I’m in the beginning stages of looking for a Corvette. I think I want a 2001 Z-06. Many of the Corvettes I’ve seen for sale have 5 plus owners. One car had 8 owners. Should this concern me? Any tips on what to look out for? Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

Multiple owners is not usually a big warning sign, it’s a 20 year old sports car and not everyone holds on to them long term.

Just be picky and find one garage kept and really taken care of.

Why are you leaning towards an 01 Z06? The 02-04 had a little more power and some 01’s were more prone to burn oil.

 

Any reason for an 01 specifically? For me, less owners is ideal but if it's in good condition that shouldn't matter too much. The key is making sure it's in GOOD condition. Do your due diligence and have it inspected, preferably by a shop that's familiar with these cars.

 

I prefer one owner and would not go more than 2. I like knowing the car history, and nobody knows it better that the original owner. Those cars are out there - you just need to be patient. I bought my '02 a year ago from the original owner.

 

I'd stay away from the low mileage cars because you'll spend more on replacing the items that have been rotting away and or never been change.

even some people still keep the original tires lol

find some good deals though in the classified section.

 

The C5s are at a minimum 16 years old - chances are many have had multiple owners by now. If there is a good paper trail, especially maintenance wise, it should make it easier to accept multiple prior owners.

As for what to look for, check out the stickies at the top of the C5 General and C5 Tech sections. Specifically these:

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ion-files.html

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...fo-thread.html

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ngths-etc.html

 

It's all about condition of the vehicle.

When it comes to vette multiple owners is NOT a concern in my book. Its a toy car and generally by older guys.
Generally speaking vettes aren't dumped because of problems. Most of us vette owners are somewhat affluent and don't jump in and out just because of small things.

 

Multiple owners isn't bad. Mine had multiple owners but the Carfax was amazing. Every oil change and maintenance, that's what drove me to it. 01 had 385 hp whereas the 02-04 had 405. Only reason I'd get an 01 is for the speedway white since all my vettes have been white.

 

I agree with what other have said. My car had several owners before I bought it. If it is in good condition, the number of owner doesn't matter. I also agree that the 02-04 is better than the 01. Just my2 cents.

 

I’m the third owner on my 2003 50th Anniversary...always an Arizona car, no accidents but not really well cared for so bought it right and have caught up on a ton if “deferred maintenance” and appearance items.

Overall, my 14th Corvette and 3rd C5.

Your profile didn’t show location, but encourage you to look at southwest non-winter cars.

 

Read the stickies at the top of the page. Buy the latest year C5 you can afford. A check by a good shop/tech is an absolute, don't skip that step. Vehicle history and maintenance are extremely important. Don't believe anything a seller tells you unless you can verify it. Be patient and fussy! You can start looking right on this forum under "C5's FOR SALE'. C5'S are terrific cars but you need to choose wisely. A bad purchase on a C5 can get very expensive very quickly. Good luck to you

 

Thank you for the information. The reason i picked an 01 is because it is in my price range, and I read that Chevrolet worked out the kinks with the engine. If I am wrong then I stand corrected.

 

Thank you for the information. The reason for an 01 is because it's in my price range and I read that Chevrolet worked out the kinks with the engine. Am I wrong?

 

I live outside of Atlanta Ga.

 

Thank you for the information.

 

Thank you for the information. I'm very cautious when purchasing a car. i may reach out to you before I purchase one for your two cents.

 

I saw one on autotrader that had like 8 owners and the last owner wrecked it 4 times in less than a year. I’ve never seen so many wrecks on a carfax before

 

?????? Totally disagree with you. My '01 has 34k on it and I have yet to replace anything other than the sunvisors, tires and seat bottom foam. But then again you probably think a car like mine is ready for the scrap yard and will offer me $2k for it.

 

Beware of 'flooded out' cars being sold. Last year, and again right now parts of the country are/were under water, and those cars are being moved! Another reason for a good mechanic to check any prospective car (C5 or any other) before purchase!

 

it takes only one screwball to mess up a good machine , even a true garage queen, it is just with that with more owners, the odds don't get better.

my used 03 had a string of owners , with the principle buyer in Texas, then shipped out to California where the market is stronger, with about four owners in a short period of years in around the same area. It is a pretty car, but not for everyone. I reason that once the new models came out , people jumped on.a pretty car for a newly attractive price and moved on after a year or so. Then It hooked up with a long term owner for the majority of years, I bought it from a guy who carried pictures of the car around in his wallet, instead of his grandkids, and met him at his second house, behind the gates. always a positive sign, that the car probably has had professional attention and a suitable budget

As others have said, condition is everything. I would also , as others said, be on the look out to avoid flooded cars. Was just reading about cars being shipped to locations that haven't flooded, and getting the paperwork to look clean, however they manage that wasn't explained.

I still go by the conventional wisdom, the less miles, the better. Because of the smog requirements, and the financial exposure from those regulations, the engines will be fine on a high milage car. It's all the other stuff that needs rebuilding once you get up there in miles.