Welcome to the Corvette Forums at the Corvette Action Center!

Just bought a 02 coupe

  • Thread starter Thread starter Val
  • Start date Start date
V

Val

Guest
After much heart ache I decided to retire my old trusty 88 firebird. It served me for 13 years and 227k miles. I was about to dump $12-15k into it and restore her to glory, but then I woke up and relized it would still be a 88 formula when I was done, and would only be worth $5k at most. So then I looked at what I thought was a good commuter car TDI jetta, and at $25k it didnt make sense to get something I really didnt want anyway. So then I found my 02 Silver Vette. It has 23k miles and cost me 29k which i'm sure I overpaid but aside from road rash on one wheel its perfect. I figure if i'm gonna spend 20+ thousand on a commuter car, I may as well do it with some style.

I do have some questions,

1. other than fluid changes is there anything I should inspect in detail and look for wear?

2. The exaust has a irratict tin-y sound at idle. It idles and runs perfect though, is this normal?

3. Should I keep my firebird? I got it my first year in college, it still runs good, but at 227k miles the tranny and engine are very tired, and the paint is finally peeling (looks horrid). A lot of people are telling me I'll deeply regret selling it in 20 years. But I dont really have any place to put it, and dumping it behind a friends barn to rust away is not appealing either. Selling it to pay for the Kuhmo MX's I ordered today seems the most likely at the moment.
 
Hello and welcome to the Corvette Action Center....Congrats on the Vette......
 
I would say sell it. I do not know your situation, but if you keep it? Where, and at what cost. Are you really every going to retsore it or just think you are?
 
Val,
Welcome to the Corvette Action Center! You've found the right place for the Corvette enthusiast!

Although I'm sure your questions will generate lots of responses, I'll take a stab at with some thoughts.

Val said:
1. other than fluid changes is there anything I should inspect in detail and look for wear?

Try taking a look through the CAC's Knowledgebase. It has a rather extensive list of Technical Service Bulletins for all seven years of the C5 production run, and can often flag common known issues. In general, though, if your '02 has been well maintained, you should be in pretty good shape.

Val said:
2. The exaust has a irratict tin-y sound at idle. It idles and runs perfect though, is this normal?

Here, I have a question back at you- is your exhaust stock? One of the things you'll get a lot of discussion about here is aftermarket replacements for the stock exhaust- which most folks here find has a kind of underpowered sound. I have a set of Borla Stingers on mine, and they love to roar when you hold the shift (I have a manual six-speed in my Z06.) Aftermarket exhausts run the full range from efficient, if a bit on the quiet side, to rattle the windows on nearby buildings loud.

I'd say if you're unhappy with the way your exhaust sounds, do some explorations of after-market replacements.

Val said:
3. Should I keep my firebird? I got it my first year in college, it still runs good, but at 227k miles the tranny and engine are very tired, and the paint is finally peeling (looks horrid). A lot of people are telling me I'll deeply regret selling it in 20 years. But I dont really have any place to put it, and dumping it behind a friends barn to rust away is not appealing either. Selling it to pay for the Kuhmo MX's I ordered today seems the most likely at the moment.

It sounds to me like you're trying to talk yourself into selling your Firebird. I guess the best advice I can give is to put it into a perspective for you:
- It's an 18 year old car with a dated body style.
- It's a 227K mile car with (to use your terms) a very tired transmission and engine, and body that's showing its age.
- The problems this car experiences are going to get bigger and more expensive to fix.
- It sounds as though storage is likely to become an issue for you.
- When you compare it to your '02 Vette, it's going to come up short in just about every meaningful statistic.

The bottom line is it sounds to me like this Firebird has reached just about the end of it's useful life. The only reason to hold onto it would be for sentiment, and that's a matter of personal taste. Objectively, all I can say is it makes sense to finally part ways with the ole Firebird.

Again, welcome to the CAC, and post some pictures of your Corvette when you get a chance!

:w
-Patrick
 
Congrat and welcome to the :CAC, Val!

:w
Guy
 

Corvette Forums

Not a member of the Corvette Action Center?  Join now!  It's free!

Help support the Corvette Action Center!

Supporting Vendors

Dealers:

MacMulkin Chevrolet - The Second Largest Corvette Dealer in the Country!

Advertise with the Corvette Action Center!

Double Your Chances!

Our Partners

Back
Top Bottom