hey guys.

is there anything i should look for when buying a 98 corvette or is it pretty much all the same as my 99? any drastic changes in the two years?

 

May or may not have a rear mounted EBTCM. Perimeter bolt heads instead of center bolt(that you'll never be able to give away). First year for the vert! No HUD. Fuel filters are cheaper since the regulator is not in the filter assembly. Pace car year.

 

Go late 01' or later.

 

No....but make sure you get active handling. I cancelled my order in August '97 in Dec '97 to reorder again to get active handling which came in on my car in March '98. It has never seen a dealer other than for column lock since I picked it up. Just about perfect!

 

My advice would be to have a good look around at the wiring to see if there has been any cutting. That would make ownership of the car miserable as these cars are very sensitive to electrical problems. Other than that I think they are pretty good cars. The Vette seemed to have upgrades every year so it is up to you and your pocket book as to where you jump in. Good luck in your acquisition.

 

i';ve got a 99 and she is great. the car i'm looking at is a 98 white/ black inteiror c6 chrome wheels 42000 miles.

asking price is 17 g's. seemed reasonable enough for me.

mods are exhaust everything else is bone stock. automatic!!

 

Take her for a drive and see how it handles. Should be straight and SMOOTH and STOP straight! Read ALL the DTCs. they tell a story!

Run it through a car wash.. If you have LEAKS,,,, either get it fixed before the sale or reduce the price!!!!!!!!!

READING YOUR Engine Diagnostic Codes (DTCs)

The Diagnostic Display Mode is entered with the following procedure:
1) Turn on the ignition but don't start the engine.
2) Press the RESET button to turn off any warning messages. (i.e. door open, trunk open etc…)
3) Press and hold OPTIONS
4) While holding OPTIONS, press FUEL four times within a 10-second period.

Initially, on-board diagnostics go into an Automatic Mode which shows diagnostic codes in a pre-set sequence: PCM - TCS - RTD - BCM - IPC - RADIO - HVAC - LDCM - RDCM - SCM - RFA. All codes will be displayed for each. ( i.e. PCM = 4 codes)
If none are present in a given module, you will see No More Codes on the display.
There are two kinds of diagnostic codes, Current and History designated with a letter suffix, C or ;H. A current code indicates a malfunction is present in the module displaying data. A history code indicates a problem existed sometime in the last 40 or 50 ignition cycles. When not accompanied by a current code of the same number, it's potential evidence of a previous problem, now resolved, that was not removed by clearing the codes.
More likely it's an indication of an intermittent malfunction.
Intermittent codes are the most challenging of the diagnostics. An intermittent code may have happened once, may have happened more than once but is inconsistent or may be happening on a regular basis but not at the time the codes are displayed. History codes can also be caused by a current malfunction in a system that is not operating at the time codes are displayed. An example is the rear window defogger which doesn't operate until the Body Control Module detects engine rpm. For history codes set by a module that does not operate with the key on and engine off, a special diagnostic tool called a Scan Tester is necessary to properly diagnose the malfunction.
Once the system has displayed all modules, it goes into the manual mode which allows selection of each module using combinations of Driver Information Center buttons. Manual mode can also be entered during the automatic sequence by pressing any button except E/M. Once the display shows Manual Diagnostics, select a module by pressing the OPTIONS button to go forward or the TRIP button to go back. Once a module is selected, a code is displayed, and if more than one are present;
press GAGES to go forward or FUEL to go back.
To exit the diagnostic mode at any time, press E/M. If you want to erase codes in a given module, press RESET
To reset the codes once in manual mode, press and hold RESET until it displays NO CODES Press OPTIONS to go to the next module. Repeat the steps until you have reset the codes in all the computer modules.
NOTE!! Only reset the codes IF you want to - it is NOT necessary to do this. Clearing a code does not repair a problem. You are simply erasing the evidence of it in the module's memory. If you clear the code/s, and extinguish the Check Engine Light, your emissions status ready will NOT allow you to pass an emissions test until you have completed the required driving cycles.
Once you have the codes, the next question is: What to do with the information?
First, consult the factory service manual. Any serious C5 Do-It-Yourself owner should invest in the Corvette Service Manual of the appropriate model year. The Service Manual is really a requirement if you want to understand and work on your C5.

Here is very good site of DTC definitions:


http://www.gearchatter.com


Make sure to include the H or C suffix!!

 

17g's for a '98 automatic seems high even with 42K miles...

 

love my 98 less crap less head aches runs and handles as good as any 97 - 2004 vette easy access to gas filter and easy access to may other parts you can fix yourself active handling for what are planing on drving or racing this vette we lived fine with out it one less problem

 

Hi - some of thoughts are covered in post above,

I adopted my first C5 a '98 vert with 42,000 this past May.

Should have know not to buy and odd year - this year has many of the faults as the '68 C2's and '84 C4's

Follow Bill's advise and check out all the codes - I did not and have paid the price

Code C1281 if this shows up steering sensor - replacement part is about 3 times the price of 00-04's - might be same on 99's but I know for sure it was used on 97's and 98's - labor and time to replace same on any C5 - part may be getting scarce - I could only find one in DFW metroplex.

Code P1431 - dreaded fuel gage. The sensor cards on these pumps are c**p. Lots of posts about running Techron and Seafoam - may be easy fix on 00 thru 04's - but IMO if the card is gone from wear between the contacts all the "snake oil" in the world ain't gonna fix it. AC Delco makes a "improved" card for the left (driver) side about $60.00 from Gene. Passenger side (left) you have to purchase entire assembly to fix the card for about $350.00. My research leads me to believe these units were unique to '97-'99s but I could be wrong. I do not belive the much less expensive units from 00 up will interchange (someone jump in and correct me if I'm wrong)

These are the two things I can tell you to be carefull of. If I had it to do over I would insist on a long test drive of the car over various road conditions at various speeds as anyone could have reset the DIC. Have the car checked out by a qualified mechanic or someone who has mechanical experince with the cars. Pull a "CarFax" or simular. Don't buy on supr of the moment - take your time and look around there are lots of C-5's listed on the Forum and other places on the web.

If you are buying from a dealer see if you can get a 30-90 day warranty of some sort and put as many miles as you can on it during that time.

With that all said - if I had it to do over again I'd go for a '03 or '04 and hope to not have the same problems.

Good Luck
Blue 396

 

I just purchased a 1998 41150 miles, 6 speed,imaculate condition, $15500.00 I have been seriously looking for a low milage vette for a while. I think I got a great deal. In the atlanta area, they are Hi.