Hi Friends:
I just bought my first corvette only 13 days ago and love it. Since then I have scoured the classifieds for Chrome Wheels and aftermarket exhaust and have been excited to spend my nickles and dimes on my new (used) car.

I found what I was looking for and admire my beautiful 99 torch red Corvette every day.

But today I spent some time in the Tech Section of this forum and got VERY scared reading all of the inherent problems that guys are having with their c5's.

Everything from failing oil pressure gauges to water leaking into the car from poorly sealed body panels - and every other problem you could imagine.

MY GOSH ! did I buy something that is going to give me a life of misery if it is having problem after problem like you find in the tech section ?

I even saw many posts on guys having their oil pressure sending units go out on them several times in one month or more and they insist that they will continue to go out forever.

Just thought I would see if you guys are all doom and gloom here like seems to be in the Tech Section of this forum - I started getting depressed and shut my screen down after reading - NOT a happy place in that section - although it is a VERY HELPFUL place when you have a problem

I just hope I don't have a bunch of problems now - Kinda scared to start my car now to find out the Oil Pressure gauge is failed like all the others. Wondering also if my rear storage compartments are filled with water too.

I just want to shine it and drive it - not see it broke down in my garage.

 

dont think you are going to have every problem that you see on the forum. only trouble i ever had with mine was the oil pressure sensor, and that it needed headers, exhaust, and intake.

 

Remember that the squeaky wheel always get the grease.

Most of us have no real problems at all. I say enjoy and drive.

Historically the C5 is a very dependable car, the engine-life is above 200,000 miles, and the maintanence is minimal at best compared to imports. You are driving a well-built machine. Take care of it, service it and above all else: ENJOY it each time you DRIVE.

Good Luck

 

C5s are quite reliable. They are however prone to electrical gremlins. And bear in mind that the people without problems aren't the ones posting.

It ain't a Civic. So don't neglect it for years and years and expect it to keep chugging along. Preventative maintenance is key. And you can get a good heads up on potential future problems by trolling the forums.

And try to keep things in context. It's the oil pressure sender going out not the pump. The prior is an annoyance. The latter is a new engine. Water leaks? Another annoyance, but my experience with sports cars is pretty much any car without a full window frame will leak at some point .. not if, when.

 

Honestly, you can't live your life wondering "what if" all the time. There are too many what if's in life already.

This forum is great in case you DO run into a problem, someone out there has probably already encountered it and can offer a solution.

So far, mine has been trouble free. (knock on wood)

 

There are far more posts on how reliable and awesome these cars are! dont let it worry you, i was the same way when i got mine, and so far have only had 1 very minor issue! those posts are there for us all to learn from, also so we can recognize an issue when it comes up...now get out there and have fun!

 

Its not really that bad just on the forum the problems are talked about more than what doesnt break people always seeking help, I have a passenger window that I need to fix but for a 2000 thats ten years old i have to expect some problems and its been mostly minimal

Rob

 

If worried about sending unit just replace it.I dont know if i have ever seen a C5 on the side of the road. All in all every car has its problems,But I think a C5 a safe bet.

 

Hey,

Like any used car there will be maintenance issues. But, it's a lot more fun to drive than your typical used car. Have fun with it!

 

Just enjoy it! I'm sure you'll have a problem or two but they're generally easy to fix. When you have a problem the peeps on the forum'll be here to help. Until then, drive the hell out of it.

 

Go to other car model forums, you won’t want to buy anything!

 

With a 99 its had many of the problems. Think positive, the ones you do come across you'll be able to fix with the advice you get here on the Forum.

 

1998 here with 124,000 miles (daily driver) and I have had only 2 problems, 1 oil pressure sensor (you must clean terminals and torque ONLY to proper torque) and 1 headlight gear. It has been a VERY reliable car for me !

Have many miles of similes !

 

Show me any 10 year old car with nothing that has gone wrong in it. You are on the right step. Just being aware of these things will help you know how to fix them. Half the minor issues C5's have can be fixed by the average joe.

 

My car has been very reliable. So far I've replaced a perfectly good engine, a working differential, a suspension that was working fine, seats and interior bits that most people would be very happy with. The list goes on and on - and on but none of the parts I replaced NEEDED replacement. They are as reliable as any other car.

Now, I am afraid to leave my house for fear of being abducted by aliens.

 

Drive and enjoy - It is only a car (you can even drive them in the rain)

If you are living on a very tight budget and can't/aren't willing to work on the car yourself, then I wouldn't buy a 10 year old car

The guys (and gals) on this forum are great - They put-up with my questions all the time

Forget about the oil pressure sensor - Cost of new one is about $25.00 and only takes 2 hours for a total beginner to repair

When you compare these against other manufacturers of cars in the Sport Car category (Porsche, Dodge, Jaguar, Lotus, ECT), you have the most dependable one

 

I hope you come across in C5 General the post from CA where the original owner of his 98 has over 300,000 miles and documented very few issues. Car is still going strong

 

Hah!!!

If you're scared of maintenance you should be glad you don't own a Ferrari!

With those cars, you put $1 in a jar for every mile you drive. It will be spent every 7.5k miles.

 

As stated or implied in other post,,most do NOT post till they have a problem!! For every posted problem,,there are THOUSANDS of cars out there cruising along with out a problem!! For every trouble post,,you can read hundreds of posts about the fun they are having!!! A very simple solution,,,,HANG OUT IN GENERAL DISCUSSION most of the time!! You'll see more pictures and stories of HAPPY owners!!

 

Out of the Thousands of Thousands of Vette's we have a section to help each other when we have a problem -

What happened is you seen maybe a 100 different Vettes with different problems on one page - Now tell which of those Vette's has all those problems at once and right now? = NONE!

If you get a problem or an issue on your Vette then you go to the page and ask a question or do a search and fix your 1 problem and then if you get another you do the same thing again - it's as easy as that

To say that everything you read is going to happen to your Vette is like saying you can put all the parts to a computer in a Home Clothes Washer and put it in cycle and when it is done you will have a complete working computer

Enjoy your Vette and do as much as you can for it - and the "BEST" thing you did for yourself is look at those pages so if an issue does come along you will remember - ohh I saw it there now I can fix it myself and not get raped by the dealer

I have a 1998 Coupe and have had almost NILL problems and when one came up (usually only one issue at a time) I fixed it - I have even done write-ups and How To's, just as many others have done - So Don't Worry be Happy! Ha-cunna Matada

Thanks,Matt (If you ever need to you can call my contact info is in the sig below )