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Need some buying guidance between 4 cars. They all have their points to them.
Im not looking to go mod crazy, other then maybe try a HPDE event here and there. Just want to enjoy the car in the mountains and the occasional track/stoplight. All have clean carfax, the color im torn between because they all look good in their own ways.
1) is a 2003 with 35,***miles for $23500. 1 owner clean car.
4) last a 2001 in Black for $19999 with 34*** miles on it. My biggest fear here is the chance of oil consumption issues and the lack of the upgrades that came in later models and 4 catalytic converters. But the price is far below the others.
The money saved on the fourth one could pay for a cam change and headers to remove the four cat system but IIWM I'd go for the commemorative edition
I'm also kinda partial towards the door molding on the C5s
04 for sure. Light hood. Best resale forever. Probably hasn't been beat on as much.
Originally Posted by Scumaro
Hi everyone,
Need some buying guidance between 4 cars. They all have their points to them.
Im not looking to go mod crazy, other then maybe try a HPDE event here and there. Just want to enjoy the car in the mountains and the occasional track/stoplight. All have clean carfax, the color im torn between because they all look good in their own ways.
1) is a 2003 with 35,***miles for $23500. 1 owner clean car.
4) last a 2001 in Black for $19999 with 34*** miles on it. My biggest fear here is the chance of oil consumption issues and the lack of the upgrades that came in later models and 4 catalytic converters. But the price is far below the others.
Between the four, I think the best buy would be the silver '03 followed by the yellow '04. The blue Z16 '04 is too pricey IMO. The '01 car would be an ideal choice for someone who plans to do extensive modifications down the road because it would negate the difference in power between the '01 and '02's+ while saving $$$. Definitely check the tires on all the cars, tires are not cheap for these things so if any of the cars have brand new tires that's a plus.
It is my understanding that the oil consumption issue is just apparent on a small population of '01's. It is worth noting that the '02+ cars do have slightly better clutches vs. the '01 and the '01's do not have HUD. There are other small differences but I can't recall them all at the moment. There's not much difference between the '02, '03, and '04 cars but they do seem to have minor improvements year after year. The most notable difference would be the better shocks on the '04 cars. I have an '03, think the shocks are great and feel no need to upgrade to the '04 shocks but if I did it's a $400 upgrade so therefore I don't feel it gives the '04 much of an advantage from that standpoint. All else being equal I would target the later years before the beginning years.
Whatever car you buy I would recommend doing two things. 1) Replace the "yellow" LS6 valve springs with new replacement "blue" LS6 springs or something aftermarket unless it has already been done. The C5Z's are known for valve spring failures due to some bad batches of "yellow" LS6 springs. 2) Do the column lock bypass, it's a known issue with the C5's. You can fix it with a $50 part which is better than being stranded somewhere and needing a tow.
EDIT: When you look at the cars in person check the frame rails (beneath the doors) for damage. Also check all jack locations for damage. When jacking up a C5 jacking pucks should be used as to not damage the underneath of the car, unfortunately not everyone knows or cares about this. Also look under the front bumper area and look at the condition of both front skid plates.
Last edited by StealthFormula; 09-20-2016 at 01:50 PM.
09-10-2016, 10:51 PM
I need some buying guidance for C5 ZO6 
