Hi everyone, new member here. I have decided to come to the experts and ask opinion. I am 20, live in Ohio and am thinking about buying a corvette to daily drive. There is a 1999 black convertible one for 12k near me, 80k miles. Should I keep looking? Or get a hard top? How will maintenance look? I see they are mostly reliable and feel like it would be very fun to own. Previously had a chrysler 300 hemi awd.
Thanks!

 

Welcome to the forum... coming from an AWD sedan to a C5 corvette will be challenging if its your only car. Winters in Ohio are not fun in a Corvette. You are looking at a 20 year old car... There is no way to guarantee reliability.. you could have smooth sailing or it could be a night mare. Many people can keep a C5 for many many years, But sometime people will get rid of a 20 year old C5 when it starts to cost a lot of money. the Mileage does not mean anything, it could be well maintained or never taken care of.. there are C5/s that have been abused but look good, and there have been C5 that look bad but are well maintained. Buying a 20 year old car is a roll of the dice, unless you know the complete history of the owner or owners and meticulas records.
Good luck, and do not impulse buy just because its a Corvette.
Bill aka ET


I know a few things because I have seen a few things

 

Where do you live? Does it snow there? Do you have a garage? $12k for a 99 with 80K miles seems a bit high..... at least in this area.

 

I live 30 mins north of Cincinnati, so yes there is winter. Hasnt really snowed at all much this winter. I don't have a garage but I'd definately have it under coated and use a car cover. Had 5 owners but looks maintained from carfax. I'm taking a look at it tomorrow

 

Daily driver in Ohio should have more ground clearance than a C5 for snow season. If you pull the trigger on this one I would offer less money because it not the right season for a vert and demand is lower than summer time.

 

Not sure what the market is like in Ohio, but a cursory Craigslist and Cargurus search is telling me that 12 grand is about right for a 'vert with that kind of mileage...at least 'rount these parts.

In all honesty, I wouldn't consider a convertible as a daily driver in a place where serious winter weather is a factor.

 

I have an 04 vert that I've been driving daily for the past 15 years and 117k miles. I've had very few problems.
I have replaced two EBCMs. Also, replaced rear hubs and O2 sensors. Other than those issues everything else has been just normal maintenance.
I understand EBCM can be a bigger issue with 98- 00 models. Good luck!

 

Now is the best time of year to buy a convertible in the Midwest. Mostly because it is not a great time to own a convertible in the Midwest. I drive my Corvette convertible year round-- that's not the same thing as it being a true "daily driver." In the Midwest a C5 is a great 2nd car. You will not be able to rely on a C5 for daily transportation in Ohio.

Even with very good all season tires and great winter driving skills- the low ground clearance will be a problem on those heavy snow days where the snow plows have not cleared your route. I saw a string awhile back where there much discussion over the front air dam and some forum members even suggesting it was a design defect-- fact is the air dams fold/flex out of the way--- but that doesn't change the fact that the car is very close to the ground.

There are two major schools of thought regarding winter driving a Corvette where it snows- some do, some don't. Those who don't winter drive consider it a form of abuse (they will "cringe" and shudder at the thought of such a beautiful car being subjected to road salts and placed at risk of being involved in an accident). Others view the Corvette as a car-- use it whenever you can. As I mentioned above, I drive my Corvette year round. To me, it is a car. But with that said, I don't drive it every day in the winter.

If the car you are looking at is in very good repair, the price is not out of line. This is not a cheap car to own; if you can perform your own maintenance, it is not much more expensive than any other car. Some things, like replacing the convertible top-- (which I had to do within 3 months of buying my car last year)- are best handled by a professional. You can easily spend an additional $3,000 in the first year of ownership- new tires, top, plugs/wires, brake & etc. (I did).

Read the "stickies" on this site- there is a lot of very good information.

 

I have a 98 maxima as a daily right now, I guess I can keep it as mostly daily in winter and keep the vette covered when it snows. I do appreciate all of your guys quick replies. If you think it's a snag I'll pull the trigger on it. Common things to look for when I go check it out? Most recent maintenance looks like tie rod ends, spark plugs and something else cant remember. I can post a cargurus link if you want?

 

Yes, please do. This will help.

Vettes are not happy in snow. Plan to drive your maxima int he snow and salt and keep the Vette off the winter roads.

 

https://www.cargurus.com/Cars/inventorylisting/mySavedListings.action#listing=220599076

 

As E-T mentions, there are a lot of factors that go into whether a car is a good buy other than mileage or price.

I would definitely get the car checked out by a trusted mechanic to see if any readily apparent issues are present. Then if the car checks out, make your deal. The fact that you have a winter season should come into play if the C5 were to be your only car (unless you have alternate means of transport during bad weather).

The suggestion to keep your current car and drive it during the winter is a good one and then use the C5 for other, more enjoyable driving times.

 

Thank you. I'm looking at it tomorrow, I posted the listing if you are interested. Its at a dealership near me. Would you choose a 00-03 or 99 because the low 2000s are similar price and miles. That just happens to be one of the cheapest c5s near me that shows on car gurus. I can try to take it down to 10k maybe?

 

Yeah...I'd keep that one out of the snow, especially with that cow catcher on the front.

In any case, make absolutely sure that you wash the salt out of the undercarriage religiously. From what I have been told, salt plays hell with vettes because the damage can be hard to spot until it is very extensive.

 

Couple of things to think about. Insurance might be excessively high if the Vette is your only car. The Vette as a second car may be more affordable. Another thing to be aware of is snow load on the convertible top. You will need to be diligent in keeping large amounts of snow off the top.

As ET stated, don't make an impulse buy. Think things through. If it doesn't feel right, wait and keep looking.

 

I checked out that listing. You might want to pass on that car and keep looking. It shows an accident reported-- appears to be a headlight issue: one photo they close flush; another photo they don't. It's had some things added on- wheels, spoiler, arm rest, shift **** and other bits and pieces that are not stock. Hard to know what else might have been done to that car---- maybe some good, some not so good. You also really should test drive several Corvettes before settling on one. This will help you get a feel for the car and you'll be better able to spot a good one from a not so good one.

Do read the stickies at the top of this forum. I think after you do, you might want to search out an '01 or newer. Keep in mind the least expensive purchase price Corvette, could within a few months, cost you a lot more to own than buying a more expensive Corvette now.

 

not surprising the accident not on car fax report

​​​​​​https://www.carfax.com/VehicleHistor...134.1546828881

 

20. What kind of a driver are you? The Corvette is a sport car and not as forgiving as a Honda or Toyota.

 

I'd still consider a Vette in Ohio, but it would have to be a second vehicle for spring/summer driving.

 

If you do end up getting a Corvette as a daily driver, an extra set of rims with a set of Bridgestone Blizzacks are a must. I was able to get through Chicago winters with a 1996 Z/28 with Blizzacks. The hardest part of having a car like a Vette as your daily driver is the lack of practicality. You can never bring more than one person with you. Good luck bringing anything home from Ikea. But if you're only 20, it would be much easier to have one as a daily driver now, than in 10 years when you are starting a family.