Gonna buy a C5 corvette as my first car, but my budget is about 8-10k. I think I may have to go automatic due to my budget, but was wondering if you guys have any other advice for buying a corvette.
I've been riding bikes for a few years (s1000rr, speed triple) so I'm familiar with the road rules and shifting system, just never been behind the wheel of a car.
Also grey vette a best
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>C5 corvette as my first car
I literally don't see anything wrong with this, I don't have the time or patience to buy a beater because I am not using as DD or commuter. I'm in my mid 20s and never really got into cars because bikes were more fun
Buying a corvette for your first car is a terrible idea, especially in trophy wife spec with the 4 speed slushbox.
Can you elaborate on why? I'm buying it for pleasure and I have the patience to take my time with it. Coming from >180hp bikes I'm just not interested in fucking around with some slow shitbox and dealing with taxes and resale
I had a 2011 Mustang GT as my first car, and it taught me how to drive in the snow really well.
Stick with bikes if you want max performance, you're not going to get it with an old automatic corvette. Modern autos are good, but ones from the '90s remove any semblance of balls the car might otherwise have.
>Isn't an 18yr old kid approaching roads for the first time
There isn't a problem with this.
The autos are fine op. They obviously aren't as much fun as the manuals, but the manuals carry such a heavy premium that it nearly isn't worth hunting one down.
In terms of learning, you'd be fine in 5 minutes. you've ridden bikes, same concept different movements.
the speed won't compare to your 180hp bike
you'll be disappointed no matter what car you get in your price range
An automatic C5 IS a slow shitbox user.
Yeah I figured that, if I want to really go fast I'll get a bike. Still not dead set on the corvette but I think it looks pretty cool and I don't know what else I'd get for that budget (350z, boxster).
How much less fun is it though? I've never even driven a car so I'm not sure how fun it can get. I like the idea of being able to control the engine but I'm not sure how tedious it can get since I live in a pretty metropolitan area
What do you guys think of this one?
seattle.craigslist.org
That interior is fucking atrocious. I wouldn't be able to stand it, but maybe that's just me. At least the gearbox is right.
Yeah, I know all the interiors are gonna be shit. I don't plan on doing any work to it either, but at this point anything is better than freezing my dick off on a bike for the next few months of winter.
Finance up to $13-15k. If buying a C5 go for the manual. It'll be very worth it. Potentially a car you'd want to keep forever.
What is financing? You mean payments through a dealership?
I was consider hte one posted above:
seattle.craigslist.org
which is out of my price range, but I would be interested in financing it (paying the 8-10k I can now, then the rest through payments).
Having never bought from a dealership:
1. How much can they usually be talked down from the list price?
2. What's the catch with financing?
3. How much do they fuck you with fees/tax?
Where in Washington are you from? Wanna join our Washington Veeky Forums Kik? We got a C5 owner
Mmmm delicious c5. I've had mine for almost 2 years, and before this a 4l60e 4th gen z28 so fairly well versed.
I'm in kent, I don't know what a kik is but sure
beautiful car man, I'm trying to find one in my budget that is manual, clean and 2001+ and it's been kinda tough. Only one is the one posted from a stealership (craigslist link above). Can you check it out and tell me what you think?
I really like that color, all I can find are red/black/grey
You can, probably, get a better deal by going directly to the bank for your loan.
But anyway to answer your questions:
1. Prices are always negotiable. It matters how flexible they'd want to be. Always be willing to walk away if it's not the price you want. You can usually come back and try again later. Winter is an excellent time to buy a car, everyone else is Christmas shopping.
2. Interest. Especially if it's your first car. However the good thing is you can make extra payments without any fees or penalty in Washington. BECU will most likely be your lender. A GM dealership should have them. In their list. Let them run you through financing. I'd say do 3 year financing. Probably will do $3k down. Payment would be around $300 a month maybe less. Again you can always pay it off faster if you want.
3. Sales tax, title fee's. Maybe like $1000 more.
>paying fucking 12 thousand burgerbucks for a 15 year old base C5 with 150,000 miles on it
It's hard to find them for that price that are that clean + later end of the 5th gen + are manual
Bro get a manual, it's worth it
I have a c5 as Well
Alright, looks good. I think I'll see if I can email them or something to get the price down. What do you mean BECU/GM Dealership? I thought that you just go to the dealership, tell them you can pay this much and will pay the rest later and then give them all your info. Are there more hoops to this I have to jump through?
What do you think of getting a 2001-2004 vs a 1997-2001?
There's this one I'm looking at as well
seattle.craigslist.org
but it's from 1997, has upgrades but is significantly more expensive and a few years older than the previous one. (And apparently 1997-2001 has electrical issues?)
...
That's about the going rate in certain places. Just be aware OP that you will need to know how to do more than basic repairs on a Vette. At 150K you will probably be looking at replacing Wheel Bearings, Tie Rods, Ball Joints, Shocks if they havent been done already. All of those are surprisingly simple on Vettes, but just gotta know how to wrench or know someone who does or your looking at alot of cash in labor.
It's an app. Download it on Android or iOS
That c5 is not a bad deal at all. Especially with 51k miles
I thought 150k miles weren't too bad but maybe it is a bit too much. I'm a mechanical engineer so I don't think wrenching will be too much of an issue, but I don't really have time to be fixing shit constantly
The Engine is solid. Corvette owners generally keep their shit up to date way more than your average fucktard. But your getting to the normal end of useful life out of some wear and tear parts.
>What do you mean BECU/GM Dealership?
Becu is Washington states biggest credit union. They're non profit banks and pretty cool. GM dealership as in Chevy. Meaning it's not a shady lot.
Imo the 2003 would be cooler. It's a 50th year anniversary car, nothing special but adds to the collector value.
Hmm, maybe I'll go for a lower mileage one. The thing is I don't plan on keeping it for more than a couple years
A 2003 wouldn't have all the first year of production quirks and I believe the ls1 had a power bump between then. The 2003 also is a hardtop coupe. Meaning it has a stiffer chassis.
Yeah that's why I was leaning more toward it. The 50th anniversary edition is nicer looking, and I only want a hardtop model. The only problem is the mileage (150k) which i'm not sure is gonna be a problem if I plan to sell in 2 years or so and probably only put another 10k on in that.
Jesus christ. I saw a C5 for 12k that was garage kept and had 50k miles.
It was gone in 2 days.
SoCal c5z owner here, get a manual OP. Base model isn't bad, go for the hatchback for most cargo space and the targa top. The interior is crap, deal with it, go for the sport seats (has a hole in the seat back) for better support. Optioned out ones come with the sweet HUD, among other things.
Make sure to check under the front bumper for nasty scrapes. Paint should be clean, metal rails shouldn't be too fucked as it's connected to cooling system. Make sure the column lock fix has been done, it was a well known recall.
If you go end up getting a stick shift, check if it also has the CAGS/skip shift eliminator, because if you don't, enjoy shifting from 1st to 4th at the computer's whim. You can buy them online for 20 bucks if not, easy plug in install on the tranny. Good luck.
I wouldn't buy an auto vette. Take that how you will.
Only useful in drag racing, and that's a very small function of a car.
I'd buy tf out of that one. Prices over here in the tri-cities are way worse for vettes. There's a nearly identical auto for sale for 1k more.
Yeah it's a steal, think I'm gonna pull the trigger on it if I can get a good price.
Thanks for the advice, yeah I think I'm going to go manual with a t top.
>red
shame
Do NOT BUY AN AUTOMATIC CORBETTE UNLESS IT'S A C7 OR SOMETHING YOU ARE RUINING THE WHOLE POINT OF THE CAR. JUST GET A 6 SPEED C4 IF YOU CAN'T AFFORD A MANUAL C5 OR C6
It grew on me. Plus, red makes it go faster.
I'm it looks nice, never been a fan of the coupe styling. Already has what appears to be stock c5z wheels. Interior looks decent. Common issues are the column lock, and any random electrical issue is usually a bitch. The 6 speed is definitely better than the 4l60e but if you do get an automatic I would definitely spend some coin on a converter and upgrade the synchros. I had my 2-3 and 3-4 go out on my f body but my t56 mn12 has been pretty solid, same with the clutch considering it's been my 1st stick car and I've put 30k on it. I like the spiral grey over the stock silver, but silver looks good when it's done up with black. Definitely try and get an 01-04 bs 97-00 as I believe the ebcm and abs (think so) are more difficult and expensive.
2003s are not hardtop coupes. Only the frc in 99-00 and z06 01-04 are hardtops. All coupes of all c5 models are targa tops.
Where you at in so cal bro. I'm and I'm 10 minutes from Pasadena.
I'm down in San Diego. Love that color senpai. What year?
02. Yours? Anything done to it? Got IG?
8-10k could go a lot further on a mustang gt
Get something that corners well. Would recommend a S2000, 350Z, or NB Miata if your budget is only $8-10k.
Bikes: Extremely fast in a straight line
Cars: Corners extremely well (twice the contact patch with way bigger tires, easier to drive fast/more approachable, less "dangerous" = cage makes you more confident to drive fast on street)
'01, bare bones stock (no extra features) aside from a cheap short throw and couple slaps.
Nice. The z's didn't really have but a couple options, hud was option then standard in 02. Body side moulding being one and mod red interior.
I've got the mod red interior, corbeau a4s, mgw shifter, hud, lg headers, bb bullet exhaust, and c6z shocks. When my fans died upgraded to spal fans. Radioflyer headlights and led halo tails. Next year plans are for stereo (a good friend said he'd build me a custom box, total parts and install $500) and depends on bonus money, port the heads and get a cam. Then most likely clutch.
Damn, nice. Mine is basic as fuck compared to the coupe I had for all of 3 hours (miss that HUD and electric steering wheel adj.)
Only had mine a few months, keeping mine somewhat conservative. Seats and exhaust go without saying. After that probably just going balls to the wall and dropping in a stupidcharger and maybe new clutch, I'll figure it out later.
Yeah good luck man. This thing has eaten all my money, but have been enjoying as I've been trying to do all the work myself. Hasn't been that bad to be honest. A lot easier than my f body. I would love a super charger, and still may get one, but I want to say I've owned a cammed LS, plus after 100k miles refresh the top end.
The auto in these cars are really really bad. You'll gimp the car by about 20% with that.
However the car itself is great. The autos are cheaper and plentiful for obvious reasons.
Look around and you will find a nice stick kept in a garage. Chat with the owner and see if he will make you a deal out of common interest.
Otherwise id look at a Camaro from 2009 on or boxster.
>I think im gonna have my first vehicular manslaughter charge in a C5 Corvette
>never been behind the wheel of a car
>C5 Corvette
oh christ
Don't listen to these guys. This was my first car years ago and i slowly built it up to 490rwhp/580rwtq on spray. I didn't know how to change a damn tire when I got it and my dad was a cuck when it came to knowing anything about cars. Eventually I slowly started buying mods and looking up YouTube videos on how to do shit and now I can do basically anything on a car. If it wasn't for the first for power, I wouldn't have learned much about cars. All I knew before cars was building computers like a nerd.
As for being reckless, this was also my first stick. It wasn't hard at all. There is no such as too much power only shitty drivers.
>seattle.craigslist.org
That's way overpriced. Then again, Seattle doesn't have shit in terms of C5s.
orangecounty.craigslist.org
Over in California, this is how much a somewhat similar C5 goes for.
I'd honestly recommend driving down to California and picking up a C5 if you really want one.
Have you looked into getting a C4 in manual? You could get a really decent one at the price and still get the manual.
Honestly I may be a bit biased as that's my favorite generation.
Maybe a 1998-2002 Camaro SS? A little more daily drive friendly, still has LS1.
and you can build the piss out of them
shit thats pretty cheap, i was looking for out of state options but the problem is this is my first car, e.g i cannot just drive down to buy another car. That and driving a manual back up 15 hours or whatever as my first car doesn't seem like a good idea
Not interested in C4s, C5s are in my budget just have to find a good one. Just not a fan of the c4 body
seems like a nice car, I'll check it out.
also the cheapest 2001-2004 i could find was similarly priced to the one i posted, at about 12k. I want to try to stay away from the earlier years
Don't let the people give you shit about this being your first car. RWD high power cars are imo the best cars to learn in. You learn very quick to control the throttle, and sports cars have good feel for when you're about to fuck up. The only time I've fucked up in my RWD cars I knew well in advance what was about to happen and it was easy to correct due to the amount of control and predictability RWD provides you.
Where it gets dangerous is the guy going from a 100hp civic that he thrashes and hoons hard, going to a V8 mustang and treating it the same way, that guy dies
Nice, I had a 2005 Mustang GT with 4.10 gears back in the day, also taught me how to drive in the snow
>$5-10k
Are you sure? What kind of shit condition C5s are you looking at? Decent C5s still hover around $20k... at least what I consider decent enough to own or drive.
The A4 slushboxes suuuuuuck for enthusiasm.
>no mention of mileage
At 148K miles probably needs new bushings
A corvette will be slow as a turd in comparison to a liter bike. It's fine.
you're retarded if you think street cars corner much better than bikes.
>inb4 lap times
Yes, race cars can corner faster than race bikes because they have fucktons of aero and specially designed suspension and really good tires. For stock street-going vehicles though, the bikes will be ahead of the vast majority of shitboxes and on par with the top end.
nope, drive a decent car cager.
-Any remotely sporty bike has tires that are equivalent to a 200TW or stickier tire on a car.
-Your average retard can get in a car and push it to its limits with less time spent practicing how to drive fast vs getting on a bike and getting anywhere near its limits (this is important, it takes YEARS of riding or a ton of talent/balls to come close to the limits of a bike vs the limits of a car)
-They're both ENTIRELY different experiences: A car has twice the contact patches (much bigger too), wider track, isn't as sensitive to road imperfections and slippery surfaces (giving you more confidence to approach its limits), etc. You can drive a car in any kind of weather and mental condition is less of a factor (IE you don't have to be constantly aware and hyper vigilant).
-Specially designed suspension: Which is why I'm telling him to buy something meant to corner well out the box, your average sportbike has very high-end suspension compared to your average car. A S2000 with decent tires (Hankook RS4 or Direzzas) for example is a car that'll outcorner 98% of the cars on the road.
I prefer C4 vettes for some reason
I get what you're saying but even my dirt bike with 10 year old knobby dirt tires can corner faster at a moderate pace than what would have my car tires squealing through the same corner.
Through really twisty roads I have only ever seen 1 car go near as fast as typical bikes.
Driving stick in the city is fine, if you were ok with riding bikes then a manual trans will be no burden to you.
Car comfy > bike comfy
They do. Cars have more mechanical grip, DOWNFORCE, and can take corners at higher speed. Their disadvantage lies in the turning radius, which doesn't really matter when most tracks are designed around pushing the limits of car-like turning radiuses but not exceeding them
But it does take a lot more skill to go fast in a car without spinning or understeering. Bikes are fucking easy. Don't hit gravel, don't go WOT in the middle of a corner because drifting is death. Done.
at least he drove bike, corvette is madmanmobile, but i guess he will handle it
might aswell buy snek tho for maximum madmanness
Your car's tires suck and you have more skill on a bike than a car. I've seen cars keep up with bikes on the touge, especially if that bike sucks.
Video for reference: A decent car + driver ('16 Civic Type R) CAN keep up with a decent rider + liter (CBR1000RR)
youtube.com
youtube.com
I kinda feel the opposite. You have a big steel cage protecting you if you fuck up and cars are less sensitive from throttle control. You can brake mid corner in a car and get away with it, and it takes more effort to lean over than to just corner fast in a car. Breaking traction in a car is far more forgiving than on a bike.
underrated post is underrated
What would Veeky Forums rather?
> C5 Z06
> C6 base
C5Z unless the C6 has the LS3.
This was literally my choice. Ls2 vette or c5z.
I went c5z. It was a personal choice as I'm sure an ls2 is an awesome engine too. If I could've afforded ls3 vette then maybe. But I love the styling of the frc and lots of opinions say the c5z handles great and feels great. It has been amazingly fun.
>may have to go automatic due to my budget
Insurance will rape you
Dont buy an auto
Try to find an FRC if you can which is a rare 99-00 fixed roof model
I paid 12k for mine off a member of corvette forum. I paid $500 to have it shipped across the country.
>Built 346
>91k miles
only issue was the torque tube was messed up from installing solid bushings which caused the bolts to come loose
Pulled it and replaced the twin disk clutch with a mantic ER2
made 430whp and 399 tq on a dyno
