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I bought mine new and at that time they were the best bang for the buck. I maintain it and it is as good as it was 18 years ago. Some may think it is old and in car years it is. But looking at it and driving it it is far from old. Worth every penny I paid for it!!
Same here. I paid about $45,000 for mine in 2000 and spent almost that much in mods/maintenance since then. Still looks/runs like new.
As far as styling, I would buy a new C5 tomorrow if they still offered them.
Since a good new paint job alone currently could cost more than the book value, I would say they are dirt cheap to buy right now
I bought mine new in the summer of 1997 - one of the first '98's. At the time all the car mags raved that it gave (at that time of course) super car performance at a fraction of supercar price.
Nothing much out there then that would hit 170+ and 0-60 under 5 seconds, and be daily drivable in 1997.
Much the same situation today, when you look at a C7 Z06.
Having said that, today C5's are a steal - still more than able to deliver modern levels of performance (acceleration, handling and especially braking). And, as long as you don't buy a high mileage example, I would say pretty cheap to run.
Outside of a ton of fixes under warranty (I think they were still learning how to make them when they built mine), it has cost me in total, a new clutch (very early failure, but GM called it a "wear item"), new tires, new battery, a new oil pressure sensor, replacement serpentine belt (mileage, not failure), new fuel filter (not in tank for '98 thankfully), a new driver's side seat plastic trim panel and regular fluid changes. Even has all the original bulbs, except the back up lights which I swapped for higher powered units. Plus re-soldering the resistors in the HVAC head unit. Other stuff - wheels, CAI, shifter, etc., etc., were my choice, not actually necessary.
Last edited by jackthelad; Jun 22, 2016 at 10:43 AM.
I sold my C5 (heavily modded) back in 2010, had it for about 8 years. Loved that car. Had some problems here and there, some was due to mods and some was not. Yes the interior was cheap but I never really cared I bought the car for the performance, motor etc.. Moved on to a C6Z after that.
It is a great car still today, and there is a HUGE aftermarket for the LS1/LS6. Lots of good shops now too since the car has been around a long time people know how to work on them, good tuners are around too.
Before I bought my Challenger, I almost bought another C5 (Z this time) that was lightly modded. They can be made pretty fast by simple mods, and not a TON of money if done right.
I would be VERY interested in reading Ewil Twin's commentary on this. Does anybody know where I can find that thread?
Hi, Sure hope I'm right on this, but if I'm not mistaken, Evil Twin made some responses and spoke of reasons why and trade offs that were made to accomplish certain goals for the C5. It was posted in this (C5 General), no more than six months ago, maybe a little less than that. Maybe someone else on the forum could help out on this or perhaps get Evil Twins attention. His writings are always very informative. Take Care!
From what I recall a lot of the so called cheaper looking parts were chosen due to weight reduction. There was a huge push on the C5 to keep the weight off the car. Hence the reason for lots of plastic and other like parts.
I bought mine new and at that time they were the best bang for the buck. I maintain it and it is as good as it was 18 years ago. Some may think it is old and in car years it is. But looking at it and driving it it is far from old. Worth every penny I paid for it!!
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I have owned a lot of different muscle cars since 1969, and have owned 8 different Vettes since my first one in 1978, a Pace Car. Right now I have a 97 black coupe and 84 gold coupe. I hear it all the time about mid-life crisis and all the other stuff, but I cut them off quickly when I say "It's the most car I can buy for the money." Below are pics of my C5, C4 and one from my past I owned right out of high school (69 Mach I).
Cheap is only a relative saying, Its what your car is worth to you that only matters. Take mine for instance...I paid $11,300 for it used with 136,xxx miles, It was a very well taken care of car and I put another $18,xxx into it so far bringing my total investment up to $29,xxxish so far, Still way less than the car cost new and performs better than when it was new. So for me that's cheap considering the price of a new one. As far as cheap Quality goes, GM was not high on the list of quality engineering on a lot of issues such as interior or paint, but all that can be addressed during your customizing phase to make it personal to you. Such as I did. Now I love my car more than any new car I could buy and she is almost priceless to me. Yes I said Almost...everything and anything "HAS" a price tag. CorvetteBob
cheap implies crappy.
i think they mean "inexpensive".
the c5s are getting down there in prices, but owning one can be a money pit (i know), but it is a fun car. it has its faults, but i don't think it is a crappy car by any stretch.
if you read about the history of the corvette development and cars in general, they put the money in the engine, and it was a fast car.
they sadly didn't put much money or development on the interior, my 2000 i thought was ok, but for a $39K car of the day, it really paled in comparison to my '99 mercedes e320 (germans make a very nice interior, very nice seats!). although i thought the seats in my 2000 were comfy, leather wasn't great, but ok.
if you want real comparisons, i was reading about a ton of the super cars from the 80s (lamborghinis, ferraris), and the c5 blows them out of the water now at a fraction of the price, you can debate the styling/desirablitiy of a c5 vs any 80s supercars....but the reality is you are getting good bang for your buck in performance....
I recently purchased a 2000 FRC with 60k on it for $12k and, with a few mods but mostly stock and let me tell u this is by far one of the best all around cars I've own. They have allround performance and handle very well. Can't wait to slap on HCI and and enjoy it even more. They are defeny worth every penny for what u are getting in return.
MY 04 Z-16 will out run out handle any stock C-7 ( NOT Z0-6 ) I have $26,000 in it and I have lots of Corvette shows wins and drive anywhere super fun to drive never needed anything I just moded it , I wanted to , has 505 HP on LMR rollers super bad sound system and on and on all for $26,000 - + .I can't think of any ride that could match this for the money .. I do my own work keeps the investment down for sure but just about anybody can work on these C-5s that's a big money saver also..
Bout mine two months ago for $13,000 had to put new roters and pads on front,new run flats all around,complete tune up fluid change, trans and diff,up graded the suspension with c6 shocks z51 sways,and metal end links.having the front spoiler replaced this week. NAH!!! It ain't a money pit! It's a bargain and I love it just keep buying it will be new someday enjoy!
