When "low miles" is a bad thing.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,814
Likes: 414
From: Pittsburgh suburbs Pa.
Personally, I think a MEDIUM-mileage car is the best. Most likely, all the early bugs have been taken care of, whereas the ultra-low mileage car owner will have to go through all those issues like EBCM, leaky diff, oil pressure gauge, smog pump check valve, stripped plastic headlight motor gears, etc, etc.
1st Gear
Joined: Nov 2013
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Looking at a '99 C5 T-top loaded. Asking price is $19,000 or so. Less than 30,000 miles, garaged all the time when not using it. Used lightly and not for racing. Price seems high to me. In pristine condition, like factory new. I want ti upgrade CD/stereo system to be able to play MP3. What should be my approach in this day and age. IPOD? How should I connect it?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 2,855
Likes: 78
From: Sammamish WA
WA Events Coordinator
Have a street/track pfadt alignment - Nittos all around (NT 555's 275 up front / NT05 295 in back) and it drives and corners like a dream.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 19,304
Likes: 85
From: San Diego CA
No, that's a bit too many. Drive it for 30,000 and it'll save the new owner from having to replace many of the things I mentioned.
Advanced
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 87
Likes: 0
From: Summerville South Carolina
I agree with buying a corvette untouched. I bought a 02 vette and two weeks later got deployed for six months. during that deployment i bought Lg 1 7/8 headers w/o cats and x pipe, borlas straight pipe rear section for a complete exhaust. I also purchased a t rex cam from thunder racing, comp cams pushrods, comp cams short travel race lifters, comp cams trunion kit, and beehive springs. I came back frommy deployment, took the ol girl for a quick little hell ride then put it up on jacks and completed all the exhaust and motor work within a week. i took it to the dealer to complete some paperwork on the permanent tags since i was out of the country and couldn't take care of it and when i drove up the salesman just about s**t himself. they all loved it!
video of my vette (pardon the hootin, i was a little psyched to hear it run for the first time after the cam install)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsvQVvEDhQE
video of my vette (pardon the hootin, i was a little psyched to hear it run for the first time after the cam install)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsvQVvEDhQE
Pro
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 590
Likes: 57
From: Aurora Colorado
I bought my 01 Converible with 10800 miles on it on March 2013. Original everything-except for the battery.
Original tires,original airfilter. And original hoses and belts. I see no cracks at all on the hoses and belts.
I have noticed in the last 20 years that hoses don't seem to wear like they use to. I have replaced 15 to 20 year old hoses that have up to 100k miles on vehicles other than Corvettes and see no wear at all. The inside has no cracks not the outside of the hose.No erosion on the inside. No swelling . No hardening of the rubber.
I haven't had a factory hose fail in the last 20 years on anything that I have owned. Motorcycle,truck,car. And when I do replace them-you can't tell them from new inside nor out!
Original Factory hoses on cars from the 1960s or 1970s would swell around the clamp and hardened after about five years or so--- and it was obvious to all that they needed to be replaced. I don't see this occurring with today's hoses.
Original tires,original airfilter. And original hoses and belts. I see no cracks at all on the hoses and belts.
I have noticed in the last 20 years that hoses don't seem to wear like they use to. I have replaced 15 to 20 year old hoses that have up to 100k miles on vehicles other than Corvettes and see no wear at all. The inside has no cracks not the outside of the hose.No erosion on the inside. No swelling . No hardening of the rubber.
I haven't had a factory hose fail in the last 20 years on anything that I have owned. Motorcycle,truck,car. And when I do replace them-you can't tell them from new inside nor out!
Original Factory hoses on cars from the 1960s or 1970s would swell around the clamp and hardened after about five years or so--- and it was obvious to all that they needed to be replaced. I don't see this occurring with today's hoses.
Last edited by phoneman91; Nov 26, 2013 at 07:28 AM.
Pro
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 510
Likes: 67
From: Weeki Wachee Fl.
Bought mine a 02 with 4100 mi. Changed the original battery and tires. Everythng else has been perfect.
My next vette will probaly be a C6 with 3-5k mi. down the road. I would never buy a used vette from a dealer.
My next vette will probaly be a C6 with 3-5k mi. down the road. I would never buy a used vette from a dealer.
Last edited by Cubman; Nov 26, 2013 at 09:28 AM.
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Race Director
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 16,028
Likes: 170
From: oregon
The Consigliere
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 23,011
Likes: 6,046
From: 2023 Z06 & 2010 ZR1
OP - I think the price is too high.
But, assuming you could land on an agreeable price, I'd probably just change stuff out in stages
- tires immediately
- belts/hoses/coolant/thermostat a few months down the road
- trans/rear diff fluid change next season
Something like that.
But, assuming you could land on an agreeable price, I'd probably just change stuff out in stages
- tires immediately
- belts/hoses/coolant/thermostat a few months down the road
- trans/rear diff fluid change next season
Something like that.
Pro
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 749
Likes: 56
From: Northern VA
Consider this. Dealership...salesman...objective - make money for the dealership and receive a huge commission (or as huge as possible). I bet they only allowed the guy $12k to $15k for trade in. I looked at dealerships, but they were all overpriced for the dealer's profit mark up.
I picked my C5 up in April from an individual with 33k miles on it. It was in pristine condition. Still had the original everything except for the oil and a Magnaflow XL series axle back exhaust the previous owner had installed in Oct 12. The only issue I had was the three amigos (TCS, ABS, and Active Handling) failed a week after I got it. I was able to send my module off and have it repaired for $150 instead of forking over $1200 to the GM dealership. No issues since. I've added CAI, DeWitt's radiator, SPAL fans, C6 Z06 big brakes, C6 Z06 wheels, and JOC Stage 1 suspension. I'm just over 44k now and it's still running flawlessly. Major upgrades are underway this week. The video below is what I did last Friday with another C5 owner (trading exhausts).
I picked my C5 up in April from an individual with 33k miles on it. It was in pristine condition. Still had the original everything except for the oil and a Magnaflow XL series axle back exhaust the previous owner had installed in Oct 12. The only issue I had was the three amigos (TCS, ABS, and Active Handling) failed a week after I got it. I was able to send my module off and have it repaired for $150 instead of forking over $1200 to the GM dealership. No issues since. I've added CAI, DeWitt's radiator, SPAL fans, C6 Z06 big brakes, C6 Z06 wheels, and JOC Stage 1 suspension. I'm just over 44k now and it's still running flawlessly. Major upgrades are underway this week. The video below is what I did last Friday with another C5 owner (trading exhausts).
Last edited by MAJ_Charlie; Nov 26, 2013 at 08:52 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 5,814
Likes: 414
From: Pittsburgh suburbs Pa.
I bought my 01 Converible with 10800 miles on it on March 2013. Original everything-except for the battery.
Original tires,original airfilter. And original hoses and belts. I see no cracks at all on the hoses and belts.
I have noticed in the last 20 years that hoses don't seem to wear like they use to. I have replaced 15 to 20 year old hoses that have up to 100k miles on vehicles other than Corvettes and see no wear at all. The inside has no cracks not the outside of the hose.No erosion on the inside. No swelling . No hardening of the rubber.
I haven't had a factory hose fail in the last 20 years on anything that I have owned. Motorcycle,truck,car. And when I do replace them-you can't tell them from new inside nor out!
Original Factory hoses on cars from the 1960s or 1970s would swell around the clamp and hardened after about five years or so--- and it was obvious to all that they needed to be replaced. I don't see this occurring with today's hoses.
Original tires,original airfilter. And original hoses and belts. I see no cracks at all on the hoses and belts.
I have noticed in the last 20 years that hoses don't seem to wear like they use to. I have replaced 15 to 20 year old hoses that have up to 100k miles on vehicles other than Corvettes and see no wear at all. The inside has no cracks not the outside of the hose.No erosion on the inside. No swelling . No hardening of the rubber.
I haven't had a factory hose fail in the last 20 years on anything that I have owned. Motorcycle,truck,car. And when I do replace them-you can't tell them from new inside nor out!
Original Factory hoses on cars from the 1960s or 1970s would swell around the clamp and hardened after about five years or so--- and it was obvious to all that they needed to be replaced. I don't see this occurring with today's hoses.
Racer
Joined: May 2013
Posts: 454
Likes: 19
From: Prescott AZ
I'm going to look at an 04 CE Z06 next week, all original, no mods, less than 5K mileage. Seller is asking $30k. KBB puts it around $27k.
I know there are other agencies that have pricing like the KBB, but they escape me right now (2 am, dog got me up to let her go pee)...where else should I check for what a realistic price is on this car?
I know there are other agencies that have pricing like the KBB, but they escape me right now (2 am, dog got me up to let her go pee)...where else should I check for what a realistic price is on this car?
Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 22,201
Likes: 4,187
From: Kannapolis NC
I'm going to look at an 04 CE Z06 next week, all original, no mods, less than 5K mileage. Seller is asking $30k. KBB puts it around $27k.
I know there are other agencies that have pricing like the KBB, but they escape me right now (2 am, dog got me up to let her go pee)...where else should I check for what a realistic price is on this car?
I know there are other agencies that have pricing like the KBB, but they escape me right now (2 am, dog got me up to let her go pee)...where else should I check for what a realistic price is on this car?