Don't forget to check all the knobs and buttons to make sure everything's working test drive and inspect there's a lot of good deals people need the money
Best advice I ever got was buy the best you can afford. You will enjoy that way more than struggling to pay or restore one. Drive them Brothers. Almost Spring.
Thanks for this! Should be required watching for EVERYONE who buys or sells a car. Inspectors have often told me "You can do better, don't buy this one". On some cars, I'd say join the car club, THEN start looking - either within the club or with their help. Keep them coming!
All excellent tips. Especially about getting an inspection. I bought my ’17 GS without an inspection from a licensed mechanic. When I had a trusted mechanic inspect it a couple days later, the car had two blown shocks. Magnetic ride shocks are crazy expensive. Turns out my extended warranty would have covered it. However, when the dealer learned of the blown shocks, they apologized and lined up replacements at no cost to me. My story had a happy ending. Many sellers won’t be as accommodating. So do NOT do what I did!
I paid 24K c5z from a dealer a few months ago, and honestly looking back I got a little shafted because I fell in love with the first car I saw. The clutch went out 2 months after buying it so that was another 3 grand. If I played some hard ball, I think I could have easily gotten another grand or two off because 27 grand for a 02 Z is a liiiiiiitttle bit too much. But at the end of the day I love the car, and money is just money. But this video is great for those who don't want to make the same mistake I did. PRO TIP: If there is a drip coming from the bell house, the clutch isn't long for the world.
Your videos are great, watching from Sweden as i`m thinking of bying a C5. They are a bit priece...about 17-20 000 dollars for a car with high miles...
Excellent advice, presented clearly and without fluff. I've bought a decent number of cars in my lifetime, read and listened to a lot of advice (and learned from my own mistakes), and let me tell you, I wish this video had existed for my 20-30 year old self to watch!
always nice to hear a professional give solid car advice. I hesitate to add what was probably considered too well known to mention, the often disregarded standard advice, to reserve 20% of your purchase budget to cover any issues that might come up, because few people sell a car because it is in perfect condition. They bail on the situation because it has become untenable, and that is where you come in. The Kelly Blue book for my Southern California area , last time I looked, also included Guam, listed in the covered localities in the front of the book.
Thank you! This is such timely advice since I'm looking to sell my '80 in the spring. I have been struggling with how to value it because of such low mileage and being unmolested. I love the car but like you said, it's the market that determines the value not emotion. I know I'm not going to retire on what I get from it but by the same token I'd like to get what it's worth too. I want both buyer and seller to be happy with the deal. Keep up the great work!
Priceless video ! Thank you Lyle, definitely saving this for my C7 search next summer. Applicable for any pre-owned vehicle, this is definitely a smart approach and can/will prevent headaches down the road
Another good tip, if you are going to buy a Vette, this could go for all cars, Look through a sales brochure of what you are wanting to buy, you may find something you like! It also gives you a good idea on what was offered etc!
I sometimes do a version of that when I am buying unfamiliar product. I look at the most expensive top of line products, to find features or benefits I might not be aware of , or might not be offered in my preliminary price range, but might enjoy, and use that product knowledge to develop my list of needs to be satisfied .
Good Morning Lyle (Merry Christmas / Happy New Year / Happy Holidays, Hanukkah, etc...). love Your plain and simple truths. I would have added one piece of verbiage, don't like the Deal Walk Away, there most likely is another one. CARMAX just tried to get me to do a loan at 11.75 % on the EXACT Z-06 car I want, that they have dropped the price 4 times in a month. Be nice to 61 - 62 Year Olds, were trying and Yes I can still get in and out of mine.
Thank you Lyle for fantastic channel. I love the delivery of all your videos and I’ve been following you for over the year. I live in Canada and I send your videos to all my corvette friends. Beside huge amount of useful information I love how you present the common sense issues (that you would think would be more common). Today I’m coming to visit Florida and I will definitely com visit your place as C&S is regular guest in mine. I hope to meet you in person and buy some souvenirs / parts. I will be the polish guy with twin teen age daughters .. my birthday is tomorrow and I requested from my family to by me birthday gifts at your place hahahaha. Hope to see you soon.
Hey Lyle: long-time viewer and really appreciate all your knowledge. I'll be shopping [most likely this season[ for a used C7, maybe C6. Long time dream to own one. Would you consider doing a 'buyer's tips' specific to the specific generations? Thanks for considering my request. Keep up the great work!
Great commentary. Many excellent points. I have recently purchased and sold multiple Corvettes since 2020. (Retirement) Each was in excellent overall shape. Each required maintainence and other upgrades, particularly tires. All buyers should have an additional 20% for needed items. Maybe more or less. Very few Corvettes I ever purchased were perfect and required no maintenance. Lastly, watch one's dangerous emotions.
Awesome video Lyle, I'm looking for a C6. So many cars I've been watching have sold. The market is hot for these Vettes! Thanks again, my search continues
Thanks for the tips Lyle. I'm a weird shopper: If the price I see is too high for me, even a little bit, I never contact the seller. I feel like I'm wasting the person's time. Lol.
while it is rude to waste another's time, if you are sincere about the possibility of buying the car, most people won't object to a potential buyer coming around and understand if the deal falls through over price, because that is a common objection most have experienced.
This video was very helpful. I'm trying to buy a C5 Corvette, preferably a 2001+ targa top with the manual transmission. Although I have found an example I'm interested in, I'm still looking at other cars out of the possibility I find another car that is either cheaper, in better condition, etc.
Thanks for the awesome video. I live in Indianapolis and had a C6 Corvette inspected at a local Chevy dealer which uncovered some issues that prevented me from buying it. Where else would you recommend getting a used car inspection? Thanks in advance
Another great video and I absolutely agree with your advice, Lyle. One question, how do you deal with a situation where you find a car ( Corvette) of a specific make up / model which is uncommon in it’s configuration. There simply just isn’t an overly supply on the market to just say ‘I’ll move on the the next. For example when a specific Model, colour combination only some 5000 were made in total. Do you pass it up because of a few “iffi’s”? I know record keeping / log is desirable, but many enthusiasts are doing their own maintenance/ repairs, because they enjoy working on their cars and simply want to save a few $ , which BTW keeps businesses like yours going. Always enjoy listening to your good advice and info, learned much on the way.
I am no substitute for the expert, but for me, I think 5000 copies of anything is not rare. It might be a low production number compared to other configurations that were more popular, probably for good reason , but 5000 versions of a mass produced car is not rare. For instance, My 2003 convertible was 40% of production@ 14, 922 produced , but only 1,398 or 10% of production, had a black interior, I don't think that interior color makes my car rare, just low production . the six speed was 4, 820, or 34% of production, lower than the 5000 you are proposing as rare. By the way, I just got a set of high polish wheels , which @ 33% of the production , or , 4,631 , also wasn't rare for a convertible , but getting them today is a lot tougher than when new, tough to find a good set in 2023, making the find kind of rare To be clear, I think adding value for a certain unloved color paint , or some kind of seldom ordered option package is screwy, since it was probably avoided by most for good reason, and is primarily just a slightly interesting detail, an inconsequential mine is better than yours talking point among gear heads, unless it started out as an extra cost item, then history says it is worth a couple of bucks. About the only thing worth paying extra for is investment grade merchandise, and even that is a bet. While reason and education are vital to a good buying decision, don't pass on something you really want, even if it is a bad buy, if you can afford such a decision, and would greatly regret walking away. But remember, time changes everything , just ask bob wills. And a bad buy can certainly change your wallet, no waiting By the way, I just got those numbers from the corvette action center site, if you want to check on the car you are considering.
HI lyle have 2006 convertible with 44,000 klm have just changed different and coulant fluids should I now also replace the auto tansmission fluid, car is in mint shape,Christopher ottawa canada,great channel we really appreciate your great work andadvise on utube
Although I agree with a pre-purchase inspection, if a private sale, I would not want to have to accommodate the buyer each time to drive to the shop of their own to have it inspected. Maybe provide an inspection report of your own or have it available to have it lifted on stands for the buyer to look under and inspect.
The way I handled this was I agreed to buy the car contingent on passing inspection at a local corvette specialty shop. Occasionally, you will meet an idiot that will back out or renegotiate after the inspection and judgement is required on your part on the commitment of the buyer. Fortunately, the inspector pointed out that it’s a 20 year old vehicle and will need repairs but there were no surprises other than the typical gremlin the seller admitted to, had pointed out and I had researched.
Lyle, I have a 2009 LT3, Z51 package, 60,000 miles with a 6 speed manual. I have had the shifter replaced with a billet hurst short throw shifter. I wanted to get your opinion of a possible problem I have, under acceleration there is a moderate to severe vibration that is transmitting up through the shifter, and I’m wondering what might be my upcoming possible repair. Is a vibration heard and felt through the shifter an indication of an upcoming repair to the Torque Toob or Transaxle?
That depends entirely upon you, good sir. IF you feel there would be a value to it and it doesn't interfere with other functions on the car, I see no reason NOT to do it. Note: you can only do it on automatic transmission cars for obvious reasons.... Lyle
Hi there. I am asking for a Friend. Is this an Automatik 4spd? Can you tell me i wich speed the Car change the Gears when driving very smoothly? Should be: 1 to 2 = 20mph 2 to 3 = 30mph 3 to 4 = 45mph Can you confirm the shifting Points?
Ideally, yes. Like going to your family doctor versus going to a specialist...the doctor can do the basics, but may not have the deep knowledge required to sniff out Corvette-specific issues. The general mechanic will be able to determine safety and overall health of the car, but probably won't be able to give you a great amount of detail regarding the finer points of Corvette-specific areas of concern. Some info is better than none, of course. Lyle
Hey Lyle or anyone that can help me with this question i have. I want to get into track racing and i figured the best car i can get for my budget is a c6 corvette. Im looking at a 2010 grand sport with little over 150,000 miles. The sellers claim it has been well maintained and paint is in showroom condition. I haven't gone to see it in person yet but they're asking $26,900 for it. In your opinion is this a reasonable price?
If the car is in the described condition and has a clean title, I think that price is fair. Perfect paint isn't a requirement for a track car--and it won't remain perfect for long if the car is used regularly on-track. Lyle
Is there any need for concern if a used C5, that has 80K miles, that is super clean inside and out, that has 9 previous owners? Car-fax shows no accidents, and the service history doesn’t show anything other than regular maintenance. My concern is the high number of owners for such a low mileage car.
Where do you go to get a “true” evaluation of the value of your Vette? I’ve invested to insure my C5 is in perfect (stock) condition. It looks like new, low mileage, and runs perfect. Yet the $ I see of my year car is ridiculous. May be an emotional response, it I’ve “babied” this Lady!
