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Hey, everyone.. I will be doing a trade for a C5 soon and I need some educated estimates as to how much she'll be worth should I decide not to keep her. Not likely considering I fell in love after my first time behind the wheel, but still would like to have a general idea. Here are some pics and a quick rundown of what I KNOW about the vehicle:
1999 C5 Coupe, 6MT, ~110,000 miles
Mods:
-Tuned by East Cowst Supercharging
-Headers
-Short shifter
-Full exhaust
-Coilovers
-Ported & polished heads
-Pop-out head unit
-Subwoofer
-HIDs
-Aftermarket front lip
-Rear spoiler
Negative points:
-Targa flew off while being driven, no structural damage but will need to be repainted
-Paint on lip is slightly chipped (see first pic)
-Lights behind "1 - Fuel" and "2 - Gauges" are out
-E-brake does not stay up
Just looking for a ballpark estimate, but if there are some real experts out there that can give me an exact number that would be awesome. Thanks in advance!
In all seriousness, there's a good chance the top leaks, but most importantly the simplest of fixes have been overlooked. There's a good chance anything even remotely major has been patched, forgotten and/or done wrong to save a buck. It looks like 250K miles or more from the things you can see, how bad are the things you can't?
Thanks for the honest responses, all. I do not mind what looks to be a couple of quick fixes (i.e. dash lights and e-brake) but I, too am thinking the way Murray Anderson is, and do not want to take ownership of what one might refer to as a polished turd. That said, I have only seen/driven the car one time, but it seemed like a pretty decent example for the mileage - no odd noises or funny behavior on that rather long test drive, either. Carfax is clean and up-to-date as well, save for a minor front end collision that was purely cosmetic (& repaired professionally). Let me see if I can do a little more digging. Thanks again to all who have given input so far.
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Originally Posted by Murray Anderson
In all seriousness, there's a good chance the top leaks, but most importantly the simplest of fixes have been overlooked. There's a good chance anything even remotely major has been patched, forgotten and/or done wrong to save a buck. It looks like 250K miles or more from the things you can see, how bad are the things you can't?
Rough shape! Anytime I see obvious neglection it immediately puts me on red alert. If the outside/interior is that poorly kept I would be extremely suspicious of the mechanics/electronics. If you aren't locked into a deal on this vette I would walk away. Another factor is modded cars bring in an extra element of risk. There are way too many nice C5's out there at extremely reasonable prices to consider this particular vette. If you do consider moving forward on this one do yourself a huge favor and get the car checked, end to end, by a good shop fluent in C5's. I'm not trying to rain on your parade but if you buy into a problematic C5 it can get very expensive in a hurry. Don't take any sellers word on anything! Get the car independently checked so you actually know what your getting. Also check accident history, maintenance etc. Be very wary of any car this poorly maintained! Good luck and best wishes!
It looks rough but its really not THAT bad from what I can see
Youd be surprised as to what a few hours of cleaning and detailing could do as well as a new leather shifter boot, arm rest and seat covers.
You could easily have the top vinyl wrapped or plasti dipped for a temporary quick fix, and a nice buff/polish to the paint and it would look pretty good
Id give it a $10k value based on the fact that the seller didn't take the time to fix up the easy stuff before the sale/trade
The coilovers, headers , tune and all the little mods do have SOME value.
I for one do like the white letters on the wheels as well
$9500, not a penny more, and that's on a sunny day. You would be lucky to fetch $7500 on a trade-in. This car is a beater, boarder line project car, a driver car that has been neglected thru the years. Don't let the mods influence the little head, not worth a dime in private party or trade-in. All the spit and polish you can give will not turn this pigs ear into a silk purse. It's your money working here, spend it wisely...
Last edited by S.C. vette; Oct 9, 2016 at 08:59 AM.
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Originally Posted by S.C. vette
$9500, not a penny more, and that's on a sunny day. You would be lucky to fetch $7500 on a trade-in. This car is a beater, boarder line project car, a driver car that has been neglected thru the years. Don't let the mods influence the little head, not worth a dime in private party or trade-in. All the spit and polish you can give will not turn this pigs ear into a silk purse. It's your money working here, spend it wisely...
One thing that you should is to take the car to a reputable auto repair shop for a Used Vehicle Inspection (UVI). A shop will give you a detailed written report of the condition and tell you what needs work now and what needs to be done later. Most shops will include a buy/don't buy recommendation. Figure on $125 to $150 for this but it's well worth it.
Personally, I would pass on it. There are too many nice C5's in the $10-12K range that are in better condition. Any idea if the clutch is OEM? With the performance mods, it could be that the car has been pushed hard.
The sub and head unit and the HID's should not be a factor in price; find out if the install was professional or a weekend garage project. Repainting the top can easily run into $200-$300+ depending on the quality of the work.
The pic of the tire shows that they are 11 years old. They will need to be replaced ASAP. Any idea of the condition of the brakes? Just from the pics, the interior looks to be what I would call "fair". There are some heavy-duty floormats in place; any idea what the carpeting looks like?
So many unknowns and red flags with this beast. I would think that someone who really knew their shi@&$ might give you $4500 for it, and then cross their fingers.
there are so many bargains on C5 coupes under $12k why bother with the risk on this one? Looks ragged out- hard owned. The owner history on C5's more important than mileage-year-price, these cars need consistent attention to detail IMO
We got rained out for today's meet, and it seems by the numerous voices singing the same song that this was a good thing. I don't see how so many folks are so quick to denounce this car's value, but I am by no means an expert, which is why I posted this thread. I am not locked into anything with this guy, so it will be that much easier to walk away. Should I come across another C5, I will be back on these boards. Thanks once more to all who have chimed in!
Hey, everyone.. I will be doing a trade for a C5 soon and I need some educated estimates as to how much she'll be worth should I decide not to keep her. Not likely considering I fell in love after my first time behind the wheel, but still would like to have a general idea. Here are some pics and a quick rundown of what I KNOW about the vehicle:
1999 C5 Coupe, 6MT, ~110,000 miles
Mods:
-Tuned by East Cowst Supercharging
-Headers
-Short shifter
-Full exhaust
-Coilovers
-Ported & polished heads
-Pop-out head unit
-Subwoofer
-HIDs
-Aftermarket front lip
-Rear spoiler
Negative points:
-Targa flew off while being driven, no structural damage but will need to be repainted
-Paint on lip is slightly chipped (see first pic)
-Lights behind "1 - Fuel" and "2 - Gauges" are out
-E-brake does not stay up
Just looking for a ballpark estimate, but if there are some real experts out there that can give me an exact number that would be awesome. Thanks in advance!
-Chris
If you fell in love with " this " car.. then you have very low standards. All I see is abuse... both externally and internally. Just look at some of the C5's in this forum with similar mileage..
I can only show you my 99 with similar mileage. Just for comparison.
.... I don't see how so many folks are so quick to denounce this car's value, but I am by no means an expert, which is why I posted this thread....
Stay around the C5 market for a few months and you'll see why.
C5s are really hitting a floor for their value monetarily. The good used C5 market is also so incredibly large. You can find really good cars with 100,000 miles $12K-$10 and even below that all day long that need very little, and we're going into the winter storage period which also helps with people wanting to get onto the selling wagon.
You'll also need to really price the little things, like tires (it needs tire. The tire pic shows they're over 10 years old), a possible re-paint, for sure targa and likely door seals, and on and on. A complete seal kit for the targa and doors can easily run near $2,000 to replace it all. Tires can be everywhere from $800 to well above $2,000. That's just the surface of things.
Need help appraising this vette..
It does look to be in somewhat rough shape.
Don't let the mods influence the little head, not worth a dime in private party or trade-in. All the spit and polish you can give will not turn this pigs ear into a silk purse. It's your money working here, spend it wisely...
