Anyone a Corvette person?

walter

walter

Fourth Party
So Mrs. Walter and I are seriously thinking about purchasing a used Corvette. Looking at later end C4 up to early C6, preferably a convertible. I know almost zero about cars and have the mechanical aptitude of a grapefruit so I'm once again turning to my good friends of the MTBNJ community for help and advice.

Looking at a budget of around $15,000, hopefully less but also willing to go a bit higher if we can find something nice. Must be automatic as she cant drive a manual. Like I said, looking for convertible but I'm under the impression most have Targa tops anyway, am I right?

Anywho, this is probably going to happen sometime after the holidays so any info on mechanicals, known issues, recalls, bad years, etc would be greatly appreciated. I have a friend at work who owns 2 Corvettes and hes been very helpful thus far, just looking for addition info. Thanks.
 
Dudeman: motorcycle, multiple bike swaps and now this. How long is your mid-life lasting?
corvette-meme-3.jpg
 
 
walter said:
So Mrs. Walter and I are seriously thinking about purchasing a used Corvette. Looking at later end C4 up to early C6, preferably a convertible. I know almost zero about cars and have the mechanical aptitude of a grapefruit so I'm once again turning to my good friends of the MTBNJ community for help and advice.

Looking at a budget of around $15,000, hopefully less but also willing to go a bit higher if we can find something nice. Must be automatic as she cant drive a manual. Like I said, looking for convertible but I'm under the impression most have Targa tops anyway, am I right?

Anywho, this is probably going to happen sometime after the holidays so any info on mechanicals, known issues, recalls, bad years, etc would be greatly appreciated. I have a friend at work who owns 2 Corvettes and hes been very helpful thus far, just looking for addition info. Thanks.
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You are going to want to avoid the C4's so scratch them off your list.

C6 is probably going to be tight given your budget - but would be the one to go for. Both C5 and C6 are Targa'd Standard - C5's did have a Fixed Roof Coupe (FRC) option that is desirable by performance enthusiasts but obviously not of interest to you.

I'd look for a mid/later run c5 vette - you want one that has been cared for but driven - not something that's sat more often than not. Mileage wouldn't concern my tons - they are powered by the same basic motor that goes to 300k in a truck without problem.

My suggestion would be to go drive one or two and determine if that's what you really want and then start the search in earnest - you don't say why corvette specifically so you might also want to look at a coyote power mustang ( 2011 up I do believe).
 
I agree with @vlkslvr almost 100%.

Avoid C4. And they will be cheap as hell even in great condition.

C5 is a nice ride. The interior is very much 90's Chevy Blazer but they drive nice, have enough power, and don't look terribly dated.

C6 is definitely not out of reach, will be a much improved interior, but will take much more searching. My buddy sold his 2007 C6 2LT with 60K miles in the spring for $17,500 and it was very clean.

Please don't buy retail red. Get a fun color, get some jean shorts, and head straight to dinner at 4pm for the $17.99 all you can eat special.

INSIDER TIP: Order water with lemon. Add some sugar packets and YOU'VE GOT FREE LEMONADE.
 
Carson said:
Please don't buy retail red. Get a fun color, get some jean shorts, and head straight to dinner at 4pm for the $17.99 all you can eat special.

INSIDER TIP: Order water with lemon. Add some sugar packets and YOU'VE GOT FREE LEMONADE.
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Holy Crap I literally spit my coffee out on the pro tip and heading to dinner straight at 4pm!

I didn't realize the C6's were down that much - if you can find one like what Carson's Buddy sold then absolutely that's the way to go. C6 is better in every conceivable way and worth stretching your budget to get into one.

P.S. Save a few pennies for some Corvette Socks & a Satin Jacket.
 
vlkslvr said:
You are going to want to avoid the C4's so scratch them off your list.

C6 is probably going to be tight given your budget - but would be the one to go for. Both C5 and C6 are Targa'd Standard - C5's did have a Fixed Roof Coupe (FRC) option that is desirable by performance enthusiasts but obviously not of interest to you.

I'd look for a mid/later run c5 vette - you want one that has been cared for but driven - not something that's sat more often than not. Mileage wouldn't concern my tons - they are powered by the same basic motor that goes to 300k in a truck without problem.

My suggestion would be to go drive one or two and determine if that's what you really want and then start the search in earnest - you don't say why corvette specifically so you might also want to look at a coyote power mustang ( 2011 up I do believe).
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Carson said:
I agree with @vlkslvr almost 100%.

Avoid C4. And they will be cheap as hell even in great condition.

C5 is a nice ride. The interior is very much 90's Chevy Blazer but they drive nice, have enough power, and don't look terribly dated.

C6 is definitely not out of reach, will be a much improved interior, but will take much more searching. My buddy sold his 2007 C6 2LT with 60K miles in the spring for $17,500 and it was very clean.

Please don't buy retail red. Get a fun color, get some jean shorts, and head straight to dinner at 4pm for the $17.99 all you can eat special.

INSIDER TIP: Order water with lemon. Add some sugar packets and YOU'VE GOT FREE LEMONADE.
Click to expand...

Both of your replies echo what my coworker told me. He said the difference between C4 and C5 is night and day, and he also mentioned that some replacement parts were becoming obsolete. My only draw to the C4 is because that's what was hot when I was in high school, that year the ZR1 came out, it was nuts.
Going to do my best to not by red, the wife actually wants something bold like yellow or that electric blue. I'm cool with rattle can black.
Ill be doing my research over the coming months for sure.
 
@vlkslvr not saying its gotta be a vette, its just high on the list. I'm also very open to mustangs or whatever, as long as its a convertible or removable top. I may even say I'd go as far as an IROC with t-tops lol.
 
As someone who's last car was a Hyundai Accent where the interior was nothing but plastic, check out the interiors of the C5 before you commit.

For years I heard the complaints and thought people were anal like Carson about cars being perfect. It's a Corvette, go fast in it, who cares what the interior looks like?

It turns out they're bad. They're really, really bad. They should have just admitted they subcontracted it out to Fisher Price.

But then again, if you're considering an automatic it may not be an issue... 🙂
 
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