Lots of good info in the sticky.
Buying help
Thread Starter
4th Gear
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Buying help
Hi, new to the board from south jersey. I'm in the market for a 97-2000 c-5 auto in nassau blue. I'm looking at one (1999) this week that has 65,000 and priced at 17500. I'm a motor head and have built cars from ground up but was looking for some insight on what to look for (issues) on the c-5. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Lou.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,724
Likes: 2
From: Holland Landing Ontario
Welcome to this great forum.
Parts availability on the older C5's (97-00) can be an issue i.e. the BCM has been discontinued. However, most parts are interchangable throughout the series. My main suggestion to new buyers is to make sure that it has a Column Lock By-pass (CLB). Most C5's were prone to the column locking and not unlocking at some time in there life. There were 2 recalls done by GM related to this and neither one fixed the problem. If the car you are looking at doesn't have one, a CLB is a very inexspensive addition and should be your first mod.
Parts availability on the older C5's (97-00) can be an issue i.e. the BCM has been discontinued. However, most parts are interchangable throughout the series. My main suggestion to new buyers is to make sure that it has a Column Lock By-pass (CLB). Most C5's were prone to the column locking and not unlocking at some time in there life. There were 2 recalls done by GM related to this and neither one fixed the problem. If the car you are looking at doesn't have one, a CLB is a very inexspensive addition and should be your first mod.
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I would not be in a hurry, For 17,500-18,000 you should be able to find a 2001-2004 which in my opinion would be a better bet.
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Safety Car
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From: yardley, pa 19067
$17.5 is way to high for a 99... miles are decent. I just sold my 99 with only 47k miles 2 months ago for $16k. If it all checks out I wouldn't pay more than $15k for that car. My car was mint & garage kept, dealers only offered me $13k trade in so I knew realistically it wasn't t worth that much more. Too many people overprice their car based on KBB which isn't accurate.
Thread Starter
4th Gear
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
Buying help
Thanks for all the input. I just found a 2002 convertible with 50,000 that is in great shape for 21000. What's the skinny on convertibles vs coupes? I would think the convertibles are very nice but were much more maintenance. Your thoughts?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 2,629
Likes: 7
From: Lawrenceville PA
Convertibles are great
Wish I had one
I don't see it being any more maintenance than a coupe. You may need to replace the top at some point but they're not that expensive. They also seem to have a slightly higher resale value. Good luck and don't forget the pictures.
Wish I had one I don't see it being any more maintenance than a coupe. You may need to replace the top at some point but they're not that expensive. They also seem to have a slightly higher resale value. Good luck and don't forget the pictures.
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