I am looking for opinions and knowledge on the options available on 98-03. Which are must have? Looking to buy my first Vette. My specific questions are, Select Ride Control, what does it do and how does it work? Also what is memory package, and twilight sentinel? Z51 package is it desirable? HUD,what year did it become available? What are common problems?

 

I found Z06 fender emblems a MUST!

 

Many will tell you the Z51 package is great. I have it and I love it. The sport seats are a must have for me, as the standard seats just arent that great. Don't quote me on this, but I believe it is the F45 option for the selective real time damping suspension that is such a pain. They say it is great (as far as ride) but when the shocks go bad they cost upwards of $1500 to replace. The HUD (heads up display) is a really neat feature because it projects critical driver information up on the windshield and it looks cool too. That is one option mine doesn't have . Not sure about Twilight sentinel. Someone will chime in though and help. There are alot of great minds here and you will find your answer. Welcome to the forum and good luck on your purchase. Biggst thing is to take your time and find the right car for you in your budget. C5's are very affordable right now. You won't ever look back once you are in one

 

Twlight sentinel turns on your headlights automatically at dusk.

 

Hey, Mike,

Welcome to the best place in the world to find out anything you ever wanted to know about our favorite car.

I looked for almost two years before I found the car I decided to buy. I had specific things I wanted and it had to be in the right price range.

Here were my must haves:
1. 6 speed manual
2. Targa roof
3. Twilight Sentinal
4. Memory seats

The car I found had all of those.
If I were to search for my first Vette again, I would alter that list as follows:

1. Twilight Sentinal... it's probably nice for someone who drives a lot at night and can't remember where the light switch is. Since I don't drive at night that often, and since I know how to turn on the lights, it's not really something I couldn't do without.
2. Memory seats... They're nice to have. I would prefer to have them in my next car. But if everything else was right, not having them wouldn't be that big a deal.
3. Z-51 suspension. I love it. It gives you a very solid ride, not much or soft like my Lexus. You can feel the road and the car leans very little in the curves, even at higher speeds. I would definitely want it in my next Vette.
4. Magnetic Selective Ride... well, I don't have it, and it would probably be nice, but I doubt that I would switch it from one setting to the other very often.
5. Homelink... I would like to have that. I have it in my Lexus and had it my Kia before I rolled it and totalled it. Very nice feature and prevents having to look for a garage door remote, or trying to find a place to put it in the limited interior space. I understand you get a sunvisor from a newer Vette that has it built in, which I may end up doing someday.
6. After market exhaust... my car had the Corsa Touring exhaust added by the previous owner. I love it. At first I wanted to stay completely stock, but I'm glad I bought the car with the exhaust modified. It's a great mod and it saved me some money by having it already done.
7. Body side moulding... Previous owner added it. Very nice addition. I would prefer it in my next car also.
8. Targa roof... I like mine because it has the transparant one. I haven't taken it off yet, since it's not really that warm. I've also heard that it causes a lot of wind noise when it's off. It's a nice option, and it probably adds to resale, so I would opt for it again.
9. Goodyear Eagle run flat tires... Yuck! Don't let the fact that the car you're considering has something else on it eliminate it from your choices. The Goodyear's are terribly noisy. And when they get 20,000 miles on them the rubber gets very hard and rough-riding. I'm getting ready to change mine over to the Michelin Pilot Sport AS ZP run flats.

Keep in mind that these are my opinions only. What's right for me may not be right for you. I would first look for a car that's got fairly low mileage on it (under 30,000) and then check to see how well it's been taken care of. If the car looks good, it's a safe guess that the previous owner cared about it and took care of the maintenance. And if you're lucky and find a note in the glove compartment from the previous owner asking you to please take good care of the car, like I found when I bought mine, well, that might tell you something too.

Take it for a drive, put it up on the rack, look it over, and have a mechanic check it out. If it's nice and well cared for, expect to spend a little more than you would for an average one.

Good luck, and keep us informed about what you do.

Michael in KC
2001 Magnetic Red Coupe

 

Thanks for all the great info, what a great resource for me in my search!

 

Mike you will always find great info here