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Hi guys,
I'm going to be looking for a C6 in the near future.
2010-2012 LS3 Automatic . I'm hoping to find a low mileage one for around $30,000.
Having never owned a Vette I'm super pumped that I can finally pull the trigger.
What are the main things to look for when shopping for one? I am not afraid to travel to buy it too.
I have to admit I don't know a lot about Corvettes but I've always been a gearhead and can spin wrenches fairly well. I've always owed Chevys and am bowtie to the bone.
Please school me guys. Let me know what to watch for
Thanks in advance
The seats were upgraded for '12 & '13 and are much more comfortable IMO. Have to decide if you want a widebody Grand Sport or base model. Z06s are out since they only came with manual transmissions. Should be able to get a GS in your price range, but might have to get a older or higher mileage car compared to what that same $30K can buy in a base model. Base models are slightly faster because they are lighter. GS has wide body with wider wheels and tires, stiffer suspension and upgraded brakes. Wear items such as tires and brakes will be more expensive with the GS. Trim levels start at 1LT, 2LT, 3LT & 4LT. 3LT trim gets you all the bells and whistles while 4LT adds leather wrapped interior. Buyer beware of the leather wrapped interior as there have been issues with delamination which is an expensive repair. I have it and love it, but a lot of people shy away from the 4LT cars. Both cars can be had with magnetic selective ride control which allows the suspension to set firmer or softer depending on the driving mode. Nice to have, but much more expensive to repair/replace than standard suspension. Leaving a ton of stuff out, but hopefully will give you a starting point as I'm sure others will chime in. GLWP
Have you driven or ridden in a C6 yet? That is the very first thing you should do. A lot of people that are all excited about them run out and buy one (usually for waaaay more than it is worth), then drive it awhile, and decide they like their truck more. Some people didn't think about the low ride height, somewhat poor access and egress, and poor visibility over the front fenders.
Figure out what color(s) you like, and what trim level you want. 'Vert, or coupe? Daily driver, or just weekends? Do you need very high performance, or is base performance sufficient? Do you plan to track the car?
There are many, many Vettes for sale nationwide. It's good you are willing to travel. Once you narrow your search to what you want, check cars.com, autotrader, and cargurus. Check your local CL, also. If you choose a base model, you will not need to go $30K unless you insist on ultra-low mileage. A word about that....the major components on these cars are mostly bulletproof. Less critical issues usually show up early, so buying one with 50K to 70K miles is not a big deal. Be sure to get the car up on a lift, and look for leaks, or signs of abuse. Most 100K Vettes still have very clean undersides. Oil pan leaks sometimes occur, but are usually just a seep, not a puddle. If you see evidence of a pan leak, figure up to $1000 for the fix. Most of us never have a problem. Beware of any car with a gas smell. Sellers will tell you "I over-filled it"...b.s.. Fuel pumps and sending units sometimes go bad (rarely), and some folks have been quoted $3K for repair. There is much info on this on the forum. Harmonic balancers are another potential problem. They do wobble a bit, but if it is excessive, will need replaced.
Other folks will fill you in with more info. Do your own research. I was a bit **** about the research, spent 18 months on the forum before I bought my first Vette. Yob don't have to do that, just don't rush into it. Be sure you know what you want, and get what you want, Otherwise, you will be kicking yourself for not getting something you did not even know was available.
Last edited by buckmeister2; 08-20-2018 at 02:43 PM.
Thanks for the replys.
I have driven a couple C6's recently . Just to get the feel of driving a vette.
One was a 2006 base w/ LS2 . It was nice but it was way overpriced.
The other one I drove was a 2010 GS LS3.
I really liked this car but it is now sold.
Just for the heck of it I stopped by a Chevy Dealer last week and drove a new Stingray. Wow. Too bad it's 60G.
I'm going to drive a 2013 GS LS3 LT2 today. It is about a two hour drive away . It's owned by a friend of a freind. Original owner. 21,000 miles. I told him I'm interested but not ready to buy yet although it will be soon. He said come on over and take it for a spin anyways. He's in no hurry to sell so that's cool.
This car could be exactly what I was looking for. Although it may be more than I want to spend.
He is talking about $35,000. I wanted to spend around $30,000 but for the right car I could spend a little more.
I still need to drive at least a few more before I really decide what to buy.
I'm not to worried about not getting what I want since there are so many available.
I'm just dipping my toes in the water for now. The water is nice. I'm kind of like a kid in a candy store when I buy my new trucks and this is no different.
Any additional tips what else to look for would be appreciated.
Thanks guys
Look at the age of the tires, no matter the condition, and check the harmonic balancer for a "wobble" with the engine running.
Typically a car battery lasts between 3 - 5 years, dependent upon if it is on a battery tender during stored months, so that would be another item to consider.
Best of luck in your search, and decision, as there are numerous great buys out there if you look.
I drove the 2013 GS yesterday
It was immaculate. Very tight.
New tires and battery. Underside of car was spotless.
No oil pan seepage.
It actually had a hint of that new car smell.
The only bad thing about it (in my opinion ) was the color, white.
I hate white. The only place for white is a plumbers van .
I learned a few things and if this car was red I would probably have told him I want it . He said his bottom dollar would be 34,000. Still a real good deal I thought for a 21,000 mile ultra clean 2013 GS.
Still looking but probably not buying until around October.
Take the VIN of any C6 under consideration to any GM dealer & politely ask they run a GMVIS, it's supposed to be a free service.
Learn what car was like while under its orig B2B warranty. Whether any/all recalls addressed & especially repeat issues
Be cautious of any issue serviced under warranty multiple times.
Know Carfax can be sketchy, so use your head insofar as how it 'looks' inside/out vs mileage, who's selling (age), # of owners & maint records.
GMVIS w/ Carfax & any other sources available usually provides a fairly accurate picture of a car's past.
A problematic life/past is somewhat difficult to completely hide, so do your due diligence w/ sound research.
G/L
I drove the 2013 GS yesterday
It was immaculate. Very tight.
New tires and battery. Underside of car was spotless.
No oil pan seepage.
It actually had a hint of that new car smell.
The only bad thing about it (in my opinion ) was the color, white.
I hate white. The only place for white is a plumbers van .
I learned a few things and if this car was red I would probably have told him I want it . He said his bottom dollar would be 34,000. Still a real good deal I thought for a 21,000 mile ultra clean 2013 GS.
Still looking but probably not buying until around October.
FWIW, I felt the same way about white, but a local dealer had a new '10 White GS that was discounted close to $20K. I could not pass it up. I ended up having the factory GM hash marks added and IMO it completely changed the look of the car. With the Comp. Gray wheels, I loved the look. Might have been the best $200 I've ever spent on a car!
Those stripes really look good in that color on white . It makes it look better than just plain white.
Another thing I am not a fan of is black wheels. Sorry to each his own but I like chrome I can't get enough of it.
Black wheels on trucks is worse. Make a new truck look like beater put black wheels on it.
Something about a Vette idling along with chrome wheels twinkling in the sun. That's what I like.
in fact when I bought my 2018 Silverado , I had the dealer swap out the standard issue tires/wheels for a set of take offs from a LTZ. It made the truck look 10 times better. Chrome is where it's at in my book.
Those stripes really look good in that color on white . It makes it look better than just plain white.
Another thing I am not a fan of is black wheels. Sorry to each his own but I like chrome I can't get enough of it.
Black wheels on trucks is worse. Make a new truck look like beater put black wheels on it.
Something about a Vette idling along with chrome wheels twinkling in the sun. That's what I like.
in fact when I bought my 2018 Silverado , I had the dealer swap out the standard issue tires/wheels for a set of take offs from a LTZ. It made the truck look 10 times better. Chrome is where it's at in my book.
The wheels on the white GS are competition gray, not black.
Have you driven or ridden in a C6 yet? That is the very first thing you should do. A lot of people that are all excited about them run out and buy one (usually for waaaay more than it is worth), then drive it awhile, and decide they like their truck more. Some people didn't think about the low ride height, somewhat poor access and egress, and poor visibility over the front fenders.
Figure out what color(s) you like, and what trim level you want. 'Vert, or coupe? Daily driver, or just weekends? Do you need very high performance, or is base performance sufficient? Do you plan to track the car?
There are many, many Vettes for sale nationwide. It's good you are willing to travel. Once you narrow your search to what you want, check cars.com, autotrader, and cargurus. Check your local CL, also. If you choose a base model, you will not need to go $30K unless you insist on ultra-low mileage. A word about that....the major components on these cars are mostly bulletproof. Less critical issues usually show up early, so buying one with 50K to 70K miles is not a big deal. Be sure to get the car up on a lift, and look for leaks, or signs of abuse. Most 100K Vettes still have very clean undersides. Oil pan leaks sometimes occur, but are usually just a seep, not a puddle. If you see evidence of a pan leak, figure up to $1000 for the fix. Most of us never have a problem. Beware of any car with a gas smell. Sellers will tell you "I over-filled it"...b.s.. Fuel pumps and sending units sometimes go bad (rarely), and some folks have been quoted $3K for repair. There is much info on this on the forum. Harmonic balancers are another potential problem. They do wobble a bit, but if it is excessive, will need replaced.
Other folks will fill you in with more info. Do your own research. I was a bit **** about the research, spent 18 months on the forum before I bought my first Vette. Yob don't have to do that, just don't rush into it. Be sureyou know what you want, and get what you want, Otherwise, you will be kicking yourself for not getting something you did not even know was available.
Outstanding advice!
I found what I thought was a one of a kind dream Vette and was sick when I missed out on it by a couple of days. Your advice here really made me take pause.
I realize now I need to take my time to be sure of what I truly want and need. I was trying to force the purchase without being truly educated to all facets that I needed to be.
I too am somewhat **** about the research and decision making so this impulse purchase wasn't like me. I was hung up on the fact that the car had only 7,000 miles and was a 2008 model. This apparently isn't as important as I made it out to be as most Vette owners are fanatical about the care of their cars anyway no matter is its got 7,000 or 47,000 miles.
Every point you brought up has value in my search right now. I'm somewhat relieved I wasn't able to complete the purchase. I will refocus and find the "right" Vette for me. Thanks Buckmeister2 for the free education.
I’m with you. Chrome wheels on my Covette’s. I don’t like white on a Corvette. Don’t settle for anything less than what you want. Took me 6 months to find the one I wanted. It was worth the wait.
I wanted a Vette all my life and finally got one in 2011. It's an 05 M6 Z51. It had 35k on the odometer and I'm up to 74k. Love this car. I knew I wanted a red manual so it narrowed down the search for me. Found this one in Arizona and had a friend that lives locally who I trust very much go and check the car out and test drive to make sure. He approved and I bought it sight unseen (other than the pictures on the web). Have not been disappointed at all. Decide on what you want and seek it out. Do not settle. If you want red and chrome then wait until it comes up and you will find it.
You and I are in a similar boat. I have started my search and also want a Red Vette. I have always loved red cars. My first Camaro was red, and my current 2SS is red adrenaline model. Now it is time to get back to a vette that I have missed since our first son was born. Now he has his learners permit, so time for me to get back to a Vette.
Great advice here for sure. Definitely helpful.
Good luck on the searches and stay away from VA/MD/PA/NC Areas
First one is a 2012 base with LT2. It's red and has aftermarket wheels. It's all stock otherwise 27,000 miles. He's asking $25,500.
The other one is 2013 GS again all stock. 39,000 miles . Silver. New Michelins, battery,. He just had it in a shop changed all fluids and gave it a total check up and found no issues.
He's asking $29,750
Should be a fun day the weather is perfect 75 and sunny.
I'm getting a better idea what I want with every Vette I drive and see. I hope to pull the trigger on one in the next few months or sooner if I find the one I want.
Jim, I think both of those are very good buys. A lot of folks on this site would be turned off by the miles on the GS, though it is only 8,000 per year. If you are going to keep it for 3 or 4 years, and not put that many miles per year, it will still be a relatively low mile car when you sell it.
For me, this would be a toss up, leaning toward the GS. The tipping points would probably be the comparison in overall condition, and which seller is willing to come down in price. Overall, I think the GS is the better buy IF you are not going to pile up the miles. I see a lot of 12/13 GS's for sale online with similar mileage, and dealers asking $38K to $40K.
Grab either one of these, and you will be a happy camper.
08-20-2018, 10:26 AM
New guy here looking for a C6 soon
