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Most Vette guys are pretty anal about their cars. I know my friend is really anal. And I mean he had a small tear in his seat he had a shop redo the whole seat. I put Vette owners about on the same level as most diesel truck owners in the I take meticulous care of my car section.
Most Vette guys are pretty anal about their cars. I know my friend is really anal. And I mean he had a small tear in his seat he had a shop redo the whole seat. I put Vette owners about on the same level as most diesel truck owners in the I take meticulous care of my car section.
I know Vette guys that beat the daylights out of their cars.....drag strips/race courses etc.
I've always had a spot in my heart for a c5/c6 corvette. I even had a buddy who lived with his parents just so he could buy a corvette.
Have you driven a z4? it might be a smaller upgrade to the BRZ than a corvette, but I really enjoyed the 2 z4s I had the privilege of driving while my wife worked at BMW.
Lol I saw that video. I guarantee neither were looking to do THAT to their cars. Thst was a penis measuring contest. They both came up short. And I expect for simeonecwithba high power car to hit it and drive it. But there is a difference driving the car to its capabilities and beating the stuffing out of it/abuse.
Thanks for the differing thoughts so far. More so, I am curious on how many repairs one can normally expect. I have broused the Corvette owner forums and although there are threads and such with "common issues," as with any car specific forum, sometimes there is a great debate or glossing over of some things too, which are not seen as a big deal. (Or for whatever reason). Anyway, I always take that part of research as a part, and not as a whole.
I have no concerns about daily use. It would be a second car, as the BRZ is now.
I likely would stay away from the German iron. I would not assume it is more reliable to start, and fairly certain the maintenance and repair going forward would be significantly higher.
I guess if I find one that really grabs me and is in great shape I would jump at it. Currently I am attempting to sell the BRZ to give me some more flexibility in shopping, as I can then look at privately owned ones. Dealer markups on the C5's seem much higher than the C6's to me too. I'd likely prefer the C6 for getting into the next generation, but would not say "no" to the right car in the right condition regardless of generation.
I bought my 04 convertible a little over a year ago, and use it as my dd.
This is one awesome vehicle.
I changed all the fluids right after I got it because I had no idea how long they were in the car.
Have not had any problem with it in the time I have owned it, except the hud played games for a day, then went back to acting normal.
One thing I have to say is the ride is incredibly smooth for a sports car.
The leg room is fantastic, and the seats are extremely comfortable.
The gas mileage is much better than I expected.
All in all, it is one fantastic machine, and as far as I am concerned, low maintenance.
I wouldn't want any other vehicle, and I believe it you are looking for a good performing, great looking head turner, the C5 is your best bet.
I had an '03 Z06, I did ALL of my own work. Here's my take:
-the C5s are old, they're starting to get some wear and tear
-interiors are inferior, even the C6 interior leaves a lot to be desired though they're an improvement over the C5 interior
-little things aging will eat your wallet if you can't do your own work. Common problems such as: sagging HUD, wheels bearings, window motors, HVAC display going dead, leaky windows, anti-theft lock out
-shocks and sway bar end links probably need to be replaced
-tires are expensive
I got rid of mine because I was tired of fixing the aging parts. You may have a bigger wallet than me. But if you take your car for repairs, they're going to hit you with the "Corvette tax" because you can "afford" to pay more for repairs since you drive a Corvette.
T56 6 speed transmission synchros aren't durable. Can you drop the trans and swap it out if it stops shifting?
I see a 2012 C6 Z06 in my future but that's a few years down the line.
You need to pay someone good money for an inspection or completely trust the honesty of the seller. FYI my neighbor will be selling her corvette soon and it hasn't been driven in over ten year so you can imagine what great shape its in.
I just bought a 2004 C-5 Corvette with about 60,000 miles. I had the car thoroughly looked over and fixed by a specialist. In total I am into it for about 23 grand. We bought this car for long distance driving. Once we get the seats rebuilt we will be taking the car to places like Yellowstone Park in one direction and Newfoundland in the other with lots of driving in the Northeast the rest of the time. I do not expect anything but normal maintenance for quite a while.
We both like the car very much. We like the ride, the handling (I have not reached the cornering limit yet), the acceleration (this makes passing on two lane roads easy) and the sheer fun of driving this silver beast. We plan to use this car in the summers and store it during salt season.
FWIW - We are both retired and without kids or pets.
Get a used S2000 if you can deal with its draw backs being that it's noisy and basic. They hold their value well, too well for me personally as I'd be looking at it only as a toy, for a reason relative to Boxsters or Corvettes. Alternatively, new Miata. The main problem with the S2000 is the lack of torque which won't be an issue coming from a BRZ. As long as you don't add significant power (meaning go FI), they're pretty reliable. The transmission/drive train likewise is a weak spot, but as long as you're not doing clutch drops or adding power it's not an issue. The AP2 got the clutch delay valve to address that, but it was a band-aid fix. You're better off removing it but I'd probably look for an AP2 with the clutch delay left in. AP2 gets you a bit more torque and less snap oversteer as well.
The older Corvettes are tremendous value for the money but daily driving anything that's ten years old, let alone a performance car, is going to put you into the pay to play arena. I mean, at least you're not looking at ten-year-old Porsches or M cars, but if you're worried about cost of ownership the Corvette is still going to be high.
Last edited by Malloric; 07-09-2015 at 01:35 PM..
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