Hello all. This is my first post on this forum. I've been surfing it and been doing research on c5 corvettes as I am in the market for one. Recently I've found a 97 automatic coupe. It has 101,500 miles on it and is in need of new tires and rotors. The car looks very well maintained and I actually spoke to the previous owner about it. I'm a cop and as it turned out so is he, so he was pretty helpful. I wanted to speak with him because the car has been in one accident. He said he was rear ended in a parking lot at about 2-5 miles per hour. No damage was done, but he wanted it reported. I couldn't see any damage when I inspected the vehicle either.

This will be my first corvette so I don't want to break the bank. The dealership is asking 11,889 + tax. They said they will put new tires on it as well. Nexens I believe. I pulled the codes and saw no glaring issues. The recall for the steering column was corrected too.

Is this a good entry level corvette? Price, year, and mileage? Any info would help a newbie like myself. Thanks!

 

Tires make a huge difference and I would put your own choice of tires on the car, don't know what you would want to spend on tires, the best are Michelin Super Sports, a cheaper brand is Hankooks //// if the recall was done by the Dealer it is most likely not fixed ????

 

the later years are better 2001 up, that said I bought a low mileage 99 and have had few issues and love it !!!!

more posts will give you more input !!!! Good Luck !!!!

 

I have a '98 and love it. Have had very few issues as well. The ones that I have had were mostly self induced. If you do get this '97 then like stated before the column lock issue is NOT fixed by the dealer. Get the LMC5 repair and do it yourself. It will save you a lot of headaches later on. Sounds like a good car for you. Usually your first instinct is the one you should go with. Price is really what your willing to pay for it. Sounds like a decent price but not a great price. If they are throwing in the tires then that's a plus too. Good luck.

 

I wouldn't be too concerned about a low-speed rear end collision, especially if you can't see any damage. What was said upthread about tires is true. I have the Hankooks (non runflat) and they are a major improvement over the OEM runflats that were on my car. The difference is (a) they are MUCH quieter, and (b) they eliminated some sideways skittering that I'd get on even slightly rough pavement. Insist on quality tires.

The LMC5 is a cheap way to buy peace of mind on the column lock issue.

 

I think $12K for a 97 with over 100K miles is a little high. For a couple thousand more you can get a 2001 or newer with a lot less miles. In the end the 97 might end up costing more than a newer car with less miles. Just my opinion.

 

In my neck of the woods, that's a good price, especially with new tires.

 

That price would be high for my area...

I spent a year looking for the car that I got. Got exactly what I wanted minus the color. (wanted blue, got light pewter )

With that said, if the car is calling your name and feels right buy it. Any doubts walk away.

 

Good Luck with your quest!

I'll agree on quality tires are peace of mind and a better ride. The dealer has NEVER fixed the column lock, the LMC5 by compliance parts is the only true fix.

Enjoy the chase!

 

Do automatics have the column lock issue?

 

I have a 2000 and face the same possible "issues" as you do with the ebcm. I am blessed not to have active handling so the only loss to me from ebcm failure would be loss of ABS. Not the end of the world.

There are two 97's in my family, both with over 100K on the odometers and both are great cars.

I had Nexen tires on my 97 Eldorado. They were great on the road, not noisy and good ride on after market wheels of larger than factory dimension.

I would see if the seller (dealer) would go for $10K. Maybe you could meet somewhere in between their ask and your offer. Good luck.

 

The search is half the fun. I used a search engine and this 1997 was listed for similar money with half the miles. My current vette came from a forum member. I would check in the for sale section, there are some very well cared for vettes on the forum. Like vice726 it took almost a year before I found the right one. Good luck!

http://topeka.craigslist.org/cto/5081793972.html

 

And it's got new tires. Good buy.

 

I wouldn't be impressed by throwing a set of off brand tires into the deal.

Somewhat like throwing in a cheap paint job, to have the car at its best, or even as new, as replacement parts are supposed to do, it will have to be done $ over.
Now , using dealer discounts to work some good tires into the deal , or even a discounted brake job added to the price, that's more towards where I would want to be.

"Free" tires would make me feel like I was being played for a rube. We all know nothing is free, except my advice on how to spend your money, and that is worth every dang cent invested. ( the dealer knows these are not equivalent replacement parts or better. That he is taking this approach to the sale makes me think he has not listened to your purchase desires and needs . I don't think you decided to buy vette, but only if you could get a deal because of cheap tires. I would get everything in writing with this guy, seems, at best, that they don't understand their merchandise, or, they do as little investment towards quality used cars as possible. I might tolerate this approach from a non car professional or for a very low money transaction. )

I would also be concerned how a "well maintained " car wound up with (all four!??) rotors that need replacing, but everything else is fine. To me this is an open repair, with an open budget. I could be only rotors, why?, or it could require a system rebuild to cure the issue that damaged or wore the rotors. Sorry if the air quotes seem snarky. At my skill level, I would pass on any used car that had any questions about the braking system. That is a maintenance item that should never be in poor repair, no matter the overall condition of the car. With a car of this capability and complexity, a less than spec brake system makes me wonder about the stewardship of the car in the past, since safety is not a make do for now casual item. I wouldn't buy until the brakes were repaired and part of the deal.

In my area, that price is high. The milage is an issue. You can take these cars high milage, I plan to . But there will be a lot of issues along the way, GM doesn't worry a great deal about build quality beyond the sales floor and the original owner. That is why low milage is so highly valued in these cars, it is almost like they have an expiration date, like milk. Don't forget, GM invented planned obsolescence , and your car has a steering position sensor that is no longer available. If you need one, the guys that have built cars are also in the market, and they will always be willing to pay more than you to keep their high dollar cars on the road.

I didn't catch on to this from reading here among the enthusiasts. It was when I got next to an experienced C5 vette owner and he started taunting me when I disclosed the milage on my newly purchased used vette. I think part of it is that in my area, they just use the dealer, to keep things simple, if not exactly the cheapest. When the trips for repair start to add up, they trade up. Much like the bank, all they care to know about cars are year and milage , because repairs take time.

( Value is different from price, but my purchase price from about three years ago, $13,500 for an 03 stick convertible, 86, 000 miles and needed clutch work. I spent about $3.000 fettering the car, but I bought a fancy clutch and flywheel. I am now over 100, 000 miles, it was easy.)

Funny, in the middle of a severe drought, I have an endless supply of cold water. I didn't use any sense at all buying my old car, beyond intuition, a very shaky position, but I needed a car quickly. And I had a fettering budget if I screwed up badly on meeting the purchase goals. Which was a concern for me, the cars are very attractive, and I knew nothing about the product line.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

Pick good tires that fit your preference not theirs.

 

Read the information in this thread:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ion-files.html

And for what it's worth, I would skip the Nexen tires and go with something like the Hankooks. I am running the Hankooks on my '03 and they are a very good all around tire and are priced very reasonably.

 

From one '97 owner to another...welcome to the asylum!

 

Nice! Let the mods begin!

 

The mods probably began 4 years ago. Old thread.