I am very interested in a 2004 Z06. Black paint isn't perfect has chips but looks good. Has long tube headers OBX. Tuned at 385 rwhp. Selling price $16,000. I drove it today by myself. It shifts fine has a LS7 clutch. The service active handling light came on and the dash informed me to service the active handling. I tried to turn the active handling off and pushed the button but nothing. The ABS light also came on. The dash read service the ABS. Other than that it drove great. When I got back and asked about the lights he was surprised. I asked to run the codes. The car went through its history and said no code and read several old codes H. He told me that there is probably a bad ground wire somewhere. I would GREATLY APPRECIATE any advice from C5 Z06 owners. The lights didn't come on again by the way and the dash didn't say service active handling or ABS.

 

I could be a grounding issue, but if I were buying it, I would want a Corvette mechanic to check it out.

16K is a very good price if the Z06 is in good shape. You did not tell us what the mileage is, so not sure how much we may be able to tell you about condition verses mileage and things to look out for. Stored outside or inside. Daily driver or weekend car, etc.

 

103k weekend driver for the seller and myself. Garage kept. Being intermittent makes me think he is being honest with me. Had I not seen it myself. But I don't know much yet about C5's.

 

If it is garage kept, less chance of grounding issues unless has seen lots of water. 103,000 miles could mean you are about to have ABS module trouble.

Some places will repair the module for around 300-400 bucks. A new one will cost around 800.00 from a parts house.

Best advice is let a good Corvette mechanic look it over before throwing down the dough. Could be in great shape or could have gremlins.

103K is a lot of miles for a weekend only Corvette. That means the owner would have averaged 180 miles per weekend driving it every single weekend since it was new. Of course I have no idea how many owned the vehicle before the current owner. Could be his weekend driver but someone else drove it quite a bit before this current owner did.

The LS6s are very reliable, so 103K miles is not necessarily excessive if it was well maintained and not abused. However mileage and age means things can naturally go wrong. 16K is not a great deal of money, but it is still 16K. Just for your information, 16K is on the high side with 103K miles, but not too outrageous, especially if the interior, exterior,tires, wheels, and of course overall mechanical condition are solid.

Just make sure you do your homework and check it out. When you join the family, we want you to be a happy family member!

 

Great advice. I would rather avoid having to pay for repairs in the first 2 months or sooner of owning the car. The drivers seat has a tear in the leather so the upper leather cover needs replaced and the drivers door panel is worn. Passenger side for both is excellent. $500 for the panel and $300-$400 to replace the upper cover after labor and materials. I will offer $15,000 and see if he wants to make the deal. If not I may walk away and let someone else have it. I must remember my final cost after interest will be close to $20k. In the end my interest in the car is the clutch upgrade as well as the exhaust and tune. I need to decide if it's enough to go ahead and make the purchase ?

 

My 04 Z is a weekend only one club runs OK might take a little trip but has 55,000 on it 103,000 a little more than a weekend deal.. If taken care of still might be a good one??

 

The seller told me he bought it from a guy who drove it every day. He may have drove it just as often for all I know ? Myself it will be a weekend car. I won't stop driving my C4 either. Nice thing about the C4 is road trips. Great mileage and plenty of room for luggage.
I will get the car checked out and go forward after it gets a passing grade.

 

If you cant clear the abs warning light you need the module. The module can be rebuilt for $160 from absfixxer and takes less than 30 minutes to swap out. They have a one day turn around and you can still drive the car with it removed. Go on there website to see detailed photos of the removal, very easy.

 

Thanks for the great tip. Hopefully it won't need rebuilt but instead a simple ground. I have noticed here in AZ wiring takes an excessive beating from the heat.

 

Check the book value on a 103K car in FAIR condition. That car is worth about 11-12K from the info you are sharing. 13K would be absolute tops.

Very Good condition would be about 15K, and that means almost as perfect as a 103K car could be.


If you have 20K to invest, there are much better deals out there. You could find one with around 50-60K for that price. You could always get an extended warranty or buy from a preferred Vette dealer like BuyAvette and they would provide you with a 2 Yr 24,000K miles complete Drive Train warranty as part of the purchase free.

If you are going to finance, I would not let $50 dollars a month dictate my buying a good car from a fair one. It paying cash. consider financing a little bit to get a car that you do not have to start sinking money into it almost right away. Of course I predicate these statements on the fact that you are going to keep it near stock. If you are buying it to mod out from day one, different story.

Personally, I always consider buying my used Vettes from specialty Vette dealers first. Why? Because they go through their certified used cars with a fine tooth comb and stand behind what they sell with an iron clad warranty. Yes, you will pay more, but you do not have to be paranoid for at least a few years.

If buying from an individual, then I am taking it to one the best Corvette shops I can find to give me the up and up. Worth a $100.00 - $200.00 not to make a $16,000.00 mistake. IMHO.

The first Vette I bought (2000 Coupe with 60K miles) had an HVAC problem within one month after I bought it. But since I bought it from a reputable dealer, they fixed it for free and even gave me a loaner car to drive while it was repaired for a 1 week 14 hour round trip I had planned on making. Did I pay a little more up front? Yep, about a grand more. Did it save me in the end? Yes sir. The difference in price was more than paid for just for the HVAC repairs. Couple that with a nice C class Mercedes I got to drive for a week while the car was being prepared and it was more than worth the extra dough.

As stated, want to make sure you become a very happy family member, so take what I am saying with that in mind!

Best of luck!