I was on here a WHILE back... and looking for a Corvette. Well I end up buying a 05 Mustang GT. I had it for 2 years and sold it today.

I want a Corvette and I am going to find one today. lol..

I have $3,000 cash to put down on a C5. What kind of things do I need to look for when shopping for a Corvette?
Bad signs ect..
I found several 98-01's for around $14k-16k at one car lot.
I am headed over there today around 4pm.

Any help, info ect... would be great before I buy one! Thanks!

~Chandra

 

01' and later are better bets-you can still get parts for them, the earlier ones are getting hard to find parts. By 01' many of the upgrades/fixes were in.

 

First and foremost, don't buy emotionally, there are a huge number of C5s out there to be had and if you only look at one lot or in one city, you're severely limiting your choices (colors, options, prices, mileage, etc.).

One of the big things is to look to see if it's been wrecked before. Carfax may tell you some of that, but a lot doesn't get reported on carfax. You can check around the trunk area and around the engine bay for some evidence of repairs (seams, funky paint, etc.). Other indications are if the rear or front bumper colors are slightly different from the fenders, most body shops have a hard time getting the paint to match between the plastic bits and the fiberglass bits of the car as well as they did from the factory.

Also, get it checked out by a mechanic that YOU choose, particularly if you don't have a lot of detailed service history that you can look through on the car.

 

nothing earlier than a 2000 if your shopping used C5's, some options begame standard on the later models, ie: HUD Display - a must have option, once you see it, you'll have to have it.. So later models the better....

 

I have a 98 and have no experience with 2000 and later but can vouch that a 98 year car is solid. Yes you will miss the HUD display and won't like the wagon wheels (factory wheels) but if you find one that is nice and is a bargain don't hesitate to snag. You will love mod'ing the car later down the line. Also, make sure to have the car inspected by a mechanic or at your local chevy dealership of your choice. It will be worth spending that money as it will save you a lot of repair bills and headaches down the line. I have found that when there are no issues with a car most dealers or private owners will have no problem getting it inspected. If they refuse, you will know somethings up.

Good luck and make sure to post pics when the deal's done

 

Thank you for the info! This car lot specializes in Corvettes and they usually have about 20 on the lot at a time. So I have many choices. Only thing is its up in Dallas and I don't know any mechanics there but I do in my town.
I will look them over good and test drive a few as well. I'm really excited! lol..
I have only drove a 84 Corvette and driven in a 94 and a 99 I believe. The other one I rode in was with a professional race car driver and it was like a 06 I think? We went around a race track and through some sharp curves, and WOW you could not slap the smile off my face! lol...

 

Chandra - here is a handy checklist that was produced by someone at the Corvette Action Center - it should help you to methodically check out a potential car to buy. Click here!

Note that there is a button above the checklist to print it out so that you can take a copy with you when you look at the car.

I would also recommend that you ask about taking the car to someone you trust that has the ability to put the car up in the air so that you can look at the bottom to check for any scrapes or damage. If you were anywhere near the Tempe Arizona area, I'd do it for you! Good luck and don't settle...get the one you want!

 

Great! Thanks!

 

honestly,,,,,,I would just test drive a few C5's today to get a feel for them...then leave the car lot....no C5 in hand. Think things over and decide what you want. Ok..maybe I like blue paint and I like a coupe w auto ...etc. So....make a list and narrow it down....I like one of the several blues offerd on a C5, I like a black or grey interior, I like auto and I have X amount to spend. Then....either you or someone else start researching online. Find a few nice examples of what you are looking for...and then start narrowing it down. Get it down to a couple cars and then try to make a decision. Once you decide on one..then research that vette thoroughly...carfax, get it inspected, pics, service history, codes pulled from computer.....etc. I would urge you not to buy emotionally at a dealer without a plan in mind.

good luck and let us know if we can help.

 

My advise would be to skip getting a coupe and get a C5 Z06...

 

Not that I don't agree, but is it assumed that all females must have an automatic transmission? Z's are 6spd only.

 

For narrow minded people it is. My wifes car is a 6spd. I know alot of women that drive manuals.

 

I agree with most of the posts; list of options wanted, look first buy later, have a mechanic check it out. Only other advise I could add is, get the newest year model, '01-'04, with the lowest milage that you can afford. Older, high mileage cars may be less expensive to begin with but they may cost you more down the road. Remember, a Vette is like any other car. They need more attention as the years and mileage add up. And you really do get what you pay for.

 

OH OH

 

Good luck with your search and hopefully purchase of a C5. If you'd like some additional info on the cars, including a Corvette Buyers Checklist, PM me your e-mail address and I'll send the files to you.

 

2000 Pewter/Black 6 Speed CPE with 405HP. This Pewter C5 comes equipped with the NAV/DVD, HUD, sport seats, memory pkg, cd in dash, 3 inch performance exhaust all the way back, Donaldson Cold Air Intake, DyanTech Long Tube Headers, X-Pipe, power chip, and is in excellent showroom condition. Great Price for all performance ads included and installed. Extremely Nice Corvette with extras, power, great sound, and DVD Navigation.

That ^ is what the ad says... of the car I looked at today... I started it up and it sounded mean... I did not see a scratch on it. I am going for this one. Wish me luck guys and gals... ;-)

 

Oh and baby... I can drive the hell out of a stick... I love standards... just sayin. ;-)

 

Well OK, Good Luck

 

Sounds like a winner and a lot of the things you'd want eventually anyway are already done... Out of curiosity, how many miles are on it? Only thing I'd suggest is pulling the codes out out of the DIC and checking the out b4 u buy. If there are a lot of codes with an H suffix clear them all b4 u leave the lot then take it for a long test drive.

Make sure you get on the gas a few times (tho u don't sound like a girl that needs any encouragement for that ) Hit the brakes hard enough to engage abs. Take a couple of turns with the wheel hard over (low speed) to check the cv joints. The synchros and shift forks on the stock t56 are junk, listen for grinding and be sure to notice if effort is increased shifting into any one gear in particular (definitely pay close attention going into second and fourth). On a straight road let go of the steering wheel and see if the car pulls in any direction.

When you get back to the lot pull the codes again and check out the ones that have reappeared. You can post them on here and we'll tell you if there are any you need to be particularly concerned about. Also pull the kick panel on the passenger side floorboard (under the floor mat all the way to the front) and look for any indication that the area has gotten wet recently (damp to the touch, moldy smell, etc). then it's just the basic stuff: headlights, fog lights, windows, seat controls, ac modes, radio, fuel door release, horn etc. Not a bad idea to check the harmonic balancer at idle for excessive wobbling (largest pulley on the drive belt system located lower center).

Other than that, if it feels good go for it! You only live once

Here's a link to another post that explains in detail how to use the DIC to pull trouble codes courtesy of Bill Curlee... http://forums.corvetteforum.com/1577842685-post2.html

 

Check for piston slap...if u don't know what it sounds like follow this link...www.pistonslap.com