Its late and I need to go to bed, but I wanted to share my experience and get some recommendations from those of you that are more knowledgeable than I am in this area.

I wasn't looking specifically for a Z06, I was looking for a Yellow convertible when I happened upon an 03 Z06, Millennium Yellow about an hour west of me. I was intrigued, but hesitant at the same time. Let me give you what I know about the car ...

93K miles, multiple owner (mostly senior and lady owned), not modified in any way and used for long distance drives, garaged all the time. Lots of maintenance records detailing fluid changes at correct intervals, a complete AC overhaul to the tune of $1881 and a brake controller replacement and reprogram for another $1800 (verified with receipts). Tires are 3 years old and have maybe 7/32 of tread left.

Interior is near perfect, including the steering wheel. Original shifter, cold AC. DIC shows only some minor codes, most of the reporting was "no codes". Underbody is very clean. Body is immaculate and paint is near perfect. No curb rash on the wheels. Trunk is immaculate.

Engine. Running original harmonic balancer. It needs to be changed. I was able to see the rubber sleeve had cracked in a number of places, so I count this as needing immediate replacement. I tried to scope the valve springs as there was no documentation indicating they had been changed. The borescope I have wouldn't allow me to go beyond the 1st spring and it was not yellow. I would have figured if there was a problem, it would have manifested itself by now. Still, I believe for safety sake, they need to be changed.

Clutch is light and works well. No shudder. I don't think this car was ever driven hard at all. While shifting I noticed 1st to 2nd shift was a little notchy and maybe this is just GM transmissions. I'm used to BMW transmissions as they are more of a "snick, snick" type of engagement. Lastly, I noticed if I shut the car off in neutral without engaging the clutch, you can hear a driveline reverberation. If I leave the clutch engaged, you don't get this. I think this is a GM thing as well, so I'm guessing this is not an issue.

So, here is my dilemma. The guy bought it 3 months ago and realized it doesn't fit his life and he needs to unload it. He has a clear title to it and there is no lien on it. The asking price is $17,500. I think he got this price from NADA as that is what is quoted as Dealer retail.

I'm thinking about making him an offer on it in the $15-$16K range as it needs both the replacement of the harmonic balancer and the valve springs for peace of mind. I can do both as I have the garage space with a small lift.

So, I'm trying to decide if this is a good deal or not. I have tried to tell you everything I know about the car. If the balancer and the springs would have been done, I would be more inclined to make an offer. Also I have to factor in the high miles and multiple ownership into the equation.

What would you do?

 

I guess the big question is do you want a convertible or a hard top? $17.5k is too much for that mileage. I paid $25k for my 02Z with 9k miles 2 years ago, so $15k would be fair. The exhaust rattle with the clutch out is normal as is the notchy 1st & 2nd. If the valve springs looked like bare metal with an orange stripe they're original. I would think with almost 100k miles if they were bad they would've let go by now, but like you said to be safe they should be replaced with the HB.

Steve

 

I agree - offer him $15K and see what the response is. Sounds like a well kept car but needs a couple of things fixed.

 

Dont pay nada....hit him a few k lower see what comes of it. A nice Z for teens is a fair buy

 

IMHO, you will not be happy since your original focus on buying a C5 was a convertible. I went through the same thought in my 6 months of searching for my C5 04 convertible. I saw several non convertibles that where yelling at me to buy them. I walked away, resisting the urge to make an offer. Almost 5 years in ownership of the convertible, I am very happy I did not compromise on my reason for owning a Corvette. Good luck on your decision.

 

I am afraid I'm experiencing paralysis by analysis. In one respect I want a convertible, but the summers here can be absolutely brutal. There is nothing more unsatisfying then sitting at a street light in the heat of the summer, sizzling in your seat waiting for the green light. Running the AC on high with the windows up and the top down does very little on those days.

However, when the sun goes down having the top dropped is decidedly a joy - as are the early morning rides. The coupe may be a better compromise, but with the wind buffeting experienced by the targa roof, I'm afraid I wouldn't be happy with that either. I guess the ideal solution would be a removable FRC..

Anyway... I'm thinking the Z06 is not ideal. If it has less owners and lower miles it might be a better buy. I don't want to get caught in a situation where after a year or two I want to move on from it and then I'm stuck with it due to these 2 factors. I can't seem to keep anything for long as far as my personal toys go. Our daily drivers - that's a whole different issue - as we tend to hold onto them much longer, but toys are just that - toys.

 

I agree with what others have said about figuring out what you want first. I can tell you from my experience, recently purchasing an 01 Z06, that's what I wanted. I have had several C5 coupes, and even a C6 coupe, but wanted the fixed roof car and I live in Sunny South Florida! The removable tops are great, but for me I was after that rigid fixed roof car with a one of a kind look (the FRC).

As for your Z, I'd say $15 would be a good offer if he'd take it, I found a pristine example about 700 miles from me and flew in to drive it home. It was super low miles, and while 01 Z's get a bad rap, this car far exceeds any past Corvette I have owned. I love it!

Good luck, and I think a C5 Z06 is a good buy these days.

 

$17.5 is too much at over 90k miles. 15 is fair. I’d say definitely get the Z, I have one but then again I personally would never buy a convertible.