I'm thinking of getting back into a C5 again. Most of the ones I'm seeing have at least 75K miles, some look good but have 100K miles, what should I look for in a high mileage C5?

 

if the car has problems, offer less to use that additional funds to fix the problems.

 

100k miles is nothing on corvette c5 models. I would look at 2002 or newer personally.

For what people are buying c5 s for these days I wouldnt worry about mileage.

I just sold a great 143k 2008 c6 z51 m6 for 11 grand. It was a great car and needed nothing ..

have fun and the c5 manual in z06 or convertible format would always be on my personal radar ...

btw to get to 143k miles in that c6 since new..li spent about 6 grand not including gas, oil changes or tires...

wonderful ownership experience. Buy a c5 with high mileage with confidence,

i really wouldnt worry about mileage..

16 to 18 year old vehicle driven 6k miles a year would amount to at least 96k or 108k miles...

whats six thousand miles a year?

 

Bought an 03 Z in Feb. 70K miles and put about 3K miles with zero issues except a drivers side headlight motor.

 

70-100k miles is hardly considered high mileage for a 20 year old car. Bought mine with 80k miles and consider that low mileage for an 01. I’d consider anything over 140k or so high mileage

 

In June I bought a ‘98 with 37,000 miles on it - at a Chevy dealership - I paid a little more for it but it looked like it just came out of the Corvette plant

 

The main thing would be differential condition. By that mileage it likely has cracked bellville washers and might be whining depending on how it was used. Look for a car with a properly rebuilt rear end or budget 2500 to replace it yourself or maybe around 4k to have it done. Everything else will be normal 20 year old car problems that will come up no matter what car you buy or what due diligence you do! Good luck!

 

Like anything as long as it was taken care of high miles shouldn't be a problem. Get it checked out / check it out yourself and if the deal seems good, go for it!

 

My '99 FRC has 165,000 miles and still runs strong. Doesn't leak oil, shifts OK, and the only real problem it has is the AC doesn't work... and I'm fixing that. The previous owner, a Corvette collector, started to paint the car and half way through had health issues and couldn't finish it. I'll take care of that problem soon. There is nothing wrong with a high mileage C-5 as long as it has been properly treated and maintained.

 

I'd be more concerned about previous maintenance than mileage in most cases. If the history is clean, not flooded or wrecked my next concern would be if was raced or had aftermarket modifications performed by amateur mechanics. With proper maintenance these will go 200k miles or more.

 

I bought a 2001 C5 convertible/Automatic with 88K miles in 2015. The car now has 155K. The car was purchased new, driven and well maintained by a retired friend of mine. It was parked for 4 years when his health failed. I purchased the car and spent money doing a thoughtful recommission. HVAC display was dead and fixed for less that $100 (Pulled it out and mailed it off for repair) ditto the Abs computer which I pulled and sent out to repaired for $75. I installed a new radiator and hoses, fluids, brakes, tires, radio antenna, seat foam, shifter cable ends, etc. I later had the top replaced because the rear window came loose and my home grown, $20 repair only lasted a few years. I did most of the work myself so all together I have about 18K total in the car including purchase price, all repairs and maintenance.

I think the long period of storage caused most of the issues that I have had with the car. I still need to fix an oil leak and would like to give it a repaint (both will cost some money, but I think since I will keep the car, totally worth it). So, for the price of a used Toyota, I am driving a BEAUTIFUL Dark Blue C5 that runs like a champ, still turns heads and is a blast to drive. If you buy the car right and chase down the little stuff, you wont have any big stuff. Avoid cars that have been tracked, modified, abused, crashed and neglected. In my opinion, mileage is secondary. There are plenty of clean, well maintained, and well cared for C5s and C6s out there for reasonable money. I am very happy with mine.

 

I would not be scared by mileage at all. Treated well, these cars can go the distance. There is a C5 in National Corvette Museum that has over 750,000 miles on it and that was still on it's original engine.
I've had two C5s with over 100,000 miles and no problems. I have another C5 knocking on the 100,000 mile mark.

 

Thats not High mileage if the car was treated properly. 73k here and it runs like its new.

 

Heard often is the saying "proper maintenance beats mileage every time". Truer words were never spoken! Especially when looking at higher mileage C5's carefully review the maintenance records and have the car checked by a shop/tech who knows these cars well. Good luck to you in your search!.

 

bought 2001 last year 55k , just did the Dragons Tail in Tennessee , runs great

 

Bought mine with 89k - one owner car. Currently has 115,000 and rising

Things I have repaired/replaced (that were not caused by the dealer the PO had been using):
HVAC Display (was dim and also replaced bulbs) - Common/known
Water pump/all coolant lines. Water pump gaskets developed a very slow seep at 100k. did all the hoses, overflow tank, etc.
Belts and pulleys/idlers (normal for the age/mileage)
Alternator decoupler (normal for the age/mileage)
Plugs and wires (routine)
Changed tranny filter and fluid as pm - was like new.
Drained and refilled diff - again was super clean
Had to top off freon once - has a very, very slight o-ring leak - already bought parts in anticipation of repair.
Replaced fan motors - one was getting noisy.
Tires were new when I bought it - literally just had them done 2 weeks ago.
Car has a great fun factor for the cost. Runs awesome. I plan on running this one out to 200k

I did the work, so super reasonable to maintain. Vettronics did the HVAC display (I removed and shipped it).