nsogiba

With my 6.0 LS powered E39 saying goodbye in late December '15, I was in the market for something smaller, more fun, more agile, and better on gas. I was willing to give up some horsepower and engine size to gain that, but found a nice compromise After about 8 months of deliberation I settled on this nice 2000 Corvette FRC Hardtop (fixed roof coupe).

After the usual slew of homework and background checks on the car, I booked a flight out to Providence to go pick her up. Nothing quite like getting on a one way flight with a pair of license plates and crossed fingers. This was my first time buying a car out of state and everything went off without a hitch.

Apologize in advance for the poor quality pics. Here is the traditional long winded, pic heavy story.

Early flight out of Buffalo to Philadelphia was uneventful if a bit early.

Somewhere over PA:
IMG_1177 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

IMG_1178 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Flying into Philly on a nice Sunday morning. Need to visit in person some day.
IMG_1180 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

IMG_1179 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Quick layover and a bite to eat, back on the plane to continue on to Providence. 40 minutes later, the sellers Joe and Kathy picked me up at T.F. Green Airport and we made the 45 min drive to their place to inspect the car. I can't thank them enough for their generosity in making the drive there and back on a Sunday morning!

Pulled up to their place and pulled out Kathy's new C7 and my new C5 for inspection, comparison, and general drooling.

Kathy's new C7 Stingray. What a sound out of the exhaust on this car...no, it's not stock either
IMG_1185 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

15 year generation gap
IMG_1186 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

IMG_1187 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

IMG_1188 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

IMG_1189 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Myself and the new car.
IMG_1217 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

After tying up the last few loose ends I tossed my bag in the car, said my goodbyes, thanked Kathy and her husband for everything, and hit the road:
IMG_1216 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

I was lucky enough to get a 50F day at the end of January with no snow on the ground to make this journey.

Some ominous clouds gathering around Hartford CT
IMG_1194 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Open road and remnants of fall scenery in Connecticut
IMG_1198 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

IMG_1196 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

I passed over this bridge north of Hartford many times as a kid in the family van on the way to visit family. A nice memory.
IMG_1199 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

IMG_1200 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

IMG_1201 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Beautiful skies coming out of Massachusetts, pictures don't do it justice.
IMG_1202 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

hmmmm...decisions, decisions.
IMG_1203 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Cruising at an easy 82mph, the car returned stellar gas mileage.
IMG_1205 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Being the realist that I am, I decided to pull over to fill up the half empty tank and see how she really did. Exactly 250.1 miles, it used 9.345 gals, for an average of 26.7 mpg, with me ripping on it every chance I got. I'm sure it would come close to 30mpg if I were cruising at 70.

Some pictures and admiring the lines as the sun set in Central New York State

IMG_1207 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

IMG_1208 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

IMG_1209 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

IMG_1210 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

IMG_1211 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

IMG_1212 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Last couple hours were uneventful.
IMG_1213 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

The HUD is awesome.
IMG_1214 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

Finally back to the Bat Cave:
IMG_1215 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr


Will be back in a BMW some day, but for now it's time to enjoy this one.

ZigZag

Good pics and a great running account of your trip. Nice car and good luck with it.

nsogiba

The car already has the rare OEM magnesium wheel package, is lowered, and has a custom exhaust which I might change up. Otherwise it's getting a bunch of maintenance, a shifter and intake, and maybe some headers over the summer. We'll see. I want to change some things in the tune but otherwise want to spend lots of time on the highway and not in the garage

Rico7142

Looks like everything ran smooth..including the car!!

Looks great!! Seemed like a nice enjoyable drive back home!!!

Enjoy your new C5!

dork

"Some ominous clouds gathering around Hartford CT"...

I was howlin' at that... I know all ya'lls had some ugly weather along the Eastern Seaboard and maybe even up in Conn'ticut, too, lately, but dayuum... Them ain't "ominous". If I knew how to, I'd post pics of the "biblical-dark" clouds over my house rollin' by at 120mph; when the eye of the hairycane come over us and let us out for a look--blackness rolling by like it was stop-motion photography--THAT was the first time I'd seen the literary metaphor, "ominous weather", live.

As to your tale, congratulations! I was just reading 'nother thread, "miss my c5", and your picture of the c7 and c5 FRC side-by-side really honed it in for me. Ifn I had both cars, I'da sold the white one on looks alone... those body lines, and white, too!?? Yuck! (though I admit, we're considering a c7 z06, and turning the c5z into a DD). But white!?? Lemme tell ya what I think of a white paint job...

mike48750

Thanks for taking us along on the adventure. Looks like you got a good one! Mike

Black 03 Z06

Best of luck with your new car.

Great photos and trip report. That indeed is a nice looking car.

Pappy11

Great looking Car...................

Vetteman Jack

Congrats on getting your C5 - looks like a very nice car. How many miles are on it?

2FAS4UU

....Enjoy the FRC, but I'm partial !! ........

Mikey_T

Great post, thanks for sharing!

nsogiba

I took it out fer a rip last night and drove it to work this morning. Seriously daily-able.

Placed some orders last night:

TR55 plugs
GMPP Red plug wires
a shitload of oil filters (at $3 a pop for OEM AC Delco parts you can't go wrong)
wiper blades
air filter and fuel filter
hood lip seal (weatherstripping)
4x leave-in jacking pucks so i can get this pig up on the lift
some interior trim pieces that the PO broke
stubby antenna

once the jacking pucks come in I plan on doing plugs, wires, engine oil + filter, trans fluid, diff fluid, fuel filter. The motor has an ever so slight miss while sitting at a light, and based on looking at most of the stuff under the hood I'm guessing the plugs and wires are original. I also need to order the LCM5 column lock bypass - even though the column lock was replaced/serviced multiple times over the past couple years.

I did the zip tie mod to the intake last night and it definitely is a big improvement on the butt dyno. I took apart the whole snorkel/"power duct" to inspect it and am glad I did. bunch of leaves, dust, and general grime came out of the pre-filter area, and the MAF screen had last seen daylight circa 2000.

_DSC4652 by Norbert Ogiba, on Flickr

The marks are just from me gently rubbing my finger on the screen face. Luckily the screened portion is removeable from the heated wire element so I gave it a hot soapy bath with a toothbrush, rinsed out the lower airbox, and put the whole thing back together.


Finally I pulled the codes - looks like the majority are history codes - I need to check the listing and see what they're all for.

nsogiba

105K, give or take.

dork

Don't forget to "change" the clutch fluid with the Ranger method and check the radiator from underneath for debris. Check the udders under the windshield for debris, too; and the battery tray for corrosion.

nsogiba

I will definitely have to check/change the fluid - assuming it's original, and the clutch pedal got soft (like they all do) after some spirited high RPM shifts last night.

Cooling system refresh was done late last year, so I'm good there.

The last 2 items are on my list!

Psydef

Cool pics! Congrats on the new ride. Loving the magnesium rims

nsogiba

so I ran through the DTC code listing and it looks like all the codes are History - meaning they were once set and then disappeared. I plan on resetting the codes tonight, taking it for a couple drives, and seeing what comes back.

f6john

Love the black and magnesium together. Is there any other car out there where after 16 years you can still find so many nice examples available for purchase?

Studying4boards

Great story and awesome pics..! And congrats..!

6speedsteve

Stop by Cars & Coffee sometime during the summer in Orchard Park, 3rd Sunday of the month starting in April.

https://www.facebook.com/carsandcoffeebuffalo