C5 is a great car. I do wish I had taken more time to look at the one I bought. A lot of what is being discussed here is what needs to be done. If these items are not looked at before hand then hopefully your wallet is deep. Mine isn’t and I have a somewhat sour taste in my mouth 👄 for C5 now. It isn’t the cars fault but I could have prevented a lot of pains by taking more time to examine the car before buying. Good luck to anyone looking for their next Corvette. 😊
@@WarriorsPhoto mine definitely needed work done, and it does get daunting and feels like it will never end. But once it’s done, I should be good for quite some time, plus these cars are not terribly hard to work on. Abundance of aftermarket parts and tons of parts available in junk yards. Your corvette will definitely demand your time but it becomes a lifestyle.
@@WarriorsPhoto update to my post. C5’s definitely have their issues. I just traded it for a c6 z51 manual with 913 miles , 1 owner. The owner would only drive it 60 or 70 miles a year according to its service history. It’s all stock and it does not have a hud. A true analog survivor. I’ll pamper the car but I’ll drive it more than 70 miles a year. Taking it to Chevrolet and preferably a corvette specialist. I’m a good mechanic overall but I am not a c6 corvette specialist. I have my concerns with such low mileage but this one can’t be passed up. Ended up trading the c5 for essentially a 15 year old new car.
@@gamerscubeixxi2152 HOLY SNIKEYS! That’s a unicorn and glad you found one. You are going to make it a regular thoroughbred putting all those miles on. But what’s a Corvette if it isn’t enjoyed?
@@WarriorsPhoto I have to put no more than 1500 miles a year on it. I’m about to register it with the national corvette museum. She will be labeled a survivor. I’m not changing a thing on this car , other than required fluids and basic maintenance. I’ve decided I’m just going to use an aux cable for audio and navigation using my iPhone , then it’s getting a phone holder and a bunch of clean fluids. Other than that it’s a brand new c6 z51.
My parents paid for my college to learn how to work on cars and then they did it again so I could learn how to weld mostly so I can repair rusted old cars. because they've done so much for me. I asked my mom what was her dream car and she said a white auto C5 with red interior. It took me a couple months and I found a high mileage car, but everything worked on it besides the heads up display so I took a chance and bought my mom her dream card. It's awesome to be able to take my car her car and my dad's Cadillactica car shows, I don't think I've ever seen her with a big smile on her face Sorry, kind of rambling on from what the videos about 9K for high mileage car in the exact spec. She wanted didn't seem too bad for me. It might've been dumb idea, but I'm happy she happy.😊
Excellent video. After owning 11 Corvettes (4 C5’s) I learned many buying lessons. Knowing the previous owner is a bonus. Save about 25% by buying off private parties vs dealers who have overhead.
I have my father in law's 01 that he put 152k miles on it in his 60's and 70's. Original motor and balancer. New transmission at 90k miles. Well maintained and a blast to drive.
I'm so glad that you touched on the break modular issues. Maybe in the future you could elaborate a little closer. I was under the impression of the earlier models the 97 to 2000 If there was a modular issue you could just disconnect the fuse panel from the unit rendering it in opt. Is that true for that year 🤔 and then drive without the extras. I heard over other channels. I mean what other choice do you have for those model years.😷 Thanks again great content. 😎
Been wanting a Corvette since I was a teenager. 2025 just might be the year I make that dream come true. I've watched numerous buying tip videos and they have me teetering between excitement and shear terror when it comes to looking at and potentially buying a 20 year old car.
Do it! You only live once and a Corvette is a great car to own. Look at these 10 points as you begin your shopping. You’ll save yourself a lot of trouble and/or wrenching time. (:
It's a fallacy that low mileage cars is that they're more valuable, when the reality, especially C-5s, is that I trust a car with higher mileage as they have been driven regularly which is netter for the car. Also many of the known flaws have been identified and corrected.
I’m completely clueless when it comes to working on my car so I do consider spending more on a newer car even tho I might save on an older or more used car.
I bought my 2005 C6 Convertible 6 speed late spring 2022 for $22K. I wish got it during the pandemic when it was around $18 - $20k and Z06 were around $24K - $30K
My sweet spot is 30k to 50k. But they have to be cared for. Look at the seats and if dry cracked badly they were not cared for. You will not save much going to 80K.
@@Toys4Life yeah its in basically perfect condition. i just had headers, straight x pipe , axle back and tune done.(amazingly it put 400 hp to the wheels on a hot humid day) the place that did it said there wasnt even rust on the exhaust bolts.
Respectfully, that's a shame That's not even two full tanks of gas. If they didn't drain it, it stale as turpentine.or something nasty... Did they buy it in hopes that it would go up in value or lost interest and we're too lazy to sell it?
@@Toys4Life old retired guy. He does start it. Just one of those old guys that wanted their dream car and never really used it. Will start and drive easily.
@@zhen5281 Owned 11 Corvettes in my lifetime. Do most of my work on them too. Most owners do not replace C5 clutches themselves. Just pointing out the expense in having a shop repair them.
A car with a million miles and proper maintenance is 10x better off than a car with 10k miles and years of sitting under its belt. Low odo means a nightmare every single time
Plastics age regardless of mileage, even though I have less than 40,000 miles on my c6, I have had plastic component related issues, notably the starter and the radiator.
A lot of them up to mid 2001 I believe had some Piston slap from the factory. After that it's kind of hit or miss and got generally less I believe. Of course there will be some 98's that are quiet and some 2003s that are allowed but I'm speaking in general terms. Neglect will always make things worse as in running it low on oil or no oil or 10,000 mi oil changes.
