermore:

If GM loaded down Corvette (America's Sports Car) with too many things, people would complain about how much it weighs (see C7).
I've had my C5 on several 1000 to 3000 mile trips, and will take more, and have found NO lack of storage. Suitcases, backpacks; you're on a trip....
A cupholder, well, Americans now think they can't walk across the parking lot at the mall without a bottle of water or they'll get dehydrated.... So I won't say what I really think about that, here.

Nicer interiors cost lots more money and usually weigh more.
As Bill said, for a car engineered 20 years ago, and with the number of C5's running around now with 2,3, and 400,000 miles on them, I'm loathe to complain too much.
Hindsight is always (in fact) 20/20 and is usually narrow minded.

The headlights, I do most (85%+) of my driving in daylight, and love the 'lines' of no visible headlight on C5. And in fact, I've done many miles and hours of night driving, and thought nothing about the headlites. They just don't bother me at all.

Yes, on the screen for road debris sucked up into radiator area, but the aftermarket has provided options on that (as with cupholders).

If you figure C5 performance per pound per dollar spent, I think most would agree C5 Corvette is and was, a really good deal. Timeless styling and lines, with performance upgrades makes this car still relevant in most SportCar disucssions, world wide. And against cars costing many times more than C5 did, in production years.

We all know there are C5's on this forum that can 'blow the doors off C7's (and most cars), run with the mighty ZR1 Corvette, and still get mid to upper 20's in mpg on the highway cruising, and pass any state smog tests. A little upgrading, goes a long way, both under the hood, and within the interior.
Anything you buy, needs maintenance, and if you keep it long enough, then upgrades only make sense. Technology and improvements march on, into the future. Leaving only the narrow minded behind.

I love my C5, and the upgrades (subtle) I"ve done to it. And also I love reading about the C5's of others, who 'update' them into present and prepare them for the future. Again, I think the platform of C5, is timeless. And doesn't weigh much, to begine with.
I wonder if C7 will be as relevant and beautiful, 20 years hence. Time will tell, but it will have to earn it (in my book) like C5 has already done.

Cost, vs performance, vs current relevance, makes C5 Corvette do well by any measure, in my opinion. My hats off, to the guys who engineerd C5, and built it.

We've got sleek beautiful cars here, which are (can be) very fast and powerful, and agile (turn left and right), that still turn heads of children and the girls and people who know little about cars as well as auto experts, get very reasonable mpg on America's highways, pass emission standards, and are a total hoot to drive. And will remain so for a long time to come.

Don

rrwirsi

I learned by owning two other vets (1964 & 1972), you need to have a ‘money pit fund’ for all the repairs that owning a sports car requires especially if you no longer can do many of them yourself (that’s me). And it was not the creature features (except for AC per my wife) that I was looking at when determining what class to look at, it was the looks and the style. The C5 did it for me. As one of the previous post’s indicated, this is a sports car, not a Lexus.

Silverbullet00

Overall the C5 is quite good but GM should have used higher quality parts, brake lines etc. even if it added to the cost by a significant amount. My car was $44K plus with lots of options including Z51 and six speed. Better quality OEM in many areas would have been well worth the cost.

SG Lou

Stainless Steel Brake Lines