hello,new here to the forum lot of good information,starting to look for a c5 and was wanting to know if there was any problem years with them?will probably get a 2000 or newer,any pointers on what i should look for will be greatly appreaciated,thanks

 

Later . . . . . .
6 Shooter

 

Take your time, don't rush...

 

check each potential very closely and pick which one you like!

 

All C5s are good early 01's have the well known oil burning problem and I m sure others have had issues and my 99 has been a awesome car

 

 

 

Stay away from the 01's, alot burn oil..If you buy an automatic prior to 01 you need the column lock bypass(all 6spds need it)..check to see if the car has a rear seal leak, gas gauge problem or rocking seat..These are common C5 problems..

 

Early A4 01 here. Still no oil burning problems yet.

 

Same here....pushing 47K miles!!

 

Actually I believe the problem years are from 99-01. Not all the engines from these years have the problem though. I believe it's a relatively small percentage that actually have the issue.

 

The July edition of Road & Track has a retrospective article on the C5s that you may find helpful, including buying tips.

 

In general the later model the better. As the model years went on, different issues and problems were resolved. So could expect more issues with early C5s and less with late C5s. But that is just general. It all depends upon the specific car and how it taken care of and driven. Do your research on each car.

tom...

 

I sold Corvettes for 4 years and have driven them all with all ranges of mileage on them. I personally own a '97 with 72k on it and no problems. In short, don't be afraid of any year. They all can have their issues that are typically due to the previous owner. Here is a quick run down for you.

97 - no convertibles, no HUD, no selective ride, limited colors
98 - many color choices
Both 97 and 98 have different computers and programing than any of the later years and that in itself creates issues for you if you want to do performance upgrades since most aftermarket companies target 99 and up.
99-00 - you have the hard top available till 2000 then go into the Z06.
01-02 - computers changed along with programming and all C5's got the Z06 intake for additional 5hp
03-04 - performance changes in the selective ride feature along with slight programming changes. These years have had issues with the diff leaking, but GM has been addressing this under warranty, just a pain in the keester.

I wouldn't be afraid of any year as delivered from GM. Just keep your head about you on condition of car and where it came from. Knowing where it came from and getting a feel for the previous owner/s will tell you much more.

 

This is not true early build 2001 have had some oil burning problems. But the later built ones were fine at least that is what I have read. I have a June 19 build 2001 car no oil burning at all. I think on June 21 they started building the 2002.

 

I've known several people with 01's that have had problems with oil burning. Personally I feel build quality of the 97-98 run was the best then they started cutting corners are things to make up for the extra emmission crap they had to start putting on. 03-04's seem pretty solid though

 

What build quality are you talking about? I am not aware that they did anything different in the later years...

I would just stay away from 00-01 because of oil burning and 97 because it was the first year... 02+ have the most power and upgrades to the transmission, intake etc.

 

I have on 01 coupe with an A4 with 106k on the clock and doesn't burn a drop of oil or leak anything from anyplace. I am very pleased with the car. It has all the bells and whistles except its not a Z06

 

You rookies crack me up 97-98 same build style. 99-00 different emission injectors and other misc parts. 01 whole new engine build, emissions and computers due to new active handling system also larger maf and intake setup.Not all 01s were effected but several of my buddies 01's burned oil and its a very known issue on this forum. Personally I wouldn't buy an 01 unless the seller is super honest. There is not way to know until you racked up 1k miles on it. 02's are only slightly more money so I wouldn't gamble it.

I just picked up my 5th C5 and it's my 4th 97. Major issue with 97-00 is the column lock which is easily bypassed for $50.00 and the seat bolster wear. In 97 there were about 10k made and all were coupes which was low production and they really could take there time with each one built and there were few options.

My 99 had column lock issues and it had a bad knock sensor. My 01 Z06 had no oil burning but tranny issues and a bad A/C readout. My 97's had no issues at all except for column lock and the bolster.

C5's aren't like Microcraps Windows where there are ton's of bugs in version 1.0 and it takes it to get to 7.0 to make it decent. There is alot more to it such as part costs,labor disputes and ways to build the car cheaper to make it more profitable. People forgot the C5 was suppose to come out in 92-93 so there was alot of time to do R&D on them. That is why there is so many problems with 05 C6's The R&D time was alot shorter.

Hope this information helps. I am no expert but I have been on this board a long time and scene alot of different C5's and there issues

 

Buy a 1983, they are the rarest