dannyzabolotny

Hey y'all,

I'm happy to say I'm finally a Corvette owner. It's been a dream of mine to have a Corvette ever since I saw one as a kid. For a long time I looked at C3's and C4's, but I didn't want to deal with a full body-off restoration so a C3 was out (for now! I'm sure I'll get one later on). I test drove some C4's and the interiors on those cars were not the best, to put it lightly. That, combined with the relatively small aftermarket for the LT1 (compared to the LS1 aftermarket) made me start looking for a C5. I got lucky and found a C5 that was listed for less than half of what I usually see C5's going for. I bought it yesterday and drove it home with a grin from ear to ear

Now some details about the car. It's a 1998 coupe. It is an auto which wasn't really my first choice, but given the massive premium on manuals, it was an easy decision. I can always swap it to a manual in the future if I really want one, I'm pretty mechanically savvy. 186k miles on it but no mechanical issues at all. The car drives extremely well and the previous owner had just gotten it aligned so it's straight as an arrow. The interior is really good, there are no tears in the seats and the squeaks/rattles are very minimal, especially when compared to a C4.

I picked up this Vette for right around $5k. The reason it's that cheap is because the passenger side got side-swiped. I've seen the damage before it was repaired and it was honestly really minor. The frame wasn't touched, the airbags didn't go off, and the hood/headlights/bumper were completely untouched. The previous owner replaced the passenger side door and fender, along with doing some body work on the quarter panel. Everything looks pretty straight now, so I don't mind. My intent is to take this Vette to the track, so I didn't want a pristine, perfect example.

Of course the first thing I did when I bought it was drive it around a bunch. I went out to get groceries with my girlfriend. She likes the car and it fits a surprising amount of groceries in the rear hatch! That's why I specifically wanted a coupe, all that trunk space. I fit in the trunk too!

I swear I'm the only 25 year old excited to have a Vette. I can already see why people love these cars.

Here are some pictures of it. I'll get better ones once I do a full detail on it this weekend.

Roddy13

Welcome! Nice looking C5.

Route99

Welcome to the Forum, Danny and congratulations on your sharp '98!

Red Square

An incredible car at an incredible price.
Well done, sir!

Pounder

dannyzabolotny

Thanks for the warm welcome, everybody! The community is a big part of what makes these cars great

I'm coming from the BMW community, as my other main car is a 2000 BMW 540i wagon. Coincidentally, it's also in red (or maybe intentionally). I love red cars.

Anyways, before I get carried away with modding, I'm going to go through the car and catch up on all the maintenance. Any recommendations on parts/products would be very much recommended. My background in car maintenance is mostly with German cars, as I've rebuilt 10 BMW V8's. So I think I can handle just about anything on a Corvette, including an engine pull.

Things that probably need to be done:

- Air filter. Which brand do y'all recommend?
- Oil + oil filter. I've traditionally used Mobil 1 full synthetic for oil, but what weight should I run? I live in Phoenix where winter isn't a thing, and I do intend to beat on the engine (after warming it up of course).
- Automatic transmission fluid + filter. I need to read up on how to replace these. I've never worked on a transmission that had a dipstick so this will be no different.
- Differential fluid. I assume a heavy weight gear oil + limited slip modifier? I've always liked Royal Purple for this application on my BMW's.
- Spark plugs. I've always used NGK on my other cars, but are there any that y'all recommend?
- Brake fluid. What spec is needed? DOT 4+? I have a Motive power bleeder, do those work for these cars?

I'll feel a lot more comfortable taking the car to the track once I've covered all of the bases, since I have no idea when any of the fluids have been replaced.

In terms of cosmetics, I'm going to give the car a thorough cleaning this weekend. Going to wash the paint with Dawn dish soap to strip any existing wax, then clay-barring all around, then coating the paint with Ammo Skin to protect it from the sun. The interior will get a thorough cleaning as well. The seats feel a little dry so I'll be cleaning and conditioning them with Ammo Lather and Ammo Mousse. That's always worked really well to bring old BMW seats back to life.

knewblewkorvette

$5K That's an awesome deal, in fact, by far the best deal I've seen on a C5

Tsumi

Nice deal on the Corvette. Also, don't knock your age, I started driving my Corvette when I was 25 (26 now), and I had driven it several times prior when it belonged to my dad (22 or so) and loved it. It is my daily driver now.

Of course now that you have the Vette, it is time to LS swap that wagon

dannyzabolotny

High miles + accident damage scares off most Corvette buyers, that's why it was so cheap. I don't mind at all— my goal was to find something I could track but also drive around town without being embarrassed. My previous 96 Mustang GT was decently fun, but appearance-wise it was not ideal, with bad paint and a low-rent interior.

I'm not knocking my age, just saying that most people who are 25 aren't buying Corvettes, they're usually buying Mustangs, Camaros, GT-Rs, Civics, etc. I've always thought the C5 Corvette looked great though.

While I do love the LS engines, I don't plan on swapping one into my BMW wagon. That engine is at 196,000 miles and it's still going strong. Never had any issues with it. Plus it has 300hp in stock form and revs to like 6800 so it's hardly a slouch.

Tsumi

Very true. Before I got my dad's Corvette, I was planning on getting an 05-09 Mustang GT, but primarily because I knew my mom wouldn't approve of having another Corvette in the family.

I was planning on getting a V6 E39 wagon with a bad engine and LS swapping it, but reconsidering my needs (which includes towing and launching a boat), I scrapped that plan and now plan to get a midsize SUV, probably a Buick Rainier.

Sabre34

Wow! Congrats and enjoy!

dannyzabolotny

I like the later Mustangs, but their interiors were awful until the big redesign in 2015. Up until then, they just felt super cheap. Driving my 96 Mustang GT was never a relaxing experience— tons of road noise, uncomfortable seats, super rattly interior, numb steering, etc. Mustangs are great drag cars but daily driving a 90's one is just punishing. My Vette is only 2 years newer than the Mustang but it feels like a luxury car in comparison.

Thanks!

As with any old car, there are a few little things I need to fix. The first will be the seats sliding forward and back upon hard braking. Apparently that's a super common issue and I'm about to order a seat shim repair kit that'll fix the problem: https://www.corvetteguys.com/product...nt=19764724614

Also, the DIC buttons don't work. It's a common issue as well, so I might buy a known working DIC button module on eBay and see if that fixes the issue.

Lastly, the car didn't come with a key fob, so what would be the best option for getting one?

twokbolt

Congrats nice looking car!

1bdvet

Enjoy!

Jeff T.

You did quite well!

Congrats and welcome to the forum Danny!

Frank4202

Congrats. I bought mine for my 23rd birthday. I too felt like I was a younger guy excited to have a Vette. Can’t imagine not having one until I die.

OleStraightStick

Awesome deal on a purdy car I know the feeling quite well.. I wanted a Vette ever since I was a lil kid lookin’ at family photo albums and saw my deddy’s ‘77.. asked him about it and he said he sold it when I was born, even tried to buy it back years later.. always swore I’d get one, and bought mine 11 yrs ago at the age of 23

Mike98SilVert

Congrats Very nice and the lowest price I've seen for a running driving C5 in nice condition in/out.

Here are some good DIY sites:
http://www.toquez06.com/z06index.html **(scroll down to procedures I wrote)
http://www.97vette.com/howto/oil/index.html
http://ls1howto.com/
http://www.z06vette.com/diy_lift.php

Attachment 48179402

Vetteman Jack

Congrats on finding such a great deal on the car. Sure looks good to me.

dannyzabolotny

I mean there's nothing wrong with wanting a Corvette as a younger guy, it's just not super common for some reason. This Corvette was pretty much my birthday present for my 25th birthday.

I can't stop looking at it every time I park it! My first exposure to Corvettes was as a kid when I used to walk to elementary school. I was often late because I'd stop and stare at this gorgeous red C4 Corvette on the way to school. Later on I found out about the C5 which was somehow even more beautiful. So in a way, buying a Corvette is kinda like fulfilling a childhood dream.

Thanks for the links! I've been doing a bit of research, seems like the C5 has its fair share of quirks, like with oil changes. I'm going to change the oil this weekend, should be pretty straightforward.

I also ordered the seat shim kit so whenever that gets here I'll be able to fix the sliding seat issue every time I press on the brakes.

I'll get this car fully sorted out within a month, I'm sure.