Over the years I have owned quite a bit of cars (most bought brand new) and trust me they all have issues. Check other car forums and look at how many problems they post about. My 03 Evo had tranny problems after a year (yeah I drove it hard) but I ended up rebuilding the tranny 3 times. Anyway, just do your normal tune up's etc and you'll be fine.

 

My 01 with 94000K is running great! Thanks for asking

 

I've had three C5s now and with the exception of leaking differential seals and excessive oil consumption on my '00, they have been virtually problem free. The differential seals are a common problem and the oil consumption was primarily in the '01 model year with the manual tranny.

There are other reported common problems (gas gauge, column lock, rocking seat, just to name a few), but not all cars have these issues.

 

Funny that you mentioned all the problems of Corvettes that are a little older. I have an interest in a few other various cars and brands and I'm a member of sites that discuss these models and problems. Guess what? They "all" have similar problems and I don't care how exotic or expensive the model is. Every single one has issues and since they are man made, they will have issues. I guess the best ones don't have as many, but I'm still looking for those. On sites like this you will have people writing about the various issues they have experienced....and since many like to write about how to fix the problem, you will see it more often. Many issues never really apply to most of us, but if something goes wrong, you will surely see it here and often enough to make a Vette owner feel that their car will be next to experience a problem. There are some Porsche sites where they chat about their problems and you would think that the car is a piece of junk, but that is obviously not the case. It's a great car.......but obviously not as nice as ours.

 

Here's my two cents. When people who are enthusiastic about what they own gather and converse they tend to focus on problems and solutions (fortunately the emphasis in this forum is on solutions).
I also own a Bayliner boat and am a member of their online owners' club. Every so often someone will post that Bayliners must be real P.O.S. boats because of all of the problems discussed on the club's website. Much like here, it's more a matter of owners seeking out other owners who may have had and resolved similar issues and problems.
I've had my Corvette for 60 days now. I took delivery of the car on March 13 with 11,575 miles. In that time I've put 3665 miles on the car, including a 940-mile 3 day trip this past weekend. I'm pleased to report that, aside from the noise from the original Goodyear run flats, I am experiencing no problems with the car, and am amazed with the gas mileage that I got on the trip.

 

Don't be so worried. The good and the bad with this forum is that there are so many people on here and quite a few vettes made over the years that you will get a broad spectrum of problems that not everyone encounters. The good is that so many people post fixes that it becomes very easy to take care of some of the fixes yourself. I also tend to think that corvette enthusiasts you get a lot of generous people willing to help. If you've ever searched for problems with other makes or brands not as popular, you will hardly come up with anything. I'm sure if you searched the mustang forums you would see 10 times as many posts from people with all sorts of problems. It doesn't mean it's a pos, just that there are that many people willing to chat online about their cars.

As for my 99, it's had a few problems over the years, but most are related to aftermarket parts that I've added which is hardly a flaw from the factory.

Just drive and enjoy and if you have a problem you know this site will get you straightened out.

 

I own a 99 C5 Vette with no major problems, the only thing wrong are the Tire sensors, and that is the batteries are just dead after 11 years. I've own many cars in my life, Dodge, Olds, Toyota, Datsun. And prior to the C5 only the Toyota 4Runner and 84 Toyota 4X4 Truck had like zero problems. The C5 is two years with me out of that 11 years with nothing but tire sensors. Yea the C5 is just a car, 11 years on most cars would be time to turn them in and get a new one. Again, I think most car manufacturers don't want their cars to last more than 5 years, they want you to turn them in and buy new ones, anything over 10 years is icing on the cake. Look at cars of the 50s, solid as a rock, no plastics all metal, and thick metal to boot. Take a good look at your C5, things wear, contacts get pitted, things dry up and get brittle, it's part of life, nothing was ment to last for ever, not even us.....so I enjoy the pleasures of my C5 and deal with the little things, yea it hurts my back to drop into a vette, my knees crack when I pull myself out, but over all I still have a smile a mile wide driving my baby... so enjoy the ride...

 

Sell it and buy an '04 and be done with it!

 

When you take in to consideration the number of C5's produced,,the actual % of problem cars is very small!! In a forum like this it is a natural place to come for help,,so you get a skewed view!! Just RELAX enjoy and drive it,,,,if a problem crops up ,,FIX it and continue driving and enjoying!!

 

Just go to other marque forums and see what they're like. You'll find they are also full of "problems" by your definition. Cars are mechanical things and require maintenance. Tips for doing just that are the whole point of these forums. This one is especially helpful since the main thrust is doing a fix cost-effectively as a DIY project. So, relax, enjoy your car and when something fails, use the search feature, and ger it fixed. Happy Vetting!

 

I can kind of unserstand where this guy is coming from because I felt that way for a little while right after I got my car (two months ago). I have always loved Corvettes and felt them to be a part of my DNA since my dad was a big enthusiast and owned many of them when I was younger. So I finally got to the place in life where I could go ahead and have one without it being a strain or a stretch budget wise (kids grown up, divorced, no longer racing dirt bikes). So I start really looking and getting a feel for what I wanted and it boiled down to a C5 because I wanted a semi-daily driver but didn't want to pay the price of entry for a C6. I then got serious and found what I thought was the perfect first Vette for me, a 2001 Navy Blue Coupe, one owner, 27000 miles, good price,stone stock and very well kept. So I pull the trigger and make it mine only to discover a coupe of little things I overlooked during the haze I was in during the purchase process It was throwing abs/stability/trac codes and the passenger door lock doesn't unlock electronically. I thought "oh crap!" at first but was still thrilled with having the car. I had been on the forum some before but was just a browser and mainly was looking at pics and reading about why people had a coupe or vert or Z. So I started digging in deeper and found what an awesome and unique place this forum really seems to be and realized that in spite of a few ****ling little issues with my car what an awesome machine I really have at a bargain price. I feel like I am truly part of a fraternity here and everyday I am blown away by the cooperation and information that is passed around. Bottom line is that there is a real mystique to owning these cars, they have an incredible history and just plain are cool and a lot of fun!