mark4cam

I like keeping a thread that documents my cars, so here goes. This gets long, read if you need something to put you to sleep! I have owned a lot of different cars, first one was a 1978 Ford Fiesta way back in mmphmhm-something-longasstimeago. First real sports car was a 1977 280z and it only got worse from there. More Z cars, Rx-7s, multiple BMWs, an Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme International Series (now that was a stylin' ride), and then a 911 introduced me to the Porsche world. 914s, 944s, 928s, you name it I owned it. All the time my brother kept telling me, buy a Corvette! They are the best bang for the buck in the world. And still I didn't listen. A few years ago I fulfilled a dream and bought a Ferrari 308 and owned and loved it for six years. Will always be one of my favorite cars, ever. Just an amazing thing to drive. And at the same time, I finally listened to my brother and picked up a 1990 ZR-1 to use for a daily driver.

And I was converted.

The 911 was fantastic, bullet-proof and multi-mission capable. The 308 was a wet dream, absolutely telepathic in the right environment (and I will have another). But the ZR-1 was hands-down the best *car* I have ever owned. Daily driving, airport car, autocross, HPDE, long distance touring, mountain driving, getaway with my wife, you name it, what a wonderful car. I could drive 400 miles, totally fresh at the end, ready to autocross. I shouldn't have sold it, but bygones. You can see my journey with it here.

Daily driving a ZR-1

So I knew, once the motorhome epic was done (another story Real Life in the Cloud), that I needed another Corvette. At first, budget dictated that a C4 or C5 was in the cards, maybe another ZR-1 but to get what I really wanted would exceed the budget. I wasn't sure about a C5, they were not my favorite generation. But then I drove a couple and wow, they were a quantum leap beyond the C4 and had real power capability. I wasn't a pushrod guy at all, but I have learned to appreciate the compact powerplant (ever look at a ZR-1 engine bay?), and the power it makes is addictive.

So decision made, I had to find the right C5. I hadn't owned a yellow car since a turbocharged 914 many years ago (now that was a fun ride), and I really wanted to find a yellow coupe (Z06 was out of the budget). Three months of shopping and it seemed like every car was black, red or silver. Yellow ones were either unavailable or priced out. But then one popped up within a two hour drive and I just had to go check it out. 2004 yellow C5, with just 38k miles on it. The story is the original owner purchased it and put most of the miles on in the first four years, and then unexpectedly passed away. He was a police officer and business owner, and was just too young. His wife kept it for many years, parked outside, until it was finally time to let it go. The guy I bought it from purchased it and did a few things to get it back on the road, and then it was my turn. I drove up to Chattanooga on Saturday to look it over and despite a few needs, this was a real gem. After a short drive and negotiation, we had a deal and the car was mine.

Today is Sunday evening and the drive back to Jasper GA was just wonderful, exactly what a road trip in a Corvette should be. I didn't push it because it still needs some work to really be 100%, but even so after sitting in a driveway exposed to the elements, not moving for nearly 10 years, it was a fantastic trip. This pic is right after I got it home, parked in my garage, time for the real work to begin. So far an oil change, power steering flush, computer reset which removed a couple messages that resulted from long term inactivity, and things are going well. Next up will be full brake flush with ATE, Akebono pads, and changing the gearbox and rear diff fluid. And driving. Lots of driving.

Vetteman Jack

Congrats on picking up a very nice C5. Hope you get as much enjoyment out of your C5 as I do out of mine.

Skrilla

Shakeydeal

Congrats and you bought the right color


Shakey

LoneStarLizzard

I bought my bone stock 2002 MY coupe in 2010. It had 2,800 miles on the clock...a West Texas rancher bought it new, didn't like it and parked it in a barn until he traded it in for a new BMW. I paid $24,000 cash...drove it home and, like you, immediately changed every fluid, hose and belt. I figured it would leak like a sieve but, nope, not a drop.

8 years later, it has 36,000 miles on the clock and is no longer stock.

A couple of months ago I got the itch for a C7. But I just couldn't stand to part with the C5.

You will enjoy whatever you choose to do to/with it.

The Lizzard

mark4cam

I was afraid of leaks too. The guy I bought it from did the water pump and hoses, so at least those are looking good but there is leak evidence that he had an interesting time of it! Have to clean that up. I drove it 2 hours on oil that was at least 10 years old and took it easy, never really got over 3k rpm, and it just purred like a kitten. Not a drop on the garage floor. The brake fluid looks original, and horrible, and I can't wait to drain the gearbox. I live in the foothills of the Appalachians and the roads around here are just epic. I can't wait to finish the basics so I can wring it out a bit.

mark4cam

Here's something interesting. Apparently the Google maps car caught my car while it was still sleeping in the original owner's driveway. Yes that's the same car as the pic above. I did get the original wheels with it, but they definitely need refinishing.

Jeff T.

Oldandslow

I am glad to see another MY lover. I am subscribing to your thread to see the progression of your car. Congrats and good luck.

ArmchairArchitect

Always nice to hear good things about the C5 from someone that has owned other proper sports cars (Ferrari, Porsche, etc.).

Robrote

There's something about that yellow....

Principal Lewis

Welcome to the MY family. Not sure if it is the Corvette, the color, or both but I cannot put gas in the car without someone coming up and asking me about it.
Also, bugs really like to land on it. They are drawn to the yellow I guess.

mark4cam

I can't say for sure because I haven't had the chance to push it yet, but given the leap beyond the C4 (and I pushed my ZR-1 over the edge many times), I'm certain I'm going to enjoy it.

My wife already noticed this. "What's with all the flies?" LOL

Mike98SilVert

Congrat on finding and rescuing a real nice MY '04 Coupe. Millenium Yellow is a such a nice color. I had a MY '02 Z06 before my Black Coupe. It drew much attention wherever I went but unfortunatley also drew attention from boy racers and bugs.

ctomlin@amroc.us

Good luck with your new C5 Looks identical to my son's.

Enjoy

mark4cam

At the risk of making promises I can't keep, short term plans include getting all fluids and suspicious rubber changed. Then I've got Akebono brake pads on order, along with a fresh can of ATE and new SS brake lines. I like the Akebonos, ran them on the ZR-1 and several other cars. Good initial bite, long lasting, and zero brake dust. If I do any serious track time I'll swap them for Hawks.

After that? Well I have a dim/nonexistent HVAC controller I'll have to troubleshoot. Heat and a/c work perfectly, I just have no idea what I'm setting. HUD is also dim/out. Got a couple light bulbs that need to be replaced, and really need to clay/polish the whole car. Probably need to replace the fuel filter too. Oh and while I'm at it, those rub strips have to go. That will really clean up the appearance.

Once I'm happy all the general maintenance things are done and everything is working like it should, then the fun stuff will start with #1 being exhaust. Stock is seriously quiet. I'll start with a cat-back, undecided on what option yet. I really like a mellow rumble sound that opens to a scream at WFO. Coupled with that would be intake and a tune, free a few ponies up. I'll also need to add a Z06 power steering cooler, since I plan on autocross and the occasional HPDE. Cosmetics...right now leaning to keeping it stock and clean, but I might black out the rear valence just to take some of the visual size out of dat ***.

mark4cam

I thought I'd expand on this a bit. I'm a sports car guy, love road racing. I know lots of folks here are into drag racing, I have no interest in it, never been able to understand why people would drag a car designed to handle the curves but that's just me. I did my first autocross and HPDE more than 20 years ago in a 911 and got completely hooked, been doing it ever since. I built a track 914 that is still the best-handling car I have ever owned. It was amazing how I could keep up with cars that had twice the power I did, just with corner speeds and braking distance.

914 - incredible balance and grip, not much power.
911 - nothing, repeat nothing, will touch them under power out of a corner. Fantastic steering, incredibly agile if you're brave/quick.
308 - sweetest steering/balance combination for the road, and that engine is absolute magic. Weird driving position, but I liked it.
Rx-7 - Never came to grips with it. Understeers and not enough power to kick out the back end, but I still like them.
CRX - this was a Lemons car, 1800lbs, 95hp. Light weight, Acura brakes, we could outrun a ridiculous number of cars. So much fun.

Lots of others, but you get the idea. I always liked cars that handle sweetly, light touch that you can really get lost in. Then there was the ZR-1.

ZR-1 - Took me a while to figure it out. Feels like it's flexing like crazy, wants to bounce all over the place, but that's just the suspension lying to you. Once you trust it's actually gripping and not sliding, huge power and grip were available. The front end is a lot slower/heavier than the other cars I've owned, but the power and grip made up for that. I really had to change my driving style - the Vette likes to be hammered aggressively. It's not a dancer. I learned to turn in way before the corner, and when I hit it just right, it was a beautiful drift with the hammer down. When I didn't, lots of tire smoke and I was pointing the wrong way. Totally different kind of fun and addictive.

I can't wait to see how the C5 really handles. My guess is similar to the ZR-1, but with 10 years of refinement.

rrichar2591

Glad to see the car coming back to life. My favorite color also. On the 04 the fuel filter is in the gas tank, which makes it more difficult to change than some of the early years.

nsogiba

Great story. Keep the memories alive with this one.

mark4cam

Goodies for this weekend's projects have arrived. Full brake refresh (rotors are excellent), clutch flush and bleed, and if I have time I'll change the gearbox oil. Friends coming over for St Pat's day, so my fun time in the garage will be limited.