Last week I looked at a 2004 Z06, black/black, with about 18k miles on it. The car is not immaculate and was pretty dirty when I saw it, but everything works and I'm sure it'd look pretty good when cleaned up. It's a two owner car with two years left on the warranty. Currently owned by a 19 year old college student, so I know it's been raced at least a few times. It's got an aftermarket hood, silver stripes (removeable), custom cat-back system, intake, and possibly headers. Chrome stock wheels with new front tires, rear tires need replacing. Didn't get to drive it due to the weather but it sounded great.

I was thinking $23k would be a good price?

 

sure would be 23k for an 04 zo6 with 18k on the clock its a steal not going to happen

 

That price sounds low to me. I would go over it with a fine tooth comb and defiantly drive it first!

 

young owner + modded car = raced car
do your homework on it. mid $20's would be a very good price for a 04 with 18k miles.

 

I beg to differ.... you can buy these cars all day long for high teens low 20's. (They may ask more, but you can buy them for alot less)

Offer him 22K I bet they take 23. Warning....watch what you offer...in this market....youll probably own it.

 

Id say 23k is a little low but you might get lucky and get it. 25k-26k would be the highest I would be willing to go . Goodluck. Whats the asking price anyways?

 

Usually true, but not ALWAYS. As somebody that owned a Corvette at 19 that I bought and paid for myself I got really tired of people assuming things about me and my car.

...now that I think about it I get tired of the same thing at 28 years old.

 

I agree. I'm 22 and have owned a vette since I was 17 (my first one was an 84.) While I've always driven aggresively, I've never raced any of my cars. However, after doing my homework, I've heard stories and actually seen a couple videos of this actual car being raced on the highway. So I know for a fact it's been raced.

 

He's asking 25k. If it was a very clean car with a stock appearance, I would say he'd easily be able to get close to that. But given the fact that he's a young owner who has raced it, and doesn't appear to have kept it clean and in mint condition, I don't think he'll find someone to give him 25k for it. Also, forgot to mention it needs an oil change, another sign that this car hasn't exactly been "babied." And when I say it was dirty, I mean the car was literally covered in dirt and salt spray. Also, the aftermarket hood and stripes do not help his cause.

23k seems reasonable to me. Don't know if he'll take it but I will try.

 

god forbid somebody racing their Z06...whats it really matter if it was raced? I think the car was built to be raced so good luck finding one that wasnt raced....wow sounds like i may never be able to sell mine ...I race the **** out of mine and it has no problems,just buy the damn car if you like it,but of coarse check it out.

 

It's not the end of the world that it was raced, of course. But many people don't want a car that they know has been raced. I personally don't mind it as much, but I do think that a car that's been raced is worth somewhat less than one that's been babied. And while certainly many Z06s have been raced, I don't think I'll have a problem finding one that wasn't. And maybe if the car was kept up and clean, like most vettes I have seen, the racing thing wouldn't bother me as much.

And lastly, 23k+ is a lot of money for me, so I'm not going to "just buy the damn thing" before I do all of my research and due diligence, and make sure I'm getting a good deal.

 

well of coarse you need to make sure your getting a good on it,and that it is a mechanically sound car,it really shouldnt be to hard if it really has 18k miles..I would hope atleast,but 23k for an 04 Z w/18k miles sounds like apretty good deal.....but the whole hood thing after thinkin about it im not so sure...maybe try a carfax report on it to see if its been in an accident or something ,good luck

 

Yeah the hood thing is what really bothered me before I even saw the car. I like the look of the stock hood, and have never been a fan of aftermarket hoods. Hard to say why the hood was replaced since it was done by the last owner. Will definitely do a carfax before buying, if I decide to pull the trigger. Appreciate the advice!

 

Regarding tis particular car, ask yourself a few questions.

1. what will you be doing with the car?
2. are you a perfectionist?
3. can you do your own repairs?
4. Is this your sole mode of transportation?
5. do you have the means to pay for worn parts as well as maintanence?

To me, the way a vehicle appears, as in cosmetics, dictates to me how much a seller cares for the car overall. You said the car was very dirty and full of salt? My cars never look like that. Even my everyday work truck is hardly ever in that condition. My truck has 170k miles on it and you would have no idea that was the case. The engine is near spotless and the interior is excellent. I fix trouble at the first sign it appears. I maintain the fluids and filters without reservation and regardless of cost. The vehicle is always running as best as possible, and looks as best as it can.
I am the seller I hope to run into when looking for a used vehicle. Do you think the Z06 youre looking at was taken care of the same way?

Good Luck to you!

 

Appreciate the tips! That's what I meant when I mentioned the car is dirty. I'm the same way as you. I keep my cars clean ALL the time, especially my vettes, and would never imagine leaving it covered in salt and dirt. This tells me the owner didn't really appreciate the car and didn't take good care of it. As you said, as a buyer, I'd like to buy a car from a guy just like you, who keeps his cars up on maintenance and clean all the time. Cosmetics is a good indicator of how the vehicle was kept up overall. And the fact that he didn't even bother to clean it up for a potential buyer really says something. This is why I'm saying, to me, the car definitely wouldn't be worth the 25k that he's asking.

On the bright side, he's only had the car for about 15 months, and it does have two years left on the warranty, so I won't have to worry about repairs outside maintenance. I do all of my own work and it won't be my daily driver, so that isn't a real concern.

Thanks again!

 

I have several friends that just traded 2004 Corvettes in for new Z06s and the price varied between dealers. One was offered $18K while another dealer gave him $23,000, so your price sounds about right. It pretty much gets down to what you are willing to pay.

 

Yeah, that's what I was thinking. 23k does seem reasonable. I think I will offer him that and see what happens.

 

I would really rethink to offer on this car if I was you.

I would rather save up more money and get one without these wierd stories which will spare you a lot of problems in the future, believe me.
If something appears to good to be true it probably is.

An 04 with 18k for $23000 and you already know some of its history and its not pretty, just imagine what you dont know about it and might find out later...

Follow 81c3's advise, what he said is very tactically sound.

 

True, but he is listing it at 25,500, which is a reasonable price for an 04. I don't even know yet if I could get if for 23k, just speculating. I figure, what's the worst that could happen? The guy has only owned it for just over a year, and hasn't driven it that much. Sure, he's raced it a few times, but that's not the end of the world. Plus, it's got the two year bumper to bumper zero deductible warranty left on it, which is a huge plus. Pretty much anything that goes wrong in the next two years is covered. Honestly, I don't even know how much longer than two years I'll own the car for. I tend to get tired of cars quickly and have never held a car for more than two years. In two years I may just want to sell it for another vette, maybe a C6 Z06. Plus, I like the fact that this car already has a few mods done to it.

I know I'm not getting a mint garage queen that is perfect inside and out. But still, it's only got 18k miles on it, and is relatively free of major blemishes. I figure I really can't go wrong for $23k.

 

Well, the fact that it has been tinkered with by someone is not a good sign since you are taking over someones elses experiment that there is very little knowledge about.

It has a warranty on it but ask if its void due to the mods and if so, are you willing to start putting it back to stock if something happens to it so warranty does cover it?
Is it really worth dealing with all of these potential problems to save a few thousand dollars?

The guy did race the car and its already a proven fact.
You would be surprised what racing can do to a car and in what time.
I was in streetracing for 7 years so I have seen my part of it.
You would wanna think "what could he do to it in 18k miles"?

I can tell you that you can finish of a car racing it in less than 10000 miles even if its new, believe me, I have seen it.
My friend had an STI and by it reaching about 12000 miles it was a total wreck mechanically.

When I was looking for my Z06 I was considering the cars history and who it came from.
The history of a car like this can be more important than the car itself.
I dont know how picky you are about your car but $25000 is a lot of money.
I just bought 2 new cars in a very short time and the whole theory about "our economy is so poor so everything grows on trees for free" is a myth. If something is unusually cheap then there is a reason for it.

I just got a -99 Honda Civic EX coupe in perfect condition with fearly low miles on it.
Its a common car and finding them is not difficult.
Looking at the adds you could get a -99 2dr 5 speed EX coupe for $4500 and a 4dr automatic for much less all day long.
Now when I started actually looking with my money in my hand it was easier said than done.
There was always a story like wrecks, stupid mods, problems, salvage titles and other nasty surprises uncovered when the cars were inspected.
It took 4 months of intense search to find the one I got today.
I paid close to $5000 for my EX coupe and it was a miracle that I found a good one PERIOD.

Story number two was when we went on a hunt to find my girlfriends Honda Civic EX 4dr. Same thing happened and our theory about finding a nice 4dr for $3500 all day long went out the window when we started looking. We drove around for almost 2 months allover San Diego, L.A and Riverside till we found the one here in S.D.
We paid market for the car because again, we were lucky to find a good one.
My friend, im sure that there is more deals out there on cars now than before but nobody is gonna sell you something below what its really worth unless there is a really good reason for it.

In regards to this car you described here I would be very careful with a car like that since you may get it for $23000 and in the longer run put more than $6000 in various unexpected costs.
If it was me, I wouldn't even look at this thing since there is to many stories to deal with.

You might be better of paying closer to $30000 for a perfect low milage original owner 04 Z06 owned by some little old man that drove it to the store on sundays and to some occasional car meet.