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"Mechanically", apart from the obvious Z06 vs. the rest, not much difference. And the mechanical bits are not where problems usually arise. Electronics and sparing are a different story and point to buying the newest one you can afford. Although I suspect in a few more years, no C5 is going to be free of these issues.
I thought there was a year the valve spring issue was corrected.
Some '02-'03 had the bad springs. '04 did not have the spring problem but some have a fuel tank issue. I changed my springs just for piece of mind, this should not be a deal breaker.
I’m not too concerned about a lesser horsepower - so does ‘01 have a valve spring issue? What is the gas tank issue in ‘04 and is there an issue on getting this problem corrected in dealerships and elsewhere?
I’m not too concerned about a lesser horsepower - so does ‘01 have a valve spring issue? What is the gas tank issue in ‘04 and is there an issue on getting this problem corrected in dealerships and elsewhere?
'01 didn't have the valve spring issue. But a number of people with '01 had issues with weak piston rings causing oil to blow past resulting in high oil consumption. I'm not sure if my '01 has this issue as I don't get into the upper RPMs very often since I mostly DD it.
If the price difference between the years wasn't a factor ('01s tend to be least expensive), I'd probably pick '03. It has a lesser chance of valve spring issues and won't have the '04's gas tank problem.
'01 didn't have the valve spring issue. But a number of people with '01 had issues with weak piston rings causing oil to blow past resulting in high oil consumption. I'm not sure if my '01 has this issue as I don't get into the upper RPMs very often since I mostly DD it.
If the price difference between the years wasn't a factor ('01s tend to be least expensive), I'd probably pick '03. It has a lesser chance of valve spring issues and won't have the '04's gas tank problem.
If you do a search you can find the VIN range for the gas tank issue. I would go for the '04 if it's not in that range (or if you can confirm that the gas tank issue has already been fixed).
If I was looking for a Zo6. Newest lowest miles I could find. Would not have to be the fastest. Would have too be the cleanest best kept. In my search I would allow for a 01 if it met my criteria of not the fastest but well kept.
Valve springs are a tempest in a tea pot. I had mine done by a Corvette specialist who is not cheap for $600 as a preventative measure. There are a number of other potential problems that can get you as on most any other performance car.
If I was looking for a Zo6. Newest lowest miles I could find. Would not have to be the fastest. Would have too be the cleanest best kept. In my search I would allow for a 01 if it met my criteria of not the fastest but well kept.
I totally agree. Get the cleanest, lowest mileage car you can afford.
Also, if you're planning on modifying it at all then the 20hp difference means nothing.
I’m not too concerned about a lesser horsepower - so does ‘01 have a valve spring issue? What is the gas tank issue in ‘04 and is there an issue on getting this problem corrected in dealerships and elsewhere?
If you're not concerned about the 20 hp bump, why not just pick up an LS1 FRC for a lot less than a Z06?
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I would probably concentrate my search on an '02-03 or a late production '04. You should be able to find a low mileage example of any of those years. Mechanically they are pretty much the same.
Try for the early style fuel system (fuel pump location). You'll thank yourself getting an early style with the pump on the BOTTOM of the DS tank and very easily accessible without removing the drivetrain and both tanks.
2001 Speedway White with mod-red interior for me...and I'm the proud, long time owner of a 2004 Z16. The Z06 in white was only available in 2001. Speaking from experience, the gas tank issue wasn't a big deal. I actually started smelling the fuel when parked overnight in my garage - it was like I had a lawnmower stored in there - before the recall was announced. I swapped gas caps thinking that was it. Once the recall came out I just kept her under 1/2 a tank until they figured out a way to fix. Original fix called for removing the rear-end and dropping both tanks. Later someone figured out how to do it with just removing the driver side rear wheel and liner. I've not had any issues since. Z06 Z16 #165 has about 45K miles on her now. No real issues but she's not driven hard and only sees about 1K miles a year. My biggest issues have been the HVAC display (common to all C5s) and the auto-dim driver's side mirror going bad. Other than that she's amazing in every way!
Designer Imagines A Corvette That Looks More Like a Corvette Than the Corvette
Slideshow: A Jaguar designer's personal project imagines what a modern front-engined Corvette might look like if Chevrolet revisited the golden age of the Stingray.
If you do a search you can find the VIN range for the gas tank issue. I would go for the '04 if it's not in that range (or if you can confirm that the gas tank issue has already been fixed).
