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In the 90s the C5 became my dream car. Now, I'm in a position where I can spend $15-18k to buy my first Corvette C5. I joined the Forum to learn about what I should be paying attention to when making the buying decision. I would appreciate your advice. Thank you for having me!
Prices vary with area and condition. It also depends what you want on the car.
I recently looked at a pristine 2004 C5 Vert in showroom condition in the Villages area or Central Florida which has a lot of Vettes. It had 30,000 miles and did not have a blem or rock mark on it and he paid $20 but again it was superb and indeed showroom condition. Miles, area and condition will dictate the price. Extreme low miles and garage queens will command the most money as you can see from places like Rogers Corvettes in Maitland Florida who specialize in those types of Vettes. But, on the average I think your price range will cover most of the C5's out there..
Not an expert on C5's so will let someone else with far more experience speak to the issues that you should look for. I was only looking from the standpoint of your price and what you can get. However, given the upper teens price I would think that your C5 should be in very good condition and hopefully have most of the problems that have occurred were addressed. Again, I am sure someone will chime in with a list of potential things that you should be looking for...When I looked for my brother in law who was out of state, I looked at the overall condition very closely with a light, I fired it up and looked and listened to engine bay as well as looked at and smelled the oil, checked service records, looked at the HUD and made sure all electronics worked and showed up on the instrument panel and or HUD. Since it was a Vert made sure all the top components were working. Did a road test. I looked under the car and just looked and listened for things that were wrong or did not look right. On this vette, I found none. A side note, my brother in law did come down and buy the Vette and on his way back did have a R rear wheel bearing noise that he got addressed when he finished his 6 hour drive. That however was the only issue he has had in three months..
He loves his C5 and it was also his dream car.
Welcome to the forum.. We are loaded with advice. You should be able to find a good C5 within your budget.. the best bet would be a single owner with maintenance records.. Everyone will have an opinion which will soon overwhelm you. Most of the good C5's for sale do not last long on the market. Timing is important. I would not worry too much about mileage as long as the original owner has records of his care. I would rather buy a 60K car with one owner and records then a 30 K car owned by 3 or 4 people with no records.
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16'-'17-‘18-'19-'20-'21-'22-
'23-'24
Welcome to the best forum on the internet. Now is when allot of sport cars come out for sale. Be sure and check out the "C5s for sale" section on the forum. I've purchased two C5s out of that section.
Welcome to the best forum on the internet. Now is when allot of sport cars come out for sale. Be sure and check out the "C5s for sale" section on the forum. I've purchased two C5s out of that section.
Mine will never see the for sale section of the Corvette forum. Like my CCW 505 wheels, my car will be sold before I put it up for sale.
While I plan for this C5 to be a second car, I do intend on using it regularly except in poor weather conditions. I don't intend to use the car to win prizes at shows, or to leave it parked most of the year, so very low mileage is not a requirement. I'm thinking 30k-60k should be OK. Does that seem reasonable?
A friend told me that sports cars are broken in at 30k miles, and to approach low mileage cars with caution. What's your opinion on that?
Finally, what were you looking to identify by smelling the oil?
A friend told me that in 2001 there was a big revamp in the C5s, and to avoid prior models, so I'm focusing on 2001-2004 models. Would this also be your advice?
Remember these cars are getting old, so even ones with low miles can have tired parts on them
15-18j should get you something thats damn near perfect, no reason to buy something with problems or too many miles
Keeping miles off is a waste these arent collectible in the least. Make sure the electronics work.
To answer a question of smelling the oil. Just wanted to make sure it did not have a burnt or strange smell to it after we drove it.
On the electronics, remember that the newest of these cars is about 15 years old. Sensors, Relays, connectors and the like will eventually quit working. Parts will become harder to find as it is with all older cars. The engine would be the last thing I would suspect as the LS engines will run for a long time. As for as I know the A4 trans is also a sturdy unit. A stellar service record will go a long way to tell if the car has been taken care of. If there is not a congruent service history I would be concerned.
If you can find someone on the forum who lives close to you who knows the C5 I would try to get them to look at any potential car you are considering. Would be worth a couple of dinners or a few beers. I would also consider any car on this forum from a member who has been here for awhile.
I do not have a C5 but have been around a few but I am a car guy and again would look for someone who knows the C5 to look at a potential buy.
03-16-2019, 10:12 AM
Looking to buy my first C5 (OH resident)
