When looking at used C5's what kind of issues or expenses am I looking at when considering a unit with 100k miles on it? Should I scroll on by or are they good to go to 150k or more?

 

I’d much rather buy a car that’s been driven and well maintained. 100,000 miles on a 20+ year old car shouldn’t automatically disqualify it. You need to look it over. Ask questions about maintenance. Find out how many owners it’s had. DRIVE IT. Anyone should be able to look at a car and tell if it’s had a hard life. Look at the simple maintenance items. Are the brake shoes and rotors in good shape? are the belts cracked? is there funny tire wear?. If a car hasn’t had the simple repairs/maintenance performed then it’s likely the rest of the car has been neglected. If you don’t trust yourself, test drive it to a mechanic.

 

Thanks, good advice.

 

Tires for age and wear ( a new set of Michelins is $1250). Learn how to read the DOT date code stamped on the tires. Over 6 years old is no bueno.

Harmonic balancer wobble; big job to replace.

Clutch ( $2000+)

Color of clutch fluid. If the clutch fluid is dirty, brownish, the clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder may have damage to seals.

Look for rust/ corrosion at the battery tray and beneath it where the computer is located. Battery acid has been known to leak down and damage the electronics.

 

Wouldn't worry about miles. A 20 year old car with 100k means about 5k miles a year.

 

I agree that 200,000+ is probably the "new" 100,000 miles. That said, it's 100,000 miles, whether bit by bit, or in large chunks. One possible advantage to buying a car that's been owned long term by the same person is they may have installed many updated parts to replace marginal OEM parts, as they may have failed by the time 100,000 miles are racked up......

 

I will admit l was worried about buying my c5 3 years ago because of the high miles. l think it had around 153000 Km (l'm in Canada) which is 95000 miles. Everything worked great on the car (A/C, auto trans, electrical etc) but the mechanic did find an oil leak at the rear of the engine. I purchased the car anyways at a good price and l am still happy with her. Most people here will tell you to get the car checked out and enjoy it. I'm glad l did. Good luck.

 

There's a C5 in the National Corvette Museum that was well over 700K miles on the original LS1 motor/ There are several members on this forum with over 200K miles. These cars were designed to be driven, and tend to develop certain problems if they are not. As such, 100K is really not a bad thing. The number 1 factor with a C5 is how well it was cared for. I would take a really well cared for C5 with 200K miles on it over an abused and neglected C5 with 20K miles on it. Also remember that no matter how many miles they have, they're ALL 17+ years old. My #1 piece of advice would be to get a pre purchase inspection done by someone who is familiar with these cars. If possible, I would also advise that you focus on '02-'04 model years. However, that doesn't mean the older cars are bad. They can have some parts availability issues though. I highly recommend that you read all of the sticky pots at the top of the C5 general and C5 tech forums. There is a TON of info there that will help you make a good informed decision. Good luck with your search.

 

Its not the engine you have to worryabout so much its everything attached and underneath it.
I wouldnt buy anything with 150k no matter what brand. Just too many, youre always going to be replacing something.

100k isnt that much to be concerned about IF it was maintained. Not many today do preventative maintenace like replacing cruicial parts before they go bad. Usually an oil change and wax in thier mind is "babied"

You gotta drive them. THere are 100k mi cars that are roaches and others rock solid you wont know til you get behind the wheel.
One thing that works for me is getting the seller on the phone you can tell a whole lot from a voice. Does he keep his home up ? Himself? No offense to anyone here but super fat people are usually lazy to me its a red flag

 

Take charge your self!... You gonna drive Vette, you want to know about em!... Read this forum daily for ONE year... Ask questions along the way THEN buy.... Blind purchase can be dangerous to your health.. sorta thing.

 

I'd want to know if the harmonic balancer has been replaced. Also carefully check the rear main seal and oil pan gasket for leaks.

 

My 1998 C5 has 160,000 miles on it. The previous owner was meticulous about his maintenance. He was a NASA engineer at the Kennedy Space Center and drove the car back and forth between Daytona and the Cape thus the high mileage. It had a new Summit Racing Harmonic Balancer on it, all new urathane bushings, and every receipt since new.
The car runs, looks, and drives like new. I got every receipt since new with the car.
I would not be afraid to buy a high mileage car as long as it was well maintained and documented.

 

With any car, be sure to check maintenance records. Check the usual things - tires, brakes, hoses, fluids, filters, belts, interior and exterior condition. If it is a manual, have the clutch checked. Make sure everything works on the car. Depending on the year of the car and the transmission, make sure the column lock issue has been taken care of.

The C5 is a pretty robust platform and 100K miles is not an automatic no-go threshold.

 

I bought a +97,000 miles manual convertible 4 years ago and I've driven it +20,000 miles to date. In order of items (excluding oil changes, fluids, filters and gasoline), some of the work, DIY.

New battery- $86
Radio **** and door screw covers- $15
LMC5- $47
Trunk struts- $25
New convertible top and passenger window adjustment (parts and labor)- $1,300
Deck lid struts- $18
New driver's seat cushion $206 (cushion $86, labor $120)
Tires; BF Goodrich G-Force Comp-2 A/S)- $735
New plugs and wires (parts and labor)- $388.63
Brakes (pads and rotors)- $184
New sun visors (driver & passenger)- $150
New radiator (parts and labor)- $500
Differential and axel seals replaced (parts and labor)- $1,049
Serpentine belt and idler pulleys- $50
Panavex driver's side mirror (stick on)- $46
Water pump and thermostat- $140
Sway bar end links (rear 2x) and T40 socket- $52

The biggest single expense was the new convertible top in my first year of ownership, the next biggest expense was dealing with the leaky rear end- that issue surfaced last year (my 3rd year of ownership). I'd not let the miles deter you- in fact my car today with +117,000 miles is actually a better car than it was 4 years ago with 97,000 miles.

 

I bought my C5 convertible in October with 102,000mi. I am the 3rd owner. Previous owners obviously took care of it. Had a very complete Carfax. The top is original and has one small hole. I will be replacing it as it is showing some wear beyond having that hole. I just did drivers seat air bladders and seat track repair. Also replaced plugs and wires. That's it. Everything works. Drives great. I think it all comes down to condition and care.

 

100k?

 

One thing that works for me is getting the seller on the phone you can tell a whole lot from a voice. Does he keep his home up ? Himself? No offense to anyone here but super fat people are usually lazy to me its a red flag[/QUOTE]

You are an ***. In addition, possibly illiterate. A true indictment of character and the American education system.

 

You are an ***. In addition, possibly illiterate. A true indictment of character and the American education system.[/QUOTE]


I take it you're a large fellow?

 

No matter how one might justify it as no big deal, 100, 000 miles is a lot of wear for Detroit iron, even when it comes from Kentucky.

A complex design with deferred or neglected maintenance can be a very deep financial hole to dig out of, it is the stuff of legends, you might have heard. and even regular high line upkeep can be an issue as the cars decline in value, just check how much car one can buy very cheaply in a used rolls Royce. You almost have to be able to afford a new copy to keep an old one on the road, pretty much.

Most used cars are sold because of problems, few people sell a perfect car. maintenance is the key, these are high line cars, and proper maintenance costs are still high line as the cars decline in value over time, , so it often gets deferred . It is not a Toyota pick up, it was designed to be clipped together as quickly as possible, with ease and cost of maintenance left as a bridge crossed when it hits the customer.

A car of those miles will need significant repairs as parts wear out. Most fan boys will point to the engine as good for the long run, but omit the other associated expenses required to keep the car roadworthy over the years. All car wear is consumption, so anything that didn't wear out previously , will need to be replaced with high milage. My alignment guy questioned if he even wanted to accept the car for work until he checked the rubber in the steering joints, knowing the age of C5's. he didn't want to waste the effort if the car couldn't hold work, he only works on cars he enjoys, having the skill set to be selective.

I am currently planning on replacing the rubber in the torque tube, which I was too ignorant to change when I did the expensive clutch work, not really thinking that 40, 000 miles , the projected life left in the connectors, would pass so quickly. The labor alone will be over $1.000 dollars. After that, I can plan on the wheel bearings wearing out. I might get lucky on the balancer, another labor intensive repair, some last the life of the car, but I never count on luck with machines. I strive for the day when all my maintenance will be preventative only, I have a list of items yet to accomplish.

All the same concerns with any used car purchases are in play, the only unusual deal is the complexity of the design, and the increased cost to run such a design. I also look carefully at the seller along with the car. My previous owner was textbook perfect, an old guy corvette enthusiast who didn't race and had the financial ability to keep the car in good professional repair, I picked the car up from his second home on spacious gated grounds, not the retirement condo by the beach where a new Miata is just easier. .

I enjoy my high mileage convertible, but wildly overestimated my desire to work on the thing, along with my desire to learn a new skill, working on a fully computer controlled car. I can barely work my phone, so my learning curve is steep and slow, but I am getting there. Fortunately, I have some how to run an obsolete car knowledge in my past, and hope to prevent reliving again the more serious mistakes.

Good luck with your purchase decision. I enjoy having a car designed solely for fun, because that is my only need for the thing, I'm fully retired, baby.

 

I purchased my '99 with 165,000 miles on the odometer knowing it probably had some issues. The car had basically unknown previous owners (except for the collector I purchased it from) and had at one time had a minor front end collision with a tire barricade on a road course track. None of these issues bothered me since I enjoy doing my own work. The car runs strong and everything with the exception of the AC works perfectly. The AC just needs a charge and I'll get around to that before next summer.

The only mechanical issue I found was a leaking oil pan gasket. Now, that is a rather involved job on a C-5 but with the proper tools it was not a big deal to fix. While I was at it I replaced the rotors and pads, just for piece of mind. I also replaced the horrible C-5 seats, which in my opinion are not comfortable at all. At the moment the car is sidelined for a complete color change and some esthetic improvements (front splitter, rear spoiler, and '67 Big Block hood scoop.) Paint will be finished in the spring when the temps are warm enough.

The point is: Don't let high mileage cars scare you away. If it has been properly maintained they'll run almost forever. And even if they have some issues, if you're not afraid to tackle them yourself they can still be a good investment. Maybe I'm not your typical C-5 owner, but I know there are several on this forum who enjoy doing their own work and are not afraid to help anyone who wants to learn.