Hey Guys!

I'm in the market for a new car, and I was extremely interested in an '04 C5 Z06 I found in the area....47k miles for about $22k....

Ive already test drove it, talked to the previous owner, and had it independently inspected. Everything looks good to go.

I really want to go pull the trigger on this, the community, the performance value, the looks, everything makes me want to get this car right now.

However, the SO and I are worried about reliability. We don't have a huge budget to spend on maintaining the car and getting it repaired.(This will be my car, she has her own.)
It will be a DD, over 20K miles a year, through heat, rain, snow, etc.

I intend to do most simple maintenance myself, spark plugs, fluids, battery, etc for the beginning, and as I learn the machine, and save up for jacks, then start doing brakes and tires, and some more.

I guess my question is how much I should expect to be spending annually on maintaining the Z06 and repairing it. I dont really want to be spending more than 2k-3k a year in maintenance(excluding fluids.)(I intend to use the stock tires until the winter, then get a new set of wheels&tires for unsavory conditions. I live in Texas and I'll only see snow/ice for a total of maybe a week or two.)

Or rather, how it would compare to something like a Honda Civic SI, or a Honda S2000?
Would it be more worth it to get an '07 or and '08 C6 Coupe?


Note: I will not be taking it to the track! Not until next summer, anyways....

 

The drive train on the Z06s are pretty much bullet proof in stock form. Differentials and clutch assembly are only a problem areas when you start north of the 475 RWHP. If you are not planning on modding to these levels, you should have no issues.

Other potential problem areas are electrical in nature and the seats. Electrical issues are usually ground strap issues or battery acid spillovers. Weather and salt on the roads may cause problems with corrosion with the grounding straps and electrical system. These cars were really not designed for snow or ice.

If you are going to plan on using it as a daily driver, your real expenses are going to be tires and brakes. Figure 1200.00-2000.00 dollars per 20K on tires, about 25K miles on brakes.

My biggest concern with your intended use is the snow and ice. They will be OK in the rain if you with all season tires. I the rain is not heavy you may be OK with the summer tires. I never drive mine in heavy rain, or rain at all unless I just happen to get caught in it, bit it not a daily driver by any means.

Based upon your described use, especially on snow and ice roads, think I would look at something else better suited for these types of conditions. No true sports car is going to be idea for snow or ice. You could do it of course, but I would be worried about driving a Corvette regularly in snow and ice, plus the salted roads which is probably going to cause a lot of electrical issues.

 

i have both a 06 civic si as my daily and just purchased an 02 Z06 with 37k miles. The civic never ever ever breaks or costs any significant money, tires are like 400$ for 4. The vette is very reliable but because its origianly sold for 50k, the parts are priced in that range. it can have electrical issues like im going through now with the "service column lock" message or abs modules are common as well, hower if you do your own maintenance you can save a few bux. im not sure i can recommend driving this car in the snow. i think an import may be a better choice for you

 

I have an 02zo6 it has 136K miles on it, it runs and feels just as powerful as the 12K o2zo6 I had in 2006.

These cars are close to bullet proof if well cared for, buy one if you can you won't be sorry.

 

I have on immediate plans for modding. Once my career takes off a little more and I get a newer car, i may look back and see what I can do to the z06 at that point, but nothing for a year or two.

The seats I'm not too concerned about. I've done a bit of research into it, and I'm confident that I would be prepared for that.

I don't know how much the battery acid spillover can be prevented if at all, but I would plan on replacing whatever battery was in there with an Optima Redtop. Immediately.

Here in Texas, we mostly use a sand and 10% salt mix for the roads, but I don't how much one can do prevent damage from that. We only get snow and ice a few days out of the year(this winter seemed to be particularly bad compared to the last few years.). We do get a lot of heavy rain in the spring though.

So I'd be looking at an average of $1500 a year on tires, plus a maximum of $400 a year on brakes? That's not horrible.

I would grab a set of all-seasons in addition to the summers, for the rain. If I can avoid the heavier rains, I plan on it, but you never know.

The only thing that scares me, like you mentioned, is driving on the snow/ice. If I have the money to spare, I may buy an old beater to use, but I'd imagine for the first winter, that wouldn't be an option yet. Ill revisit some of the other cars I'm considering, and see if one might be better suited for the bad weather. But thanks for answering my question.



I'm actually considering a pretty new Civic Si as well. It seems a pretty solid car all around. The looks, IMO, can be improved upon, but I did enjoy driving it. Thanks!


Any tips on caring for it to make sure it continues to perform well?

 

Those numbers seem really high for maintaining. I've gotten tires once (went conti dw) for a little over $800 and have almost 15k on them now, and expect to get over 30k total. Haven't had to do brakes yet, still have lots of pad material left and I've owned the car since 64k miles, 87k now. Plugs twice at $18 and wires once at $60. Did plugs twice because I cracked one installing headers and for the $18 it was worth it. Even with my mods I haven't spent over $2k annually

 

Forgot to add that I had to replace the multifunction switch which was expensive for what it is at $125 from vettenuts, and I will need a battery sooner than later since the 4 year old Wally world one that came in the car is showing some signs

 

Its a great car but i would not drive it in snow/cold weather. If you are waiting for your career to take off, i say wait until so, then pull the trigger. To be honest i have even driven mine in the rain and it was zero fun, the car is light and has traction issuesin dry weather let alone wet/snow.

 

Find a base model C5 or C6 for a daily driver. I'm telling you these C5Zs are awesome cars but not great for daily driving. My best friend from childhood days was just in town. He bought a 2015 Stingray last fall so I took him out for a ride in mine. He said mine was a much rougher ride and noisier too. I said yeah that's why I bought a C5Z. No way I'd want to drive it every day however, plus it will drop value quick putting 20k miles per year on it.

 

c5z is a perfectly fine dd. The primary issue i see with it is, on the street about 3/10th of the car is legally useable. Driven at 3/10ths or even 5/10ths they are fairly bulletproof if they haven't been beaten by a previous owner, which is hard to tell.

Easy things to check are the 2nd gear syncro and clutch/slave, just wind it out to 6400 and shift fast, don't need to even let the clutch back in, just clutch and move the shifter to second, make sure there aren't any issues. Check the clutch fluid resivoir, if its clean it was JUST changed to possibly hide issues. If its dark its likely just maintained. If it's got a film of clutch dust in it, slave issues are coming. Though they are somewhat unavoidable if the car is driven near its potential.

Check the rear diff seals, its a good way to id if the vehical is maintained. They very commonly leak, but are not super expensive to replace, so it may be dirty on one side or the other but as long as its not all oily thats a good sign.

oil pan gaskets aren't uncommon to fail, if the pan has like a thin film of oil on it, wont be cheap to fix if its the upper pan seal, though it can stay that way quite a while without ever dripping so may or may not be a concern but a good sign of how well maintained it is. You can check with a flashlight looking around the metal part of the motor mount on each side to see if the upper pan seal is the issue as well as feeling the pan.

Check to see if the balancer is delaminating, it should be fairly close to the rack but not touching, maybe 1" clearance. The easiest way to tell how bad it is delaminated is to look at the idler pulley. If its bouncing its showing you something out of round on the main belt. If could be an idler going but its likely the balancer. You can eyeball across the balancer while its running and see if its wobbling. These can last for years slightly wobbling, mine has for 3 years, but its a significant job to repair and can cause serious engine leaks from the front main seal and in theory can ruin a crank as well.

There are a bunch of things, but those are the easy ones to check off the top of my head. All can be checked with the car on the ground. To check if the pan is wet just reach under blindly and wipe your hand on the pan, just do it cold so you don't find the exhaust and get burned. You can see the half shaft diff seals with a flashlight from the back.

 

i'm new to the c5 world myself coming up on a year now, if your a DIY person you can keep the cost down, the basic maintenance is not all that bad (oil changed, brakes, tires, tune-ups) transmission and clutch's can get up there in cost. a trip to RPM trans last year for a lv5 trans, monster stage ll clutch & upgraded diff was over $5k

over the last year I completed heads, cam swap, clutch swaps, installed a HUD, swapped shocks, exhaust and I can tell you the cars are not really all that bad to work on i'm just a back yard DIY type no training but am a little mechanically inclined with just basic tools

I daily drove my 03z long as it was not snowing and the roads was decent up until it got totaled, I'm now driving a 01z daily do they ride like a Cadillac not even close, but the ride is not all that bad unless your use to a big SUV or luxury car i'm sure you'll be fine

 

if you keep it stock and don't beat on it daily it's extremely good. so far has been quite a bit better than my last honda.

 

So, you'd wager its barely $1500 annually in maintenance?
That's cheap compared to my current car.

Optima Redtops are $200 and some change, so every four years isn't a big deal.

Is it true that one can't find the parts for the headlight motors? I read that somewhere recently...


Noted, thanks.

I drive 60+ miles a day at 70mph, but I have a test drive scheduled for Monday, and they've agreed to let me take it out on the freeway and see if I'm comfortable with the noise level.

Value isn't a huge deal to me, I doubt any car I get is gonna be worth much after 20k miles a year, for 3+ years. But I'll take a look at a base C6 just for comparison's sake, they have one on the same lot as the low mileage C5Z I'm considering.

But thanks for the tips.

Thanks for the tips man!
I'm taking a mechanic buddy with me, and I'll make sure we take a look at those.

I intend to do a lot of the work myself, mainly fluids/plugs/battery at first, then as I have money for a ramp or a good jack, ill start doing wheels/tires/brakes, etc. etc.

My first car was an '05 Honda S2000, the ride on that was horrible, especially after I lowered it. (It later developed some bad issues as it go closer to the 180k mile mark, and it became to expensive to maintain, which is why I now drive a '96 Volvo 960. It was free at the time, but I miss having any real power or torque.)

Either way, the ride isn't a big deal to me.
Thanks!

Which Honda did you have? I'm considering a Civic Si, so....yknow.
I don't plan on being rough on it, or racing it. I'm not gonna be tracking it for a year or two, if at all, I just want to make sure its reliable, and I feel like the z06 will be a lot more bulletproof than a base. Thanks though!

 

You can buy tires for 800.00 and they will perform like 800.00 tires. If you plan on running cheap tires, be ready for wheel hop at 3500 RPM plus aggressive shifts and deafening tire roar. Why have a 1.xG capable car and put cheap tires on it. I wouldn't.

If you can get a beater for snow/ice, should work fine for you. But heavy rains, etc. don't skimp on tires. You will regret it!

Getting summer tires and a spare set for all weather is not a bad idea.

Just remember the Z06 is a true sports car. It will handle and drive accordingly.

P.S. Not sure why someone would think a Coupe would make a better daily driver. I have owned both and that would not be my experience. I actually think my Z rides better than the coupe. I did not daily drive the C5 Coupe however nor the Z06.

I have been caught in light rain only a couple of times in the Z and two heavy downpours in the C5 Coupe. On the Coupe ABS kicked on during heavy rain. It was not too scary, but I would definitely slow it down and watch quick takeoffs and turns. Of course both cars had Michelins on them.

 

I've been daily driving my Z06 since the day that I bought it. I bought the car 7 years ago with about 16,000 miles, and it now has almost 179,000 miles. While my car has not been to the track, I do drive aggressively from time to time.

Tire choices such as Bridgestone RE760 or Continental DW are relatively inexpensive for these cars, with a full set costing you between $800 and $1,100 installed (depending on where you get them, warranties, etc.). Both are good daily driver tires, with the Continental DW (not DWS) having more traction than the RE760. For a daily driver with lots of highway miles, the rears of either of these choices will last you 30K+ miles, and the fronts between 40K and 50K, depending on your alignment and driving habits. Throw in a couple track days though, and all bets are off. On a side note, I never experienced wheel hop on the street with either of these, both were quiet, and both did well in the rain (DW was outstanding in the rain). If you start modding the car, you may need a stickier tire.

With no track days (road course or autocross), you will NOT be changing out your brakes once a year. You shouldn't have any problems getting 40-60,000 miles out of your brake pads, depending on which ones you use. I think my last set of pads (Hawk HPS) lasted about 70,000. But again, throw one track day in the mix...

I change the oil when the oil life monitor gets around 10%. Tranny and rear diff fluids get changed once a year. Spark plugs once a year (I use copper instead of iridium or platinum).

If you combine the cost of tires, brakes, fluids, wiper blades, batteries, plugs, and plug wires that I've purchased over the years, the average is about $900 in maintenance costs per year. Most of it being tires.

Repairs over the years (not included in maintenance costs):
1. AC compressor, dryer, etc. - $1,500 parts and labor.
2. Both window motors and regulators - $150 each for parts.
3. EBCM - $0 (Repaired it myself)
4. Cracked radiator - $250 in parts
5. Water pump (replaced while I was having a cam installed) - $300 (I think) for parts

I think that's about everything, from my experience at least.

 

you can pickup a decent jack, ramps and jack stands off CL or your local Harborfreight, I prefer a jack with at least 17" lift and a low profile under 4" minimum height works best for my car (at stock height) lowered I need to drive up on some wood ramps I made to get the jack under the front of the car

 

"Michelins of course" sounds a bit pretentious. I assure you that I have more traction with my cheapo tires than you make it seem. I can go full throttle in second gear even in rain without spinning. The ONLY complaint I have with my tires is the spongy feel on sharp turn in. As a C5z Owner who drives the car every day, I can assure you that it's fine even in snow until the snow is too deep for clearance. My car also wheel hopped with $1600 goodyears. It hops a hell of a lot less with the $800 conti's. For DD use the c5z with an all weather tire like the DW is awesome.

 

I have to agree I have RE760's $800 and for daily "street" use there fine and i'm 400+ rwhp, not every one is going to push the limits of the car on the street (to need $1500 tires) maybe get a little aggressive on twisty roads or on/off ramps I have no problem with them, in the rain they actually surprised me cause the grip is pretty good! on dry ground i can take off in 1st and get good grip or I can pop the clutch and roast 1st and 2nd its all about how you drive! to be honest a stock c5z DOES NOT need $1500+ tires for the street. as for wheel hop I get it with my drag radials too at times

 

$800 tires are fine for me. I can get the back end to come out if I want but they are grippy when accelerating and taking turns with some spirit.

If you can budget 2-3k a year...I highly doubt you will have over 6k in maintenance/repairs after 3 years. Your depreciation will be roughly 6-7k if you put on 60k miles in 3 years and buy it at $22k. You are buying a pretty "low mileage" Z if you are going to put a ton of miles on it.

IMO, the 13 years these cars have been around cause more problems than the mileage.

 

Other items that are VERY prone to failure on C5s, not really a reliability issue but more like expensive annoyances:

1) Column lock/bypass issue
2) Window motors/regulators
3) AC actuators
4) Headlight motor gears
5) Seat motors
6) 02-03 Yellow valve spring issues
7) Cracking drip rail trim
8) Driver seat degradation in the seat buns
9) Climate control head unit failures and LED display failure
10) OEM battery leaking acid down onto the PCM and harness
11) ABS module relay failure
12) Body ground point corrosion issues, causing other problems.

My 34k mile Z06 has had about 90% of these issues..Not to mention leaking O rings at the AC compressor and a few other things. So for a $50k car with only 34k miles, most of these failures before 30k, I would say reliability is pretty terrible with them... Transportation wise, they are reliable, but to keep them working 100% correctly, you'll spend some money and lots of work.

Ironically, I had a 99' Trans Am and it didn't have 1/4 of these types of problems.

Just an FYI for you.