EyeMaster

Here's another question regarding my quest to get a Corvette.

Is there anything wrong with a high mileage Corvette? I don't care if a window can go up or down, or minor electronic glitches. What I am worried about is that the engine, transmission and diff, are all in working order.

Any reason to fear one that has between 100k -200k on it?

I plan on buying without test driving. I live in Canada and will fly down to the states when I find the right car at the right price, then drive it back home.

Gman in NC

I really wouldn't think so. These are 'Chevy' parts and the aftermarket is very much involved too. I'd sooner buy a Vette with 100,000 miles on it than a Mercedes, Porsche or BMW. Anything with that many miles will take some attention but the foreign cars will hit your wallet a lot harder.

BornSUPERCHARGED

You plan on buying a Corvette, that you haven't seen in person, with high mileage ?

I would not buy a car with more than 75k miles, REGARDLESS. **** really starts breaking, belts, tire wear, etc. You don't know the full history, nobody knows except the owner(s) of the car you're buying. Car Fax may not know half the things the car has been through because they might not be reported.

I would shy away from buying a Corvette with that many miles. Hell, 50k miles used on a Corvette would make me very scared. I bought mine with what, like 22k miles used... You should, at a very minimum, get the VIN and check it through your insurance agency to ensure there are no surprises waiting for you.

My simple advice is: don't get a high mileage corvette.

BornSUPERCHARGED

Problem is, any money you SAVE by going with a higher mileage Corvette, you will spend in repairs and fixes. Don't downplay the Corvette Tax we all pay. Tires? At LEAST $700. New belts? New alternator? New battery? Water pump? Hoses? Etc... all these things and more add up quickly. You just dont know what condition any of it is REALLY in.

dvilin

No way would I buy a high mileage Vette without a test drive. With the miles you are talking about, there is a whole list of things that could be wrong with it.

ospreycorvette

The Corvette will fair as well or better than most with high mileage. All those replacement items are due on any car with high mileage, it really depends on how it was maintained, just like any other good car. these cars have really been refined over the years. I would personally stay away from one that was tracked.

vettedoogie

This is kind of a ridiculous question because it all depends on the Vette in question and what the life of that Vette has been like. I'd check any used Vette's GM service record to get some indication. Forget CarFax.

EyeMaster

That's how I got my Miata, but there is a difference in cost. The Miata is 1/4 or 1/3 the price of a Corvette. Of course, before buying you try to find out as much as you can from the target car.

I don't like the idea of buying a perfect condition, low mileage car, then driving at the race track and losing it on a concrete wall. I'd rather have a not so pristine car, but in good mechanical shape. Are there problems with the drive train in, say, a c6 2005 with 140 000 miles on it? I expect the body to have wear and tear, not so perfect paint and such, but I would expect the whole drive train to be in relatively good condition. There's no timing belt to change. How about a water pump and oil pump? Change the fluids, check the tires / brakes, and we're golden, right? No?

Has the z51 package been available for all years of C6? I have had contradictions on this.

BornSUPERCHARGED

Why don't you just get a C5, plenty of parts widely available, it'll have high mileage and it closely resembles the C6. You'll get it cheaper than you can find a C6 as well.

EyeMaster

Yes. There is inherent risks. There's a level of trust and I could end up with a lemon. There are lots of questions that will be asked to the seller and as much that can be acquired from the vehicle vin as possible. We do start here, however, where the experienced Corvette owners such as you guys on this forum, will be able to direct people towards problem areas and things to verify before jumping in.

EyeMaster

I'm also thinking of the C5 z06, but it is not as stunning as the C6 and there might be problems with the ABS module. It does feel better when driving it. The throttle response in the C6 is less than desirable. I'm hoping that can be changed.

mforman42

It all depends on how the miles were accrued. I've driven cars over 100K myself that were still fresh with all those miles (almost all in freeway driving), but I've seen cars that were totally trashed after 30K. My first Vette was still fine after 85K over 5 years. Didn't burn any oil, tranny still shifted smoothly, original clutch and brakes were still serviceable.

Highway miles with regular maintenance will not cause much of an issue, but 10K done a quarter mile at a time will

Have to look at and drive the car. Also have a qualified mechanic evaluate it. It's worth the expense.

VettinFan

It depends on the year and how well was it was maintained. If the previous owner(s) took really good care of it and it wasn't neglected it can be a good car. You really need to have it checked out thoroughly, including VIN/CarFax check, and take it for a test drive. I'm getting the feeling the price is exceptionally low and may be the driving force for you. Good Luck

MDPD23

I sold my '05 Coupe Z51 with 140,000 miles for one reason only-needed the money. Other than that, it was my DD and I never abused it. Changed the oil religiously and just took real good care of it. Actually considered buying it back when the $$ issue cleared up, but decided on going with an '08. Don't be afraid as long as you get the history of the car.

NJLS708

if you find a Corvette with 200,000 miles on it you can probably pick it up for $10,000. And for under $20,000 you can have a new engine, tranny and rear installed and you have a brand new Vette for under $30,000

bjmcphee

When I sold my C5 the new owner had an Car Inspection company come and check it out, they then provided a report to him stating anything they found. I did not get a copy, although I talked with the new owner about a couple of things that were brought up. I had complete maintenance history, which I provided to the new owner... It had 64000 on it when I sold it, and a year later the new owner sent me an email telling me it was the best used car he ever had... I don't think you can make generalizations, you need to talk with the seller.... IMHO...

Agent White

100k - 200k miles with no test drive? You might buy a real nightmare that's been ratflogged by a pseudo-racer!

BornSUPERCHARGED

For as many honest people there are in the world, I'll bet there are more dishonest people. A few months ago I bought a '97 V6 Chrysler Sebring for $1000, 80k miles on it & power everything (including sun roof).

I got it checked out by a shop, they said it looked good but had some old tires on it and would probably need fluids changed. Other than that, they didnt see any issues.

So I go to get it inspected... seems he had removed the light bulb for the CEL So we put in a new bulb, and it's got like 4 codes. We had to:
- Replace EGR valve & hose
- Change fluids
- 4 new tires
- Replace 3 relays
- Replace EVAP purge canister
- Replace a leaking EVAP hose
- Replace spark plugs & wires
- Replace windshield washer tank with one that didn't have a hole in it (didn't HAVE TO replace it, but we did)
- Replace windshield wiper blades
- Replace IAT and MAF sensors
- New radio (the original one didn't work)

That $1000 car, that we had checked out prior to purchase, turned into a $2500 car quite quickly Of course, a comparable mileage Sebring would have run around $3000, but then what would have been wrong with it? What would I have had to fix on it? There's always something.

I figured for $1000 it would have issues, and I'm glad it was everything short of the engine and transmission All in all, we did pretty good and my brother loves the car (it was for his 16th birthday).

Point is, sometimes you'll get a great deal and everything will work fine.

Sometimes you'll get a great deal, you'll think and be told it's a great deal, and then you'll get it home and find a can of worms.. and as you start to empty that can of works, you uncover a garbage bin full of worms. Just be prepared that when you buy used, not everyone will be as honest as the forum members who are responding to your thread with "I sold mine and never gave it more than 50% gas the whole time I owned it!"

EyeMaster

I didn't know there were companies that did this. That's a great service. I was thinking of finding people or services in the region to go look at it before hand or something. At pick up, I'd bring it to a mechanic, drive it and all, but need to be 95% sure that the car is in good shape before I spend money on a plane ticket for me and my SO.

Don't worry, I'm not kidding myself. I expect the car to have been used and abused. You don't get 400hp and not want to use it.

torquetube

If anything, your worries should run the other way. Mechanical engine problems are easily diagnosed and parts are cheap. You could even drop in a replacement engine for not much money.It depends. If your objective is to wind up with a very reliable car because you can't/won't work on it yourself, then yes: a 200K mile car is too high a risk. On the other hand, if you're bargain hunting and don't mind doing auto repair (and can afford to), then go for it.