Hello everyone,

I've had a chance to browse the forum and it seems like an excellent forum. Well here it goes. I've never really considered the Corvette until recently. Because of that, I am not very familiar with it. I have come across a couple of deals but don't know how good they are. I am seeking the input and opinions of this forum.

First, there is a 97 C5 (just learned that from the forum) for sale. Might be high mileage compared to some in the for sale section. It has 100k miles, but seems to be well taken care of. Asking price is 16k. Is there anything that I should look out for? I know that the corvette engine is very durable and reliable. Correct me if I'm wrong. How is the reliability of these cars? Are there high maintainence cost? The reason I ask is that the caddy deville is terribly high to maintain due to the electronics and sensors all over the place. I am definitely prepared to accept the cost of tires on a C5. I look forward to reading all of the replies. If you know of a thread that would help, please link me to it.

Second, there is a 86 for sale. 100k for 9k. Exterior is excellent, interior needs some help. I think that I may pass on this one. Thanks again.

 

Try and get the C5 and haggle him down on the price

 

Hard to give you much input on the 97 with so little info. I would advise taking your time and shopping a little bit. Get the newest and lowest mileage C5 that your budget allows.

Good luck

 

 

X 2

 

Shop around and be patient. Don't know what you can afford, but for a few thousand more, you can probably find a car with a lot less miles on it. Overall, I'd say the C5 is very reliable, but just like any high tech car, when things go wrong it can be expensive.

 

 

I am in the same boat. I was looking at C4s. I found a couple nice ones. But then I figured that for the price of a nice one I can get a C5. Just to give you an idea I am looking at a 99 with less then 48k for 19 (hopping to get it for less). So for a few more $$$ you can probably find a newer one of one with less miles or both.

As with the C4 you are looking at, When they are that Gen of C4, no matter how much you clean up the interior, it still going to look like it's from the 80s. I just think the C5 has a much better interior, power, overall feel, etc. Some might argue on looks, I think they both look great. But I also want it for a daily driver and although there are many C4 daily drivers, the C5 will be a better car for it because of it being newer, much better design on some reguards to parts and such. So I am looking for C5s for now. I hope to maybe one day pick up a deal on a C4 and start a nice collection going.

If you give more info the people here will give you some great advice. I certainly wouldn't know what to look for without CF (corvetteforum) members. Thanks guys.

Best of luck Charm City and post back when you do find the right one. Just advice on that though, the people here love pictures so try to post with some pictures

 

X3

 

I've had both a C-4 and a C-5. If you can afford to spend a little more go with a low mileage C-5 it's a much better car IMO.

Best of luck,

MF

 

My advice don't buy one for at least six months. I looked for two years and I found the perfect car for an amazing price. I love my C5 more every day.

 

Thanks for all of the comments. I wish that I could tell you more but I haven't seen the car in person yet. It is local and I've been sent pictures. I have spoken to the owner who is an avid member of the corvette club and car scene. The fact that he is into the corvette scene and based on our conversation, he seems to be pretty **** about his car, which I take to possibly mean that he takes good care of his car. Before I get flamed, I have not seen the car in person, but I will tomorrow or Saturday.

All of the comments have been great. The advice has been right on. I've seen some newer models with fewer miles, but also a few thousand more. I'm not trying to go too much higher because I have a truck that I am paying for. I was contemplating the Vette for economical reasons. I would like to park my gas guzzling, frequent gas station visiting, truck. (And I won't get rid of it!) And yes, the LS1? will save plenty of gas.

I will consider all of your advice and if the Vette is not for me at this time then maybe I'll have to get a "Fast and Furious" Cavalier. j/k
Thanks all and keep hitting me with your comments. I am definitely trying to learn as much as I can.

 

I hear what your saying. I am not quick on the draw. I have been looking for some time for specific quality cars. May have even missed out on a couple. It's just that just recently the Corvette came into my mind and seems like a very good option for what i need. (maybe if I check the insurance I'll change my tune). not!!

When I decided to get back into motorcycling, it took me two years and much research to find the right bike and donate some cash. i am pretty particular about my vehicles.

 

Here's my first recommendation - complete your profile so that we can see what part of the country in which you reside. Believe it or not, knowing the region of the country might make a difference in the answers you get on the condition of the car.

Secondly - without trying to offend any present or previous C4 owners, there is a world of difference between the two generations - certainly more of a difference than between any other two generations. The C5 was a totally new car with almost nothing carried over from the previous C4. To that end - I recommend that you drive both, back to back if possible over the same road if possible and you will see what I am talking about.

Any 100K car has the potential to be high maintenance. The C5 has a very advanced electronics package with multiple computers. A ten year old 100K mile car has the potential to get expensive. That doesn't mean it will - it means it could. Also - ten year old 100K mile cars get worn out and tired. Seat foam, plastic parts, and all kinds of other things parts just fatigue and stop working. Are you prepared to start replacing everything.....again possible.

I guess the most important piece of advice I could offer and one that you will hear several times..."Buy the newest and lowest mileage car you can afford."

Welcome to the forum and best of luck in your search.

 

For what it's worth I'm 22 and my insurance for Arizona is 465 for 6 months, minimum liability was 397...

 

Hi and welcome to the Forum. I'd agree with the advice that you should go for the newest model with the lowest mileage you can afford.

This sticky gives you a great summary of some of the things that can go wrong:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/showthread.php?t=984927

Like any list it looks bad but It'd be a bad day if you had all of those snags.

In my case I've had the typical ones: leaky diff, bad battery, door module failure and so on

Overall though, this car is no worse than any other I've owned and its a blast to drive.

Hope you find a great vette, You'll love it

 

 

$9 K for a c4 with 100K miles? Someone needs to step away from the crack pipe.

 

Buy a car with lower miles on it. Unless you can afford to drop a grand every once in a while for repairs.

 

I would like most other members , shop around more. First make your mind up which body you like better. then shop for the best value on what you decide. I personally love the late c4s and the c5. It would be a hard choice to decide between them.