A little C5 Corvette knowledge please

Dad is looking at a 2001 with 86,000 on the odometer. My Google skills didn’t turn up any major issues. Pretty small stuff that was mostly interior rattles. Any monsters hiding other than 22 year old rental car quality interior?

Do the jorts and New Balance still come with the car when you buy a used one? He will ABSOLUTELY be THAT Corvette owner. I can hear it now “this was the only one built on a Wednesday with xyz option, she’s a 1 of 1!” He’s already called it a collector’s item 3 times

 

Our 2002 will display something to the effect of "traction control disabled, abs and active handling disabled" fairly often upon startup. My understanding is that there is a box under hood that controls those things and the soldering gets worn out over time. Not a difficult fix, but tedious, as those things obviously affect safety features, and no other dash readouts can be toggled while that is displayed.

Other small issues are the visor mirrors falling out of the visors and separated stitching in the driver's seat. Mice also enjoy nesting in the heating/air conditioning blower motor. Other than that, no big issues, but the car does only have 22,000 miles.

 

What wheels does it have? IIRC certain C5 5-spokes were prone to cracking along the rim.

 

Should be mostly minor stuff.
The back light on the AC unit went out and the gears for the pop up headlights needed to be replaced (went with upgraded ones)

I think it is one of the best looking cars ever made, so sleek and low. Tire to fender gap is kinda big though

 

I agree. I like the hatch on the Z06 better but he’s in love with this one.

 

About a year ago I was riding past a dealership and they had a C5 with about 80K miles sitting in the front. I stopped and asked the guy if I could take it for a ride. He threw me the keys. I drove it for about 15 minutes and was hugely disappointed. It just felt ponderous, and wasn't as fast as I expected. As a counterpoint, I traded a bike for a 1st Gen Miata about 10 years ago. That thing was 10X more fun than the Vette.

 

NTTAWWT.

Accurized.

 

I've got a 93 RX-7 that is a lot like the hotter sister of the Miata, and both those cars handle and go better than the vette. Tons of fun.

 

You aren't lying, I got nothing but snide remarks the entire year I drove that car. "Didn't know you were a secretary" or "wow, your wife let you drive her car ". But it was a full sized go kart.

 

A lot of 'Vette aficionados can tell you that the C6 is all around better in comfort, drivability, handling, etc. while the C5 guys will stick to their pride-of-ownership guns cuz that's what they have. I don't know C5s other than I can't tell, when they are oncoming traffic, if I'm looking at a TransAm or some swoopy Japanese sedan. I do know that the base C6 is faster than a C5 ZO6.

 

I tried HARD to get him to look at a C6 or 7. Not so much for the power, he put his old S2000 in the weeds more than once, but for the big step up inside.

He’s done well for himself and could go buy a C8 Z06, assuming you can find one, and hardly blink but those aren’t Corvettes in his eyes. His last two vehicles were a 435 where he checked every box you could get without buying an M4 and now he’s in a decked out XC90. We’ll see if he’s still in love with it after he stares at that interior for more than 15 minutes and realizes it’s not as fast as the old Bimmer.

 

I don't drive our base C6 anywhere near its capabilities for lack of proper venue...and it's really Yzass's car.
Aside from it being and continuing to be a great car, it was purchased simply for its looks (my idea of Yzass's perspective). Having said that, I can attest to its comfort, dependability, ride, everything you would want in a car.

Economy? Pfft. I get 33mpg/70mph/1500rpm/cruise control/hilly Interstate/hours on end.
The essence of it seems to be that of a Grand Touring vehicle. Load it up with an amazing amount of luggage and drive anywhere without being annoyed by anything but other drivers. As a daily driver, the only downfall is the same as any other low-slung car...it gets blasted by road grit and sometimes you can't see through traffic due to the lack of seat height. We're on our second windshield and a third is in the foreseeable future. Currently somewhere around 90K on the clock.

We all know how much space our riding gear/pit comfort accessories takes up. Take two fully-kitted bags of rider's PPE, a folding table, a 10x10 EzUp, cooler, two gym bags of street clothes/toiletries, a 10x10 carpet, two folding chairs and shove that into an SUV. Nope. The 'Vette gets better gas mileage, is equally comfortable and THAT ALL FITS under the rear hatch. With the HP and handling on tap, what more could anyone want?
One other thing...it's stealthy AF. Those radar trailers on the side of the road don't pick it up until I'm within ~100' or so, but I imagine that's true of any sleak, plastic-nosed ground-huggers.

 

I hope he likes touchscreens. Barely a button in the XC90. I hate it.

 

He loves it but it was terrifying driving with him while he learned it. The collision avoidance saved his ass multiple times. I think there is a grand total of three buttons.

 

Have you considered recommending a Prius?

 

The main things to look out for when buying any Corvette made after 1973 (some would say after 1967) are:

Mustache
Gold Chain
Sudden failure of upper shirt buttons
Sometimes propensity to creep on age inappropriate women

Injury may result from bravado exceeding driving skill in showoff situations.

https://www.orientaltrading.com/adults-disco-dirt-bag-wig-and-mustache-a2-CC70034.fltr

 

Best car I ever owned. Even considering broken reverse and 5th gears.