C5 Reliability?

[James Price]

How relaible are C5s?

Im thinking about getting a 2003.
I have a BMW and it has broken down 6 times in 24 months. I'm selling it soon!

Are the C5 Vettes worth the money?

Be honest...I know Vette owners many times won't say anything bad about the car but, hey, loyalty aside, I need the facts.

JP

 

[JBsC5]

Buying a 2003 Corvette is an excellent decision..

Go for it.

 

[James Price]

C5 buy or not

Thanks for the reply.

Have you heard about C5s with tranny problems? A post on the Corvette Forum spoke of the C5 as having Transmission problems on many occasions. Leaks, seals , soon after purchase.

It's hard to get the real picture. I know tens of thousands are sold but how many reported problems?

Also..I want an everyday driver...I want to put 12 to 15 K miles on it per year.

??

 

[johnl]

I put 1000/wk on mine and for the most part have it has been a very reliable car. 138,000 and never been stranded.
Look through some of the older posts here. and you can see what type of trouble people here have had. We tend to holler for C4C5 Specialist on this forum when we run into problems.
However keep in mind these are problems people are having so they hear about this (The best Corvette) site on the net.
Consider also the number of people registered here that check in regularly, vs. the people who register, get the problem diagnosed and fixed then disappear back into the black hole of the internet (usually a low post count).
Not too many people post to say I had another trouble free year or two.

 

[MoeJr]

I cannot comment on any tranny problems with C5's but I do know some early C5's had steering problems. As with any car you can get a lemon as you are seeing with your BMW. If you like it buy it. If you buy a 2003 the C5 has been out for 6 years and most of the bugs have been worked out.

 

[cruzer99]

Check the battery and battery box for acid and damage done by the battery leaking acid on too the electronics under the battery box. Everyone says to switch to a gell filled battery and the problem goes away.
Other than that they are GREAT...........

 

[Tuna]

Howdy,

I've had a 2003 now for 10 months. I'm having the radio repaired this week as one of the number bars died. That's about it. 9000 miles on it also. It certainly seems to be a pretty solid car.

LS1, M6, AE vert.

We had a 98 back in 98/99 and had a problem with the key cylinder and the steering wheel position sensor. That was about it. 25,000 miles.

Go for it.

 

[DRTH VTR]

C5 reliability

I had a '97 with automatic. It was #1101 of all the C5's built. I think that it was about as reliable as any car I have had (except a Honda Accord). I drove it from about 37,000 miles (purchased used) until 78,000 miles. I replaced several accessory drive belts and tensioners, one headlight motor, one oxygen sensor, lots of tires, a battery, but nothing major. I found the car to be generally reliable. The earlier suggestion about checking under the battery tray is very good advice. The older battery terminals would crack and leak acid below. The acid leaked in mine and ate the vacuum line that works the A/C actuators. It is in the wiring harness just below the battery. The PCM is also down there, so the potential for major damage is very real. That was one of the factors that led me to trade in my '97. I bought a 2002 Z06, but have not had it very long. No problems so far, but I can hear some accessory drive belt chirping at times.

 

[hawaii-5-lo]

i have had mine over ayear,the only problem i had was the IAT connector,that was my fault as i slipped on the floor and my hand hit the connector,i spliced in a new one,and good to go.i race mine at the track alot too.dam good gas milage 25mpg,not that i care about that.i got an extended warrenty to cover electrical stuff,door pods,computers(more than 1)seat motors etc...way more reliable than the 89 i had.plus the c5 will smoke that beamer.good luck,Todd.

 

[MM-C5]

Sounds like this will be your first Vette. When you do make the acquisition, you will ultimately ask yourself why you didn't do this much sooner and #1 will undoubtedly not be your last.

Like Harleys, there is a brotherhood that comes with owning a Vette. You would be welcomed.

As for reliablilty, my C5 is a 2000 with 24K miles. I just had the L axel seal and transmission pan gasket replaced. Whether you purchase new or used, at the appropriate time, be sure to give serious consideration to an extended warranty.

While we would all like to have an off the show room floor new one, there are some excellent buys out there for used ones, so why take the $$ hit? If you go used though, be sure to get it on a rack and spend a little time looking underneath.

Oh, and Don't Forget To Wave!

Tom

 

[hawaii-5-lo]

Sounds like this will be your first Vette. When you do make the acquisition, you will ultimately ask yourself why you didn't do this much sooner and #1 will undoubtedly not be your last.

Like Harleys, there is a brotherhood that comes with owning a Vette. You would be welcomed.

As for reliablilty, my C5 is a 2000 with 24K miles. I just had the L axel seal and transmission pan gasket replaced. Whether you purchase new or used, at the appropriate time, be sure to give serious consideration to an extended warranty.

While we would all like to have an off the show room floor new one, there are some excellent buys out there for used ones, so why take the $$ hit? If you go used though, be sure to get it on a rack and spend a little time looking underneath.

Oh, and Don't Forget To Wave!

Tom

hey Tom,
did you look under his name at corvette ownership?not trying to be a butt-head,im at work with a little down time,im a little bored,so im reading some posts.have a good day,Todd.

 

[MM-C5]

BIG DUH on my part! Heck the picture is right there.

Thanks Todd.

 

[torchred]

I've been very satisfied with my C5. I've only had it approximatly 6 months but everything seems to be working fine. I have taken it into the dealer a few times just to check small things that I thought were odd... like the syncronizer in the transmission sometimes not letting me put it into first. I have however worked out all my smaller issues....

Having said that, if you buy a used one make sure you run it through a high pressure wash. My C5 has a pretty bad leak to the left of the drivers side sun visor. I had the front window resealed & still no luck. Also, the TSB that mentions the trunk leak is happening to me. I was told by the dealer that both fixes require body shop work and neither would be covered by my (expensive) extended warranty. I suspect the dealer I purchased the car from might have lied to me about the car having never been in an accident... it even had a clean CarFax report.

Despite my leaky hardtop, I can guarantee you that it won't be my last Corvette. I'm very pleased with the way it handles and drives.

My best advice is this, buyer beware. I probably got to excited about the car before I bought it and didn't check it out well enough.

Matt

 

[Yeller Z06]

Not to be an a-hole here, but a few items need clarification.

a) A BMW car is a Bimmer. A BMW motorcycle is a Beemer.

b) A Carfax will not tell you if a car has been wrecked or repaired, it only shows title transfers, including a salvage title (which can be due to either the car being totalled, or a theft recovery, or flood recovery). Some states require a car that has had 25% or more of it's value in repair costs to be classified as salvage, but if the insurance company didn't buy the car, how will they ever know? That one has always stumped me.

So, yes, buying used, you take your chances. Heck, you can buy a new car and not know that it fell off the truck and has been damaged, repaired and repainted.

OK. That said, I've owned 3 Corvettes and 9 Bimmers and 4 Beemers. I've had the most trouble with the Bimmers, one was a dealer buy-back and one was a BMW NA buy-back. The others were either used or I had no problems with them. You can buy a C5 and have zero issues for 100K miles, or you can get the occasional lemon (yes, GM makes those too!) and the sucker will spend all of it's time in the shop or being towed to the shop. Like life, it's a crap-shoot.

Chances are though, the Chevy will prove to be reliable and free of major issues. GM always goes with the low cost part supplier, and it shows. You will notice (and maybe even miss) the difference between it and your BMW, but you will enjoy the 'vette. You only live once buddy.

Good luck.

Michael


-----------------------------------------------
Life is too short to drive a boring car.

 

[hawaii-5-lo]

bummer,i was going type BMW to,but i thought i was slick,guess not i dont know much about imports,a couple doctors at work traded there BMWs in,one got a pewter Z06,the other got a ferrari.the ferrari guy(Al)does not like the car.the BMW had constint electrical problems,i think it was a brand new M5,cant remember.the cops in hawaii have BMW cycles and they really like them,but there always over at the honda dealer,so i dont know,i heard the bikes are pretty good.later,Todd.

 

[torchred]

Interesting info on the Carfax thing. I was wondering exactly how a report like that could accuratly track anything...

Matt

 

[Blade]

This is what you will get with a BMW...

This is what you can get with a Corvette...

Any Questions?

 

[hawaii-5-lo]

 

[justafamilyman]

Hi To All:
I used a rented boxy BMW (318 I think) when I was in Germany in 1985. I had the 4 cyl and a 4-speed manual. It was the worst car I ever drove. I missed having a 5th speed (which I had in my then Honda) while crusing down the autobahn. I will never own a BMW. My Vette is "it".
To NC 50anny: ok, where can I find that?!?!?!?!?!?
Brian

 

[Blade]

ok, where can I find that?!?!?!?!?!?

You will find "that" in Chicago, Vegas or some strange bar.


If you are looking for "them"; they will find you in your Vette!