When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
carmax.com will show you all the Corvettes at their dealerships across the country.
I also like the two that twokbolt suggested.
If you post where you live there might be forum members in that area that could help.
Good luck with your search. Sooner or later you'll find the right car.
I skim through the Orange County/LA County Craigslist listings most days and there are plenty of C5's for sale. It does take a bit of reading to find out if the seller is BSing or not. Between my brother, friends and I we have 6 C5's from 1998 to 2002 and 2 C6's. Always looking for replacement trim parts and other pieces.
I am in Orange County, if you need a 2nd set of eyes on a particular car let me know.
From: Blessed are the cracked, for they let in the light.
St. Jude Donor '08 thru '26
At that $ range (25k) you have pretty much your pick of the litter.
What are you looking for...(coupe/vert/Z06/FRC)?
Need Mods,or stock?
we have a lot of knowledge here willing to help...
Share the list of must haves in your ideal vette... C5 is a proven winner.
At that $ range (25k) you have pretty much your pick of the litter.
What are you looking for...(coupe/vert/Z06/FRC)?
Need Mods,or stock?
we have a lot of knowledge here willing to help...
Share the list of must haves in your ideal vette... C5 is a proven winner.
Determine your requirements for body style and transmission. Don't pay a nickel for previous bolt on mods. If they have them ask if they kept the original parts. If it has a long list of performance mods walk away. That is frequently an indication it has been raced or abused. My opinion, no charge.
Thanks for the leads guys! I'll check out those sources for sure!
I put a WTB ad on here and bumped it several times and got almost no response, so I really appreciate the encouragement, and thanks for the offer Gary! I just might ask for your help at some point.
Ideally looking for a 02-04 Z06, black on black. I want a nice one, but doesn't have to be perfect because it will be my DD. Some appearance mods are fine, a shifter, even heads, but no headers because I need it to be legit for smog. Most cars with mods seem to have headers and I don't know how they get smogged, but that's not for me.
There's a really sweet Z in San Francisco and I will travel if a couple of months goes by and I don't find anything local. There are two very nice OC cars for sale, but one is red and one is yellow. I need black or silver.
From: Ideals are peaceful...History is violent...St.Charles, MO.
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (appearance mods)
C5 of Year Winner (appearance mods) 2019
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'12 thru'22
Originally Posted by socal_Dad
Hi Guys,
I've been searching daily on this forum, Craig's List, ebay and Auto Trader. I've seen several cars, but have not found my dream Vette yet.
I will be patient and the right one will turn up, but am I missing any good places that I should be looking?
Budget is anywhere from $15 - $25K. I'm not bargain hunting. I just want to fall in love with the right car!
Thanks!
You've definitely got the right attitude and outlook. Patience, in this case is a virtue, which by your post indicates that you have that in spades. Your budget is also in the sweet spot for acquiring a very nice example of what you are looking for. Honestly it's only a matter of time at the widespread search engines you are utilizing.
Here is another one for you to browse thru. I use it for looking for C3's but, it's all Corvette generations. Hope this helps, and good luck.
I have been thinking about selling my black on black '04 coupe. All stock with all options including both tops and Z51. All service records and garage kept. Just don't drive it much since the divorce. PM me for more details and pics if you are interested.
C5R, thanks! My kids are finally teens and it's something I've been waiting for. It will be a keeper. I usually keep cars until they are long in the tooth, so it's good to start out with a nice one! Thanks for the link. I'll add that to the favorites!
coia, thanks, yours sounds like a nice car! I am trying to figure out how to edit my location and I should have stated that I'm in Orange County, Southern CA. I'm looking for a CA car that's within a few hours of me. I've got to see and drive cars before buying them.
I appreciate the help and I'll definitely post updates and pictures of my car when I finally land one!
I have been keeping my eye on Corvette's and they are not selling that fast - some not at all. You could probably get that guy down to $25000 CAD (about 20k in USD).
There is another one in Calgary AB but the guy is asking $35000 CAD for it, which is a joke.
I'm thinking that there will be plenty to choose from in SoCal if I am patient. I have seen several and some that looked nice in the pictures were heavily worn. I looked at a high-priced '04 Commemorative Edition last week and expected it to be nice based on the low miles and high price. Nope, the dealer is looking to take advantage. It was a POS.
I sure like the one in the link you sent. You've got the exact idea of what I'm looking for!
Patience paid off and I purchased a very nice 2003 Z06! I have a few things to take care of on the car, but I'm super happy with it and it was very well cared for! I need some practice posting pictures, but now hope to be more active on this forum since I've got a Z of my own!
Looks good. Post up some details on the car.
Also check out the Southern California section for local Corvette events.
Look for the Monthly Block of Orange gatherings.
Quick Silver
51,000 miles
390 gears
Tunnel plate
C6 shifter
LED lights all around
First things to do:
replace bump stops for headlights
replace drivers window motor
replace valve springs
replace factory stereo head unit
Maybe a trunk partition
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Slideshow: A Jaguar designer's personal project imagines what a modern front-engined Corvette might look like if Chevrolet revisited the golden age of the Stingray.
Looking to buy a C5
Determine your requirements for body style and transmission. Don't pay a nickel for previous bolt on mods. If they have them ask if they kept the original parts. If it has a long list of performance mods walk away. That is frequently an indication it has been raced or abused. My opinion, no charge. 
