I need your opinions/advice guys, I bought a 2000 c5 as Ive mentioned in a few previous posts, anyways its clean enough to eat off of inside and out, I dont think it has seen rain yet as its so clean underneath. It only has >12k miles on it. How many of you guys drive in the rain? I havent had it out in the rain yet and avoid it at all costs. Its not a DD. WHat are your opinions on this?? Am I just being too ****? Is it a mess if underneath if it goes thru a rood rain while driving??

 

Mine isn't a DD either so if its not nice out I don't drive it. On the other hand I wouldn't panic and run for an overpass if I were caught in the rain. I'd simply was it off the next day and apologize to it for being so insensitive.

 

I have 2 Verts...
An '88 with 18K miles that has never seen rain and an '01 with 102K miles. It's seen snow and it's seen rain... it's seen sunny days I thought would never end...

BEcasue of the undercarriage construction it is a lot easier to keep the underside of C5 clean. So you only need to really be thinking abou tht enegine compartment and wheel wells....

My club members jokingly reer to my C5 Vert as the rain car...
I drive it all the time... Put GoodYear GS-D3's the best rain tire in the world on it and you'll outdrive everything on the road in the rain

 

i drive mine in the rain and it's not a daily driver .but normally if its gonna be hard thunderstorms i drive something else ..news flash the corvette wont melt in the rain

 

I drive my car in the rain, snow, ice, mud, and gravel. It's in no worse condition then when I first bought it. If it gets dirty, just wash it.

 

The car isn't made out of sugar, it will be fine in the rain

I suppose you have to weighthe pros and cons of:

How clean you want to keep it
vs.
How much fun you will have driving it.

The car isn't rare or a 250k exotic, it's made to be driven!

 

If you get hit in a good storm, how the heck do you clean the underside?? Or do u not worry about it?

 

Only been in the rain once.....weather man got it wrong that day!

Sunny days only for me.

 

I don't drive mine in the rain either. It has seen a little rain in the past but it gets so dirty that it just isn't worth it. That dirty water gets everywhere. The rains not just dirty with dirt so I'd rather not drive in it if I can avoid it. I prefer not to drive it in hot sun either, but that's less of a worry for me. By the way, this is one reason why so many Vettes are selling for above KBB values. A car that never sees rain has to be well cared for.

 

This thread is funny... Depending on where one lives, I don't think there's the option of not driving in the rain or getting caught in it. Although, I don't deliberately take it out during a hard storm, I don't have a panic attack if I it rains. I don't think it's that big of a deal for most although there are people who put it up on a rack to detail the underside . It's a car- it's meant to be driven.

I've gotta go pick out the pebbles from in between my tire treads.

 

Well, mine is a DD and I cannot start to tell you how nice and safe the vette feels in the rain.
My only complain is that sometimes I get a little drop or more from the roof, but is a great car to drive in the rain.

 

Let your heart not be troubled....I have confidential information that GM actually tests Corvettes in extreme heat...extreme cold and yes ...even in rain...The horror of it all.....

 

I had an airbrush artist paint "My Corvette Gets Wet" over a C5 emblem on an American flag pattern unbrella---- and I use it!!! The Vette is a great touring car.

 

SAY IT AIN'T SO!!!...

Oh yes, I drove mine in the rain and it got a bath.....

Garage queen here but when I'm out she seems to deal with what ever mother nature throws at her....well, except snow...

 

So first off I'm curious for all those who say they don't drive in the rain. Do you ever take your Vette on a long trip or any sort of trip away from home? How can you avoid rain or whatever when your on a trip, can't find the nearest garage and hide? Sorry I don't understand this. Rain or anything won't hurt these vehicles.

I have an '01 vert that is spotless underneath and inside and out. It is also a daily driver and it see's it's share of rain. When you wash the vehicle just hose off the underneath. It will be fine. Both times I've had it in for an oil change I go underneath the vehicle to see how it is doing, it remains spotless and that is after driving on a 1100 mile trip, through rain, and ice and some snow. Through hordes of love bugs and other kinds of bugs. Just clean it up afterwards and no one will know the difference. If it makes you happy then say oh it's never seen rain.

FYIW, when the vehicles leave the last stage of the assembly line, they are taken across a set of bumps into an area to have the head lights aligned and the front end aligned. Afterwards they are moved to a testing bay where they are checked while run up. After that they leave that station for one of the final stations which is the leak test station. The vehicle is flooded with water from all directions then taken outside for a run around a track and parked in the parking lot assuming no issues arise. Oh yes I know this sounds horrible, that beauty that has never seen rain saw water just as it was born, then run around a track and parked outside in the elements until it got scheduled to be shipped. And worst yet, the vehicle had to travel on a truck no less, through all kinds of weather just to get to the dealer where it sat outside in the heat and cold and rain and everything else before you or someone else bought it.

Drive your Vette it's not going to be hurt by weather. If you want to maintain it like many others, just wash and detail it to the nth degree. No one will know the difference.

 

most touchless car washes today have underside cleaning ,plus with the harsh detergent they use it strips off all the old wax .i do this every everytime i need to apply 3 fresh coats of wax/polish.

 

And rack up the miles!?!?!

I think I need to lay down...

 

I suppose the best approach would be the hose off the underneath before you start washing the rest of the exterior. That way you can kneel down on the pavement and not get wet.

Also a good idea to flush the radiator surface too. Keeps dust and debris from sealing up the fins. Especially if your vette consumes bugs.

 

I know I'm sorry surely I've traumatized you. Like Neal Boortz, high priest of the church of the painful truth.

Ever wonder if it's not better for the power train group to on the road and running for an extended period of time, rather than setting in a garage or always besting at 35 mph?

 

My 2000 had two previous owners and just under 13,000 miles when I bought it last May. Didn't look to have ever been driven in rain then, and with 18,000 on the clock now, still hasn't. I just take her out on nice days, but wife and I did take several trips last year, one for 10 days and 1,200 to Branson Mo. and Eureka Springs Ak, but we just didn't run into any rain during the trips.