Mugen1516

Sold my 2008 BMW 535i on 5/19/12 and looking to get into my first Corvette. I have 2 cars on my radar so far and just wanted some opinions.

1. 2010 Corvette Grand Sport 3LT
   • Black/Black
   • 14,000 miles
   • 2 owners
   • CARFAX appears clean other than 2 owners for only 14,000 miles
   • Would be sold as GM Certified by dealer ~60 miles away for $45,700 (pre-negotiation)
2. 2007 Corvette ZO6
   • Red/Black
   • Appears to be a top of the line model for 2007 (has steering wheel radio controls, heated seats, navigation); also shows Corvette Museum Delivery sticker on door jamb so it makes me think top of the line model ordered new
   • 20,000 miles
   • 1 owner
   • CARFAX appears clean
   • Sold by a Chrysler/Jeep dealer ~500 miles away who bought car from dealer auction and out of factory warranty for $45,287 (pre-negotiation)

Concerns at the moment are:

• Grand Sport has had 2 owners already and only has 14,000 miles which makes me think something is wrong with it and it is priced in bottom of market from what Cars.com shows (have a bad gut feeling about the car)
• Z06 is red (not my preferred color but the car has the graphite/competition gray wheels which makes it look less 'look-at-me-red'
• ZO6 is out of warranty which concerns me a little bit
• Minor concerns: ZO6 has old style key FOB (but I think I've read 2007 keys can be upgraded to newer style integrated key) and Z06 doesn't have bluetooth phone option

I am scheduled to go check out the Grand Sport on 5/31. The ZO6 I would more than likely have to do everything from home and then do a final check when I get there before signing. I plan to pay the Chrysler/Jeep dealer to take the Z06 to the local Chevrolet dealer for a full inspection and have them provide me with the report before I even decide to drive out there to look.

I like the Grand Sport/ZO6 look more than the Base body. I don't want to get into a Grand Sport and then wish I would have gotten the ZO6. Grand Sport has GM Certification and bluetooth which I wish the ZO6 had both as well. Grand Sport has 6,000 less miles and is 3 years newer. ZO6 looks to be pristine, 505 HP, and the fact that it was ordered new and museum delivery appeals to me.

Thoughts or anything I am missing?

DonOH

It sounds to me like you aren't sold on either one of them.

If they don't have the features you want or the right color, I'd suggest you keep looking.

Have you looked in the "For Sale' forums here? They are several Z06's for sale; a few look really good based on their ads.

RoadkingC6

Normally I would say go for the newer vehichle but in this case I'm leaning towards the Z-06, a large part of my reasoning is I think you should go with that gut feeling you have, only time i went against that gut feeling i had when buying a car and i ended up being sorry i did JMO.

cor28vettes

Skip both and get a one-owner, under full warranty, in the color you really want. That will eliminate most all of your concerns

AviBen

There are lots of options out there, vettes have such a wonderful pre-owned market.

Mugen1516

Thanks for the opinions. Yeah, I guess you could say I'm not completely sold on either at the moment. The catch is I have 45 days since the BMW sold to find a new car to get a sales tax break (only pay taxes on difference between BMW selling price and price of new vehicle).

The GS having 2 owners bothers me some, but I may be completely wrong and the car is clean as a whistle. Dealer stated last owner wanted something that sat higher; no info about first owner.

The Z06 while I am not in love with the color, I think I could live with it or get used to it. Bluetooth is a minor concern as I could eventually add it with an aftermarket head unit. It really appeals to me that it was ordered new and was delivered at the museum with only one owner. It makes me think the owner really liked the car and cared for the car. It IS out of warranty but how often do Corvette owners use the warranty? I had 2 BMW's and I think I used it maybe once over the span of ownership of both cars.

These are the only 2 cars so far that have caught my eye and are in my price range of ~$45k. I guess I'm asking for a lot. The more I think it through I guess I am ultimately wanting a GM Certified Z06 with all the options and low miles for ~$45k if I got exactly as I wanted. I am sure that is out of the question, so I trying to figure out where I am willing to compromise.

I guess a big question is: Is purchasing a ZO6 out of warranty out a big no no?

j-budimlya

Don't let multiple owners scare you. I jut bought a 3 owner car with 12k miles and it could not be cleaner. The history on mine is: first owner, ordered the car and his buddy neighbor helped him with everything, the second owner was the estate of the first owner(he died), and the third owner, was the buddy who bought it from his neighbor's estate, just because it was the right thing to do. The third owner had it for less than a year and only 800 miles, but he needed the $$ for something important. I'm now the fourth owner of a car that has never seen rain, or been washed with water....and it has not a single stone chip or blemish.

I'm just saying that you should not necessarily be over concerned by there being two owners.....some people just flip their cars or find out that a Vet is not for them cause the big dog can't fit in.

Check it out...it might be a great car.

FullyVetted

I agree - and I don't think I would let the tax break sway my decision too much.

bonnell

Good luck on your search. I traded my '08 JSB coupe last May with the intent of waiting until the C7 was revealed or at least until I finished law school (finished last month) before I bought another.

By the end of last summer I was beside myself to get another vette. I wanted another convertible or a Z06. I found a Z that I wanted (beautiful JSB) that was still in warranty and only had 5,600 miles on it but my wife was uncomfortable with a $53,000 price tag on a toy. I decided on a triple black 2008 vert that I had been watching for $13k less than the Z. That is what I have. It is a beautiful car.

I can tell you that if I had it to do over again I'd buy the Z. One, I want a Z. Two, JSB is my favorite color and black is really hard to keep clean (I should have remembered this from my black '02 vert).

I would not buy a Z06 without a warranty. Do your research and see the concerns over valve failures and make your own decision. Some say it is nothing but too many blow the engine and replacement is a $17,000 adventure.

After the C7 comes out I'll make a decision on which way to go. If the C7 doesn't do it for me, I will search for a 2010 or 2011 JSB GS.

So the point here of my long story is to take your time and find one that REALLY strikes you. I'll bet that between the For Sales section here, Autotrader and dealerships, you will find the One.

Good luck.

macguyver

Patience


Also,the more you spend , the less you should compromise.

Tom45

If you don't really like the color and some other items now, you are probably not going to like them any better a year from now.

Nice Ride

Good question. Agree with your reservations on both cars. I use to sell Chevy back in the day and dealers do get some nice used cars the only problem is you don't know is the one you are going to buy is one of them. Dealers get stuck with problem cars also. I would only buy a Certified Corvette and then from a "good" dealer. I prefer buying one owner, low miles cars from the individual who owns it where I can size up the car and the owner. OK back on point. All things considered I think I would pass on those cars and find the car and with history and circumstances I like or BUY NEW. Great deals on left over 2011's and 2012's right now with full warranty etc.

FrankTank

Plenty of us z owners that are out of warranty. There are good options for aftermarket warranties also ifyou are really concerned . I bought a used 07 Z06 in. 09 with 13k miles on it so far car is perfect.

dvilin

Sounds to me like you are not sold on either one but in a hurry to buy something due to your other deal with selling your BMW. But that all aside I would say keep looking, on the other hand if you HAD to made a choice between the 2 I would for the GS. I would not be bothered with the 2 owners with only 14k miles.

Ramblin On

You are seriously considering spending $45K on a car you are not sure of? Nuts to both of the ones under some consideration.

Keep looking for one that best suits you. The sales tax issue is the frosting, but on a not happy with it car, it is all sour.

widgetsupply

My personal opinion is that at this point, there has been too many LS7's pop to get one without a warranty, but not so many to avoid the car all together. You can buy a GM warranty as long as the car is within the 3 years 36k mile window, provided it is not a modded car. Make sure you compare prices with forum vendors before purchasing though, because you can save a lot of money with them.

If you are a hard core modder, then this advice goes out the window because you will be ok with building a hotter engine should yours pop. Most of the ones that have popped are modded by the way.

Flat Broke

You will find on the Corvette and other higher priced sports cars that a lot of people that have the money will buy one, drive it maybe 100 miles on the weekend, and park it for the rest of the month. Sell it with very low miles and someone else may do the same. When I was looking there was a 2005 in McKinney Tx. that had 97 miles on it. The car would have been about 5 years old at that time. Only problem was they wanted nearly new car price for it and no warranty. I went with a 2006 with more options and 28,000 miles of warranty.
Don't rely on carfax 100%. The dealer can pull up a record of any work done on the car by any Chevy dealer. It is much more accurate and complete than carfax also. Have them do that before you buy.

RJRSW

Buy the 2010 GS with the GM Certified warranty and you have nothing to be concerned about. The prices on Cars.com are pretty much from my experience and I have bought and sold around 25 vettes are just way overpriced vehicles so I would not use that as the yardstick for what cars are actually worth.

If there was one of those cars that I would be worried about being abused or beat on it would be the Z06 and that would be the one that I would be worried about not having a GM warranty on.

Just have the dealer run the GMVIS report on the car and you will know immediately if either prior owner had any ongoing problems because they will show up on the report. Multiple owners on a low mileage vette are very common. Many people buy them and rarely drive them so sell them after a short time.

When I picked up my 2007 Convert a year ago from the original owner it had 2,751 miles on it in 4 1/2 years that they owned it. It was perfect and just like when it was delivered and the only service done ever was oil changes.

sakins.02vert

Take the VIN of both cars (or any car you're considering) to your local GM dealer service dept and ask them to run them for you. they can tell you things that car fax misses. Like possibly buy back, break downs, etc.. I did this, saved my a$$

johnodrake

Don't sweat the fob. Electronically they are the same.