Need feedback.

Found a possible c5 purchase. 2003 AE for $18,500. It is 2 owner-first owner listed as Corporate for 9 years. Second owner private. Car is clean and except for normal wear dings on bumper and hood. It shows the Roof Pkcg option but he only has the painted roof and did not know about the other. Forgot to say it is the coupe with 67,000 miles. When we drove around at a light he had a hard time getting in first gear? Only happened once. With the AE addition was there suppose to be a DVD or any special paperwork. he said he always had it serviced at chevy dealership with mobile 1 synthetic. Also. Corvette name on seats stitching starting to frey.
Thsnks for feedback

 

I researched C5's and the C5 market here in Atlanta, the same market you are in, for 18 months before I bought my C5 in late June of this year.
For the miles on that car the price seems a bit too high to me.
My experience has been that if there are problems or issues on the test drive, stay away from that car. It will only get worse.
There are lots of Vettes out there. Take your time. Read the stickies here on the forum. Look at many cars. When you find the right one you will know it.

 

Is it a true Anniversary car? Remember all 2003 C5s got the AE badging. If it doesn't have the AE specific package (RPO 1SC in the glove box) it'll be just any other 2003 car with the badge.

A lot of individuals with the dual roof option often got rid of their clear tops. At one point they were going for a lot of money and they still continue to bring serious money in the used market (clear tops "fit" any C5 as opposed to a painted top which would have to be painted to match). There's also no telling how many people have dropped the tops removing them which if you have two tops means you'll be switching to the non-damaged one

1st gear tends to be the most difficult gear to get into with a 6 speed. Mine periodically will have a small hang up that'll require me to let it grasp a little forward before grabbing. Usually happens once a week. Resolution can be something as small as a shifter adjustment to possibly something bigger (I have plans to finally upgrade my shifter over the holiday).

C5s had owners VHS. The owners' DVD didn't come until the C6, however later C5s - I believe in '04 specifically - had a CD in the owner's manual that has something like 9 or so tracks on it. I don't **think** the '03 AEs had a similar CD but someone will probably correct me.

If it is a true Anniversary car seems roughly in the area of what people are asking. The market is a bit flooded right now so I'd think you could probably haggle or look elsewhere and get a better deal.

 

i cant comment on what the AE package brings to the price , but for a late model C5 coupe with those miles i would think you should be less then 16k. and it should be clean and everything works.

 

Price sounds high. Also you can pull the 3-letter codes off the glove box sticker (take a picture with your phone) and you can learn a lot from that. Also would shy away from one with shifting problems...

 

If it's a true AE I would put it around $17,500 from what you've described.

 

Exactly where my gorgeous '02 Vert, all black, is priced, with NO problems and less miles.

 

Just Got the Build sheet. It has the 1SC RPO Code. I also went to a GM dealer and they pulled the Workbench Vehicle Report. The Steering Column recall has been done. No other issues. But also only 2 records of regular service being done by the second owner. Should i be concerned that it was registered as a Corporate vehicle for the first 9 years? I would like to find where it was originally purchased. Just don't know how well it was maintained.

Bob

 

Take a good look in the engine bay, you should be able to tell if it has been well-kept and maintained. Make sure the F55 shocks aren't leaking or covered in gunk, look at the color of the fluids, etc. Check the codes after a test drive.

Maintenance records are helpful and nice to have but wouldn't be a deal breaker for me if all of the above looked good.

 

Honestly for the price if it's in great shape I don't think it's particularly high. As far as first gear goes, a lot of vehicles are a little tougher to get into first. I found that releasing the clutch and pushing it back in always works in my truck and all other vehicles.

I would try to drive it yourself and feel how first gear feels, or if there's an aftermarket shifter it could just be a little tough, or poorly aligned.

Spending a little extra on the right car is a lot better than saving money on the wrong one.

 

Should there be any issues since it was used as a corporate vehicle for the first 9 years??

 

Should it be an issue being used as a corporate vehicle for the first 9 years?

 

That wouldn't bother me. Probably driven by an Exec.

 

I'm the second owner of my 02 convertible. Prior to me it was a corporate lease vehicle (4 years) from a company in South Florida. In my 11 years of ownership I've had no major problems that were a result of it's ownership history.

 

It's likely that a private business owner had it registered to his company for tax reasons.
Not at all unusual.

Price does not sound excessive to me for a true true AE with 6 speed. (kinda unusual for AE W/ manual)
I'd offer $1000 less, and see what happens.

 

I wouldn't worry about it being a corporate vehicle for 9 years as long as everything checks out on the car. Get the car looked at by a trusted mechanic that knows Corvettes and then decide. As for the price, it is in the ballpark.