I am thinking about getting a C5 z06 as my next car. I have found many of them for under $30k but usually over 40,000 miles. The car will be my daily driver, approximately 15 miles each way. Are there any issues that pop up with these cars around that mileage? I will probably keep it stock save for an intake.

-Victor

 

Welcome,

Use the search function and you will find many answers to this question.

In short, these cars can run for 150k-200k miles. The car is just getting broken in at 40k miles

 

LOL, thats what all newbies say till the mod bug gets a hold of you with its sharp teeth and bites you on your ***!

 

You are not lying!

I did the intake and then rode in and listened to a Head/Cam car. Can you guess what I am saving for now lol?

 

I have a QuickSilver 2002 with 86,000 miles on it. Still completely tight, a lot of people have told me they think it looks new still. I track it a few times a year and still it's solid as a rock. The only issues I have had are that my idler pulley went bad and caused my serpentine belt to start shredding slightly. Replaced them for less than $100.00.

Don't stress, these are amazing cars, just get one and enjoy the hell out of it.

 

Awesome, thanks for your replies guys. I am just waiting for the buyer of my 03 Cobra to come pick it up with the rest of the money so I can start searching for a Vette.

 

I had the column lock on mine get stuck.... and been through 4 transmissions and a clutch... then again it might just be me! lol

65k miles on mine.

 

I have 47,000 on my '03 and it's still as good as new (bought new). As a matter of fact, people who don't know about Vettes but like its looks think it is new. BTW, if you think you won't mod it, fat chance! I said the same thing. Caravaggio body parts, CCW wheels, lowered, and countless other things. I need to make a list someday.

 

What about 01s? What is the deal with the oil burning? How hard/much is it to fix? What do you guys think about 01s with ~50k miles? If I get an 01 I think ill probably start with mild cam, long tubes, intake, tune.

 

Good luck with the search and take you time and find the right one for you.

 

Like any other car, it depends on how you care for it. But with a high performance car, it depends on how the prior owner used it and how you intend to use it. If the PO beat the living **** out of it, it could potentially have problems. But if you find a stock or near stock car that has not been beaten up and has had routine maintenance and regular oil changes, it should be a good, reliable car. Be sure to check Carfax, and also check with a dealer to see if any major warranty work was done on it, or other major repair work that shows up in the dealer system. It will also show if the column lock recall repair was done as well (minor issue IMHO).

If you are not an experienced mechanic, be sure to take it to a good garage that knows these cars and pay for a PPI. A knowledgeable mechanic can tell if a car has been abused, wrecked, or has potential serious problems lurking. It's worth a $100 or two to avoid buying someone else's lemon. If you can afford $30K for a car, you can afford an inspection before buying.



BTW, a buddy of mine has an '02 C5 FRC that he drives to work every day -- 40 miles each way. He's got over 80K miles on it, no problems with it. He's just trading it in now for an '07 C6 coupe that he also intends to drive to work every day. If you take care of them, they are strong, dependable cars.

 

Victor,

You ain't looking for love in the the right places. I frequently scan cars.com and autotrader.com. There are generally a pile of vettes and Zs with less than 20k miles. Some have about 5k miles.

Feel free to engage forum members who might live in the cities where these cars are being sold. Most of us would enjoy checking out a car for a fellow forum member. It might cost you a nice steak dinner or something, but....

Seriously, we will do it. I am going out to check out a car for a friend of mine this week. I don't expect anything in return. It is just fun to play with cars and help someone out.

 

In general, forums will make a car seem less reliable than it is. The differences between cars these days come down to your odds of having a repair in a given year, not the number of repairs.

I have a site that collects reliability data. I'm not collecting data on the Corvette yet, but from the models I am collecting data on it seems that most domestic models average about a repair trip a year.

If you're insistent on zero repairs, a Corvette might not work out. But if you're worried about repeated issues, that's unlikely to happen.

Vehicle reliability research

 

I am getting the crap kicked out of me on modding and I have not even driven the car yet. My credit card keeps going cha-ching...

 

I bought my '03 about 18 months ago with 3400 miles on it and I now have 9100. Thank god I purchased a GMPP warranty right before the factory warranty expired. In the last year, I have had the diff seal, rear axle and fuel sending unit replaced. I paid $950 for the warranty and have had about $3000 in repairs done.