tmirisola

I am just a few days away from pulling the pin and buying my first corvette. I'm a little nervous, but I think I've done my homework. It's a 99 C5 with low miles. The price is a little high, but I will take that in exchange for a dealer warranty and peace of mind. It's just going to be a fun car and not the daily driver. All suggestions welcome :-)

ZigZag

I'm not sure what you're asking. Are you asking for mod suggestions ? Or if it's a good choice, if so we need more info on the car like miles, type trans, totally stock ? etc

tmirisola

Also new to this forum :-) Hi Zig Zag I live in Stoneham,MA during the summer & FL during the winter mos.

1999 C5 Coupe. Automatic, 21K Miles Two owners. 1st owner had the car for one year. 2nd owner since 2000. Car fax is clean and the vehicle was well maintained. Seems to be no visible problems with the vehicle and shows little or no wear. Been garaged in a warm climate. I like the fact the car is 100% stock. No upgrades or performance items added. I also like the idea the vehicle is for sale from a high end Cadillac dealership who felt putting a 99 in this good condition was worthy of their reputation.

I've been reading all the very informative posts on this forum (which are awesome) and learning about the C5 Corvettes good and bad features. I guess I'm curious if the 99's are worth buying or should I seek another year.

73firebird

Go for it. I like silver.

57gman

When you need help or have a problem with the car, you have friends to get advice. And believe me, they are here to help you and know their stuff, it really is a great club.

And they will save you big bucks over the stealerships of the world. Just this week I saved $280.

Do it!

Pappy11

Same Here...Bought My First One last Saturday....Sure I paid too much for my 02...but it was a one owner...one of the Manager's Mother owned it...she traded it in for a 15 vete...low miles...so I know it has been taken care of...but it's mine now and there is no looking back ...welcome

ZigZag

Hi and welcome, I worked in Woburn for 17 years and have friends in Stoneham. My car is a 99 also but has a lot more miles, 127,000 and it looks and runs great. 2002 -2004 have a better reputation and improvements overall but you'd be pretty safe with a car in that condition. Are they asking for two arms and a leg I'm guessing ? Good luck to you if you get it.

Vetteman Jack

If you've had the car checked out by a good mechanic and it looks and drives great and has good tires on the car, make the buy. You might want to read the stickies at top of the page - they have some great info in them. Good luck and enjoy the Vette.

SG Lou

First of all Welcome aboard
Now, A 99 with that kind of low mileage sounds great and chances are you'll have many, many miles of enjoyment with it. One slight word of caution. I don't want to scare you but there are a lot of Electronic parts that are no longer available for that model year and a lot of upgrades were made for the 2000 model year meaning they are not interchangeable. ECBM and Steering Position Sensor, just to name a couple. TPMS aka Tire Pressure Monitors cost a heck of a lot more then those for the 2001 thru 2004 models.

Again, Chances are you'll have no problems but just thought I'd throw it out there to keep in the back of your mind.

Now I'm sure there will be plenty of guys chiming in with how their 97 thru 99's are still humming along with no problems what so ever...and that's great...................but, there's always that chance.

johnson-rod

Buying your first Corvette from a big dealer is a good way to go. They cherry-pick the best ones and warrantee them for a while. These are complicated cars that take a while to get used to and the dealer's warrantee can make that time less stressful.

After that, just post a question on this forum and you are sure to get well thought out answers.

garline14

Congrats on such a nice find! I own a 98 that just turned 103k miles and runs very strong. The 97-99 year C5's do have parts that aren't available anymore but also a lot of the parts between the years are interchangeable as well. Honestly,I didn't let the year of the car decide my purchase, I was looking at overall condition. Any year can give you more problems than the other, but If you have a car that was taken care of all its life chances are you won't experience anything major. Don't think negative, think positive and just enjoy the car, and if a problem comes up, FIX IT and keep driving!

Loby 1

When searching for a C5 I too was concerned a about the issues about only buying any thing but a 2000 or up.

I did a lot of looking around and low and I see a beautiful Torch Red C5 on a local used car lot, so I went to look at it with the owner of the lot.
It was immaculate both inside and out. I asked him what year it was and it turned out to a'97 6 speed. I told him I was looking for a 2000 and up, so I continued my search. I could not find one as clean as the '97.
Running errands one day I drove past the '97 then turned around and drove into the lot and said "lets make a deal."

I've owned the car for three years. It has gone back and forth from Boise Idaho to Palm Springs Ca. on several occasions with out any issues.
When I purchased it the millage was 34k now it is 50k.
It puts a smile on my face every time I drive it and people still come up to me and complement the car.

If you like the C5 you are interested in and feel good about it's history, buy it let it and let it put a smile on your face.

jdvann

Some confusion in this thread. The upgrades came on 2001 and up. 97-2000 has the parts that are getting hard to find.

tmirisola

Yes, I'm happy about it. One reason I liked this vehicle was it's 100% stock with 22K miles and the GM dealer kept it rather than wholesaling it. This forum (AWESOME) has been a wealth of valuable information. Because of this forum I've learned sooooo much that could arise and had the big Dealer go through them with a fine tooth comb for me. IMO worth paying a few extra bucks for the peace of mind. The odds are I will keep this C5 in FL. We'll see :-). I recently joined a Corvette Club in Venice, FL and plan on attending a lot of functions during the winter season & making a bunch of new Corvette friends.

Thanks ZigZag we'll have to hook up some time in MA when I return next spring. The price was middle of the road reasonable. Not complaining for the condition.

Tom M

SG Lou

yeah, I made a boo-boo

SG Lou

So what did it set you back ? A lot of guys are always asking idea's about prices to list their cars when putting up for sale. Also helps gauge prices for other looking to buy.

tmirisola

I will let you know when they finish checking out my list of items. I will drive up to see them next Saturday 12/5/15

ZigZag

Totally off subject but, I go by Tom and last name begins with M. And I'm guessing you're Italian.

tmirisola

Yes :-)

Vettecruzer

I bought a 99 Vette convert with 50,000 on it 2 years ago from a dealership. Not too long after the steering sensor went out. The dealership covered the cost to fix it. Never thought I would say that I was glad that I bought a car from a dealership.

Welcome to the forum.