C5 advice!
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Joined: Jan 2013
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C5 advice! Hey people,
Lookiing for a new summer ride, got rid of my Impala SS and have norrowed it down to 3 choices; Cobra, lightning or Vette.
I love the cobra but already owned a mustang and well the Lightning I fing just really cool but not much of a summer ride!
So the vette seem to be a logical descision. I'm looking to get a C5 perferably targa but we''ll see what i can get a deal on. It'll prolly have about 100k kms. I've been reading up on the C5 and they don't seem to be the most reliable cars around, thats the impression i'm getting. Now I know that the car will be min 10 years old and will prolly need a bit of attention but.....am I mistaken, i'd like to see what people here think of their C5's....
I don't want something that will be problematic either and don't want to regret my descision. it will be a DD summer ride. Rain or shine i'll drive it like all my other summer cars.
Thanks in advance
Lookiing for a new summer ride, got rid of my Impala SS and have norrowed it down to 3 choices; Cobra, lightning or Vette.
I love the cobra but already owned a mustang and well the Lightning I fing just really cool but not much of a summer ride!
So the vette seem to be a logical descision. I'm looking to get a C5 perferably targa but we''ll see what i can get a deal on. It'll prolly have about 100k kms. I've been reading up on the C5 and they don't seem to be the most reliable cars around, thats the impression i'm getting. Now I know that the car will be min 10 years old and will prolly need a bit of attention but.....am I mistaken, i'd like to see what people here think of their C5's....
I don't want something that will be problematic either and don't want to regret my descision. it will be a DD summer ride. Rain or shine i'll drive it like all my other summer cars.
Thanks in advance
The C5 for the class of car it is I would say is extremely reliable. It can be beat on at a track, driven home, then driven to work the next day. You just have to understand what you are buying. When you are buying a 10 year old car, you have to expect things to go wrong. Parts don't last forever, and even though you may have little things go wrong, typically, they are cheap and easy repairs you can do yourself. The other nice thing about the C5, is "when" you have a code pop up you can read it without a scanner, using your DIC readout on the dash. That and the help you have from Ls1tech and the CF forum will lead you to a quick and typically easy fix to your issue.
They are fun, and you won't be disappointed if you buy one. If you do buy one, get ALL the records you can, and find out ALL the work that has been done to the car. Also, do yourself a favor and get a compression and leak down test done on the car by a shop just to make you feel good about your purchase. It may cost some bucks, but it'll be worth it in peace of mind. I did when I was in the market, and I'm glad. It stopped me from running into a train wreck. It looked good, it ran good, but it wasn't all peaches and cream internally.
They are fun, and you won't be disappointed if you buy one. If you do buy one, get ALL the records you can, and find out ALL the work that has been done to the car. Also, do yourself a favor and get a compression and leak down test done on the car by a shop just to make you feel good about your purchase. It may cost some bucks, but it'll be worth it in peace of mind. I did when I was in the market, and I'm glad. It stopped me from running into a train wreck. It looked good, it ran good, but it wasn't all peaches and cream internally.
My 99 C5 was great. No problems at all. I would recommend getting an 01 or newer. The earlier cars have had some very important parts discontinued. And the 01-04 have the LS6 intake which is better and the 01-04 have a better differential case. If you get an automatic car look on the RPO sticker for G92. That means it will have the 3.15 performance axle ratio. The is quite a bit better than the 2.73 ratio. Good luck with your search.
C5 was a milestone in the Corvette line up. Does not even compare to a C4. C4 had over 70,000 parts, C5 40,000. Gm loved that car, plus the patented hydroformed chassis was leased out to Mercedes, BMW and Ferrari. Probably the best year was 2003, the 50 year anniversary model. But a 1999 or 2000 with high miles can be bought dirt cheap and put 2,000 dollars into it and you will be amazed what that car can do. I go head to head with 100,000 - 200,000 dollars cars at the track, boy do they get upset when i beat them in my 1999 $10,000 dollar C5 vette 
The C5 is WAY Underated ! FYI the car was designed to go 200,000 miles and the engine is designed for 300,000 miles 
FYI the convertible is as stiff as any race car. stiffest convertible chassis ever made! I raced my wifes convertible for 2 years! ( until they figured it out) lol
My dream car is the 2013 C6 convertible with the 427 V8 and six speed!
WOW! What a street car!
The C5 is WAY Underated ! FYI the car was designed to go 200,000 miles and the engine is designed for 300,000 miles FYI the convertible is as stiff as any race car. stiffest convertible chassis ever made! I raced my wifes convertible for 2 years! ( until they figured it out) lol
My dream car is the 2013 C6 convertible with the 427 V8 and six speed!
WOW! What a street car!
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C5 reliability is pretty awesome. Only weak important part is the 4L60 if you go with an automatic car. Otherwise most issues are small things that don't affect performance and are easily fixed. The LS engines are incredibly tough beasts.
Plus you'll be driving a true American legend. The C5 will go down as one of the most important automobiles ever made. It was the C5 that saved Corvette, the C5 that birthed Corvette Racing and a decade of utter domination in American Le Mans, the C5 Z06 that has OWNED SCCA, etc.
C6 was a great evolution and upped performance, but it won't have the place in history of the C5. It's achievements rested on C5s shoulders.
Plus you'll be driving a true American legend. The C5 will go down as one of the most important automobiles ever made. It was the C5 that saved Corvette, the C5 that birthed Corvette Racing and a decade of utter domination in American Le Mans, the C5 Z06 that has OWNED SCCA, etc.
C6 was a great evolution and upped performance, but it won't have the place in history of the C5. It's achievements rested on C5s shoulders.
Last edited by will82; May 13, 2013 at 10:36 AM.
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Verdad Gallardo Thanks for the advice. I'm still not 100% sure what I want here when I graduate college. It seems most people are asking 99-00 C5 money for reasonable mileage 98-02 ws6s, so that being said, putting up the extra dollars towards a C5 makes sense. Either that or holding out for a C6
Love my 98 C5 Vert! Got it for 13,000 with 72,000 miles on it. It was bone stock, Auto. So far I have done Z06 mufflers, Fast 90/90, Vararam, and a tune. It has gone 12.8@109 with a 2.0 60' on stock Good Year runflats! I just got some Drag radials and some GTO spares for the front. I am hoping to hit a 12.4 @ 110 with a 1.8 60'. The cars move and are a blast to drive! I get so many compliments while driving it. People cant believe that its 15 yrs old!
Love my 98 C5 Vert! Got it for 13,000 with 72,000 miles on it. It was bone stock, Auto. So far I have done Z06 mufflers, Fast 90/90, Vararam, and a tune. It has gone 12.8@109 with a 2.0 60' on stock Good Year runflats! I just got some Drag radials and some GTO spares for the front. I am hoping to hit a 12.4 @ 110 with a 1.8 60'. The cars move and are a blast to drive! I get so many compliments while driving it. People cant believe that its 15 yrs old!
