Hello everyone,

I am new to this forum and I apologize if this subject has been posted many times. I have finally decided to take the plunge and buy my dream vette. I have begun my search for a C5 Corvette.

I am completely new to the Corvette world and I have no idea what to look for. Here are the immediate questions that I have:

Which body style is best? Convertible or Targa (prefer convertible)
Which year is considered most reliable?
How reliable is the engine and does it have high oil consumption?
How easy is a C5 to work on for a home mechanic? I would prefer to do all maintenance myself.
How reliable are the transmissions (auto or manual)? I do prefer a manual myself but they are much harder to find.

I would really appreciate any help that you can provide. I am completely stumped right now as to what to go for.

PS: I presently own a 96 Miata with bulletproof reliability so I am being cautious with my next purchase.

Thanks again for your help,
Mario

 

You really can't go wrong with the C5. Here's a few general answers. Good luck obtaining your dream


1.) Which body style is best? Convertible or Targa (prefer convertible)

A. Which one do you like? You can't go wrong


2.) Which year is considered most reliable?

A. I'm not sure on this one.


3.) How reliable is the engine and does it have high oil consumption?

A. The LS1 and LS6 (Z06) are very reliable. Some early years had oil consumption issues.

4.) How easy is a C5 to work on for a home mechanic? I would prefer to do all maintenance myself.

A. Dive in . Get a helms manual

5.) How reliable are the transmissions (auto or manual)? I do prefer a manual myself but they are much harder to find.

A. Both are very reliable depending on the type of driving. (is this going to be a track car, etc ?) I say get what you want

 

The best body style is the one that most appeals to YOU. I think all the years of C5's are as reliable, I have a 2001 and as I have read many times here, it does consume some oil but not a problem for me. I say it uses about one liter for every 1500 to 2000 miles.

I like to do all of my maintenance as well so your best resource is this forum and the investment in the service manual. If you are fairly handy you can take care of the maintenance. So far I added a CLB, changed my Hazard warning switch, plugs and wires, clutch and brake fluid, and will change the other fluids as well.

Go for the 6 speed if you like manual trans, its verrry fun to drive.

 

I would say it depends on the options you want. i believe the 97 and 98 have fewer options. other than that its basically all personal preference. they all rock!!!

 

I think any year C5 is a great vette, very reliable and a great value for the money. Just consider what your budget is, driving style, where you live and other likes/dislikes...then start a list. Say my budget is 25k, I like a hardtop (frc/Z), and I drive mostly street w/occasional track use, and I love me some white...then this will put me in an 99/00 hardtop/frc or an '01 Z06. If I am looking for the frc....this should run me between 16-22k and the white Z will probably run 20-24k. Personally...I would probably go back a few years earlier in the C5 bodystyle....to buy a cheaper vette (just as nice) and then I have $$ left over to do some general maint and some mods. When I buy the car..I want to clean it up, lower it, tint, change fluids, filters, maybe battery, tires, wheels....etc. Some people will say to buy the newest vette you can afford....so that would put you in an '04 of some type...probably in the mid to upper 20's.

Let us know if you have more quesitons or want help finding a specific vette.

 

I have a coupe. My next one will be a convertible. The targa top is a pain and no where near the experience of the convertible.
The later cars have more standard options but my 98 has more than enough to keep me entertained.
I'm a home mechanic too and I find myself doing busywork rather than real mechanical work. It is very reliable especially considering it's power, speed, age and complexity. I do have to approach it with the mind of a programmer as well as an auto mechanic. Lots of electrical and computer systems. I never 'rebooted' any other car.

 

Thanks guys. You are all putting my mind at ease. It is nice to see that there also exists a great community to go along with the Corvette experience. I will probably be posting a lot of questions in the upcoming weeks especially once I get it.

Thanks again.

PS: I will post pictures once she is parked in my driveway.

 

Good luck and I'm sure you will be happy with your choice.

 

Good luck with your search. spend some time reading the 'stickies' and then post your questions. you'll get great help here. take your time shopping as there are a lot of great used C5's out there and it seems to be a buyer's market in the US. oh and if you haven't done so yet, fill out your profile

On a side note, I love my 6spd and I commute with it in the summer.

 

I love my coupe and I'm 57 and can get the targa top off in about 2 minutes or less. It is easy .It goes back on just as easy just remember to latch it back up

 

Good luck with your search. Best advice I can give is test drive a sample of each body style and then decide which is best for you.

I have some Word files that might help you out, including a Corvette Buyers Guide. If you would like a copy of the files, PM me your e-mail address.

 

Do your research.

Know what you want!!

Test drive cars in the style you like with the features you want.

Take your time. Lots of cars out there.

Recommend getting a 2002 and up. They made a lot of improvements in the 01 model year, but there were some issues with oil burning.

Make sure you put the car on a lift and look underneath. Lots of potential hidden problems.

Look for a car with few owners and that was not heavily modded. Have to be careful because a lot of people de-mod their cars before selling.

Couple of links for you.

http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/specs/


http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...ngths-etc.html

Hope that helps

 

As far was what body style, like said above its really what you like the most.

I love the looks of the Z06 body lines but would not give up my targa top for a Z. At least in the C5 Gen. I think I could part with the targa for a C6Z.

Either way good luck with your search, I dont think you could go wrong with any body style!

 

I have a 2004 coupe, with removable Targa top. IMO, it offers the best of both worlds - it's a hardtop, but it's a convertible when you remove the Targa. The top stores in the hatch area. Very easy to take off, just be careful not to scratch.

The Z06 only comes with standard trans. But the Z06 has more power, if that's what you want.

Be careful of the suspensions. I live in Rhode Island, where the roads are in absolutely horrible condition. Therefore, I decided I wanted the base model suspension, which is the softest (yet still firm).

If you look inside the dashboard glove box on any prospective purchase, you will see a sticker like this:



Take your digital camera and take a pic of those codes. Then you can go to this site and look up all the various codes to see what they mean:
http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/specs/c5/index.html
At that page, click on the year of the car, then on the next page, click on the link that says "Regular Production Options", and you will see explanations of the codes.

I went to a local dealer that specialized in Corvettes, and I learned a lot from them. I woulda bought from them, but they didn't have one I really liked, plus they were a tad over-priced. So I would recommend talking to a dealer or two.

Shop hard and you can score a good deal. You may wish to pay a little extra for a car that has had exceptional care.

Good luck.

-

 

And click the 'Sticky' on top page that starts w/ "Weights, Measurements....."

Don't let all the info scare you.

 

Like all the others said, the C5 is a very reliable car. Take your time and find the one for you. It's a buyers market. I'm biased, but make sure you drive a Z06. Good luck.

 

There's a bunch of them out there, all different years and mileage. There's some pretty good pricing on C5s right now. I love my `01 vert! Wouldn't trade it for luv nor money. Some `01s had oil consumption problems, but usually under racing conditions, (ring flutter). Z06s are a little more expensive to insure but they're bullets with wheels.
Whatever you decide to buy have a good mechanic check it out first.
I do all of my own service, brakes , fluids, exhaust, etc.. They're all metric so You'll need metric tools, ramps, jack stands and all of that fun stuff. Search the forum for the right stuff. Good luck and happy vetteing.

 

good luck with your search

 

Take your time.The hunt is almost as much fun as the find. I shopped for almost 6 months before I found the car I wanted Good luck