I'm searching for my First Corvette. I'm focused on '01 version since they are in my price range. However - I 've come across Several Forum articles that mention "piston slap" and "excessive (1 qt. in <1k miles !) oil consumption."
I have an Eldorado that I "babied" - fully "dealer maintained" - oil changes very 3-4,000 miles - only to go through the "bad rings" nightmare and end up with an GM "oil burner." (Gm mechanic says - "It's very expensive to fix. Just put oil in it.") I Certainly don't want to go through that again with a Corvette that I've waited half my life to own.
Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

Honestly - go with an '02.

Used car value is a function of model year and mileage, location, how bad someone wants to sell etc. I think you can probably locate a car without those issues in your price range.

Good luck!

 

This is going to depend on the individual car. Look at and listen to the particular car starting it COLD. The piston slap should be worst when the engine is cold, and should improve as the engine warms. GM has a bulletin that states the engine is normal if the piston slap goes away after a couple of minutes. Check the exhaust pipes for signs of excessive oil use.

I would cast my net over a wider range of years.

Find out what you can via CARFAX, service records, etc. Does the car have extensive engine mods or is it stock? May be a sign that the car was abused.

My 2003 has been pretty much trouble free. I use it as a daily driver and it has 34K miles since I purchased it new two years ago. Car is stock, I just drive and enjoy. When you read about or see "problem" Corvettes check if the problem is GM's or the problem source is "improvements" the owner has made to the car.

If you are buying from an individual, do they have service/maintenance receipts? If they do their own work (other than oil changes, etc), do they own a Service Manual? Why buy a car Bubba has experimented on?

When you find a car that you are interested in, pay for an evaluation by a Corvette mechanic you can trust. If the owner won't let you have the car evaluated, walk away.

 

Good advice.

I studied for quite some time before trading my C4 for a C5. I made the same decision; a 2002 or a 2003 from the first half of the model run was what I wanted. Found an '02, perfectly equipped with 8,000 miles.

Take your time but be prepared to move fast for the car you want.

 

Thanks, everyone. Good advice. Moving my sights up to the '02 / '03 range is probably the Best move for me to make.
Thanks again!

 

Take a look at the C5 General Sticky to give you an idea of what to look for when you're shopping for a C5. Not all cars have the probs in the Sticky, but you might as well try to find a perfect Vette if you can. The first things I'd do is look under the battery, even if it has a gel battery.

 

I have 150,000 on my 98 and beat it like it owes me money, no oil burning.

 

Like someone said, buy an '02.

 

I agree that you should cast a wider net.

I'd be looking for low mileage and the right options, regardless of year. My 98 has been trouble free and it's not like it never has to work either. Believe it or not, some of the later years had more problems than some of the earlier ones. There were oil leakage problems on some of the 2000+ models that never showed up on the 1997-1999's.

If it were me, I'd be looking for a low-mileage car with active handling (introduced mid-98), HUD, sport seats and Z51 suspension. If you go for an A4, make sure it has the performance ratio differential (mandatory with the Z51 suspension).

 

Thats becasue after 2K they changed the ring design and it was the rings which caused the oil burning. It just took GM over a yr to admit it.

"Hey GM, if its not broken, please dont fix it!"