Hello. Long time listener here...first time caller.

Used to own a sweet black '93 C4 and now I'm setting myself up to get back into the Corvette game with a daily driver C5 within the next 60-90 days or so. I'm going to limit my financing to $25K, but for argument's sake let's say I have $30K to spend. It's time to start my research so when the hunt actually begins I can pounce on the right car without delays.

Who sells the best updated buyer's guide for the C5 (I have an older one)? [b]I'm leaning towards hardtop/targa and it has to have HUD.[b] I'm still on the fence for auto vs stick, but since I'm considering a Z06 as a possibility I'm okay with stick. I've been scanning various cars for sale here and I think buying a '02-03 Z06 in the $30K range is realistic (so long as I can accept 30K or so miles on the clock). The alternative is that I find a low mileage, non Z06 coupe and perform mods from that base. I'm most likely going to stick with black, again.

FWIW, I also have a 500HP '66 427/SC Shelby Cobra replica (fire engine red) for messing around, so I don't necessarily need a lot of ponies for M-F driving. My commute is 50/50 side streets and highway (stop and go at times)...40 miles round trip.

If you were in my shoes, what would you recommend I seek to get the most bang for the buck and lean on the side of reliability? I appreciate all the comments and opinions (good, bad or indifferent).

Thanks!

-Deano

 

You raise several issues......fixed roof ZO6 -vs- targa..........A4 -vs- M6. If I were using the 'Vette as a DD with lots of traffic, I would stick with the A4...IMHO.........(mine is an A4 only because I fell head over heels in love with a Pewter coupe -- first one I looked at I bought...).
When you DO get the perfect day to take the roof off, the car just transforms itself.....the sky, the engine and the noise of the wind and the "live" feeling/hearing you get from the (Corsa) exhaust....fixed roofs are nice looking if that's the way you lean, but I think that the coupes are even better looking and you have the advantage of taking the roof off on the "perfect" day.......
As always, buy the newest, lowest miles car you can afford.....

 

If it were me and I was looking for a DD I would for sure go for a auto. I have a M6 but I only drive it on the weekends and for pleasure only but going for a auto leaves out the Z. The nice thing about the coupe is being able to remove the top. You can always mod the coupe to be as fast as the Z if that's what your looking for. Your should be able to find a really nice 02-03 coupe for 30k. Just be patient and look for a good deal, there are a lot of people that have Vettes for sale that think they are selling a Ferrari.

Edit: I can also run a vin on GM VIS when you find that special one and if you can get your hands on a July issue of Road & Track there's a great article in there on the C5. (it might be the June issue)

 

If I was looking for a practical DD, I definitely go with a targa coupe with the automatic. I have owned both stick and auto vettes. Stick is nice for fun rides and performance but not a lot of fun in traffic.

Since you want reliability, I would look for a well-cared for vette that maybe only had one or two owners and they have all the documentation. Might have to pay a little more but in the long-run it will definitely pay off.

Keep away from heavily-modded vettes and those that have been de-modded to sell.

Good luck in your search.

 

You wont find an 02-03 Z06 with 30k miles for under 30k.

You can, however, find a lot of nice coupes in the price/miles range you quoted. Sure, the Z06 is faster, but the coupe/vert/frc are no slouches either.

For a little over 30k, you can also find some nice coupe/vert/frc with significant mods.

 

I might sell you my mint conditioned 2000 Millenium Yellow C5 if you would interested. PM me for more details!

Derek

 

I would respectfully disagree with this info. Before I decided that open-air driving was a "must have", I looked at a number of Z06's in the 2001-2003 range. Where I live, you can absolutely find a 2002 Z06 with less than 30k miles for $30k or less. I looked at two of them in July of this year when I was buying. That said, different areas of the country seem to have wide spreads of pricing. The same car could be a couple thousand more on one of the coasts.

To the OP: I think it's important to first decide whether or not you require a removeable roof. That will help narrow down your decision quickly. I think the MN6 makes the car a blast to drive. I might not think that way if I had a long, stop-and-go drive every day. You should definitely drive both the auto and manual. If you want fixed roof, the Z06 is a terrific car. Significantly faster than the stock coupe. A long-time vette owner gave me some good advice regarding stock vs high HP vettes. He reminded me (in my town, at least) you can only keep the hammer down for about two or three seconds before you have to let off for traffic, turns, or law enforcement. I've found this info to be quite accurate.

Whatever you choose, get a clean, lower mileage car with the options you require. I just don't think there's a way to "go wrong", whatever model you choose! Enjoy

 

^^ I know for a fact that this is incorrect as I sold an 02 Z06 with less than 15k miles for under $30K not too long ago. There are plenty of deals out there and prices seem to be going only one way and that is down.

 

To answer this question, my personal choice was a super clean 2002 Coupe in MN6. I found one with all of the options I was seeking (sport seats, HUD, etc). The feeling of driving this car is best described with a simple

 

03/04 w/ <30k miles for $30k, the 04's were selling for $40k w/ the 10k discounts, car should be excel/mint and still under factory warr. to fetch 30k

the 2008 1LT can be had for $40k at Kerbeck(FACT)

I wouldn't spend more than 25k on a C5

just my .02

 

My advice is to just keep looking and not limit yourself to what you look at, based on model or options. I looked at quite a few different cars. Eventually, I happened on the right car. 01 vert. 11k miles. 1 owner.All options. All service documents. I'm still under your high mark, after buying a Vortech kit and all the extras I need for install. Good deals are out there. I'd hate to see you pass on a gem of a car because it doesn't have an option like HUD. Truthfully, I dont even know if I notice HUD anymore..

 

All great responses so far...keep 'em coming!

Since I already have the stick Shelby to get my weekly horsepower rush, I'm really starting to lean more to the auto. That way the wifey can also enjoy it. I also like the flexibility of popping the top on a targa car, where as the Z06 would never offer that option.

I have HUD on my current DD ('04 Pontiac GTP) and I LOVE IT.

Agree that the base coupe offers a lot of performance and with some minor upgrades can add a little power (did this to my '93...Corsa cat back, chip, etc.). Again, that's all I need out of a DD since I have the red beast to break out when I'm really needing a fix.

I also agree that searching for the right low mileage car will be key. I'm going to be patient on this one and in So Cal I have a very large inventory to pluck from.

Besides my HUD requirement, what other specific options should I be looking for?

-Deano

 

I found my car on Ebay, but I searched daily on the C5 for sale area and craigslist. Ebay is a good source for cars. If you search for what you want under "completed items" you can get a good idea of prices. Prices on ebay are usually close to wholesale, so alto of cars fail to hit the reserve and do not sell. I bought both my 01 blown vert and my 78 Trans Am on ebay.

 

Plain and simple.... My 04 Comm. Edition Coupe is my DAILY driver and it's an 6-speed. JMO but a 6-speed Vette is what it's all about !

 

Had a ZF6 in my '93 C4. Loved it. But I have a TKO 5-speed in the Shelby, so I'm getting my "bang the gears" fix in that car without the hassle of enjoying my typical weekday morning Cup of Joe between gear shifts. I will punt and go auto on this next 'Vette. Plus I should be able to tweak the shift points and get it to bark 2nd gear like my old '70 Z-28 musclecar did.

-Deano

 

I have a 1999 coupe auto with all options including HUD and I love it as my DD. Just find the newest one with the lowest miles that you can. For me my budget limited me to a little older but my 99 had 48K when I got it so it was as new as I was going to find in my price range. It's been a blast driving it even though it is an A4. I do about 50/50 in my driving too.

I think CF is the best buyers guide and it's free. Just check with people here when you find the one you want. Maybe a local member can take a look. Look around for common issues and such.

Best of luck,

 

corvettes make great DDs. they are fun to drive, get good mileage, and make all your co-workers want a ride!

if you frequently end up in stop and go you should think hard if you really want a 6 speed. my legs hurt every time I get into stop and go, fortunately that's not very frequent along my daily commuting path.

be sure to check out the common problems threads do you know what to look for. C5's have a ridiculous amount of common electrical problems and if you get a car with a number of them you may end up spending most of your time and money on repairs rather than mods.

good luck with your search!

 

I have an M6 coupe, its an 03' got it for $25K in may. its my DD, and i hate that it has a stick, its the most annoying thing ever. Don't get a stick. its such a pain, you will ride that clutch every single day

Get an 02-04, they had more options standard by then and less problems, like oil consumption. I'm partial to 03's. Z06 isn't a good DD in my opinion. I like having my usable trunk.

Shoot for something under 45,000 miles, and your good. BTW, took me 9 months to find my car.

 

PM Sent...

By the way I bought my vette with 70k miles on it... and it is more troube free than my last low mile y2k vert...

miles shouldnt scare you...

 

With an A4 they should. I'm meticulous with my auto tranny servicing and that's why I (usually) get longevity out of them. If I buy a high mileage car from private owner, you can show me all the service receipts you want...still doesn't prove what was done or how it was driven. At least with a low mileage car I eliminate one of those variables (never can the latter).

Thanks to all for the hints...very much appreciated! Maybe in a couple months I'll introduce you to the new stable mate and start pulling together my laundry list of mods.

-Dean