I know some people get upset if you ask questions and are not in a position to buy their car at that moment so I thought I would just post my questions here and hope for a positive response.

1. I went to a small dealer in FL 5 months ago and looked over a "low miles" 2000 conv. The seats/carpet looked like they had 220k on them, is it possible that someone rigged the odometer? If so how easy is it to do, will I need to watch out on any car I buy? I was burned on a Cobra several years ago and want to avoid a repeat.

2. Am I better off buying a modded car with higher miles since I want a daily driver and would mod it anyway? I understand mildly modded cars can often be bought for a little more money than stockers, how true is this? Should I be afraid of high mile cars, if so why?

3. What difference in price is typical between a coupe and conv with all else being equal?

4. I am looking to spend between $20 and $30k, the less the better since I am paying cash. Can I expect to find a modded convertible for this amount of money?

Thanks in Advance.

 

A beat up interior is never a good sign. This can be a barometer of how the car was driven and cared for. There are many thousands of C5s for sale. There should be something in better condition and at a reasonable price in your geographic area.

Be very carefull how much stock you put in the sales reports that are posted here by guys who are current C5 owners and cherry pick the best numbers. There are far to many C5s available in good to excellent condition to pay any premium at this time. High 20s to 30 is going to fetch you a really nice C5. There is really nothing else that even comes close to the sports/performance car value of a C5.

 

1. I'm sure it can be done but don't know how to do it. Best thing to do is to run a carfax and check for mileage discrepancies. Also, have a mechanic you trust check out the car for you.

2. I would get a car with as low mileage as possible. You can get a modded car for a little more than a stock one.

A higher mileage car shouldn't scare you but you have more work to do the verify the car was well maintained.

3. About $3000-$3500 according to blue book

4. You can find a modded '99 or '00 for uner 30k. I'm not sure how familiar you are with the popular mods done to Corvettes. If you're not very familiar, do your homework so you end up with a modded Corvette that meets your driving style.

Good luck!

 

Thanks for the quick answers guys!

I can handle the mechanical end of this, just trying to get some C5 specific info so I don't walk into a mess like that stupid Cobra.
I was just window shopping at that dealer to see if I would prefer a coupe or conv, the condition of that cars interior scared the pants off of me so I declined their "special price".
My ideal car would have H/C/I and some trans upgrades so I could put a TNT kit on it in case of Viper attack.

One more thing, do most people do a rod bolt upgrade before adding mods? I don't mind doing it myself but I would prefer that the motor has not been pounded on with those stock bolts in there.

 

I can only speak from experience of my own.
This is the 1st time I've heard of a "rod bolt upgrade", without
a teardown in progress. I'm sure it can be done, I've just not heard of it before.
As for buying a high mile car, I'd say let your consience be your guide.
I think you were smart to pass on the clunker with a trashed interior. Like the other guys, I think it represents the general care and treatment the vehicle has had. On the other hand, if looking at a high miler, think about the other input you get. Is it the original owner?
What kind of neighborhood is the car in, and how does the owner treat the other cars he has? Ask if he/she is in a club or involved in any sort of timed events. If the car has 80,000 miles on the clock, and the 2nd set of tires are getting thin, then it's probably safe to say the car hasn't been too badly abused. Check the front air dam area for scrapes,
dings, abuse. If it is caved in, then you know how they approach curbs.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.
As far as mods go, The more extensive the mods, you need to ask how the car was driven, and who performed the mods.

There are owners out there that keep them for ten years or more, then get the new model. these are the guys that ,I think, take the best care of them. They take great care of the car so they can sell it to a guy like me for 1/2 price.
Best of luck in your search.

 

Bob, a few years ago a lot of the Camaro guys were swapping out the rod bolts before they started trying to make a ton of power. I think one company even sells a bolt with the same weight/length as OEM to keep the balance spot on. You may be correct about doing it with the engine in the car being a PITA. D

 

If you buy a car with lots of mods I would only buy it with very low miles. High miles usually means it's been driven hard. Also, if the car has serious mods then only buy the car if the guy had them installed at a legitimate tuner with dyno graphs supplied. I wouldn't touch a supercharged or turbocharged car if the guy selling the car installed the parts himself. Unless the guy works for a legitimate tuner. If it were me, I wouldn't touch a high mileage car with anything more than headers. I would prefer a bone stock car. If I was buying a high mileage car I would rather every wire and screw be unchanged. I would rather spend the cash and know exactly what's being done to the car. Most guys can't control themselves once the mod bug hits.

 

20-30k huh? There are many many many many z06s for sale, you were mentioning mods.. well there are stock z06s and some with some mods for sale give or take 30k... many of them are not moving, so make an offer and go from there.. if you can spend 28k (more or less) go for a z06, you won't need nearly as many mods as a regular c5 to get the "fast" factor up. Best of luck if you need any help you can message me.

 

Jak- being driven hard doesn't bother me, being worn out does. I guess I'll have to take each car on a case by case basis. I really don't want to take a ton of trips to check cars out but if that's what it takes so be it. Just trying to get the best bang for the buck.

Z0sick6- A Z06 would be ideal... but I love convertibles. It's still an option but I have not been without a convertible for 15+ years so would be tough pill to swallow.
Thanks for the offer, when the time comes be prepared for a laundry list of questions.

 

Question 1) very easy to visually fool someone with a new cluster... or a low mileage used cluster.. while the cluster ahows mileage of that cluster, the real mileage can be found in the PCM which is usually never changed., Carfax information can be very very misleading, I would never rely on a carfax...

You could NEVER get burned if you bought that Cobra from a dealer. It is a federal law punishable by a full return of your money when you have evidence of speedometer fraud.

depending on how new there is a 2 to 5000 dollar difference between a coupe and a Vert.

The LS/x engines see 200,000 miles on a regular basis, no one does any crank work, rod work, etc. under 500 hp.

two types of mods, appearance mods and performance mods.. many people like to personalize their car..
appearance mods add little to a cars value unless you like them... and are willing to accept them....they become a plus, other than that you can remove them.
Some performance mods are OK to the general public, shifter, air intake, cat back system, headers, rear. Once inside the motor, your guessing...There are plenty of nice 25 to 30,000 cars out there...

 

Be skeptical in any major purchase.
If it's used, run it through car fax and ask
to have the vin run for the service record.
Beat up interior is not a good sign. You want
a car that shows owner pride - someone really
took care of their investment.
good luck.

 

A ratty interrior on a FL car could just mean sun damage and neglect, but you were wise to be hesitant. As others have stated, its all to easy to swap in a lower-mileage cluster. At a minimum, an extensive title search would have been in order.

I wouldn't be afraid of cars in the 70-100k mile range. I also wouldn't be afraid of lightly modded cars. Many folks just want bragging rights, and really don't tear up their cars...but you do have to be careful. I wouldn't hesitate to have a heavily modded car looked over by a mechanic that I trusted.

I'd ballpark a convertible at 10-15% over a coupe in similar condition.

You can easily buy a 30k mile 98-01 convertible in your price range. You may even get a newer one than that if you can wait until the August time frame. At closer to 70k miles, you might be able to hit the low end of your price range.

Obviously, you can see what I chose. I'm a performance junkie, but always wanted to try real open air experience (and have never regretted it). Good luck with your search!