Give'er

I am currently shopping for a C5 and notice that on identical cars ( year, options and condition) price seems to be very dependent on mileage. My question is: Is it worth paying a premium for lower mileage if all of the cars I am looking at are 65K miles or less?

Cryptoboy

Depends on what you plan to do with it. If you plan to drive it a lot then it might make a difference. If you can do your own work a higher mileage C5 might be a good option.

Murray Anderson

Depends how it was looked after. A 10K mile car might be more problematic than a 30K mile car. Mileage alone is not a deciding factor on how maintenance free a car will be.

Z06Berlin

I bought a 2004 for $23k that had 44000 miles and immediately had to fix the clutch and am now having to fix the door due to stress crack, total cost $2300. Also, because I didn't like the chrome rims (Chinese made, the chrome peels fast), I also changed the tires at the same time for total cost of $4500.

So bottom line before you buy have it checked out by a dependable garage, it might save you money.

Mcrider

It's really a number of factors, and the type of miles, highway or in town makes a big difference. Was the car tracked (raced) or was it strictly a recreation vehicle? The type of mods, if any, will tell you that. Due to the age of the cars you are looking at, a low mileage car could easily require more initial maintenance as items such as rubber, deteriorates with age as well as use. A full pre-purchase inspection by a certified GM dealer that services vettes is highly recommended.

Murray Anderson

Completely agree. Bought my 04 with 25K miles. Car was a 4 hour plane ride away. Bought two tickets to see it, me and my mechanic. No issues yet, it’s been two years next week.

ztheusa

I've pretty much noticed about $1000/20,000 miles is the going rate.
My pristine 120,000 o1' Z06 sold for $15,500.

Then I re-bought my 18,000 mi 04' Z51 auto conv't for $21,000.

grampi50

About 30K miles seems to be the tipping point. Either side of this mileage seems to be about a $5K difference in price. Lower mileage is usually better, if you can find a reasonably priced one, but I also wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger on a well cared for, one or two owner 40-50K mile car either...but I plan on driving mine too...

mark4cam

Mileage and color definitely have an impact, but also condition and history. I paid $15k for my 2004 MY coupe with just 38k miles, which I considered a little high honestly. But it had been neglected for a long time. While it had a lot of needs, it was at its core a very good car and exactly what I was looking for, so I couldn't resist it. I would guess its value is climbing a bit, with the work I'm doing. I just rolled past 39k miles and absolutely love driving it. I know I wouldn't sell it for $20k right now.

Spaceme1117

Condition of the vehicle and regular service are more important in my opinion. If it has some miles on it but has been taken care of, I wouldn't be afraid.

I purchased a 2002 EB Z06 about a year ago with 93K miles on it. It was a little rough around the edges cosmetically (paint mainly) but mechanically had been taken care of. It had the complete service records with the vehicle.

And a year later the car is still great. I had did a minor refresh a few months ago to the drive train just in case and had the heads off. The cylinders still had nice crosshatching in them.

knewblewkorvette

Not really.

itsslow98

Low miles will always help with resale. Deals are out there. I bought a black 03 z November 2017 with 2,900 miles for 26,500 from a dealer.

dbgoodwin

itsslow98

Because if I buy a car with 2,900 and drive it for 20,00 miles it's still gonna be low low mile car. If I buy one with 80k and put 20k on it then its gonna be 100k mile car which scares 90% of buyers off. I very rarely hold onto cars for more than a couple years so it makes sense for me.

NCVette1

Would depend on how much of a 'premium' you pay. I bought mine with 52k miles and 11k in mods for 14k. Garaged its whole life with all receipts and paperwork. LS engines last 200k+ miles so I wouldn't pay much of a premium for a low mileage one. At the end of the day these are still Chevys and still not considered collectibles.

If you buy a car with very low mileage you will probably end up with a car you have to put a lot of money into. Seals and gaskets dry up. Nothing good happens with a car sits. It's made to drive. I'd say skip anything that averages less than 2500 miles a year.

NCVette1

You buy a car with 80k and it will have most of the bugs worked out from the previous owner. And it will be somewhat cheap. You sell it you'll most likely break even in 20k miles.

rrwirsi

Do you like to negotiate? When a seller (owner or dealer) decides to part ways with a car, then you are in the drivers seat. How much are you willing to pay for a car that meets all your must have? Decide what the must haves are, your budget, and have fun finding your the C5 you will enjoy.

Vetteman Jack

For the most part, I agree. Maintenance history and how the car was driven are important to me too. I wouldn't be afraid of a low mileage car (my '03 only has 22K miles on it, is in excellent shape and wouldn't be afraid to hop in an drive across the country) but as mentioned, something with 65K miles or so on it could be a great deal too if everything checks out on the car and the price is right.

Give'er

Thanks everyone for the great input. Good advice for sure.

dbgoodwin