Might be getting a C4, C5 or C6 Corvette

All in all ,they are great cars.I had a C4 and couldn't break it. They are cheap to buy, cheap to own, and if it does break, the best news is it's a Chevy. You can get a part ANYWHERE. My advice, go test drive them, and see the difference for yourself. I have no idea what your budget is, but here is what I think. Buy the ( newest/ lowest mileage best example) you can afford. It's almost always cheaper to buy a pristine car that may be a year or two older, rather than a newer one that needs work. If you really want a C4, you should be able to purchase a pristine example, at a very moderate price if your patient. Good luck.




Darrell.

 

The base C6 is very much like a C5Z but more refined. A tremendous number of improvements were made from the C5 to C6. It can definitely be used as a daily driver. Your friend coming from a 600 hp Cobra must think they're driving a luxury car. Hard to say about handling the weather changes. They keyless go system on the C6 will spoil you.

There are some things to look out for on the early C6s but the later cars are better. Early issues were dead batteries and the roof panel coming unglued. The battery issue was sorted and many cars had their tops replaced. I think '07+ cars didn't have the top issue. '08 got the 6.2L (430 hp), better transmission and steering rack. Stock the car is quiet.

www.corvetteforum.com has useful information on the various models.

 

I drove a C4 in Cleveland one winter, during a heavy snow, and remember being passed by every fwd econobox on the road. Maybe with traction control the newer ones would do better -- haven't tried it.

I suppose if you have a Camaro you know what that's like.

As far as being a daily driver, I think that's what they were designed for. I thought about a C6 but couldn't justify having two cars with no luggage space.

 

If you're currently commuting in a Camaro, you shouldn't anticipate any differences with a Corvette (except the obvious increase in power).

What's your budget?

 

A C5 can be a great daily driver. My wife drives hers as such. Nothing to really watch out for as far as things breaking. Some complain of rattles and squeaks but ours has been quiet as a church mouse.

repairs are cheap, aftermarket support is great, the knowledge base is deep, there are good user groups (corvetteforum.com comes to mind), the buy-in is pretty cheap and the value/performance on a C5 is off the charts.

 

check the for sale section over at corvetteforum.

 

I'd go with a C5 Z or a base C6. Either way you're gonna love the LSx power.

 

C5 Z06 is the way to go IMO. The only thing the non C6Z has going for it is the biger cubes with the LS2 and LS3 over the LS6 or LS1. If you can pick up an 08 that would sway me the LS3 cars put down VERY impressive numbers with boltons. Mods for these cars are cheap except the exhaust compared to Fbodys.

 

I've had a C3, C4, C5, & a C6

Not a big fan of the C5, crap interior

C4 is much better looking

but C6 Z06 is the best by far and there are tons of options for it

I am doing mine w some carbon and some Caravaggio alcantara on the interior

 

I have had a couple of C4's. Buy the newest one you can afford. It seems like looking at the corvetteforum classifieds, you should be able to get a nice C4 for a rock bottom price, but at the same time, I've seen a some C5's with higher mileage between $9-15K . If you work on cars yourself, the C4 is good car to get, once the "clamshell" hood is open , you can access everything quite easily .

 

Ok, so you can safely eliminate the Z06 options.

I'd drive all three models (C4, C5 & C6) and then decide which one trips your trigger.

 

Keep in mind that the early production C6's were plagued with the crank pulley failures IIRC. There was a bulletin put out by GM that references the cut-off VIN # for those Vettes that were most likely affected.

There was also a recall campaign for the painted roof failure (adhesive letting go) on both the removable and fixed tops (including the Z06's). Might want to make sure that this has been done also.

There are "stickies" on these (and other) issues on most of the Vette forums like www.corvetteforum.com.

The C6's are excellent Vettes, and a ton of fun to own and drive. We had ours for a little over two years, and enjoyed it very much. Our next one will hopefully be a C7 Anniversary model (if they're still making Vettes by then ).

If you're looking for some very low mileage, used, pristine models from a great dealer then you might want to check out www.rogerscorvette.com in Orlando, FL. I bought my wife her first Vette ('01 C5, mint condition, with only 4k miles on it) back in '05 from Roger, and I must say that it was an absolute pleasure dealing with him. He's pretty firm on price, but it was worth it all around.