I have three Corvettes and none have had a single issue including batteries. I had a cousin who couldn't make a car last a year. Once he sat in the driveway and floored the motor until it blew up because he heard a lifter ticking.

**** happens to some people and not to others. Life is a crap shoot.

 

Ive never replaced an oil sending unit in my life, and my Contour has 150k, my Toyota truck had 189k.

As for the OP, I think your car had front-end damage. Sounds like no one had problems with emblems (unlike BMWs) so it must have been a cheap replacement, same for radiator.

 

LOL I sold my 97 Formula to a friend in near perfect condition. I had it for years before selling it to him. A year after I'd sold it to him, that car was a disaster and then he spun a bearing. Was a perfect car until he got it. I took great care of that car and he didn't. That's the difference between a good car and a car that's just going to have issues.

 

It's an old car, get use to it. I've had more problems with my `01 than all of my cars put together, and that is a whole bunch, I'm 66 and a car nut! I still absolutely love the damned thing and enjoy it more all the time. One of these days it'll be just like new.

 

I have a 2000 C5 which has had several non-fatal problems. Being an inquisitive engineer, I traced the problem components back to their outside subcontractors. In each case, I was told that due to the Corvette's limited volume, It was not cost effective to justify a comprehensive reliability evaluation of the components. So, I you want a limited volume vehicle, you have to accept a small hit in reliability.

 

Swollix, just want to confirm that the corvette is the biggest problem ridden piece of **** made. some folks say it was driven too hard..BS it is a corvette made to go fast and shred tires. Get rid of it before it drags you in. I have had mine for just over a year and have had to replace both headlight motors, EBCM, broken seat frame ( I am only 180 lbs) console lock broken, and 2 oxygen sensors. Now the clutch is going out and the check engine is back on. WOW. Did not have that many problems on my 47 Chevy that was completely original, or my 74 Nova 1/4 mile car that was really beat on. SORRY guys love the power and looks but that is all its got. If Chevy actually supported by fixing their problems when they are common I would be different. Traded my 01 Vert yesterday for a damn Nissan Titan. Oh yeah the vert had only 46,000 miles. How many more thousands of dollars will I go through if I had kept it. Will never own another one unless I custom build it myself. Enjoy your money pits.

 

unsubscribing now.

 

Lol, It's as if no one wants to admit they are cheaply made or most people have much less mileage and have not encountered as many problems because of that. I haven't even had this car two years, I guess they are not meant to be daily driven?

 

Okay, my 1998 C5 is my daily driver and has 131,000 miles on it. My only problems have been: one oil pressure sensor, one headlight gear, and one plastic radiator fill tank. Most reliable car I have had.

Now, my 2001 Impala with 122,000 miles has needed over $7,000 in repairs, not including a new camshaft and lifters (fan motor, electric window lift, transmission, catalytic converter, and more). Worse car I ever owned.

Both cars same care and maintenance. Just chance.

 

I understand your frustration with the car as some of the problems you are having such as the A/C system failure and the radiator can be expensive to repair. Failures of replacement parts are do to poor quality parts or they are being installed incorrectly. The 2nd radiator failure is not the fault of the manufacturer. I would chalk up the interior stuff to aging and fix up the interior if you keep the car, its a nice looking car. The car may have been abused, that is very possible. Many things on the list could be fixed cheaply with information from the forum. As with anything, what you get out of it is up to you.
I have a 2002 Coupe with slightly less than 37k on the clock and have had a few problems including the EBCM which is cheap to repair thanks to CF. My ignition switch failed and that was really frustrating. I replaced the crank pulley during a cam install as I thought that thing was beginning to wobble. I have an excellent mechanic who has done all my modifications and that is key here as the dealers are not good. I'm keeping mine as it gets quicker every year and I love. Would not want to use it as a daily driver. Best of luck.

 

Guess I am not alone. Had my vette for 2 months and already replaced, 02 sensors, clutch master cylinder, column lock, and still have a few other problems pending. So if corvettes are parked, they fail. If they are driven hard, they fail. I used to have a Toyota Supra and an Mazda Rx7.These cars were raced, dragged, modded, much older cars, and didn\t have any issues. Yes i had a reliable 3rd gen Rx7.

I love the corvette, i actually traded my Supra for it.....but I fallin fast out of love

 

Seems like those who have driven other sports cars have the same experience with Corvettes...

 

Why not just sell it.

 

03 C5 Z06 The best car I've ever owned !

I like it better today than the day I bought it, and that was 4.5 years ago

 

Already fixed most problems. Gonna give the corvette another chance. I see people defending the corvette saying "Well most of those problems are well known problems for the corvette". I think this is wrong. Why should we happy that our cars have "known problems" They should have little to no problems. Its like eating fish your whole life and being alergic to it. You get used to going to he emergency room every day. LOL.

 

I like the car so far (2yrs), but I too am starting to loose interest with all the problems these thangs have. I'm at 60k, A4, and stock. Oil pressure sensor just went 2k ago. Driver side wiring problems, EBCM, leaky butt, check valves. All of these in the last 10k of ownership. OK it's a Chevrolette.

But they still are fun to drive. Still get the smiles on open twisty roads. Still like the looks, and still wash and shine the thing once a week at minimum. Figuring these are sporty cars and some amount of work/upkeep is required, but man, so many stupid common problems.

In reading this forum, one has to admit that there are several common problems with these things. It would seem that every issue that has been posted more than three times, we will all have during our ownership. It's a damn good thing this forum exists or I might be in the poor house just paying stealerships to fix.

I can understand the total frustration of owners. Dealers rape you on repairs. The car costs a ton when new. One figures that the costs must provide for some sense of reliability, but fails. I guess you are supposed to buy one, get extended warrenty, and then buy a new one every two years.

Me, I'ma still driv'in and smil'in even though it's through same pain at times.

 

Ya'll just have to understand, its a used car. If you wanted the warranty and reliability of a brand new car, you should have bought one. I've never had a new car, so i know what its like to maintain and service ordinary problems that come about with age. and let me tell ya, ive had lots of cars before the Corvette and the Vette is by far the most reliable. its got 136,000 miles on it, and i haven't seen another 136k mile 12 year old car that looks and drives like it. parts wear out, its a fact of life, get over it. It seems like most people spend all their money on the actual car itself and then cant afford to take car of it.
sorry for the rant, but Corvettes are very special to me and i dont like anyone talking negative about them.

 

Yes I understand the used car thing, very well. I have had many and I've had new ones too. Just because it's new don't mean no problems.

I like the car that's why I got one. There is a lot of engineering in these things, however I'm not impressed that all was done well. If you don't or can't work on your car, then you pay a premimum to have them fixed. Corvette tax is refferred to a lot in this forum, and it ain't just for mufflers, wheels, and intakes. It's ownership.

The electrical gremlins tick me off the most. Yes, parts are going to break down over time and use, but please, oil pressure sending unit? What is the big problem in making them so they last? It's not like this is the first time/year anyone on the planet has made a oil pressure sending unit. Even here (forum), the brass ones are better than the aluminium ones, folks say. Is this just to identify the one that where made better? I'm sure is neither the brass or aluminium body is the cause of the break down here. Could it really be in the quallity of design and manufacturing of these OPS units? Would you pay $80 more for the car when new to have a OPS that will last longer than the engine? Or would you want the cheaper one that will break and save $80 at the time of purchase.

Do I like the idea of traction control and ABS? Yes, but what ever is designed and built, I would like to see last more than 55k miles. Do I like the idea of thieft control? Yes, but I don't want my steering wheel to lock up while I'm driving it. Do I want a push button adjustable seat? Yes, but I want the car to start even if the seat does not adjust. They may be perfect dream cars but they are not perfect cars. What car is???

In all, I still like the car. It's still fun. It does keep me busy fixing little things along the way. That's fine and to this point OK. But I do understand the frustration factor and the money envolved. There are other fun things that like money. I think a lot of first time vette owners have some precived value to the corvette. It's styling, performance, and the price. I'm sure most think that when they get one, the dream will be realized to a degree. I think many find out that there are a lot of gremllins in these things. It's frustrating and disappointing. Some people modify these cars because they want to, some because they have to.

Thanks again to all that help others on this forum track down these problems and give great help and solutions.

Rant over

 

There are three kinds of people: "those who can count and those who can't"!

Sorry, couldn't resist

 

all cars have repair issues, I agree on the electrical issues with the corvette, but the LS1 is a great engine. BMW's are all not what they are made out to be, my son is a BMW technician and he tells me of some horror stories and some unbelievable repair bills.