I have a concern about the under side of the vehicle.
144,400 miles
car had 2 owners.
Pa. And Trenton, Michigan
Both salt road states.
Should I get it up on a hoist to check the under side?
Thank you in advance.
Ken

 

IMHO....you should do it anyway. Mine had 17000 on it and I checked it one end to the other. Mine is a southern car owned by two old guys before this old guy. Good Luck!

 

Worth a look, but be aware most of the major suspension components are aluminum. So rusting should be a non issue, atleast structurally. Things like shocks, swaybars and any nut or bolt though, expect them to be corroded. On the other hand, a lot of C5's stay inside most of the winter so it might be peachy!

 

I would not buy a C5 that had been winter driven in the rust belt.

 

Yes, you should get the car inspected unless you are very familiar with the mechanical and electrical systems on the car. You should also read the stickies in both the C5 General and C5 Tech Sections - lots of very good info can be found there.

As for buying a car from a state that applies salt on the roads, a lot depends on whether the owner drove the car during the winter and how well the owner kept the car clean if it was driven. I woukdn’t Discount it just for that reason but it does suggest a close inspection.

 

Put it on a lift prior to purchase regardless of location. A lot of us "yanks" don't drive these things in the winter, but that's not to say they don't have issues. I put one up and it had a leaky rear main - that the dealer tried to first hide, then said they didn't wanna fix. Thanks but no thanks. Small drip, car was sitting on the grass. If not for the lift I'd have never noticed. Jerks put it up again - and didn't disclose the leaky rear main.

Trust no one. Verify for yourself.

 

With 144K miles, there is a good chance it might have seen salt.

 

When I bought my 03 Couple last year with 109,435 miles on it, it did have issues but not enough to keep me from buying it at 13,500 and of course the usual tax,reg,plate added to that. Due to the fact that it was 40 miles from me plus color I wanted inside and out and an great shape other than a few minor things , including a bit of an oil leak from the rear of the engine. 121, 100 miles now and it's still leaking a bit to spot the driveway but fixed all the other issues myself.
Do check everything, targo top seals, door seals, belts, hoses, tires, brake pads, etc. If the price is right and it's what you want, buy that sucker and drive it. ;-)

 

Valid point there as well. The one i walked from was 27-35k give or take on the clock. I called their bs, they looked over the car for a week, agreed it was a leaky rear main, then told me the guy that sold it was a friend of the dealerships owner that took in the vette and a wrecked infinity and that if they fixed it, they'd be upside down more than they already were so they werent going to. Couldnt' help but think (and almost say) your poor business practices aren't my responsibility, but bit my tongue and just walked out.

 

Last December, I bought my salt-belt (Chicago, IL, Kalamazoo, MI pre-owned) 2001 with +97,000 miles on it after driving it for a prolonged test drive. The car looked and felt "right," I did not get an inspection by an independent, nor did I have them put it up on a lift. From my laying on the ground view of the undercarriage, it looked great to me. Was that really the smartest approach? No, but after +5,000 miles the car proves my instincts were pretty good (or I was lucky).
But here is what I did miss:
1st it needed a new battery
2nd it is a 6M and it turned out that it had the infamous steering column issue (easily fixed...thanks to information on this forum)
3rd a broken radio tuning **** (cheap fix, Amazon)
4th driver's seat cushion (another known issue...they cave in...and if you don't know how the seat is supposed to feel, I did not, this is easy to miss)

Once up on a lift (when I replaced my tires), I got a very good look at the undercarriage. No sign of any leaks (this is actually one of the main reasons to get this car up on a lift). I was amazed it was every bit as good as I thought. It showed some slight spotting on the frame, but is for all intents and purposes, clean as a whistle.

So get it up on a lift...but in addition read the stickies, there are lots of other things you should examine, not just the salt issue. But don't let those stickies scare you off, these are fantastic cars.

 

I would want to see underneath it.....also go to a chevy dealer and ask them to pull the warranty history to see whats been done, it may even show oil changes mine did

 

 

Some 2004 had problems with tanks leaking. Major endeavor to repair.
Vins covered 45110258 to 45125500

 

I would not sweat year round use on a c5or c6 with regard to weather corrosion to the frame or parts.

You are over thinking this imo ..

I have 122k miles on my daily driver c6 in all types of weather and the car on the lift looks fabulous..

If you want to put the car on the lift and look around it’s never a bad idea ....to have a professional look at any vehicle makes sense so you don’t have any surprises...

But if the cars under 15 grand which I think it probably is....and the owner looks to be a standup caring owner and he has service records....I’d probably just buy it...if it looks good..

Weather corrosion is pretty much a non event on these cars built from 1997 onward.

GM built these cars to be all weather vehicles.

Couldn’t hurt to put on a lift or get mechanically get checked out as it’s pretty probably 150 dollars which isn’t much and is often suggested as common sense on buying any used vehicle...I’m just being honest...I probably wouldn’t bother...

Jmo

 

I have lived in Wisconsin all my life and know what driving in northern winters does to cars and it's not just the body. Brake lines, gas lines, brakes, fasteners, grounds, frame, bolts, screws, rubber, electrical connections, etc. etc. Salt gets everywhere. Most of the previous generations of Corvettes that have been driven in salt no longer exist. Why buy a salt car when you can get one that was properly stored over the winter? I would never buy a Corvette that has been driven in Wisconsin winters and very few of them have.

 

I'd go for a 2002. Many of the 03/04s have the fuel tank issues which are VERY expensive to fix. 2002 is the sweet spot.

 

Does that apply to any C5 including the Z06? I've not heard of the fuel tank issue on 03/04s.

 

Affects both base and Z06 models. The fuel tanks were redesigned partway through 2003 which makes the internals very inaccessible and labor so much more costly to replace anything in there (which is somewhat common). If you do a search on this forum (see the C5 Tech section also) you'll find more info.

 

Not all 2004 models had the fuel problem.
Check the vin with the thread that shows the vin number range that is effected.

Bob.