Welcome!! You'll like this place!
Congrats on your decision!
If the car is well cared for, I wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger on either of those years. I would definitely try to buy the newest you can afford.
The C5 is a well built car and I've met quite a few people with early, high mileage cars that are still running very strong and have been very reliable.
The inherent problems are the dreaded steering column lock, rear end leak (fixed by replacing seal), and the fuel gauge sensor going bonkers from the sulphur in gasoline.
I had a '99 that I bought brand new and kept for almost two years. The only issue I had with it was the steering column lock.
I'm sure that someone else will chime in.
There will always be some cars that are more trouble free than others.
Try to buy directly from the owner if you can. (original owner would be great)
The best part is the hunt, but don't fall in love with the first one you look at.
Best of luck!!
Pedro
mgdim said:
I am finally gonna get the chance to own a C5 now that the prices are starting to fall. I have seen some low mileage 97 and 98 models but am fearful of buying into the early years. I have spent most of my time in CAC in the C6 forum and keep hearing about the problems associated with the 97 C5's. Can anyone give me the lowdown on what I might run into with a '97 or '98 5-speed?