my s2k will be paid off here very soon, and i think at 25, i might finally be in the rite position to get one of my all time favorite cars, the Corvette. ive been a life long vette fan, and have always wanted one.

id be in the market for a C5, preferably 01+ with the 350hp LS1's. i doubt i can find a used Z that hasnt been beat on, and with simple mods you can equal the Z's power outta the coupes.

what im wondering is:

what are some common areas to look out for? little problems? gremlins? most seem to be holding up very well, but i want to hear from come owners.

thanks?

Louie

 

FYI, I don't own a Vette, but there actually are a lot of used Corvettes out there that are garage queens that you can find, having done the research before.

LS1.com and LS1tech.com are excellent resources if you don't know about them already. Having owned an 02 Camaro SS, I can tell you the LS1/LS6 engine is pretty much bulletproof and they respond to bolt-ons like animals. Good luck with your search. A C5 Z06 that is well maintained and kept is quite a performance bargain.

 

ive just begun to lurk overthere. id like to pay around 25K or so for a well taken care of example. a FRC would be my perfect pick.

 

The only thing to really watch out for is the '01 Z06. There were some problems with the rings causing blow-by. Basically, they burn oil. Also, they tend to have little leaks from the transmission/diff housing. It is usally little more than an annoyance, but it's something to look for when you put your head under the car.

I do agree that there are some garage queen Z06s out there, and that would be my recommendation. While you can equal the power, there really is more to the equation than that. For a single example: the Z06 uses lightweight glass for the winsheild and rear glass. It's things like that, that REALLY make the Z06 more desireable over a Coupe. Besides, if you are going to mod it to match up with a Z06, just spend a LITTLE more up front and be DONE. I really didn't feel the need to mod my Z06.

Just another voice: A new 1LT coupe with NO options can be had for just under $40k. That's 430HP and a removeable roof. While that is 15k more than your budget, a 7 yr warranty is nothing to sneeze at, and neither is 430 HP.

 

good advice. so, i should narrow my search to 02' Z's. unfortunately a C6 is way out of the question for me, 25K is going to be the ceiling of what i shell out.

 

you might try a Chevy dealer or three. They can search the inventory of all dealers for the specific used car you are looking for, and have it delivered. They make more money off used cars, so it isn't like they would be doing extra work for nothing. Depending on where it was shipped from, it can cost $500-1000 to deliver, but a manual FRC is tough to find, much less with the Z51 package. I'd rather pay "too much" for the car I want than have to drive an auto I don't want because I got a "great deal" :/

The issues with 2001 Z06's didn't happen to every car. For your price range, you'd be looking at cars with ~50K or more on them. Any issues with leaks or blow-by will have been addressed by then, so I wouldn't worry about it. You aren't going to find a garage queen Z06 for a low price, especially not an '02, so don't start being super-picky.

I'd be looking for a 99 FRC with a manual if I were you. Those are kind of rare, but there are several available right now, and your budget can get you one in great condition. The newer the car, the rougher the shape for what you want to spend.

 

When I looked for Vettes there were alot more garage queen Z06's than C5 vettes. Many people buy Z06's because they were the "best" vettes at the time, and not really because they were going to track or autocross them. Then since the Z06 is harsher as a daily driver, they tend to sit in the garage alot.

When I bought my Z06, it had 12K miles on it. Z06's tended to have around 5K-25K miles. Anything more was rather rare. They were almost always first owners and pampered (I bought in 2004, the situation has probably changed). During my search I only saw one Z06 that had over 50K miles on it. By comparision most of the C5's I saw were probably semi daily drivers, with somewhere between 30K-100K miles.

As for Z06 vs C5 + light mods, I'd definitely recommend the Z06 over the C5. It's best to test drive them yourself, but they really do feel like different beasts.

This particular comparo from C&D really gives good insight on how the 4 different C5 suspension setups feel.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/7004/...lief-page2.html

"If the three targas are apples, the Z06 is a kumquat

 

Electron Blue is pimp!!

 

565565, your car rocks!

I looked seriously at buying a used 99 FRC Vette a few years ago, but home ownership won out.

The "piston slap" is because of the loose tolerances that reduces friction. Once up to temp, it's tight as it needs to be. Diesel tractors slap like mothers when cold but run all day and night without hiccup a million miles and more on the Canadian grain routes. Not an issue, and a sign of a good thing, actually.

Most accounts I've read suggest that tires are the major difference between the handling of the Z06 and the FRC's. Yes there is a power and slight weight difference, but the power difference is relatively cheap and easy to address. The weight difference is less than a passenger. By 50K, you're going to want new shocks anyway, so that's a wash as well. So I'm thinking that Z06 wheels, good tires, and save up some extra cash for a cam, and buy the FRC, if the up-front cost of the Z06 is not right.

OF COURSE, buy the Z06 if the money's right. But don't hold off buying a Vette just because you can't afford a Z06.

 

[QUOTE=565565,Sep 23 2007, 09:21 PM] When I looked for Vettes there were alot more garage queen Z06's than C5 vettes. Many people buy Z06's because they were the "best" vettes at the time, and not really because they were going to track or autocross them. Then since the Z06 is harsher as a daily driver, they tend to sit in the garage alot.

When I bought my Z06, it had 12K miles on it. Z06's tended to have around 5K-25K miles. Anything more was rather rare. They were almost always first owners and pampered (I bought in 2004, the situation has probably changed). During my search I only saw one Z06 that had over 50K miles on it. By comparision most of the C5's I saw were probably semi daily drivers, with somewhere between 30K-100K miles.

As for Z06 vs C5 + light mods, I'd definitely recommend the Z06 over the C5. It's best to test drive them yourself, but they really do feel like different beasts.

This particular comparo from C&D really gives good insight on how the 4 different C5 suspension setups feel.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/7004/...lief-page2.html

"If the three targas are apples, the Z06 is a kumquat