Is this a good/solid deal?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 397
Likes: 33
From: Campton Hills, Illinois
Is this a good/solid deal?
Hello, I had been looking for a clean silver C5 Z06 and was becoming kind of discouraged with what I was finding. I then can across this 2005 C6. It has 27K miles silver in color with Z51, nav, heated black leather, 6 speed, glass roof, Goodyear eagles in good shape. The car only has one small nick on the drivers mirror otherwise is basically flawless. Owner won't move lower then 26250.00
The underside is as clean as the upper body which like I said is awesome. I know KBB and the likes has it for much more but its the market that counts I'm thinking.
I'm thinking this is good car for a good deal. The only detractor would be it is a 4 owner car but based on its cosmetics and mechanicals doesn't seem to matter. All the owners are from the same state.
Opinions?
The underside is as clean as the upper body which like I said is awesome. I know KBB and the likes has it for much more but its the market that counts I'm thinking.
I'm thinking this is good car for a good deal. The only detractor would be it is a 4 owner car but based on its cosmetics and mechanicals doesn't seem to matter. All the owners are from the same state.
Opinions?
Race Director
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 19,574
Likes: 167
From: Frederick, MD
Wow! So you would be the 5th owner? The car is only a max of 7 years old, that is less than 2 years per owner.
If he attempted to trade in that car he may see $20k. For a few more $k you can probably find an 07 or 08 that will most likely still have a power train warranty.
But if you really like the car then go for it. Check its history though and have it inspected. I just cannot picture someone owning a Corvette for about 1-2 years unless the car is a pig, something happened in their life or they bought more car then they could handle financially. The owner might change his mind when he finds out he will not have many offers. My guess is that he owes that much.
If he attempted to trade in that car he may see $20k. For a few more $k you can probably find an 07 or 08 that will most likely still have a power train warranty.
But if you really like the car then go for it. Check its history though and have it inspected. I just cannot picture someone owning a Corvette for about 1-2 years unless the car is a pig, something happened in their life or they bought more car then they could handle financially. The owner might change his mind when he finds out he will not have many offers. My guess is that he owes that much.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 397
Likes: 33
From: Campton Hills, Illinois
deal?
Well the carfax show1ist owner had it 4 years and 15K miles, 2nd owner 2.5 years and 4K miles, then 3rd owner 4 months and 8K miles and the 4the 4th owner about 1 or 2 months and 500 miles. which is the guy who's selling it now. I checked his name here (he's a member) and it seems he buys and sells vettes sometimes.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 370
Likes: 0
From: Wellington FL
I would say he's in the ballpark. I'm shopping too and Kelly BB seems to be high. I think if you run Edmunds it will give you a pretty good value for a private party sale. Then it's up to really evaluating condition. How does the trim and plastic look. Seats? Sometimes they look ok depending on how much garage time it's had, but can start to fade quickly on a 6 yr old car. Good Luck.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 397
Likes: 33
From: Campton Hills, Illinois
KBB vs Edmunds
Well I compared the 2 as suggested and they are way different. I think KBB as far as car value is more accurate. Case in point: I just sold my 2001 Mustang Bullitt to help fund my corvette. I went on KBB and they had it listed private party excellent condition at 10350. my car was somewhere between excellent and good. I sold it for 10000. I had a few offers at 9500.-10000 so I know it was not some fluke it sold. And I sold it in 2 weeks. Edmunds had it at 6902.
Now for the Corvette I'm considering, KBB has it at 29700 excellent and 28500 good. with the options. He's asking 26250. I'm not looking to steel a car just be in it very good since it will be sitting in garage most of it's life with me. I'm in the Midwest. Car is silver w/black. Edmunds has it at 24404. private party.
Thoughts?
Now for the Corvette I'm considering, KBB has it at 29700 excellent and 28500 good. with the options. He's asking 26250. I'm not looking to steel a car just be in it very good since it will be sitting in garage most of it's life with me. I'm in the Midwest. Car is silver w/black. Edmunds has it at 24404. private party.
Thoughts?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 397
Likes: 33
From: Campton Hills, Illinois
05
Thas what I have used on the past 3 or 4 cars my family has.
I have seen a few 05 C6's for less (around 24K) but they have been mush higher miles and in good shape not great.
I have seen a few 05 C6's for less (around 24K) but they have been mush higher miles and in good shape not great.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
have you seen this car yourself? since you're coming fr. mustangs, but know something of C5 Z's, do you know the potential issues w. C6s? this is a first model year car (and I'm not looking for controversy) and it has some differences from later model years of the same generation---do you know what they are? are you a tech/mechanic and know what to look for? have you taken the VIN and run it thru GM's proprietary computer system (VIS) to see what's been done to the car re recalls and voluntary TSBs (it's free at any GM dealer, not just Chev)? do you also have an AutoCheck on it (sometimes covers different things)?
those are my questions, and pics of what you're talking about re subject car would help us a bit. good luck.
those are my questions, and pics of what you're talking about re subject car would help us a bit. good luck.
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Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 397
Likes: 33
From: Campton Hills, Illinois
05
I have seen multiple pic.s which I am very aware can be misleading. I have run the carfax and autocheck both came back clean. Since the car was at 2 dealers and had 2 owners in the past 7 months I called both dealers to see what they had on the car. Most recent was a Volvo dealer which sold it to the current seller. They said clean car and it was only brought back for a coolant leak issue. The seal by block and water pump was leaking. The second to last dealership was a chevy dealer which told me that coolant issue is somewhat common in their shop. They had bought the car at auction. They gave it new brakes up front, did a recall replacement for a door handle rattle and changed the wipers.
The last dealership that had the car said the buyer presented himself as a corvette guy/fanatic and were not sure why he was selling it a after one months ownership.
This seller has stated he is on the forum often and has sold cars here also. I have also emails two forum members who I have found that state they would do the VIS report for me.
If knew how to upload a few pictures I would.
As always I appreciate the input.
The last dealership that had the car said the buyer presented himself as a corvette guy/fanatic and were not sure why he was selling it a after one months ownership.
This seller has stated he is on the forum often and has sold cars here also. I have also emails two forum members who I have found that state they would do the VIS report for me.
If knew how to upload a few pictures I would.
As always I appreciate the input.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
good info. do a search on the seller's handle on CF. see what you come up with. find if there are any negatives. tell us what they are, if any. we do have some people on CF who ONLY sell used parts, or ONLY sell cars. not saying this is bad, but it could be for the reasons you can imagine.
again, if you're not a mechanic/tech fluent in C6s, take someone/find someone who is to look over the car with you. find a local corvette shop and expect to pay for an inspection. or you can buy a used car the way most are bought: by looking at it, driving it and giving it a cursory once over. not saying you're doing this since you have done quite a bit.
again, if you're not a mechanic/tech fluent in C6s, take someone/find someone who is to look over the car with you. find a local corvette shop and expect to pay for an inspection. or you can buy a used car the way most are bought: by looking at it, driving it and giving it a cursory once over. not saying you're doing this since you have done quite a bit.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 370
Likes: 0
From: Wellington FL
Sounds like if the car checks out, then you should be content to give him asking price since it is better than the your KBB value and no haggling req'd. I'm not a KBB hater, I just noted that it tends to bound the higher side of value (in my opinion, too high for vettes in this current market, as I don't think many informed buyers would go $29k on an 06 Z51), wheras Edmunds bounds the lower end, at least on vettes I've looked at. If you buy at Edmunds price, chance are you will be getting a square deal. Whenever I purchase a car, I try to find real trade in value and shoot for as close to that as possible. To me trade in really puts a very lower bound on the absolute minimum the car is ever worth under most situations. Also, some of these value tools do not have the ability to properly value all options, so you get ballpark values that you may have to adjust. Like NPP is a nice option, but kbb, nada, Edmunds do not have the ability to value this. Good luck
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 397
Likes: 33
From: Campton Hills, Illinois
05
That's a good point about the trade value.
Since my initial plan for the past few months was getting into a C5 Z06 I need to get into this car good as I will be pushing my buget 3-4K and I'm buying it outright.
Since my initial plan for the past few months was getting into a C5 Z06 I need to get into this car good as I will be pushing my buget 3-4K and I'm buying it outright.
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 46,295
Likes: 2,596
From: Northern, VA
St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
don't forget: you get into it too good, and you may be looking at repairs/replacements sooner than you want, or can afford. just think tires, for instance, or clutch.
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 3,639
Likes: 8
From: Jersey Strong NY/NJ
IMHO I would be very skeptical about a car that has had 4 owners in such a short period of time. I would think that would reduce the cars value and give you a little more wiggle room for negotiations VS. a 1-2 owner car. Either way just make sure you look over the car very well and maybe even try to pull up the service history at a local dealership. I did that before I bought my 07 C6 off of ebay. The car was in Vegas and I was in NY so I couldnt see the car in person before purchasing it so I had my local chevy dealer pull up the cars service history using the VIN#.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Instructor
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 181
Likes: 2
I bought my 2006 Silver C6 (basically outfitted same as the one you're looking at, except painted top) exactly two years ago after looking for over a year. Maybe it's changed, but for cars that actually sold, and I tracked several, ALL were well under KBB and Edmunds (although Edmunds was usually closer). I don't know if they just had not caught up to the economy or not, and maybe it is more accurate now. I had a spreadsheet with about 60 cars on it from ebay, craigslist, cars.com, autotrader.com, etc.
I paid $29k for mine as the 2nd owner and with 12k miles. I looked at it personally on a business trip and then flew back out to buy it and drive it home.
IMHO, I think the selling price is maybe close, but still too high for a 4-owner 2005 with 27k miles.
Good luck to you!!
I paid $29k for mine as the 2nd owner and with 12k miles. I looked at it personally on a business trip and then flew back out to buy it and drive it home.
IMHO, I think the selling price is maybe close, but still too high for a 4-owner 2005 with 27k miles.
Good luck to you!!
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 397
Likes: 33
From: Campton Hills, Illinois
05
Thats what I am thinking. Multiple owners on a performance car is not ideal. The last 2 owners actually had the car for a total of 8 months. Current guy 1 mo. (bought it to sell it from a dealer) and the owner before him bought it from a chevy dealer who had got it at auction. He put about 7 or 8K miles on it while her had it. All owners from the same state.
I'd me more comfortable at 25K.
I'd me more comfortable at 25K.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 397
Likes: 33
From: Campton Hills, Illinois
sold
Well thats the end of this thread. I just saw on the C6 for sale he sold it this morning. Kinda sucks, no heads up, left it last night as I'll get back to you last night or this morning. Spent quite a bit of time with this actually. Oh well, some things just aren't meant to be.
I do thank the members who have given me good advise on this car which will apply to any car I consider in the future. Thank you very much.
The search goes on.
I do thank the members who have given me good advise on this car which will apply to any car I consider in the future. Thank you very much.
The search goes on.
Racer
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 370
Likes: 0
From: Wellington FL
Don't fret over it. Seeing a car that you've looked at actually sell helps you understand the market so you are able to pull the trigger confidently when the time comes. Many here search for a year or more. I'm at about 5 months. As to multiple owners, it seems to come with vettes. Many desire the car so bad they buy the car and can't really afford it. Many buy as a toy and don't drive it. Many are not really hi performance guys, they buy the car on looks and then decide they would rather float around in an automatic Lexus ES350. I would take heed of the previous poster. If you're tight on funds, start with a car with good tires and make sure you have a few bucks in the bank for tires and maintanence. These cars are not super cheap to run like civic's.
