I have an opportunity to pick up a very clean inside and out 2006 with 105K miles on it for $16,300

The car is stock and well taken care of with service records.

Is this a good price for a 2006 vette? I think it is but not owning a C6 I don't know what kind of issues they have like my C4.

 

I would look on the used car sites. That will let u get a good idea of value.
Remember tires and brakes will set u back big time.

 

It has new tires. That's the only thing they listed as being new. Local C6 vette's are all over the place in price based on condition and milage. This car has high miles for a corvette but it looks new inside and out. The price seems good but I would like to know what inharent problems come with owning a 2006 model.

I have a 1994 C4 and it has the same issues as all the other C4's like optispark going bad, headlight motors needing new gears, power antenna ribon broken etc etc etc.

Is a 2006 pretty reliable or do they have common issues that come with owning that model? If they have a good but of quality issues then I don't want to get into it. I have had enough issues with the 94 to last a life time and it only has 105k miles on it.

 

An '06 is no different than any other model year in reliability other than it's now ten years old. Some have no issues, of those that have issues, typical costly ones are wobbly harmonic balancers and failing fuel level sensors. Automatics can have faulty shifter cables. A few can have hard to diagnose electrical gremilns. Long story short, the car youre looking at sounds priced right in the mid teens.

 

At that mileage, I would think most problems were already handled. Look at the harmonic balancer to make sure it is not wobbling.
If you are mechanically inclined, brakes are about as easy as any car you will ever do. $400.00 and two hours of your time can get four drilled rotors and ceramic pads on it.
Price sounds pretty fair to me, especially if your have maintenance records

 

Sounds like it's priced about right.

 

Price is good. As a manic hobby, I've price shopped base c6's all over the nation for the past 18 months. If the car is in good, or better, condition, and there are no immediate issues that need work, it is a good deal. If you shop the big internet sites, you will find '06's with those miles generally in the $17,500 to $19,000 range, if in same condition.

 

Have you had a chance to drive it? If so, did the transmission shift smoothly? Did the engine start and run flawlessly? Did you hear any chirping from the engine bay indicating a bad harmonic balancer? Any strange noises from the suspension when going over bumps or uneven pavement?

I had a 2006 3LT Vette and loved it. It was very reliable, but I sold it when it had 40K miles on it. I maintained it very well and would like to think it's still going strong.

Good luck with your decision. Don't forget, a car may look like a million bucks on the outside but run like crap. Test drive it and then take it to a trusted mechanic before you buy it.

 

If either trans fails, it will be costly and at that mileage a clutch is one of them. Other than those the info above is good. Did you ck the VIS report and the other two at cost to you? Is it being sold privately or dealer? How many owners?

 

The car is priced reasonably, as far as reliability goes, the C6 cars are very reliable. Some of the known issues with them are:
1. Harmonic balancer wobbling
2. Fuel level sensors & hoses/fittings at the fuel tanks have been known to crack & leak
3. Auto trans shift cables have been known to break
1&2 are expensive fixes at the dealer, both will be over 1k

 

Price seems right to me. The issue isn't the general reliability of these cars but the wear and tear possible due to them being higher performance cars. If driven reasonably, they'll last as well as any 11 year old car with 100k on the clock. If driven a quarter mile at a time, it'll be a nightmare.

I'd find a local indie and have a good PPI done by them.

 

The car sound like a pretty good deal especially if it has detailed maintenance records, I would check the car fax, I might be a little scared of it if the car had 10 previous owners, but 1,2 or 3 owners would not bother me.

Every generation of car has its own issues. I had very nice 94 c4 also and I had to deal with most of the common issues that were mentioned in the forum about the c4. Most of the issues with the c4 were not too costly except for the Opti replacement.

I have been watching the common issues for the C6 and there are a few, these issues include, wobbling harmonic balancer, leaking oil pan gasket, broken shift cable ends, gas smell in car, headlight lenses crazing....as mentioned I would also think that due to miles that most of these issues would have been addressed...

 

Thanks too all, that's the info I was looking for. I'm going to test drive the car and look closely at all the faults you mentioned. It is a dealer sale so with this info in hand I might have a little leverage to get the price down some.

 

I've owned my 2006 since new and it now has over 90K on it and is still running strong. The only issue I've had in the past 10 years was the shifter/cable broke last year. Mine is not a garage queen by any means, it has been driven (hard) and been on several cross country road trips. Overall, it has been one of the best, most reliable vehicles I've owned over the past 4 decades and I have no doubt it will still be running strong at 190K

 

Agree with all the above. Price sounds fair if the car is as you say it is. Someone said drive it and get a good feel for it. It can look nice but drive terrible. Good advice.

Bought my 05 fully loaded 6 spd manual F55 in September and paid 18k with 74,000 miles. Car drives excellent with a smooth, airtight, quiet ride. I was really surprised with just how smooth it drives compared to my 95 LT1 6 spd C4. A completely different road feel. Tires make all the difference in world in road feel. Mine has 1 year old Firestone run flats and are as smooth as can be.

100k miles isn't the end of the world, the car is just getting broken in. The higher miles gets you in a C6 at a lower price. Everyone has touched on the important issues, clean Carfax, maint history, routine upkeep. If car passes all the checks then go for it and enjoy. And maybe you can buy it for a little less this time of year as I'm sure the dealer would like to move it now.

 

Keep us posted!

 

Harmonic Balancer has been mentioned a lot in this thread, just remember the bad Balancer is/could be an issue with ALL C6's so if your thinking you might buy newer and not have that problem you'll be mistaken. The Balancer should almost be taken out of all C6 reliability discussions because it is a known problem throughout the entire run, '05-'13. Good Luck!

 

Fwiw... I have a purchased since new c6 2008 z51 corvette and I presently have 104k miles on it.

The car has been so utterly reliable I can't bring myself to sell this car...

Fwiw...I'd run the vin at the local dealer for maintance history ...but other than that I'd scoop up that 105k mile c6 in a heartbeat...

I fully expect another 100k miles of use out of this car with no repairs...

Here's a list of what I've done over the past 104k miles...

I use my car everyday and it's never left me stranded...just a great car..

At 50k miles I did bilstein sport shocks, brake rotors and pads, spark plug wires and spark plugs..and I didn't even need too..at 100k miles I changed the rear diffe tail fluid at the dealer just because. I changed the spark plug wires and plugs too..

I changed to an aftermarket air filter around 50k miles and it's fine even at 104k...my tech says I have another 15k miles easy on the brake pads..

I have the dealer flush the clutch fluid every two years or 22k miles...

I did change the water pump and radiator about two years 22k mikes ago...honestly I think the top of the plastic radiator split because I left a steep driveway I. The Trader Joe's parking lot to fast...no big deal..

I change the battery about every 27 months....but it's a 42 month delco and it's cheap...I think it's the slow drain from the aftermarket m2w exhaust switch I put in...just an average of how often I change the battery..

I change the tires about every 20k miles...and I used to drive into manhattan a lot more so I found replacing wheels with take offs from the forum or Craigslist happened every couple of years...but the take off wheels were like 400 for all four....

The last set of 19/20s off a c7 z51 in black cost me about a grand but they are cool and make
The c6. More contemporary looking...ride nicer too..believe it or not...I got them new from a chevy dealer who had them because the owner went aftermarket right away..

If I lost this car tommorow I'd probably buy a c7 z06....but with the low cost options...like what your describing...I'd buy a 16 grand 105 mile c6 in a heart beat...it's been that good a car.

I hope my insight has helped...if you want to speak on the phone about my personal opinion and experiences...don't hesitate to pm me your phone number...

I'm sure the 2006 is a great car too...

Good luck deciding.

 

Here's my standard check list of would be/could be issues for the C6 and shopping advise.
Check Harmonic crankshaft balancer for out of roundness and belt chirping noise.
Check for oil pan seeping issues, some seep but never leave a mark on the ground.
Pull the dip stick and note the color of the oil, as it should be light brown to a darker brown, but not gray, this could indicate metallic particles in the oil.
Check the radiator lower supports in the front as they can get damaged from close encounters with a curb and can break the welds loose.
Check for strong fuel odors around the left rear tire, as some have developed a fuel leaks at the left side fuel tank and/or the fuel pump assembly.
While idling the car, there should not be unusual rattling noises coming from underneath the car, as torque tube bearings and couplers can be bad with higher mileage cars.
While driving and releasing the clutch, be sure that transition is smooth with no chattering.
Stock clutches can last over a 100k miles, provided the operators have not abused it up until then.
Car should road test without squeaks and rattles, as I find mine as very quiet, only issue is the that targa tops can creak and is usually a easy fix.
Also the end links have been known to clunk over bumps, but another easy fix
Rear diff have been know to make chattering noises when turning sharply, but usually a gear oil change with the correct oil can solve this issue.
Axle nuts sometimes will become loose and can create creaking noises in the rear end, another easy fix.
Make sure that the ac and heat work and come out the correct vent when going through the operations of the controls. The bellows in the dash can go bad, and this is a rough job to do and expensive if done at the dealership.
Obviously the trans should shift smoothly, but while cold, they can be notchy but should shift better within 10 to 15 miles or so. Check the operation in going into reverse, as there is a synchronize that have given issues recently reported.
Auto trans have a issue with breaking shift cable parts at times.
The first year 2005's do have a weaker rear end diff, and was updated with the next year models.
If you don't plan to mod the car, this is not really a issue though.
Good Luck in your quest.

 

At 105K miles the LS2 is probably almost half used up. Most mechanics tell me that the LS engines will go 250K miles before needing rebuilding. I was asking around because I had an LS1 Camaro that had 141K miles on it. It still ran like a bat out of hell, but, being a child of the 60s, I get nervous when a car has over 100K miles on it. Back in the "old days" engines lasted about that long before needing to be rebuilt. Proof of that is my '69 Mustang whose 302 V8 coughed up its bearings at 99K miles. BTW, that '06 was averaging 10.5K miles a year so far. Sounds like it was in DD service.