Hey guys, i'm a new member of the forums but I visit here quite a bit. I'm sorry if this thread is posted in the wrong place.

I'm 20 years old and I'm looking to purchase my first car. My budget is around 22.5K and I have always LOVED the C5 Z's. I've always been a Chevy guy (my dad has a 1969 Camaro Z28 and a 1968 Camaro SS 396) and I've been in love with the C5 Z06's since my uncle gave me a ride in his brand new '01 Z back in the day.

Anyway, I have been looking around online at 01's and 02's and have seen some for sale for around 21-23K with about 40K miles on them. I'm wondering if there is anything I should look for in one before purchasing, such as how it's been driven, etc. What is a good price for one in the 30-40K mile range? Is it worth paying extra for an '02?

I would also plan to drive it daily from spring to fall. How do they do as daily drivers in the warm months? I would probably ask my uncle if he wants to sell his, but it only has around 4K miles on it and I doubt i'd be able to afford it. If some of you could help me with a bit of advice or suggestions I would really appreciate it. I'm open to listen to anyone. Thanks!

 

Hello, I have a 2001 siver ZO6 with 26k. All stock except for loudmouth 4.25" pipes on back. Sound great. CAI HALLTECH. Ipod connector in glove box. HID headlights. ZO6 PARTITION DIVIDER WITH LOGO & aluminum door sill with ZO6 logo etched & last new tires all around replaced this summer. I cant get photos yet. I am going thru a divorce & the car is in my garage which I have limited access to. I purchased the car from a local CARMAX in Naperville, IL. Clean title no accidents & new battery. My price $22,500.

 

Last December I bought on 02 Z06 with 22000 miles on it for $ 22K. in Sacramento. It was in like new condition with a few mods that I wanted already done. I found it on the Sacramento Craigslist.
To get better information it helps to know what part of the country you live in. Do not be afraid to travel to get a good Z. I went from Washington State to California 4 times and bought 4 cars. All were $3 to 4K cheaper than in Wa.
Once you find one that sounds good check it out as thoroughly as you can without seeing it. Remember that pictures lie. Have someone from the forum or a local Corvette mechanic check it out. Then if all seems good go get it. I would prefer an 02 to an 01. It should be an excellent daily driver, except in snow and ice.
Remember that Craigslist from all over the country and Autotrader are your friends.

 

The 01 Z had 385 hp and the 02-04 had 405 hp. I picked up my 02 with 52000 miles for just under 17k.

 

you need money for taxes and license and at 20 years old a massive insurance bill.

so take about 3 grand from your total and you are at aound $19,500 or so.

then no matter what you buy it will need $400 to a $1000 for various things that you need to fix or add.

so now you are at around $18,500 or so.

that is the most you should be looking at.

oh, and $150 to $200 a month on fuel.

hope this helps you make a good decision.

 

This is simply not true. The Corvette is not an expensive car to insure at all. I was 22 when I got mine and insurance was not a factor at all.

As a matter of fact, the C5 is one of the cheapest performance cars out there to insure.

As for what year is the best:
2001 if you want white
2002 if you want any other color and/or HUD

2002 is better because it doesn't have the 03.5+ fuel system and has a little more headroom than the 03-04 as well.

First mods should be: valve springs, new shifter, CAGS delete, intake, headers, tune....in that order

 

may I ask what CAGS delete is? Kinda new c5 guy

 

Buy a 2004 Z. Great car & last C5Z. The bugs have been worked out. I love mine it is a Z16.

 

I've got an early 02 that I bought a few months ago with 51,000 miles on it. I added tire pressure sensors, replaced seat bottom on drivers side, and I replaced the master clutch cylinder. I daily drive it, and I've put on over 5,000 miles, great car, good on fuel, and comfortable. I paid $19,950, from a dealer I found on autotrader. Paint isn't perfect, it's got a few scratches, but it's not anything a good buffing won't fix. But I'd rather drive it than polish it, so it's dirty most of the time.

 

Computer Aided Gear Selection, that is your 1st to 4th gear skip shift that can be bypassed.

 

First car? I hope you have experience driving something like this or else you will probably wrap it around a tree.

 

Try buying your uncles 01 Z. End of story & a happy ending.

 

I'm 20 years old, and my insurance is only $150 a month for full coverage on my 02 C5Z and liability on my Subuaru. The Corvette is cheaper to insure than any of the Trans Ams I owned! Lol

 

I would just start researching them. I wouldn't let the year or the mileage scare you....just research a potential candidate for purchase thoroughly. What I mean by that is....car fax, vin # run thru a gm computer to find out what they listed, pull the codes from the car itself, get it inspected at a shop or dealer ....doing these things will save you many headaches down the road. I think you can find a clean Z with decent miles from 18-21k. Just take your time and look. As others have said...don't be afraid to travel out of state for the right Z. Let us know if we can help you in anyway!

 

Just be sure with any car you look at, that it comes with receipts and a comprehensible log of the maintenance that has been performed. I would rather buy a Z with 100k miles on it that I could actually look at what was done than one with 40k miles where I had no records to look at. Dont become smitten with the first one you look at cause theres a bunch out there. Good Luck!

 

Oh so just a skip shift eliminator??? Thats the most common name I've heard it called if so.

 

I was in the same position as you. I wanted a C5 since I was 16 years old. Took me 7 years to save up enough cash for one. C5 Z is my dream car so the it needed to be perfect in every way, in other words I wanted to brand new C5 Z.

Im 23 and just bought an 03Z black/mod red with 17,000mi back in August for $27,000. I flew out 900 miles to get the car. I looked at six different vettes just like mine before i found the right one.

If you buy one long distance make sure you document all emails, phone calls, etc. Have someone on the forum who knows what they are doing in that area inspect the car. I found a guy on the forum that lived an hour from the one I bought and he inspected it and told me that if you are looking for a perfect c5z with no problems than this is the one.

As far as insurance, it is very cheap for me.
Perfect driving record + being under 26 = 20% discount.
And my Z06 is not my primary car, my honda accord is, which knocks down the monthly rate for the vette. Mine comes out to $43/month on the vette ($260/six months)


01/02 C5 Z's
If you are going to buy one of these years make sure its been maintened and taken care of. Oil leaks, valves, etc. can be a problem. But as long as you find one that hasnt been molested and has been taken care of, you should be fine.
I wanted to buy a 03Z or 04Z simply because they have most of all the bugs worked out of compared the 01/02Z

Be patitent. Dont bite on the first thing you see. Theres plenty of fish in the sea

 

Milan = 2002 is better because it doesn't have the 03.5+ fuel system and has a little more headroom than the 03-04 as well.

I have a 2004 Z and I am tall ( 6'-6" ) - I could use a little more head room. Is this true that the 2002 has more head room then mine - how is that, I thought that the bodies, seats and interiors were the same ???

 

Like Milan stated:

- If you have to have a Speedway White Z, go 2001
- If you want factory installed HUD, go 2002
- If you want the 405hp bragging rights vs. 385hp, go 2002

If you just want to get into one of the best valued sports car out there today and none of the above is of importance, then you will have more choices available to you. Take your time, do the research on the cars you're interested in so you don't end up with a Z that's been beat on and neglected. Don't be hesitant to expand your search geographically as the great deals are out there for your price range.

Good luck with the search and come back to show us what you got.

 

My dad's '68 camaro has a 560HP 396 stroker in it. It's a VERY dangerous car to mess around with. It ran the quarter mile in 11.1 sec @ 125mph. I've driven that and I always take it very easily, especially since it has old red line tires on it for the past year and a half. My dad had a friend who was killed in a 2003 Viper when he tried to pass a car but had to swerve out of the way because of a motorcyle coming from the opposite direction. He flew off the highway and was killed when he hit a tree. I don't think the '03 Vipers had traction control, did they? But anyway, yes, I am fully aware of the dangers and responsibilty it takes to operate a high performance maching. I will drive as smart as I possibly can.

Thank you for all of your replies guys, I really appreciate it! You guys have a lot of great info and suggestions, i'll definitely follow what you tell me. I'll definitely post the car in the pic section when I get her
Once I find the one I really like I'll probly post some of the info or a pic or two on here for you guys to check out and "inspect." I'd like to get some forum members' opinions of it. Thanks guys!

BTW, here is the Camaro SS (with slicks on it at the time) with just a walk around and revving in the middle and end: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb_MajUhK4M
And here it is on the road, first and second pull: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3FTg...eature=related