Low mileage c5 Corvette?

[jetenginekyle]

https://www.carfax.com/vehicle/1G1YY...106254?no_ul=1

Currently i have a decent daily but its getting up there in miles and i want to have second car that's fun but still reliable.

Im thinking about pulling the trigger on this car, its exactly how i want it; other than the interior color but who cares. The problem is it only has 16,000 miles on it and has barely been driven since 2016. Im worried it will become a headache with rubber pieces failing one after another. What do you guys think? Should I get it?

I would be financing this car but the monthly payment is something i can manage and I will likely pay it off about a year early.

[Chuck E Ducky]

Honestly other than the Master slave cylinder leak issues those things are super reliable. They get great gas mileage for a sports car.

[Chuck E Ducky]

I noticed it’s a convertible I don’t have experience with the cloth top cars but I would definitely personally prefer a coupe fro reliability reasons. The new Hard top convertibles are solid though. Do you have a garage?

[Siress]

I wouldn't recommend it... I never liked the front engine Corvettes, though - unless we're going way back to the C2 or C3. There are a lot of fun, ~reliable cars in that price range. It seems like you also want something flashy? ...and a convertible?

EDIT: (pffft... my browser wasn't showing all of the new posts when I came back to my computer - typed this before seeing the responses) Obvious choice for me would be a Miata... if those are your bag ( I get that ) then maybe an S2000 or a Z car. There's the BMW Z's as well but I've heard they're unreliable.

If you don't want flash...oh man, there are some fun sleepers out there like the Taurus SHO. Then there's middle ground... the sweet spot for practicality. I love the Subaru WRX hatchbacks for their all-roundedness, and dailyed one for the past 13 years.

[jetenginekyle]

I do have a garage, and before c5s i was strongly considering ND miatas but have swayed away from those because im 6'3" and the Corvettes cost the same amount but are bigger. So it being a convertible isn't that much of a downside to me.

[cheapguitarscheapthrills]

I don't know what your fancy is but my mom has a newer Miata 6 speed and that thing is so fun to drive. Not super fast but super nice handling. It's so low and small it feels like you're in a jet fighter cockpit. Highly recommend any Miata but you either like them or not.

Huge bias though cause I'm not super into Corvettes personally. If you wanna go fast in a straight line that should do it.

Another great fun car in a similar price range would be a Civic Type R. Double bias cause I have the lower trim Civic Sport 6 speed with a turbo. Quick and nimble for a FWD

[jetenginekyle]

The civic r is nice but not for me i just can't get over how overdone the styling is. Plus if I can I'd like something rwd, as other than a f150 for a year or two all my cars have been fwd.

[cheapguitarscheapthrills]

I totally get that, part of the reason I bought the sport is it doesn't have the ridiculous spoiler haha the Miata is RWD if you're man enough for a Miata. They get hate in States for some reason. I love them but I like Japanese cars, probably a symptom of growing up in the 90s

[the_matrix_guy]

I say go for it! The C5’s have great potential and are generally reliable. They also have great racing heritage in endurance / Grand Touring. The Ls1 is bulletproof and easy to make power. The Miata is also a great car.

https://youtube.com/shorts/N2JnswxYH...Ffsui_kCH_Iz0c

[BigRed]

Just like Old Yellow, big and fun and the back end can get outa control when excited! Go for it, I drove a buddies C5 and had a smile on my face the whole time!

[Blackmagic71]

I’ve owned a 1995 base model (purchased with 60k miles) and a 2002 Z06 (purchased with 17k miles).

Both were fairly reliable cars and I used the Z06 for a couple seasons of autocross before I got my BRZ. Corvettes are a lot of “bang for the buck” performance wise and they’re not exotic so parts are generally readily available.

I’ll also 2nd the good gas mileage. In 6th gear cruising around 60mph I could get close to 30mpg, but during autocross my Z06 got about 6-7 mpg 🤣

Just given the age of the car I’d recommend being ready to spend a few thousand on tires and any misc neglected maintenance before you push it too hard. Nothing would ruin your day like punching it real hard in a new to you sports car, not having enough grip from old dry rotted tires, and spinning into a ditch or tree.

My $0.02 is as much fun as these cars are, I think financing a car of this age is a bad idea. If you can pay it off in one year I’d just wait another year.

[jetenginekyle]

"My $0.02 is as much fun as these cars are, I think financing a car of this age is a bad idea. If you can pay it off in one year I’d just wait another year"

Its hard to disagree with your statement but i think we miss communicated. Can't quite pay it off next year but could pay off a 5 year loan about a year early. Which i guess only reinforces financing it being a bad idea

[Blackmagic71]

There is a phrase that goes something like “it’s more fun to drive a slow car fast, than a fast car slow.” My brother in law has a higher mileage early 1990s Miata he bought cheap, and it’s a blast to drive.

Maybe a Miata doesn’t fit you well because of your height, but if you’ve got a chunk of money saved up maybe buy something older and higher mileage, and keep some extra cash on hand for maintenance.

Then no loan stress and you can still scratch that sports car itch.

[Blackmagic71]

Alternatively: something like this is half the price and would have a very similar feel to the C5, minus a few performance goodies.

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-...=MAN&zip=55904

[Number six]

I'd sell you mine for half of that, and it's got a manual with just under 112k.

[Tarsun2]

what are you looking for in a car?
are you looking to replace your current daily (when it craps out) with a "fun" daily or is this just a fun "weekend warrior"?
budget would help as well.

as someone mentioned tires. this can be a big expense. i purchased a tlx (used) and thought id get at least a year out of the original tires. they didnt make it through the summer. was an added $1,200 i wasnt expecting (so soon).

[jetenginekyle]

Thanks guys for the input! I ended up buying a manual 03 c5 for $20K it has 56k miles and is my nice weather daily. Stoked as this i my first sports car. Its sooo much more responsive than all my prior cars

[Blackmagic71]

Congrats! Have fun.

[Number six]

They're as mild or wild as you want to be with them. The abs controller had an issue with these where the factory soldering would come loose. The end result is that your traction control won't work. There was a place in Joplin MO that would fix it for ya, if they're still there. Six screws hold it on, and you don't have to open the system to take it off. Absolutely fun cars to drive, mine was my daily out in CA.

[Cunha]

They are basically the best cars and even the base model is amazing. Super value. Nice.