grampi50

I will be retiring in 2.5 years and I plan on traveling the country in a C5. I want to revisit all of the Air Force bases where I was stationed, and visit with old friends I made while I was in the military.


I'm a little concerned about the reliability of the C5 for long distance travel. From what I've read in this site, it sounds like the C5 is fairly reliable, but we are talking about a 20 year old sports car now, and I'm used to the reliability of my Toyota daily drivers. I know I'm probably not going to get Toyota-like reliability from a C5, but do you guys think a C5 would be okay for touring the country? Have any of you done it in a C5?

Chris Draper

It's really no different than any other car. It depends on the condition of the car. Has it been properly maintained? What is the service history like? Is it high-mileage? How has it been treated?

If it's a well maintained car, it shouldn't have any issues. But with any car, you can have unforeseen circumstances.

grampi50

I don't have my C5 yet, but I can tell you pretty close to exactly what I'll be getting. I'll be looking for a C5 with the least amount of miles, and one that's had the fewest number of owners. I know it's going to cost me more, but I'm willing to pay extra for a nicer one. Finding one that's completely stock, or as close to stock as possible is preferable.

dbgoodwin

I wouldn't worry too excessively about buying a crazy low mile car. Often the ones that aren't driven regularly are ill maintained. You don't think to flush the coolant if it hasn't been run but once a year for the past 10 years.

I specifically looked for a well maintained car with over 40k miles on it, and it's been awesome. I would take it on a 10,000 mile trip tomorrow if you let me get new tires first.

JR-01

Five years ago I bought my '01 C5 with 50K miles on it. I bought it to drive. I put 3500 miles on it when we took it to Connecticut. Another 1500 to the Black Hills and several 3-5 hundred mile trips. No problems.

dannyzabolotny

Before you ask about reliability, take a step back and look at what the C5 really is, under all of the glitz and glamour— it's a Chevy. It has a dead simple (but effective) pushrod engine from the stone age, caveman transmissions, and a bunch of parts bin Chevy stuff. I'd feel pretty good about driving a C5 around the country, given that you can buy parts for it at Autozone/NAPA/O'Reilly's no matter where you go. Also, highway driving is pretty easy on a car, so as long as it's well-maintained I can't see how you would have any trouble with it.

I've confidently gone on road trips with a much more complicated BMW that has almost 200,000 miles, and I've had no real issues. Any car can be reliable if you take care of it. Heck, I even had a Range Rover that I made into a reliable vehicle, despite everybody insisting that it wasn't.

Pounder

I have taken mine on many small trips 500 to a 1500 miles, I would take it anywhere !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (99 coupe)

Route99

Same as the others. No concerns about long trips. Recently returned from a 1200 mile trip. The only issue was I ended up with a very slight crack in a spark plug that wasn't happy in the rain. As dannyz said; it's a GM - parts are everywhere. Stopped at the nearest auto shop, bought a plug, borrowed a spark plug socket wrench, changed the plug and gone in 10 minutes time. Easy Peazy as my grandson likes to say.
We're already planning trips for next year that will range from 700 miles to 4000 miles round trip. (My only concern how my wife will pack for a three week road trip and fit it in the car).

Vetteman Jack

Find yourself a car that checks out mechanically and there should be no reason why you couldn't take it on a cross country trip. I certainly wouldn't hesitate to take mine on a trip any time, any where.

DDaaryl

I have done about six cross country trips over the years. Since retirement I have done three. I had a choice of vehicles available to do these trips and my C5 was never a consideration. For creature comfort, cargo room, reliability and parts availability (never mind the no spare tire) I left the C5 in the garage where it belongs. Years ago I would take my C3 anywhere but wisdom comes with age I'm told.

Shaolin Crane

I keep a couple cans of tire sealant and "air" and a gallon of water. I've driven it to vegas and back a dozen times and even flew to Dallas to drive it back to LA. It's not roomy like my truck, but when it's just me it's hard to beat the mid 30's MPG it gets.

dannyzabolotny

Oh yeah, the gas mileage in the Vette is way better than in any of my other cars. I went up to Sedona earlier this month and despite my C5 being an auto with a 3.42 diff, I still averaged 21-22mpg while going up a mountain at 85-90mph.

Meanwhile my "practical" car (a 2000 BMW 540i wagon) barely gets 20mpg on a straight road going at 80mph, and it has a 5-speed auto and 3.15 gears.

3sACROWD

Took my 03Z on a 1500 mile trip this summer. Only thing it needed was gas. Car has over 271,000 miles. If I had time and cash, I'd head out tomorrow to repeat the 5,000 mile trip I did when the car had 200,000 miles on it. Had to replace a turn signal bulb on that trip though.

msandym

After over1200 posts you’re asking that now ?

JR-01

My C5 is at the top of my list of cars to take on a road trip and I am getting old. Corvettes do not belong in the garage.

msandym

The only real problem I see is tires . Runflats or no with repair stuff . There are so many posts about long travels and high mileage cars . Asked and answered as they say .

ironranger

You may find that it's not as easy to gain access to Air Force bases as you may think. Grand Forks AFB (SAC) where I was stationed at in the 60's does not allow access unless you are part of a group of 12 (or more) that will be given a tour of the base. They will not provide base access to individuals or smaller groups to browse on their own.
Relative to touring the country in a C5, I don't know why not if you pack well and purchase one with relatively low miles and that has been well maintained. I have found the cars to be relatively low maintenance and very reliable! It's always a good idea to carry a AAA card or equivalent for this sort of trip, if nothing for else but "peace of mind".

Black & Tan

I bought my 2002 3 years ago with about 70,000 miles and 8 previous owners. In the last 3 years we have taken it on trips for about 3000 miles each year with no problems. It's really comfortable and a blast to drive.

Buy a good one, have it checked out by a trusted mechanic, and enjoy your travels!

MikeG37

I bought my '99 almost four years ago with 12,000 on it, it now has a little over 34,000. Taken 3 1,000+ mile trips without a problem.

I got my '03 a little over a year ago with ~25,000, taken one 1,800 mile trip in it so far and plan on a trip to the Grand Canyon in it in December.. about a 3,000 mile round trip from here. Much more fun than one of our boring minivans

MikeG37

<--- oh, and one of those trips we took both cars, it was my son's idea. Every stop he'd swap riding with my wife and me. We had walkie talkies for conversation.. he had a blast.