Widow Mak3r

I keep reading a lot about head on the ls7 and some small issues. I plan to get some wor done after I purchase a c6z (thought about a c5z but I'd rather have a c6z)

My question is should I be worried about buying a 50k mile c6z? It's from a dealer so I should be able to get a warranty.

What should I keep a look out for when buying a c6z? it will be my first vette.

Should I just keep saving and buy something with lower miles

Z0-SICK

I wouldn't be worried about it. Get a warranty if you can.

Good luck

Widow Mak3r

Did you get any head work on yours done?

American Heritage

I would have no issue purchasing a Z with 50,000 miles on it. If it makes you feel any better we sometimes see Z's in our shop with 20,000 miles (or so) that are in poorer condition than Z's of comparable years with much higher miles. Take vehicle on a case by case basis. Ideally on a purchase such as a C6Z you would want to take it to a Corvette (preferably late model) specialty shop. This way they can give you a ball park figure of what your out in repairs once you purchase the vehicle.
Yes, recommend to get the heads "wiggle tested".

bjmsam

I agree (mine had just under 62k). Also see previous discussions.

AimHigh

I'm in the 50K area on mine in mileage and you can eat off of my car, so it all depends on how it was take care of.

If you look you can see the important things that point out excessive wear or abuse. I have no issue about pushing mine to 100k or more

stefuel

Curious how others feel. If the heads have been done, what is the life expectancy of the lower end of say a 2006 that still has lead in the bearings? With regular oil changes can one expect to get past 100K miles?
I'm starting to see some high mileage Z's showing up for sale 50-80K miles that seem to be $10-$15K cheaper then the low mile ones. It seems that no matter what you buy, the first thing that should be done is heads. So if you buy a Z with 70K miles on it that is in good condition and good oil pressure might be a good deal. $25K plus 2K for heads vs $40K plus 2K for heads.

Zidane

'06 here w/ 120k+ miles.

Bought it at 107k last July - had it inspected by a local GM speed shop (MTI) who confirmed that I was good to go. Haven't had a single issue to date and it's my daily driver.

Dre01SS

50K on the clock definitely not an issue if the price is right. I'd get heads checked/fixed right away, specially if you plan on tracking the car.

Bill Dearborn

If it is a 50K mile Z06 it probably is an old one. The oldest C6Zs are well into their 9th year and a 50K mile car is a low mile car (the oldest will be 10 years old in another 6 months). A 10 year old car with 60K miles only saw an average of 6K miles per year which qualifies as low miles in most any person's mind. Watch out for extremely low mile cars that bring higher prices but a probability of more problems due to not being driven enough. Some are so low they are the equivalent of purchasing a new car without a warranty and there aren't many people who would do that unless the price was significantly lowered.

Other than the valve drop issue which has only affected a small percentage of LS7s you are looking at a typical LS engine with a durability of several hundred K miles. The so called worn guide issue isn't necessarily an issue since nobody has identified that as the root cause of the valve drops.

Most valve drops occurred in engines that had seen extensive track usage. Sometimes they occurred on track or while the owner was driving them on the street.

Bill

Widow Mak3r

Thanks for all the input everyone. I feel a little better about looking at something around 50k miles.

Chiff

Mine has 54k on the clock and runs very strong .., if I bought it with the milage it has now I would do it over again

LMB-Z

51k on mine. Had the heads done just for piece of mind, and added a cam while it was apart.

Norm_427

Forum member NO S8NT posted a few weeks ago he's nearing 300,000 miles. He said he'd post up the details but haven't seen it yet.

Forum member bikejunkie posted recently he's at 173,000 miles.

Forum member jimman had nearly 200,000 on his.

I'm only at 53k on my 2007.

markzeronine

There's nothing wrong with 50k on a z06. As others have said, for example, I'd rather have a 50-60k mile freeway commuter than a car that was tracked every weekend with 20k on it. Imo after about 20k miles (and some will argue even less than that) if you're buying used without warranty you'll be wanting to watch/check/gamble/change heads so it really doesn't matter if it's 20k or 120k in that case

pikemike428

Im at 54,000 on mine. Bought it at 49,000 with no warranty.

If car has been maintained, is clean, has semi-new tires (Michelin Pilot Super Sports preferred-Stock Goodyears are horrible), preferably a Brake job, and even more plus if the Heads have been worked over.

Between mods and minor fixes/maintenance, I wish i bought a ZR1 at the time, but still puts a big grin on my face every time i hit the GO pedal.

Teiken

Question, what constitutes "Heads being done" ?

stefuel

Depending on who you talk to..........
I say you can be assured some comfort in a basic valve job. That will tell you if you need valves/guides. Anything other then that is a modification.

VetteVinnie

Only 34K on my 2008. I guess I need to drive it some more.

PatriotZ

Sage and excellent advice.....Nice reply Bill