WDE_TRD

well I'm looking to buy my first corvette andI'm heading out today to take a look at a 2000 C5 vert with 57,xxx miles on it. It's a one owner car,that happened to be owned by a friends grandfather, in torch red at a local dealership. I'm new to the forum and would like to ask what all you folks would look at upon initial inspection. Before the flaming starts I've done my research on the forum, checked out the "buying a c5" sticky and all that jazz. I've learned I should pull codes, see if the ECBM is good, maybe pull battery to check for corrosion?, and see if the steering wheel lock fix has been done. Outside of that I didn't see anything specific as far as convertibles go. If I'm missing anything or anybody's extra .02 is much appreciated. I've been on different forums throughout my car ownerships and found them an invaluable resource. This one seems to be the same.

doublenut9

Read the sticky 's...lots of great info there, that is what I did when I was looking.

Dave1

I would call your friends grandfather to begin with.....


Let him tell you the truth about the car.....

You wont get that from the dealer.....


Good luck, hope its the one......

Jeff T.

Read the stickies, ask questions, pull the codes and let's not forget, Welcome to the forum and Good Luck with your search!

MAC5

Check the date codes on the tires. If your purchasing from the dealer get them to replace if they are older than 6 years old. If you can't determine how old the tire pressure sensors are then get those replaced along with the tires.

Vetteman Jack

One thing for a very is to check and make sure the rear glass on the top is nice and secure.

dbgoodwin

Definitely get your friends grandfathers input on the car first!

He has absolutely no reason to lie about it since it's no longer his car. I did that once with an MX5 a friend had traded in, and saved a bunch of time because I never even went to look at the car after hearing his input.

Dave1

One owner cars will tell all the stories that yo want to hear.....

Good and bad and priceless vs a dealer version......

WDE_TRD

Thanks for the info everyone, especially convertible specific answers. I'm about to head to the dealer now, it's about an hour away so I'll reach out to the original owner on the way.

am3gross

`check the bottom of the car, make sure there are no noticeable leaks...
`make the windows go up and down and make sure there are no issues with the regulators..
`tires, as stated look for the dates.. also tread wear. tires are expensive.
` and lastly go look at it, look at what is wrong and then take a day or 2 to research what it would cost to fix.
` mostly have fun, buying any corvette should not be hinder.


mike

zachaeous

Take all of the above advise and contact the PO. I also would check for evidence of any water leaks into the interior as well as the passenger side fuse and BCM compartment.

Welcome to the Forum and keep us posted.

Route99

Welcome to the Forum!
By now, you've been to the dealer. Here's hoping everything went well. If it did, please post pics.

WDE_TRD

Well so far everything has gone well. I didn't buy today however still haven't ruled the car out. I will say that for a 17 year old car it's in great shape. Of course it has its paint issues but it is again, 17. I'm researching the codes tonight, the biggest eye sore for me is a "less than desirable" custom pin stripe job on the trunk lid and hood. Paint of course, I need to see how hard it is to fix that issue without having to reprint completely. Thanks again for all the help folks. I'll keep you all posted as it develops. They are running a "bottom dollar" price tonight.

ironranger

Pulling the battery won't be enough to check for prior leakage issues. You will need to pull the tray it sits on to get a good luck at what it looks like underneath. Easy enough to do and well worth it as you don't need any surprises after it's yours.
If there's "any" paint issues I would pass and continue looking. The paint on these cars can still be excellent despite the 17 years if taken care of by previous owners.

The Rabbi

There should be maintenance record and owners manual.

friou

You don't mention an asking price or much in the way of specifics. As already suggested above, definitely get in touch with the original owner to try to get accurate info ( don't ever, ever believe what a dealer tells you, on a beautiful day they could tell me the sky was blue, I'd still go out and check for myself, just 50 plus years of car buying speaking here). Maintenance records? Despite knowing where the car comes from I would still get it thoroughly checked out by a C5 knowledgeable shop or tech. Regarding the drop top, check that it operates smoothly going down and coming up without any binding and that the top material is in good shape all the way around. As pointed out above check the rear window to make sure it is secure and the stitching is in good shape. Regarding the pinstriping, if you don't like it you should get an estimate on what its going to cost to get it removed. The cost might surprise you. There are a fair amount of very nice C5's out there for sale. Be fussy and careful in your purchase. Good luck to you!