So..I'm looking into buying a corvette preferable a 2002-2004 and curious on how many miles are too many miles and prices for great condition on the car? Also a convertible or a targa top!. Any help would be great..Thank you!

 

Good choice of years, but the rest of the question is a bit open ended. Body style is totally personal, as is transmission choice. As for generation, the C5 is very easy to live with, and a pleasure to drive. I usually look for the best combo of mileage and condition I can find.

 

would you purchase a 2004 with over 70,000 miles? or would you go for one with lesser miles?

 

as for convertible or targa top.....I vote hard top

 

Oh really?? I was just thinking because i'll be going to southern california for school having a convertible or targa would be great. Would you know if the hard tops are a little higher up? I'm 6'8 and the convertibles aren't too great for head space.

 

All really up to you. Many people will recommend getting the newest nicest vette you can afford and that is solid advice. That being said...you have to decide what your budget is, what condition and mileage you can tolerate, what your purpose in owning your vette will be and what bodystyle, color and options move you. So....if I live in Chicago and daily drive my vette everyday versus living in Tennessee and its an extra pleasure driver verus living in Colorado and I only race my vette...all a little different. If I am the Chicago vette person...I may go for an auto coupe versus the Tennessee owner whom could get a stick vert....versus the racer whom may want a FRC/Z which only comes in stick.
So...I would do some research on pricing and options and get out and drive a few vettes and see what you like. You may love yellow and only like a hardtop...so that narrows it down to a Z06 from 00-04 right off the top....making your search a little easier.
A vette w 70k miles is nothing....as long as you research each vette fully...meaning: Carfax, gm oasis report, full inspection, owner history, and pricing.
Good luck and keep coming back if you have questions. We are glad to help.

 

Where are you located? I have been thinking about selling my 2004 Z51 fully optioned vette because I do not drive it much anymore since the divorce. Have the full service history and it is in excellent condition. Just sits in the garage now on the battery tender. All stock and a blast to drive. (I have to drive it more). pm me for more details.

 

I'm 6'4 and have a coupe with a glass top and at the age of 65, I'm not very flexible anymore. The glass top give me a little more room in the roof area, but I really didn't need it. I also bought a roof panel so if the sun's really hot I can get out of the rays. It also covers the best of both worlds; I can take the top out on nice days but if I'm cruising I can leave it in so I won't get wind burns. The main thing that I noticed was you really can only look forward and not up too far at my height, that glass top give me a larger field of vision especially at stop lights. I have an 2001 and you might want to include that in your search. It has most of the update features that are included in the ones you're looking at.

 

The thing about buying a car that is (now) 13 to 20 model years old is that really LOW miles may not be a good buy. My 2004 had 54,600 miles on it when I bought in 2014, so that was about 5700 miles a year, indicating that the car was kept "active".

But a 2004 w/ 10,000 miles on it would have been driven only 900 miles a year. Not being driven causes a whole lot of potential problems- rubber seals in the A/C, suspension, etc. Plus probably the owner changed oil how many times? 1/ 3000 miles would mean 3 times in 15 years!!

PLUS (and this is important) my car had full records of regular maintenance, and by Chevrolet dealers. You can say what you like about dealers, but at least they know what they are doing when it comes to routine maintenance procedures.

I personally would not want a car that had major mechanical mods. These might/ might not mean the car was driven excessively hard- but a stock car, probably not.

So- I would look at condition, and a car w/ SOME miles on it. A car w/ 50,000 miles, that looks pristine?? Somebody cared for it.

 

Hello, read the stickies at the top of this page if your looking for a C5, very important. While looking for low mileage cars (we all want that!), remember that low mileage is not a substitute for proper maintenance. Due diligence in the form of accident history, carfax, maintenance history, independent inspection by a C5 fluent tech or shop are all very important in making an informed buying decision. Items such as what model, vert vs hardtop, trans type etc., are all issues that vary widely between individuals depending on what you are looking for in a vette. Take your time, be fussy, don't be in a hurry, get educated by looking around at the various sites so you get familiar with pricing. Good luck and best wishes!

 

I could have not said it any better myself one more thing get the one you want I here people all the time after they buying a used Corvette is I should have gotten the other one and remember you might want to resale it so get the one with the better resale value if there is such a thing..

 

My advice is to drive examples of each body style and see which seems to fit you comfortably and match your needs. Make sure you get the car looked over by a trusted mechanic - pull the codes off the Driver's Information Center (DIC), read the stickies at the top of the page and don't be in a rush to buy. There are plenty of C5s out there to choose from so get one that has everything you want on it, including the color.

 

I would go convertible, the roof up is good quality not to noisy and helps if you are tall

 

We have a large selection of pre-owned Corvettes in stock with the model years you're looking for.

You're welcome to take a look and give us a shout if there's something you see that you like:

http://www.macmulkin.net/VehicleSear...vette+Stingray

 

2003/04 z06 FRC, hands-down!

 

I think we need to clarify some nomenclature for the op.
FRC-fixed roof coupe...in 02-04 years that will be a Z06 only. Small rear window and a normal trunk. Roof does not move, period.
Targa/hardtop/hatchback/whatever- sloped, large rear glass, entire rear opens like, well, a hatchback. No "normal" trunk. Roof over seating area is removable. Some cars come with a glass roof, others painted, others both. I have the inner panel from MAM. I'm only 5'11', but under chiropractor's orders, I sit as high as I can.
I figure you know what a convertible is.
All of the statements made by our "partners in crime" here are spot on, wish I thought of all of them myself.

 

My first choice was a Z06 love the notch trunk look, the vert gives it that look.

 

You have to ask yourself how many miles are too many miles? What do I prefer a targa top or a convertible? Just like do I want a manual transmission or an automatic? We cannot answer these questions for you.

I live in the Midwest. The last couple of weeks the temps have been in the 70's and 80s. Perfect cruising weather with the top off. This week it was in the 90's and there was no way in hell I'm going to drive with the top off. It gets hot as hell. The point I'm trying to make is that if your temps are constantly in the upper 80's to 90's you may not ever have the top off or down.

Both convertible and targa have their own sorts of nuances that you may or may not want to deal with. The question you need to ask yourself is do I like the look of the convertible over the targa top? Would I prefer a targa over a convertible? Then you need to ask can I afford a convertible over a targa since convertibles are more expensive.

On to the mileage. The engines were designed to run 200k. You could buy a low mile vette that has nothing but problems since it was rarely driven. You could also see a high mileage car that has parts that have worn out or that has been poorly maintained. You could also find the exact opposite.

I personally bought a targa top because I do not like convertibles nor the way they look. I also choose a "high" mile car (84k) because it was within my price range. I have so far lucked out and the car has been very reliable. On the flip side I could have just as easily bought a lemon. The fact is it's a gamble and honestly you have to go for what is in your budget or comfort zone. Sorry for the long post but you need to do some serious self reflecting on what YOU want rather than ask what a bunch of strangers think you should get. You're just going to get everyone's biased opinion.

Edit: As far as prices use NADA as your guide. That is what banks use for handing out loans and they are also the most reasonable. KBB has always been way too high and Edmunds way too low. NADA has been right in the middle and generally has prices just about what you would expect to pay. When you're shopping compare the features, mileage, condition, and price vs what NADA lists if the price is in the ballpark. There's always room to negotiate.

 

NADA is exactly what i was looking for. As far as the convertible, targa, or hard top I was just asking if the heights are any different. But ill probably just have to look around to find out what fits me the best.

 

Gas tank crossover tube failures are an expensive repair... watch for these
Affected 2004 Corvettes are VIN #'s 45600796 through 45602844!