I think I have had enough!!!!

[crause]

I would like to first thank all the people that tried to help and you are all a great bunch of folks. I believe that I have reached the point where owning this C5 is no longer fun. The electrical gremlins have gotten the best of me and now that I have retired, I don't have the money to keep dumping into this car by bringing it to the Dealer or a qualified technician. In relation to the issues listed above, I have read post and google searches until my eyes were bleeding and have come to one final conclusion; GM did not live up to consumers standards when producing a vehicle that cost this much. What engineer would develope a fuel sending unit that can't stand up to being in gasoline all the time. The basic fuel we use today is of better quality that in 2000 when this thing was new. They couldn't make a seat that wouldn't "rocking chair" after a few years. A/C actuators that regularly fail, batteries that leak and get acid all over the main computer and wiring. I could go on and on; you all know the issues.
The bottom line is that GM built this thing (even the new ones are having some of the same problems) with very poor quality control.
I am going to sell the 2000 and the 1975 and get something with a better track record that is still a convertible.
It is hard to enjoy something that everytime you get in it something new is wrong. Oh yea, I forgot to mention that when I took it out this morning, the drivers side door will not lock and unlock with the key fob. you can work it with the door button and it will lock when you put it in gear but not with the fob. I went through the re-learning process but it did not correct the problem. Tried to clean some ground connections; no luck. Sweat pouring off my head and nothing to show in the way of progress.
Hope you are enjoying yours more than me

 

[LT4man]

I feel your pain.

What you call "issues" is poor build quality. Shame on GM (Chevy, Corvette).

I understand completely where you are coming from.

Why do the weatherstrips on C4s need to be replaced every few years? Even after treating them with lubricants? My other cars over the years never needed this to be done.

You are right. Some of the C5 problems are still occurring on the C6s. Do you think they will "get it right" with the C7? (Rhetorical question! :ugh)

Good luck with your new purchase, whatever that may be!

 

[warren s]

In 8 years and almost 249,000 copies, the C5 build quality is all over the map. Add a few design flaws and the usual lowest cost vendor for parts and you have a typical GM built car.

Still for the money - when it works right you get a tremendous amount of performance. Its too bad you had so many issues with your Corvettes, your not the only person who threw in the towel and went elsewhere.


Good luck.

 

[6 Shooter]

Sorry ta hear you have a lemon!

​

 

[Huskerman]

Sorry to hear that your expieriances have not been better in Corvette ownership.......sometimes like 6 shooter says you get a lemon...and its time to move on. One the other hand there are C5's out there that have very little go wrong with them for 100K miles.......luck of the draw I guess. They are complex cars these days and I wish that were not so.....

 

[catbert]

Although you can make an argument that your Vettes are now older cars, and problems associated with age and sporadic use can, and do occur, sometimes it's OK to walk away. While Comsumer Reports, and other rate the Vette as OK to good, depending on the year, that doesn't mean you haven't had a bellyful of problems. I take exception to your overall assessment of GM products, but I understand how you got there. I have not experienced any of the cross generational issues you speak to in your post with my C4s, 5s and 6s, but flying roofs, loose crank bolts and rocking seats make you wonder about their engineering oversight. When I lost the crankshaft pulley bolt on my 05, I swore I'd never darken another GM dealership Door - ever. Some forum members here probably remember that rant out of me. I guess I'm not a man of my word.

Good luck to you. From one retiree to another, I hope you find a great replacement for the Vettes.

 

[WLS Ruby 93]

Time to move on.

I would like to first thank all the people that tried to help and you are all a great bunch of folks. I believe that I have reached the point where owning this C5 is no longer fun. The electrical gremlins have gotten the best of me and now that I have retired, I don't have the money to keep dumping into this car by bringing it to the Dealer or a qualified technician. In relation to the issues listed above, I have read post and google searches until my eyes were bleeding and have come to one final conclusion; GM did not live up to consumers standards when producing a vehicle that cost this much. What engineer would develope a fuel sending unit that can't stand up to being in gasoline all the time. The basic fuel we use today is of better quality that in 2000 when this thing was new. They couldn't make a seat that wouldn't "rocking chair" after a few years. A/C actuators that regularly fail, batteries that leak and get acid all over the main computer and wiring. I could go on and on; you all know the issues.
The bottom line is that GM built this thing (even the new ones are having some of the same problems) with very poor quality control.
I am going to sell the 2000 and the 1975 and get something with a better track record that is still a convertible.
It is hard to enjoy something that everytime you get in it something new is wrong. Oh yea, I forgot to mention that when I took it out this morning, the drivers side door will not lock and unlock with the key fob. you can work it with the door button and it will lock when you put it in gear but not with the fob. I went through the re-learning process but it did not correct the problem. Tried to clean some ground connections; no luck. Sweat pouring off my head and nothing to show in the way of progress.
Hope you are enjoying yours more than me

We all understand your frustration and sometimes it's just time to move on and "Enjoy" something different ........ but what ?? I went from a 1987 Allante then to an 88 Allante on to a C4 anniversary edition and then to my present 98 C5. Since all of these cars were not driven more than 4-5,000 miles a year they were fairly inexpensive to keep. I would not recommend an Allante for the faint of heart nor for the person not willing to dive in and fix things themselves. Trying to find replacement parts for them is getting harder and harder. Cadillac had way too many proprietary parts in those cars and mechanics familiar with them are mostly retired themselves.

There are many brands and models to choose from out there in the used car market. Most of the fun is finding that pampered garage queen driven to church on Sundays by that mythical little old lady. So enjoy your new quest and make it fun.

Back in February I found such a car, a 1995 Cadillac Eldorado with 72,000 miles on it and admittedly it's not in the class with a Corvette but it's a nice luxurious diversion from my coupe. I too am retired and sometimes I just want to cruise the road in floating quiet with a little extra comfort.

Good luck in your search and lets us know what you decide to go with when the time comes.

Keep 'em rollin' :W ........... what ever they are.


Bill

 

[DrNavyRet]

When I got rid of my '89 back in '94, I was glad to see it go! I bought it new with leather, Z51 and the new 6 spd. 4 1/2 years of ownership and I went through two ECM's and multiple little nuisances. I found myself in a Saleen Mustang, an SC430 hardtop convertible, an M3 convertible and 2 1/2 years ago. I retired. And what did my desires "push me" into? Yep, my '04 convertible. It was a garage queen with just 7200 miles on her when I purchased it last July. No gremlins so far; knock on my wooden head. Having been around the block as I have, I'm sure you already know that buying a used anything is a matter of luck and, hopefully, as the country song goes, you won't be saying, "if it wasn't for bad luck, you'd have no luck at all." Cheer up and buy a neat toy as soon as you can.

 

[B747VET]

Knock on wood I've been lucky with all my Vettes. However, I had bad luck with a Caddy once back in 1982 and with a Jag 2000 (there's a surprise!!)

Friends in the car leasing business taught me many years ago:

1. Never buy new. Let some other guy buy the first big $20,000 - 30,000 depreciation for you. Also minimizes potential lemon acquisitions.
2. Only buy low miles - 2 yrs old... 10K max. 5yrs old... 15K max. 10 yrs old... 25K max & it should look showroom new in & out.
3. Don't buy unless full maintenance history documentation is provided. The trends become apparent.
4. Never buy known lemons (e.g. Jaguars & 1st year production model of any car) no matter how great they seem to look and run.
5. The second time you have an electrical issue with any car ... sell it fast ... any car is subject to being a factory build lemon.

I would only add:

6. If buying a boat or a sports car like a Vette, be patient while searching and, in addition to all the above, try to get one with the best level of factory upgrade packages and most or all of the after market upgrades you desire. Again, let the previous owner take the depreciation hit for that equipment too.


I bought my current 02 vert when it was 9 yrs old. 19,600 miles, showroom condition, highest option package, significant after market upgrades, and full maintenance history & one owner. I paid $26k. I looked at almost 400 corvettes on the internet and other sources before pulling the trigger. It took 5 months to find it this one but it was worth the wait. I've added another $5k in high end performance upgrades.

Oh, I have two friends with Ferrari's selling for the same reasons you are. Chevy has zero moral credibility with respect to C5's. They should have fixed the oil consumption probs on early C5's, they should have fixed the fuel gauge related issues on all C5's and they should have fixed the dangerous steering lock issues on all C5's. In fairness, I feel that most of the other issues are simply related to leaps in technology which can be problematic for any manufacturer. And, of course, the C5 & C6 seats are the most unacceptable in modern sports car history.

Good luck in your search!