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I think I've settled on a plan, a 2003-2004 convertible A4. Sometime before or after Christmas I'd seek a well pampered example from an original owner with paper to prove it but have I missed the boat? It appears the C5 is something passed around having at least two previous owners or more. Have most original owners gone C6 or C7 sometime ago?
Still here as the original owner of my 2004 vert. I think you may be in the crosshairs of the market as the original owners who planned to keep their C5s have kept them. I'm shopping for a 2018 C7Z this winter after the plant reopens and when I know what changes (if any) are made for the 2018 and/or 2019 models. However, I plan to add and not replace.
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
2019 C1 of Year Winner (performance mods)
2017 Corvette of the Year Finalist
2016 C2 of Year
2015 C3 of Year Finalist
There are still some out there but these cars are getting old. The older they get, the fewer 1 owner cars. Try finding 1 owner solid axles 53 to 62, or midyears, 63 to 67.
I am the original owner of my 2003 Z06. I didn't buy my car thinking I'd keep it forever, but so it seems that is what has happened. I have 158,000 miles on it and I still think of ways to mod it more. It still seems to run like new and needs nothing, other than a new set of wheels. I have CCW Classics and I'm looking to change them to something new. No intentions of moving to a C6 or C7.
Still here as the original owner of my 2004 vert. I think you may be in the crosshairs of the market as the original owners who planned to keep their C5s have kept them. I'm shopping for a 2018 C7Z this winter after the plant reopens and when I know what changes (if any) are made for the 2018 and/or 2019 models. However, I plan to add and not replace.
Not to hijack, but yours is one of the best looking verts on this website. And I'm not a convertible kind of guy......
I think I've settled on a plan, a 2003-2004 convertible A4. Sometime before or after Christmas I'd seek a well pampered example from an original owner with paper to prove it but have I missed the boat? It appears the C5 is something passed around having at least two previous owners or more. Have most original owners gone C6 or C7 sometime ago?
Nope...I'm an original owner...make me a hot offer then add $6k for the MCM S/C high rise hood....
It seems to me that more owners have made a longer commitment to the C5 than the C6. Nothing based on math, just conversations I've had with owners and previous owners. It seemed in my circle of clubs/region that more owners traded up from a C6 into a C7 than from a C5 into a C6. I definitely know more owners who have both a C5 and C7 than a C6 and C7.
I think the C5 has a timeless design and it will probably be the last car I ever own that has pop-up headlights based on the current and projected automotive design trends.
I pulled into a middle-school event pick-up line last year for my niece around 7:30PM (dusk). While in the slow roll pick-up line, I flipped up my (HID projector) head lights and many of the middle-school kids in line were in awe and were pointing and yelling "cool".
I chuckled and was wondering what the big deal was and then realized that many of these 10-13 year old kids probably never saw pop-up headlights before.
I think you may be able to find one but I think you would be very limited if not open to any lower mile car. Who's to say the one owner did a better job than two or three owners?
I'm original owner of 2004 CE convertible. But it's not pampered and not for sale. It lives outside and I drive it every day. No sense in having a fun car and not having fun with it! Good luck on your search!
I've had my 04 CE since new. It's been my DD ever since with 80K miles. I haven't had any mechanical issues until recently, the front seal is probably leaking. I'll probably just keep it..
There are still some out there but these cars are getting old. The older they get, the fewer 1 owner cars. Try finding 1 owner solid axles 53 to 62, or midyears, 63 to 67.
My Brother-In-Law is the 1st & only owner of a 63 Silver Split window. He bought it new and it was one of the two cover cars (the other was a red Vert) for the 64 brochure. I know I was there when the picture was taken. They paid him $500.00 for the day.
The fact that people care so much about "one owner cars" is pretty crazy to me. That should be so far down the list on important qualities that it literally only serves as a tie breaker between two otherwise identical cars.
It sounds too simple, but if people would follow these steps they would find themselves a lot happier with their car purchases:
1: write down all of your must haves like transmission, bodystyle, color, etc.
2: look for several cars that have these exact features that you must have. Ignore any "want to have" features, just find cars that meet your minimum requirements without worrying about anything else.
3: compare the condition of these vehicles. Eliminate any that are unsatisfactory.
4: write out a list of "like to have" features that aren't deal breakers, a list of "wouldn't mind" features, and a list of "dislike but not deal breaker" features.
This should really narrow it down. Any cars you're still happy with should be thoroughly inspected and test driven, then you should have no issue picking the right car. If the "right" car is priced too high, you can either try to haggle, move on, or deal with the premium because the car is perfect, and in 5 years the extra $2000 won't matter at all.
You'll never be the "one owner" at this point. Why does it matter if you're the 2nd owner or the 5th if the car is perfect?
Still here as the original owner of my 2004 vert. I think you may be in the crosshairs of the market as the original owners who planned to keep their C5s have kept them. I'm shopping for a 2018 C7Z this winter after the plant reopens and when I know what changes (if any) are made for the 2018 and/or 2019 models. However, I plan to add and not replace.
The "newest" C5 is still 13-14 years old. My thought is that if the original owner hasn't sold or traded it by now, he/she is probably not going to. As others have pointed out, there's nothing wrong with a well maintained 2,3,4 owner car. Quality, not quantity, type of thing, I guess.
Last edited by Route99; 09-21-2017 at 05:45 PM.
Reason: Changed number of years old.
09-20-2017, 07:50 PM
Has the Original Owner Pool Dried Up?
As long as the car has been taken care of both mechanically and cosmetically, it wouldn't bother me if there was more than one owner.
