What's up everyone!

So I'm going to be purchasing a used '98 Corvette this week. I'm not really experienced with Corvettes or the knowledge/history thereof. All I know is that Corvettes are reliable beasts and extremely fun. However, I am not just an idiot buying a sports car for the heck of it. I'm just curious as to what I need to know before/while owning a Corvette.

What are some tips and advice that you experienced Vette owners can give me so that I can learn and know more about Corvettes?

 

Read all of the stickies on this forum and hang out here often!

 

The stickies at the top of the page that deal with buying a C5 and other valuable information for new owners will help you out a lot.

 

I just finished a 3 month journey on the same quest. I looked at ads. That gave me an idea what i could expect for my $.

I looked at cars. Some I knew right away were not quite right. Felt loose. Top rattled, hatch rattled etc. Moved on. Spent a lot of time just looking around this forum. I am a bit of a car guy so was able to learn fairly quickly about these specific cars. Enough that as I continued to look for an at cars I felt more comfortable. Mostly thanks to this place.

Unless you know for sure it is the right one DO NOT buy the first one you see. You will arrive to see the car. It will be all clean and sexy looking. Your first vision will be that car sitting in your garage. Then you will start the car. Your second vision will be hearing that sound in your garage. Then you will drive it. The power and torque will be intoxicating.

After all that, unless it is clearly a dog, you will be very tempted to make a deal right then and there. As I said, unless you just know for sure that the car is exactly what you are looking for and is a 'correct' car. Don't bite.

I saw a good number of them in my search. Was tempted to but just about every one. Looking back I sure am glad I did not. In hindsight I realized what issues each one had that I turned a blind eye to because i was smitten.

Good luck. Take your time. Even though you will feel that 'this one' is your only shot. It will not be. Where there is one there is another. You do not want to make a mistake.

 

Beware of cars with aftermarket parts installed by amateur mechanics. You may have problems with smog inspections if they are not done right. Wrong size wheels and tires cause problems with the active handling system and speedometer. The list goes on and the point is most original cars have more value than modified vehicles. If you find one you like with mods ask the seller if he has the parts he removed before he made his "improvements".

 

THEN you ask Jack to send you stuff from his "Library of Corvette "

I also with the other 2 posts above, and DON'T trust pix in the ads! I found one that looked like it was pristine, drove 1.5 hours to see it and it was heavily modified, and wasn't so pristine in person. Another was inMaryland and I used an inspection service before I made the cash-in-hand 3 hour trek. Well the poorly focused dealer pix didn't show the peeling paint on the hood and trunk.

 

STOP!!! Before you make a purchase, read the stickies at the top of this page, lots of good/critical info there. Don't be in a hurry, take your time and don't be afraid to walk away from any car for any reason. There are an awful lot of really nice C5's all across this country for sale that have documented service/maintenance records, are accident free, and will pass a thorough inspection by a knowledgeable shop/tech. If it doesn't have those things, then walk away and keep looking. Another area to be very wary of is modified cars. Mods can be a nightmare if not properly done, I prefer to start with a stock vehicle that I know hasn't been tampered with and then make it your own, its just safer! I have a '99 vert that is wonderful, but I was very careful. Early C5's are having some troubles getting some parts that are very expensive to replace, if you can find them. Try to get someone (maybe from a local corvette club) who is very knowledgeable to assist you. As I've said before, a good C5 is a joy, an incredible performance car for the money, on the other hand a problem C5 an quickly turn into a painful journey trying to get it right and sour you on the whole experience. Better to start off on the right foot even though the search will probably take more time and effort. Remember, be very fussy, selective and demanding in your search, it will pay off for you! Good luck and best wishes! PS, This forum is an incredible resource with many extremely well informed members who will help you with any question, free and just for the asking!

 

Lots of good advice above. My recommendation is to have a pre-purchase inspection performed by a shop that is knowledgeable on C5's. Putting the car up on a lift and having someone that knows what to look at is invaluable. The shop has no emotion or ties to the car. Also - if they know that they will potentially be working on the car helps.

The normal advice is to buy the newest and lowest mileage car you can afford.

A modded car is fine - as long as the mods were installed properly.

Early generation cars (pre-2001) are subject to failures that cannot be repaired, like the electronic brake control module. This module controls ABS, Active Handling (if so equipped) and traction control. The early EBCM is no longer available and cannot be serviced.

 

Thanks for the advice. I've been looking for several months and reading as many reviews, pros and cons, and ratings as I can. It's not an impulse purchase, and I'm definitely getting a pre-purchase inspection on it. I've been super picky for the past few months, finding maybe three corvettes total that I actually wanted to buy; however, they ended up being busts. This corvette will be in the hands of my brother (knowledgeable with chevys) as well so I'm more confident. Thank you all for the advice. It helps a lot.

 

I've been searching for a corvette for months, reading as much as I can along the way. I don't consider myself knowledgeable about them whatsoever, but I've been extremely picky in regards to purchase. I'm confident this corvette's solid, because the previous owner is a mechanic, and he has confidence that its a solid car. I did a "thorough" test drive (as thorough as I can be) and everything worked great. Sounded smooth. Engine performed well in every "test" I tried. It's not a perfect corvette by far, but it's been treated well. And I want to take what it is now (again, not like it's a crappy project car) and work on it together with my brother who's going to be teaching me a lot along the way. Of course I'll have necessary maintenance and repairs done professionally, but I'm purposely not buying a pristine corvette because I'm out to learn. Like I said, this corvette feels, acts, drives in top mechanical shape. Cosmetically, it's alright. This is just a very mini-project that I want to drive for a long time and gradually turn it into my idea of a "perfect" corvette. If that makes sense. Thanks for the advice.

 

As long as you going into this with your eyes open, you should be fine. It's a solid car as long as it hasn't been abused.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by blacksedan87

Early generation cars (pre-2001) are subject to failures that cannot be repaired, like the electronic brake control module. This module controls ABS, Active Handling (if so equipped) and traction control. The early EBCM is no longer available and cannot be serviced.

This is an important consideration as well.

 

Steering Position Sensors are another out of production / High Dollar replacement part. Almost IMPOSSIBLE to find new and big $$$$ for used

 

What the rest said: read all the stickie threads here, tech, etc.

 

Has anyone here purchased from buyavette.net? I was looking at a couple C5s there. The one in particular I looked at was nice but for some odd reason the carpet was pulled away on passenger side where the hand brake is.