FREE 1997 C5 with 154k miles - Denver
 

OK, not free. LOL. But make an offer. [OOPS, I just noticed the rules say no offers without a price. I think $5,000 is a reasonable point to start haggling and fulfills the forum rules. Sorry for missing that a few minutes ago!]

We are moving from Highlands Ranch, CO to Naples, FL and I have too many cars (including a truly awesome 2004 Z06.) I had planned on fixing up the red 1997 Corvette but I have been buried with work and packing. My first inclination was to truck it to Florida and get it fixed up there but I already have a Porsche 928 on the carrier. The Ford Edge is theoretically capable of towing the Corvette. But unless I get ridiculously low offers I might as well let it go pre-move.

Here's the good, the bad and the ugly.

The good: Tires are pretty new and it has newish alloy wheels. We have replaced the power steering, the rear wheel hubs, the sway bar end links, the brakes, the shocks relatively recently. The black interior looks pretty good except for some rippling on the driver's arm rest. I cannot describe it but you owners probably know what I mean. Probably that foam under the leather falling apart.
The bad: The car started freaking out almost two years ago. I had the ignition key and ignition replaced. Apparently, the worn down key was causing a problem. Then I also replaced the BCM. When the car wouldn't start at the airport I had it towed to a shop near the airport instead of one of the Corvette specialists. Big mistake. The BCM is still under warranty from the Los Angeles dealer who replaced it. For a little while. So it needs some investment to get it running reliably.
The ugly: The driver side fender has some serious clear coat peeling. The front bumper cover has some scrapes on it where a valet nudged something. And the glass roof has peeling on it. A body shop in Los Angeles previously sanded and clear coated the roof for $200 once before and warned me it would be temporary. I suppose redoing it won't be much more than that or you can replace. The same shop quoted me $400 for the fender, $400 for the bumper cover and $200 for a whole-car buff and polish to make it look in top shape PROVIDED I remove the bumper cover and fender and reattach them. That would keep the shop's labor lower because they would do what I cannot do.

So if you are in Denver and want a project car that isn't a total wreck contact me. I know everyone will want photos and I will try to get out and snap some pics.

(I am separately selling some chrome wheels.)

Auto or manual? What color combination? Is the car currently running and driving? Can you upload pictures?

Sorry. Busy as heck with work and packing. Red exterior, black interior. Automatic transmission. My buddy and I kept her in excellent shape mechanically for years. It was my 'daily driver' and I ran it from about ~58k miles in January 2006 to ~154k miles in June 2018 when I got the silver Z06. So about 7,500 miles per year. Got the oil quality checked by Blackstone Oil Analysis to ensure it was in good shape internally.

I was doing well financially in 2017 and 2018 so I got the Z06. I should have stayed on top of the 1997 and fixed it right up and sold it but I bought it from one of my best friends and he had a first right of refusal when I went to sell it. I knew he was going to low ball me so I always decided I would keep it forever. No point in giving it away to him. But he doesn't want it after all and it has basically sat for 2 years.

Now with the move my wife has told me to get rid of it and I don't have a legit argument why not. I bought a 1985 Porsche 928 last year as my play around car which REALLY argues against me keeping the 1997 C5.

This is NOT a good choice for an executive in his 50s who wants a spotless car to drive to work in or to car shows on the weekends. This IS a good car for someone who can put some time into it or owns a body shop or is mechanically inclined and can leverage some sweat equity into a couple thousand dollars of increased value. GREAT for a high school kid who has no clue how badly he will get screwed on insurance. LOL. (My niece's boyfriend is THAT idiot.)

Creative title gets the click.
 

Not in the market but I do like your thorough explanation of your circumstances. Kudos for that. And the good, the bad, the ugly part. In addition to the CF I would place it on Craigslist bc you got a large population in and around Denver. May cost you $5 now days but that's nothing. Pics are indeed needed. If well maintained these C5's can see 2X your mileage. Good project car sounds like. On the flip side there's an old C5 saying that the cheapest will be the most expensive you'll ever own. May not be the case here. Cars with very low mileage can bury you too from non-use. Been there a few times. If someone needs to transport consider Plycar. Worst case the car could make a good parts car?

Too bad the STICKY "Best Ever Thread" is gone. That used to help a lot of owners learn & fix their C5's.

This forum has been a Godsend many, many times when we were fixing things.

The power steering replacement resulted in me removing the sway bar to get access. That led to us replacing the front sway bar end links. And if we're going to replace the front ones we might as well replace the back ones. And as long as we are replacing the sway bar end links we might as well replace the shocks because I owned the car over a decade at that point without replacing them and when we were mucking around with the right rear wheel hub we noticed that seemed to be going. Well, we might as well replace that. And if we are going to replace the right one we should replace the left one too.

A complicated yet doable, 5 or 6 hour repair became much, much more! But that was our attitude. That's why it would be a shame to be a parts car. It needs some TLC but it is too complete to be junked.

Strong points OP on keeping it together and not parting out. :thumbs:

But wait, there's more... to the story... Replacing CO with FL is why it's here for you to buy :cheers:

Good description on everything about this vehicle, including the good, bad and the ugly. I'm in HR too, so we're pretty close.

Let me know if you decide you wanna sell your Z06 before you leave for Florida! I'm starting my search for one.

GLWS, and good luck on the move to Florida.

You can run but you can't hide from this forum
 

So you're the guy we've been trying to ID. https://forums.corvetteforum.com/sho....php?t=3987105 post #81

Ah, just noticed Santa Rosa Beach by your avatar. I commuted from Denver to Los Angeles every week for years and paid CA taxes. I took a demotion in title but same pay to spend my son's senior year in Denver working remote. Paid CO taxes which was a savings of about 1/3. Now that the boy is going to college, why throw ~$10k to the Department of Revenue? At least when the kids were in public school there was a correlation between my taxes and their education.

We considered PCB, Upper Captiva Island, Tampa. Settled on Naples because I have a good friend there. Wife is happy to have a pool in the backyard again.

Someone put a note on the car asking to buy it. I loved the '97 until I drove the Z06. The interiors are virtually the same, even the color, except the heads up display. I was worried I would get bored. Night and day different experience. The Z06 is the Zeus of affordable sports cars.

As long as you are local, you can swing by and we will take the Z06 for a drive around the block. Getting the moving truck this afternoon. Your window is closing. PM me for address.

LOL. If I bought a $48 million pad I doubt I would be tearing it down. I wouldn't be messing with getting rid of a 1997 red Corvette.

But you are right about Naples being rich old people. My wife saw something about a 500 boat Trump flotilla and gave me a thumbs up on the move.

This work from home thing will last a year or two for me and probably result in a 1-year retention bonus and then I need to consider next steps. But that is then and not now.

Hey, just saw your post and wondering if this is a sign to get a new C5. Recently my black 2001 C5 was flooded in the midst of these crazy rain storms in Miami. Judging by what my mechanic, my insurance and this forum says, it's looking to be a total. I'm crushed but alas life happens.

Is it still available? I'm looking for a daily driver that I can resale in a year when I finish college. I wonder if the issues are doable for a novice enthusiast.

There are plenty of people on the forum who can opine. Removing the bumper cover and driver fender isn't that tough. Finding a body shop to respray them and then buff and polish once you put them back on the car isn't tough. I've already had the roof panel done once for $200. Or you can buy a used one (Solid or glass.)

The issue is the mechanical. My guess is that the BCM is bad. Dealer gave me a 2-year warranty on it but I lost faith in the dealership. It really needs to have a qualified Corvette shop handle. Yeah it's a Chevy which makes it a lot cheaper to work on than a Porsche or BMW. But I discovered that the local mechanic really isn't any good.

Probably a 70% or 80% chance I bring it to Naples on our second run on the 29th.

I've got a good buddy with a '02 Z06 here in HR that I've driven a handful of times. Being in his and driving his is what's got me hooked on getting one for myself. I drove a '98 (I think) base model several years ago and you're right, the Z06 compared to the base C5 is a night and day difference (again why I'm hooked on getting a Z). Finally in a position where I can swing a Z06 without much trouble, so I'm going to sell my current toy and jump at the chance while I can.

I'm starting to travel again for work and I bet you're crazy busy with moving, but I do appreciate the ride-along offer. If you decide to change your mind about selling, lemme know.

photos
 

Finally got a break in the moving to post photos.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...6a61ed0e32.jpg
Clearcoat on the driver fender is shot.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...079fc30329.jpg
Looks good but could use a buff & polish when the fender and bumper cover are fixed. Scratches on the door handle which is common.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...157659f563.jpg
I had this sanded, polished and buffed for $200. The guy said it would last for 3 or 4 years. It was great until it started to go and then it broke bad quickly.
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...9d43e502c0.jpg
Very clean interior. The console plastic is cracked by the glove box. You can see it there. Wrinkle in both door panels by your elbow.
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...090e3cd20d.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...201dcc6ba8.jpg
It's tough to see what is a reflection and what is a scratch but it got scuffed.

Drop it off in the Tampa area as you pass by!! 😀

Sent you a DM

Naples is fantastic
 

You made an excellent choice by choosing Naples. Having lived and traveled all over the country, I can attest that Naples is as close to Paradise as one can get on this planet. Although I live about 75 miles north of Naples, I hop in one of my C5s and drive down there on weekends. The number of exotic cars driving around that area is astounding. In general, the car scene in very good in Naples/Collier County and even more so in neighboring Lee County.

I apologize for being offline for a few weeks. I responded to the private messages. The car is still in Denver at a Corvette specialist. It's easy to get an idea of the cost of restoring the exterior but mechanical stuff can be a monumental cr*p shoot. So I am removing that concern so no one feels screwed.

Mechanically, we have replaced the power steering, sway bar end links, shocks, rear wheel hubs, oil pressure sending unit, the two (left and right) AC control things in the dash (monumental job!) Replacement of the ignition and new keys was the most recent repair and the BCM. I think the rebuilt BCM was bad which is why it is in the shop. Regardless, whatever is causing the driving problems is being fixed now as is the AC. It has about 154k miles on it and requires about 1/2 pint of oil between changes. But it's not burning a lot and there isn't residue outside the tailpipe. Oh yes, I replaced the exhaust from the rear axle (mufflers and tail pipes.) And the tires are pretty new.

Exterior, look at the photos. The driver fender has significant clearcoat issues. It may be tough to see the scuffs on the front bumper cover but they are there. I missed them when I bought the car from my buddy but he assured me they were there when he owned it. There are scratches and clearcoat issue where you put the key in on the driver side. Door itself is good, just the little oval section. I think you can see that. And the glass top is a mess. I think it is pretty easy to get a quote from a body shop on those issues so that is a pretty quantifiable issue.

Finally, the interior is in very good shape. The plastic console is cracked. You can see that in the photo. The two door panels, especially driver side, have rippling at the elbows from the interior foam degrading. Otherwise, the interior is really pretty nice. Aftermarket radio with Bluetooth and the converter that enables it to work with the stock speakers.

TPMS doesn't work.

We are flying in to retrieve the car (and our Ford Edge) on August 14th. Our preference is to sell both cars in Denver because we have three cars at our new home in FL. If not, then we will drive one or both to St. Louis, MO on the 15th and 16th. We will probably leave one of them in St. Louis at my dad's home to sell. An AWD Ford SUV has more value in St. Louis than SW FL I think.

So if you have a serious interest, please contact me. The car has been owned by me since January 2006 and by my buddy from 2000 to 2006. He was the second owner. Once the paint issues are dealt with, it'll be a very nice C5 at a C4 price. You have almost 2 weeks to get a comfort level on those issues, which really don't have to be done right away, before deciding on the purchase.

Forgot to mention that when we replaced the shocks we did the C6 Z06 upgrade.