Fathomitout

Hi all, I am the proud new owner of a 2002 c5 Z06 with 7800 miles. The car is immaculate, and I couldn’t be happier with the service from the Corvette specialist I purchased the vehicle from. So far I am just enjoying the car, but it is back at the dealer getting the previous owners curb rash repaired. I had the car for about two weeks because I couldn’t wait to drive it and wanted it right away before the rash was repaired. I have some photos but I am back at work so I will have to find some time to post them soon.

My impressions so far are super positive, and the car has left me with a huge smile on my face every time I drive it. The car looks and feels like it has such low miles; yet having come from imported higher end cars I was expecting this to feel dated and hearing all the rumors about build quality, poor interior, and a few awful c5’s I had sat in I was skeptical. Boy was I wrong. I love the Mod Red interior, the seats are super comfortable, and feel like they were made for me with all the adjustments from the power seats. I know this is nothing special but the adjustments in the seats allow me to get the perfect ride height and pedal distance so it just works perfectly for my body type. Now I know the interior won’t stay as pristine as it is now and will show wear over time but I enjoy maintaining my cars so it will be fun keeping on top of this beauty. I am even enjoying the shifter even after coming from a custom weighted shifter I milled myself for a custom fit on my last car! Now I will change the shifter eventually but I am loving the stock one for now. Downshifts are crisp and clean and the cars power is immense.

This is by far the most powerful and fastest car I have ever driven, and I have scared myself more than once in the past few weeks with this. It will take a lot of getting used to, as I need time to adjust to the engine noise at rpms. Twice I have hit the fuel cut because the car just sounds like it has more pull and I neglected to shift in time. The 12 year old Goodyear’s do get overwhelmed quite quickly, especially with traction control off (as I foolishly tested just to see what would happen). So they will get replaced in the spring for sure. Haven’t decided on what yet though, as I really like the stock wheels but hate the wheel gap on the car, I would like a more fitted look, but not really sure how to get it and keep the car functional. I know that lowest it can go on stock bolts still leaves a bit too much wheel gap for me, so next options are aftermarket lowering kits and or bigger wheels and tires. I want the tires to have some meat to them so I don’t really want 20’s with rubber bands on them, I want a more functional track inspired setup. More research on this is required I guess!

My original plan for this car was to use it for a stepping stone for the C6Z, but the more I drive it the more I fall in love with it. I had known for a while I wanted a C5Z, I love the body lines of the car and the sheer rawness of the car. My dad came with me the second time I went to look at the car and he like a commemorative edition coupe with 5600 miles on clock and wanted me to get that over the 02 Z. And it was a tough choice between the cruiser and the beast, but I eventually had to go with the car that fit me and my personality which was the Z. And I don’t regret going with it for a second.

All the fluids were changed by the dealer, and the car had a thorough, wheels off, inspection of all the suspension, drivetrain, mechanics, any and everything. I trust the dealer as he has been around for over 40 years selling corvettes only. So I feel good about everything on the car working well except the older tires really. So that is good.

But now that I have purchased the car and driven it, I wanted to deeper research than the light forum browsing and reading up on the car I did for months prior to buying the car. I definitely didn’t go into this blind, but man do I feel that way now after reading some buried threads about the body control module and the lack of availability of parts and some of the problems people have with these cars. It seemed like everywhere I read that this car was bullet proof and basically problem free. But wow now I’m starting to get nervous about potentially bricking the car because of a body control issue that there are next to no parts for/ only a handful of people can fix. The valve springs I knew about going into this and I am still nervous about them every time I drive the car and get on it. I had planned to get them swapped out in the spring and cam the car with a mild cam and headers at the same time but now I feel like putting any money into modifying this car wouldn’t be smart. Not that the car needs anything besides less wheel gap, I just love modifying cars and making them my own. I can’t tell if I am being irrational and everything will be fine, or if I just bit off a huge risk in a car that could potentially lose all value. I was at the point where I wanted to keep the car and modify it and enjoy it, but now I feel like I am praying the car won’t break and hoping I make it a few years until I move onto a c6. If anyone can ease some of my fears and nervousness that would be great, I want nothing more than to go back to loving this car. It is my first major car purchase I have made on my own so I don’t know if I am overreacting or not. I know that plenty of people have no troubles with their cars and the ones who do come on the forums seeking help so it seems like more people have problems than really do. Hopefully I am just letting that get to me.

So to sum up this super long and maybe confusing first post, I am loving the car so far but now that I have dug a little deeper I am terrified of some problems and not sure if I can modify or go further with the car. Overall I am still happy despite my new found fears and just want to make sure I do everything to make sure my car runs and drives great and I can enjoy it like a car this awesome should be.

Thanks for any help and reassurance everybody! And I look forward to posting in this forum! You all sound really nice and helpful and I am digging the atmosphere of the forum.

Corvette-Cat

they're "relatively" problem free. as far as I know the ls7 in the c6z has a much worse reputation for reliability, so the ls6 you have is better than the step up. some simple things to start with :

look into the column lock problem and replace yours (cheap and easy) before you get stranded.

read up about tire/wheel sizes before you make any changes. the front and rear overall diameters are staggered, with the rear 0.7" bigger than the front. going below 0.5" and greater than about 1" difference has been known to confuse the TCS/AH and brick the car unless you turn the system off.

also think about getting a Curb Alert system so you don't trash your front end, along with some rollers on the front crash bars, especially if you lower it.

other than a few bugs (like any car has) these are very fun and reliable cars. you won't regret buying one. oh, and worst case scenario you hate the car, turn around and sell it for what you paid. they hold value incredibly well.

dbgoodwin

I know what you mean about the car sneaking in up on redline. It feels like you slammed on brakes because it goes from pulling so hard to rev limiter.

CGGS

Honestly that is one of the beautiful things about the LS6 in the Z06. It pulls all the way to redline. Most performance cars don't have that flat of a torque curve up high. Even the LS7 in the C6 Z06 falls off up high more than the C5 Z.

Especially the newer boosted cars that performance cars are going to, including the new M3/4.

Paul 75 L82

Drive it, don't worry about anything.

tjschraf

I go with the lt5 here

racebum

valve springs are 65 dollars, new seals are 40, new tires around 800

do that and enjoy

if you wanted a modded car you would have been better off buying one

mods are basically lighting money on fire. you might get 20-25 cents on the dollar when you go to sell

fun factor is best when you have tires under 2 years old, by 4 they need to be replaced if you care about performance

car is probably scary as hell on 12yr old tires. the only problem you'll have is the lack of available tires for the OE wheels. the NT05s are the most popular replacement choice unless you buy 19/18 wheels,. then you can get into the pilot super sport, advan ad08, re11 etc

CGGS

YEP!!

Thats the main reason I am ordering CCW wheels, obviously appearance wise they will look awesome too.

CCW's with Advan ad08 is what I'm going with. That is going to be one hell of a set-up i must say.

CGGS

CONGRATS!!!

I'm also in the process of getting a 02' Z06 with 8,800 miles on it. I have had an 01', 04', and a 03', but this will be my first 02'

I will probably do the springs at some point, but with that low of miles, I am not sure it needs to be done ASAP.

I know sometime in 03' they moved over to a steel shift fork, but I never had an issue with my 01' with bending a fork.

I am having mine looked over at a Chevy dealer tomorrow before I sign the paperwork to check for the usual things like leaking rear diff., battery acid dripping on the PCM under the battery, main seal leaks, etc.

My biggest concern and one thing I am leary about is the clutch. from the 3 C5 Z's I had two of them had the sticking clutch pedal issue. Only under hard red-line driving though. So if it happens this time, I will probably ride it out for a while then do an aftermarket streetable clutch.

Since mine will be a daily driver, i'm going to do a few upgrades including HID conversion kit, Baer brakes, Corsa exhaust, wheels/tires, DRM shocks, and Zaino

Congrats again , please tell us how you like it after driving it for a bit.

Fathomitout

Yeah at this point I calmed down a bit and figure I'm just gonna drive it an enjoy it and deal with any problems when they come up.

As far as lowering. I looked into the rollers and will probably get them and put them in. I am used to low cars, and the lifestyle involved with driving them. My Acura was lowered to a functional limit and that's what I want to get the vette to as well. I really like the blue z on here that has the wide body fenders in the rear, fixed headlights, and what looks like black HRE wheels. His stance in the front is perfect to me and I would do something similar in the back minus the fender flares. I love how it looks like he is running negative camber. So aggressive. I am assuming he is on coils?

Fathomitout

And as far as modifying goes. I enjoy it. I know it's a Easter a money. And this car isn't something I am going overboard on. Couple thousand for headers suspension and wheels and tires. I will have another project car to build and waste money on.

racebum

why suspension? if you start changing bars, spring rates and damp curves you have to spend a LOT of hours to get the car balanced again buying multiple sets of springs, shocks and bars to get the feel you're after

you can lower the stock suspension 1/2" and make it look better and reduce body sway a bit

it's really not hard to slow a car down modifying suspension unless you really know what you're doing and can spend the time testing

2004 shocks are also a good upgrade, really improve rear stability under threshold braking and uneven terrain

headers are a great idea, if anything the car could use more top end which is exactly what they provide

bikeriderga

7800 miles??? Great find!!

Enjoy!! These cars are great. For the performance and price they are simply hard to beat!!

Not to mention they look HOT!

Freshbake

Congrats on the purchase! 7800 miles? Dang, and I thought my 31k was low! The only thing I'd recommend doing is replace those valve springs. Too many people on here have reported a spring breaking causing catastrophic failure...even just sitting idling in a driveway. Springs in the 02's have the highest reputation for failure, so I'd play it safe and replace them. I got them for $60-$70 on amazon.

Other than that, LS6's are bulletproof. Hop in, be safe, and HAVE FUN!

mkiv808

How old are you? I sense a little inexperience despite a well thought out post. Correct me if I'm wrong. But either way you may want to find a lot Autocross or HPDE event to learn how to handle the car.

Definitely replace those tires ASAP. It's dangerous driving on those.

Fathomitout

I am younger. I am 22. I think it's a mixture of personal style and inexperience coming through. There is so much I have to learn about cars and the corvette but it is my passion and has been for years so I have exposure. My desire to lower the car comes from a pure aesthetic stand point as my car is super stock and the wheel wheels fit my entire fist and then some. I like a more fitted look of around 2-3 finger gap. I think that the cars that look like that are perfect and it accents the cars lines. It might not make sense to an older crowd. It's just my preference. I am coming from the import scene and laugh when people consider corvettes low. The car itself is low when getting in. But when it comes to ground clearance there is a ton compared to the custom and slammed rides I am used to with my friends cars. My own Acura had a more functional set up of a finger and half wheel gap and never scraped but still was lower than my vette. The front air dam is a concern as I like how it looks but if I go lower it will obviously scrape. I want the corvette to look like a track car as I stated in an earlier post like the blue car one of the members has. With a bit of negative camber and 2 finger wheel gap. The car is perfect.


I know modifying cars is a "waste" of money, but I am a mariner by profession, so I am gone for eight months of the year (not all at once), and I work hard. So my off time is extremely important to me, and if a modified corvette makes me smile and enjoy my off time more than a stock corvette already does, I am going to do it.

At this point I think my plan is valve springs, American racing headers, and then lower the car, New antenna, rollers for the frame, and possibly a curb alert. Should be perfect. And then I will focus on modifying my 240sx.

And thanks for all the responses! Has made me feel much better about the car. Still worried about the body control thing but I am going to ignore it for now. When I get off the boat I will post pictures!

CGGS

Body control is taken care of with shocks alone, that is all the suspension work you need to do.

I would look at either the stock 04' Shocks or DRM Bilsteins. Either one of them will tame the rear-end/body control.

Timmcc

They are awesome cars for sure. First thing I did to mine was a LMC5 module from compliance parts, gives me peace of mind.

Enjoy!

Fathomitout

Body control I meant the modual that is prone to failure. The actually shock issue I havent thought of yet. When getting on it. In the twistys I have noticed that it is rather unsettled but I assumed that it was due to the stiffness. But now I think I will add shocks to my list just to be safe.

It seems like some pictures of cars lowered on stock bolts look good and others look not nearly low enough when the gap is concerned. Guess I will have to lower mine and find out!

Ohcat68

Drive it like ya stole it! They are great cars, I love mine puts a huge smile on my face every time I fire her up. They run like raped apes, I have had no problems with mine ( only 2000k miles deep) but still it's a car that's made to run! It will be fine. Good luck