any c5 corvette owners in here?

[steveo3002]

im toying with the idea of getting a early c5 vette, im from england so theyre not that common here

if theres any owners on here, ive got a few questions about what problems to look for when buying and any options i should get

[RDVT4ME]

You need to get on the corvette forum. You will find lots of answers there.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/

I have a 2002. As far as options to choose, that's really personnal preference. I would suggest finding a car that has the Z51 suspension option. I think your main goal will be to find a car that has been well taken care of. Most C5's come fairly well equiped.

If you have some specific questions, fire away.

[steveo3002]

ok i will take a look on the corvette forum

like i said theyre pretty thin on the ground here..so if you offer any help on the following

do the bodys crack spiderweb like the older ones do? if so any weak spots i should check?

when test driving what are the main weaknesses/faults to check for? any rare/expensive parts i should make sure are intact?

ive seen converts and targa's ...is that the only choice or is there a fixed hard top?

a few of the uk ones have had the bose stereo removed..how do the bose systems rate? i know the home stuff is more than enough ..so why have people junked the set up

could you name some tire sizes used on c5's...id like to check out the prices on those

thanks

[RDVT4ME]

Originally posted by steveo3002
ok i will take a look on the corvette forum

like i said theyre pretty thin on the ground here..so if you offer any help on the following

do the bodys crack spiderweb like the older ones do? if so any weak spots i should check?

.....The body does not crack like the old ones. My 2002 has no stress cracks at all. The frame on the C5 is very strong and this helps to avoid the old stress crack problem. I have no rattles at all in my C5. I'd check for good alignment between body panels to make sure you don't get a car that has been hit.

when test driving what are the main weaknesses/faults to check for? any rare/expensive parts i should make sure are intact?

.....I can't think of anything in particular. In general, you will pay more for Corvette parts than regular chevy parts. Some early vettes 2001 and prior have been prone to burning oil. There was a fix issued to replace the rings.

ive seen converts and targa's ...is that the only choice or is there a fixed hard top?

.....yes there is a hard top version. I believe that started in 1999. It's basically a C5 as a hardtop. In 2001 the hardtop became the Z06 and got lots of performance goodies. More horsepower in 2001 (385) and more in 2002 (405) on z06. Bigger tires, suspension mods.

a few of the uk ones have had the bose stereo removed..how do the bose systems rate? i know the home stuff is more than enough ..so why have people junked the set up

......I find the bose system to be just fine, but others are very picky about there stereo and just need to upgrade. You will find that many C5 people get MOD FEVER and have made many changes to their vettes. Common mods are intake and exhaust.

could you name some tire sizes used on c5's...id like to check out the prices on those

.....stock C5 tire size

245 45 zr17 front
275 40 zr18 rear

.....stock tires are run flat tires and are more expensive than non run flat tires. Many have replaced the stock run flat tires with standard tires due to cost and the desire for a stickier tires compound.


thanks

[steveo3002]

thanks for that

[Aurora40]

Re: any c5 corvette owners in here?

Originally posted by steveo3002
im from england so theyre not that common here

From England, then you gotta give the nod to a C4 instead...



You can just take it down the street to Hethel and have Lotus tune it up...

There are a few things I'd mention. In 2000, the car got (IMO) more attractive wheels. In 2001 it had a rather decent torque boost from the Z06 intake manifold added to the car. I think 1998 saw Active Handling debut? You might take a look at the feature changes over the years just to see if there's some feature you wanted to have or didn't want to have.

[vette9979]

1999 C5 Hardtop here!

Vettes rock!!

Let us know what you need answered....btw, I am a member of the Corvette Forum as well...so as away!

[Desertdawg]

We are still in love with our 1982 CE, but one day we hope to add a C5 to our list...