C5s check in please..

[Tripleblack51]

I'm curious...
How'd you get your car?

I'll start with my story...

I got my C5 on December 20th, 2000.

I went Christmas shopping for my wife and ended up trading my '99 Sebring Silver A4 roadster for my current '01 6 speed roadster.
I had wanted a six speed roadster when I bought the '99 but they were scarce in their second year.

I eventually did get my wife's gifts.

Ok... now let's hear your story...

Pedro

 

[atmmac]

I turned 16 and was working on my first car my 66 impala. My uncle really admired all the work i did. He had always wanted a corvette so he bought a brand new one in 1997. He thought the C5 was the best body style yet. Well he never drove the car. It sat in a garage driven only a few times. Last March out of the blue he gave me the car. Currently have 12,000 miles. I love the car especially since it is completely loaded with every option for 97 including 6 speed tranny and the ride control adjustment. Lets hear some more stories.

-Andy

 

[JOV]

I was window shopping for a used 98-99 C5 in May of 2000. I had just listed my 85 C4 in our local paper for sale when I spotted a new black on black fully loaded New C5 sitting on the show room floor. After the dealer made an offer to by my C4 outright I then made an offer to purchase his and the deal was done. Off I went home in my new black on black Y2K C5. That
was 3 1/2 years ago which makes number 5 that I have owned.
Now for number 6. Don"t know if I will own a new C6 when they come out but I also said that about the other five corvetts that I have owned !! :bang

 

[Don&Kelly]

In November of 1999, I had a C4 ('94) and decided I'd trade up to a C5 ... a used one ... I started shopping around and found that C5's that were low mileage & in good shape were within $2K of a new one ... so I bought a new one & have never regretted it .... then I went nuts & I've spent a gazillion more $$$$ on mods ....


:J :L :Roll

 

[singledad_9]

I had an 87 that I lost when I was double tee boned. It was late in the fall and I was feeling really depressed. On Thanksgiving, I drove by a dealer that had several C4's. The next day I drove up and looked at them. But they where auto's and hardtop only.

I looked at this C5. The salesman asked me to make an offer. So I did. Really low. He looked at me as if I had 2 heads. I asked him what would you rather do. Have me make the payments over the winter or him.

I got the car of my dreams.

 

[Ctfoodguy2000]

Had my first Vette back in high school; a '62 ragtop in 1969. I had been out of Vettes since 71 but always wanted another. On my 50th birthday my wife surprised me with a RED ZO6 rental for the day. Lets say that was her biggest mistake!

That was July of 2001. I took delivery of my 02 Red coupe in May of 2002.

 

[BassPro2]

I had a 2003 Nissan 350z and I didn't like the ride all that much...(I felt like a bobble-doll by the time I got to work) So I said that's it time for a Vette .. have never looked back since.

 

[vettepilot]

It was my eldest Son's fault.
While he was visiting for Christmas in 2001 he found a 96 Coupe that he wanted to purchase. he asked if I would come along since this was his first Corvette, and wanted me to look over the car drive it etc. Well, while we were doing the wheeling and dealing the salesperson was talking about the new 2002 Z06, and that is was being talked about in all the circles. I had been following the Z06 since the 01 came out, but wasn't quite ready to spring for a new Vette yet, I was going to hold out for the 50th Anniversary. Well one thing led to another, and since there were no Z06 qualified dealers nearby, I went on the Chevy.com site, built "my" Z06, then started looking for dealers that might have the exact one I wanted. Using ZIP codes I worked my way out from my area until I finally located two that had the exact options and exterior color that I wanted, but only one had the ModRed interior. I got that VIN, took it to my local dealer to see if they could make a trade. That's when I discovered how difficult it was at that time to get a Z06. So the GM BuyPower Mgr. called the dealer that had the vehicle, and they said they didn't have that car, but looking over their order sheets he said it was due in the following week. So we did some quick number crunching over the phone to get a ballpark figure, and he said he would give me a call when the car arrived. Meanwhile I got pre-approved for financing with my credit union. Long story short, he called, I went up, drove the car, crunched more numbers, got what I wanted for my 93 Coupe as a trade-in, got what I wanted for price on the Z06, and drove home from Opelika, AL (138 miles) with my new Electron Blue C5 Z06.
I've had this "fudge eating grin" on my face ever since.

vettepilot

 

[Tripleblack51]

Had my first Vette back in high school; a '62 ragtop in 1969. I had been out of Vettes since 71 but always wanted another. On my 50th birthday my wife surprised me with a RED ZO6 rental for the day. Lets say that was her biggest mistake!

That was July of 2001. I took delivery of my 02 Red coupe in May of 2002.

Wonderful wife you have ...she and my wife must be related!! We are lucky guys!


Great stories...I am enjoying reading them.

Thanks for sharing...please keep 'em coming!!

Pedro

 

[GS Diva]

How did we come to pick up our 2002??? We were perfectly happy with my Grand Sport convertible and his '74 convertible. Then some friends came back from the Corvette plant in October 2001 where they had seen a couple of 2002 Electron Blue convertibles with Torch Red interior and white tops coming down the line. They said all conversations stopped...remember, it was right after 9/11 and the entire country was in the red/white/blue mode!

Anyway, these friends kept going on and on about these 2 convertibles. Hubby Alan never forgot about them and said that's all he would consider trading in his beloved '74 for. Well, a year goes by...it's now December 29, 2002, and I was surfing the web at local dealerships when, lo and behold, what do I find but one of the 2002 red/white/blue convertibles!!

I told Alan I had found just the Corvette he was looking for. Of course, he looked at me like I had two heads and said he wasn't looking for one! I convinced him to just take a ride and look at it so we called the dealership and made plans to see it on the morning of New Year's Eve. We went there without the '74 and within 10 minutes, Alan owned the 2002!!:eek

The Corvette manager was very familiar with both of our cars from all the shows in which we participate, and he made us an offer on the '74 that we simply couldn't refuse!!!

By the way, the dealership put the '74 into their showroom, and it sold within 4 days...this was during the Northeast's "deep freeze" of last January, mind you!! We spoke to the new owner several times and are happy to say that it went to a very good home...important to us!

So...that's the story of our C5!!

Elaine

 

[justafamilyman]

Hi To All,
I love telling this story. Especially to Ford guys.
In 1998, I was talking to an asst, mgr. at a store I was working. I asked him if he knew when the first Vette was built. He, at that time owned 3 Vettes, said he didn't know. We both agreed it may have been 1955. Well, 7 years to save up for a Vette. Foward to 2000. I found out the first Vette was built in 1953. Also that the official 50th Vette would be the 2003 model. Well, that cut off 2 years of saving. I went to a local Chevy where I knew one of the reps. I asked him if I could put a down payment on a 2003 Vette. He said he has 2000 and 2001 Vetts he could sell me. I explained whi I was interested in a 2003. He went to the business office and about 5 minutes later he said,"Yes". I also found out that Ford was re-introducing the Thunderbird as a 2-seat roadster in 2002. Also, that the T-bird was going to be in limited distrubution. I went to a Ford dealer (where my wife bought 2 Taurus wagons) and asked if I could put a down payment on a 2002 Thunderbird. The rep said what if someone else wanted a T-bird and was willing to put down more. That ended that discussion. I put a down payment for a 2003 Vette at the Chevy dealer. I then followed the Vette vis the internet (and of course CAC) for 2 years. In June or July the Chevy dealer called and said, "Time to order". I originally wanted a Quicksilver with a Light Pewter interior. I fell in love with the Electron Blue Metallic at another dealer. That's when I came up with the EBM-LO combo. I put my order in and watched thru the internet the car....oppppps Vette "being built". Then in August, the Vette arrived. Wow. Later I saw a baby blue T-bird at the Ford dealers lot. It was a blue I would have ordered. All I did was drive on by. I got -the- car.

 

[RJ'sC5]

I was seriously shopping for a c4, when I sat inside a c5 coupe and realized that a cat carrier could easily fit behind the seats for my frequent trips to my cabincruiser. Two weeks later Harley (yes named after the bike) was staring at the console, and looking out the windshield! Yes my wife says the cat is spoiled.

 

[c4vette92]

turned 50 bought the 50th.

 

[Nick Palafox]

For as long as I can remember I've wanted a vette. It was a dream car that I thought would just stay that way...a dream. Around 2002 I started noticing in the auto classifieds some very decent/reasonable prices on the vettes, but with a wife and two kids I still had that notion that I would never be able to have one. We already have a Yukon and Durango so the dream semmed to be even further away. What would we do with three cars since our oldest is not yet 14? Didn't make sense. Anyway's, earlier this year I began looking at the sales ad's and driving through the dealer lots. Well, I didn't know it at the time, but that dream turned into number crunching and by May of 2003 I realized that if I wanted to I could do it. I literally made myself sick to my stomach and I mean literally the week that I finally decided. Along with realizing that the dream was now possible and the anticipation and excitement that goes with that realization I was extremely anxious of all the "what if's" that might happen. What if I didn't have job security, and the same with my wife, savings for college, etc. On a Wednesday night my wife tells me that I can't live my life on what if's and that if I didn't do it now that I would never do it. I called the dealer the next morning and by noon I had my '03 Torch Red Coupe. My stomach hasn't bothered me since.

 

[DRTH VTR]

I had always had left over family cars, small used pickups, and other very boring vehicles. When my kids got older, I decided that it was my turn. I started talking about a Harley, but my (now ex-) wife worried about my safety and suggested a spicy car. I bought an Eclipse turbo. I did some mods and almost became a ricer, but I really wanted a big firebreathing V8.

I started talking to my (ex-) wife about a used Viper and she said the magic words: 'How about a Corvette?" I bought a '97 A4 and had a lot of fun. It was black and had the license plate DRTH VTR (Darth Vetter).

After a few years and many miles, I wanted a 6 speed. If I was going to trade in my 'vette, I might as well get the beast. I was getting divorced at the time and a female friend encouraged me to get the Electron Blue Z06 that I really wanted. I got the Corvette and saw that any woman who encouraged me to buy a Z06 was 'a keeper'. I am a very happy guy.

 

[Mr.Cool]

I had been driving work vans and pickups all my life. Even our family vehicles were vans or pickups. After 30 years I couldn't take it anymore I was either going to get a sports car or go insane thinking about it. The problem I had was finding a car that the wife did not think was to small. She didn't like the Miada or the Z3 or Boxster or Compressor they were too small. I was to the point of waiting another 8 months to see what the 350Z was going to be like.
I'm not sure why but even though all of our vehicles we bought since 1988 were Chevys the Vette never really entered into the picture. Then just before Christmas 2001 we were getting ready for a trip up north. I was going to close the business early so we could go into town to get some shopping done before we left. I had one more service call to do so I asked my wife to come along to save me a trip when I got done. While we were at the customers house a woman driving a Pewter 99 coupe drives up. My wife got to check out the car while I worked. I think by the time we left that house the decision was made, a Corvette was in our future.

 

[WB6HRO]

The wife and I really wanted to go on more Corvette road trips and the 62 Vette we've had since 1969 isn't a great road car fpr trips over 50 miles.

We decided that a new C-5 was in order, I thought that it would be appropriate that the new car should be 40 years newer than the 62. So we waited for the 2002's to come out and ordered a 2002 Electron Blue Z06 and R8C delivery.

 

[tankman]

I remember it like it was yesterday........
It was December 1999 and I was working in FtWayne and living north of Detroit. So on the ride home I stopped in a Vette resale shop and saw a pace car with only 20 miles on it. Still had the plastic on the seats. It was love at first sight! I did incredible amounts of research and was prepared to travel around the country to get mine when I was ready. I was ready when the 9-11 attacks happened and President Bush's speech about "if you wanted to buy a car before the attacks, go ahead and buy it now" put me over the top. Bought it and have never looked back!!! :love

 

[Vette Virgin]

I grew up in a Vette family and finally I had the guts to buy my 2001 Coupe in February of this year. It was an automatic and pinged all the time (many of you probably got sick of me wining on this site regarding this issue). I think I had fixed, for the most part, the pinging problem by changing out the knock sensor for the 8th time. Even then, I just didn't really like the car and my wife concurred.

Finally, after many months of dealing with it and by then not really enjoying the car, my wife and I decided to make probably the most stupid financial decision of our lives and traded in the Coupe for a brand spanking new '03 Roadster, 6 speed. This was in October of this year. The dealor still had this one '03 left on the lot and offered us 0% financing and we were hooked. Couldn't transfer my Borla exhaust fast enough!

I love this car whereas the Coupe just didn't have it. What it was, I couldn't answer except maybe the automatic tranny. A vette needs to be shifted manually, in my opinion. The Coupe did, however, have the Z-51 packagen but my wife likes the "luxury" of the standard handling package. Other then that, I love it.

 

[justafamilyman]

To DRTH VTR:
How'd you keep the Vette?
Blue Borg Brian 1 of 58