Transaxle guy here, if anyone gives that "ackuatlly!" B.S. The format is the same in purpose. Move all the heavy gear bits and their case to the rear. The difference is pointless. The idea that they are in the same case and use the same fluid together doesn't matter. They both serve the same function, with what GM did being more pragmatic and cooler than what Porsche or Mercedes did. Especially when you realize that the majority of transaxles like the porsche ones in the 944/928 used a FWD transmission case moved to the rear with the full clutch housing being unused just like what GM did with the T56 and TR6060. If anyone wants to call me a liar, I have both a 944S2 and C6Z06 at home, a spare AOR transmission and I can drag out a T56 from a fricking tahoe that has the same casing dimensions as my Z06 to compare. The C5/C6/C7 are transaxle because they combined them together in a single unit. The fact that you can unbolt the differential case from the transmission doesn't matter when you remove/install them together. It's a transaxle, fight me bro./
Brakes? Get C6 GS or Z06 calipers used which will bolt right up, put on C6 Z06/GS Powerstop rotors (EBC have the vanes on the rightside backwards, which will cause warpage under heavy use) and then run whatever pads are the best balance of performance/life you need. These will utilize larger rotors than the wilwood aero 6's that are a direct bolt on I would only suggest going wilwood/brembo or other aftermarket if you track a lot as the PBR made brakes do not allow you to swap padlets while still mounted like most brembo calipers do, which is important as most track pads like the hawk DTC series will wear out at a rate of 3 to 4 pad sets per rotor. You can get all 4 corners of caliper from 1000-1500 depending on aesthetic condition.
@@dre32pitt You lose out on aerodynamics and handling for sure. That Miata would be fun, but it's not the weapon that the C5 was made to be. It's essentially a supercar from it's time (which still keeps up with modern muscle), and you can put a little money into to make it an insane beast of a car.
@@MagicalFishy those can be added back for a price, lol.. Functional wing and a MCS suspension will help keep the power down.. but you're right.. definitely more of a hooligan than the c5 would be given the power:weight ratio..
I bought a C5 6 years ago at 18, and it's still my daily as of today. I knew this day would come. Prepare to spend about $2000 getting everything right on it when you buy it. I haven’t had to sync any money into the car repairing it. I purchased the car with 50,000 miles, and I’m at 95 now. I replaced the clutch recently, which is an expensive job. I paid almost 3k. The harmonic balancers are a thing to look out for. The power steering system can easily be overheated, so stay on top of the fluid changes. The cars run hot. I definitely recommend a Dewitz radiator and oil cooler combo. They dropped my temperature drastically. My upper oil pan started leaking after the clutch change, which was a job and a half but doable. I have been 172 miles an hour in the car. The things are rocket ship. Don’t expect to get to those speeds regularly, as the front end lights over 150. I auto crossed the car occasionally it will bite you in the ass. It’s just a learning curve. Drive the cars and learn to push your limits slowly. I went on a road trip cross-country last summer to Michigan from California. I got over 30 miles per gallon round-trip both ways. I saw a peak in Wyoming, getting 33 and running about 75. Updating the lighting on the car was my favorite thing that I did. If you get one, enjoy your ride, drive hard, and don’t look back. You basically have the C8 of the 1990s. That’s still competitive today because it was so damn good. Edit: If you’re looking to save a buck or two, the C5 and C6 are almost the same car. Think NA and NB Miata. Buy used C6 parts for cheap. I did that with sway bars from a late-model Z51 car. My 2001 dose burns oil, as mentioned. They tend to burn the most, actually. I only burn a quart every 4 to 5000 miles if I’m not beating on it. It burns more the harder you drive. I highly recommend a quality catch can.
I’m 18 and I just bought my first C5 at 75k miles, so far the car isn’t in driving condition yet, I had to buy a new bumper, radiator, intake, radiator support, and an air injection pump, Once I get all those installed I’ll look into what all you mentioned. Thanks brother 🙏🏼
I disagree about the z06, having driven a base and a Z back to back, its like its not even the same car. If you're gonna keep them stock, try for a Z, its a very raw experience compared to the other models.
Yes! Aggressive gearing, free revving, and little sound deadening. 3100lbs and 405hp/400 lb ft in 02-04. The Z feels even faster than it is. Absolutely the choice if C5/C6 feels too sedate and you don’t want to mod much.
He's absolutely right. The Z06 isn't out of the realm of the base like the future corvette models are. What he's saying is by the time you buy looking at an oem name badge, the motors are the same with small tweaks. But if you can save 10k ...you can modify the base for a small investment and get big power and handling. It's one of the most produced models. It won't be a significant value difference once it classifies.
@@Naginc yeah if you’re gonna mod get the base 100%. If you plan to move on to another car and want to retain value, get a Z06 and don’t mod or remove the mods you do at sale time. They’re all great for the money still
Hmm, you're 99% spot on with everything from what I remember 30 years ago Alex. I worked for Joe Spielman. He was the best General Manager I ever worked for at any company. He had a way of talking to everyone. You never felt like you were talking to a high level VP. I was a budget manager, fun fun at Metal Fab '95-'98. I saw the mocked up C5 in C4 wolf's clothing. Inside GM, the word was the Corvette was cancelled, until Jack Smith drove the prototype. Joe and the head of Chevy "found the money (I'm leaving stuff out)" to get that far. The other thing was the company was coming out of near bankruptcy and the "coup" that made Jack Smith the CEO. Things were looking up. Had this been a year earlier, I doubt there would have been the same outcome. One other thing, Joe knew all along they had a great car. The C4 never recovered structurally from Lloyd Reuss changing from T-Tops to a Targa Top at the last second. The C4 was never meant to be built that way no matter how tall you made the Rocker Support. One other thing, the LS6 had the ring/oil troubles, I don't remember that on the LS1 but could be wrong? Also, the 2001 LS6 was 385HP. After that, they were 405HP.
Just to mention, the 2001 LS6 and Prior LS1s didn't have an oil control ring and had a pretty poor PCV system that involved the valley plate (under the intake manifold plate). You can upgrade the valley plates but piston rings... Not as easy. The 2002 LS6 and LS1s after October 2001 for 2002 had the oil control ring and PCV upgrades.
I KNEW during covid 2020 to buy this HIGHLY UNDER-RATED TIMELESS BODY LINE LOOKING CORVETTE. I now own 2 C5 Convertibles both with difficult to find RED interior. 2001 35K miles 2002 60K miles. 💯🔥💯🔥
I have a 2003 C5Z. The LS6 has some upgrades that are very nice if you want to drive the car hard at the track. Upgrade the harmonic balancer, valve springs (if you have the yellow springs) , and those horrible seats and you are good to go.
Absolutely love my c5 z, I personally didn’t go with a base since I initially fell in love with the z06 specifically when I first saw one at the age of 5. But I always tell my coworkers and friends that are in the market for a fun car for ~$20k that the c5 base is the best bang for the buck reliable good handling car out there.
I always loved the C5 vette. I wish they made the z06 with rear glass hatch. I know it ads weight but I think it looks better with the hatch. C5, the last of the pop up head lights. Great car for the money
@ can’t say I agree with you about the hatch, I love the FRC. Love how it’s just the driver bubble, also the hatch makes it look like every corvette after the c5. I like the uniqueness of the FRC
As much as I’m a fan of the C6 and C7 Corvette, I’ve been really getting into C5 the silhouette shape especially when lowered and the fact that ppl are doing JDM style on these cars makes them look dope 🔥
old people don't know what they have? you weren't even born when the C5 came out and when the C5 z06 came out. Modifying it , racing, all before your generation would call it the old guy with new balance shoes ( goes for porsche as well) no, you guys should feel blessed you have a vast selection of cars to choose from in the used market. Was NOT like that years past and reason most "older guys" were buying porsches and corvettes is because , they could afford it. You didn't see some twenty something buying corvettes. Their price range were the camaros , mustangs and going back, the Starion's, conquests, the used car market mostly. People use to work, focus on starting their lives after college, wishing they could get a higher end car, a sports car , like the corvette or porsche but priorities kick in. So now the corvette is the flavor of the month now? dodge challenger and chargers go to h@ll, become the most repossessed car and dodge shutting it down. Camaros and mustangs dime a dozen now going after corvettes. Guess that is what the internet does for people right? Worst ones? In what way? The C4 dominated so much it was kicked out of the escort series. It was 29-0 vs the porsche 944 turbo. They had to make the corvette challenge series LOL. You called it a muscle car its a sports car. It dominated the Z''s, the supra's all of them back in the day. Then they had the C4 zr1, the grand sport with the LT4 and the base whether early C4's (L98) or the later C4's with the LT1. It only weighed around 3000 lbs. The corvette racing history speaks for itself, why you marginalizing the car? Btw, Ferrari licenses Chevy's Magnetic Ride suspension system btw, not the other way around.
If the difference between a similar base and Z06 for that generation is a long time, just get the base. You can open up the LS1 to beyond the LS6 capabilities, and unless you are racing in grassroots like the corvette cup series, the difference in weight isn't worth the extra cost. You'll still be able to enjoy throwing her around. Leave the notch backs for the racer boys and make yourself a nice fun base. They look better anyways and as a C6 Z06 owner, I can promise you that when you can take that roof off on the summer days, that extra 120lbs is worth it.
For me personally, I’m glad I got to get the zo6. I was in a similar position and nearly pulled the trigger on a 2004 Targa before backing out. 6 months later I found a clean zo6 for cheaper. Ive had several enthusiast cars before this and wanted to save myself the headache of modding. I wanted a car that was a weapon out of the box and boy did the zo6 deliver. It’s been 2 years and I’m only now just adding power. I never kept any of my other vehicles stock! It’s just that good
You should do the s197 next. The Boss 302 was advertised as being faster than a BMW M3 around a track. What Ford did not mention, the 5.0 Mustang GT was only a second slower than the M3, when Motor Trend tested the Mustang GT against the BMW M3 IN 2011.
I got a Millennium Yellow 2004 C5 Corvette Base for $16k… Idk if I paid was way too much. 😅 It has a 6 speed, all stock, owned by a 73 year old old man and luckily it has a 41,000 miles. Registration and taxes was nearly $1900. Spent $2400 for all fluids to be replaced, 2 belts replaced, the steering rack position sensor replaced and service active handling to be fixed. I also had them tighten the end links. I spent $1255 for new Continental Extreme Contact Sport 2 and thinking of dropping $1500 for someone to install ATI Harmonic Balancer… I also want to install a duck bill spoiler, get a exhaust with long tube headers and other things in the future. I love my car but still, I don’t know if I paid alot for it. 🤔 Also please help me with recommendations!!! I would greatly appreciate it…😅
Lol in Europe your car doubles that exact money you spend buying it. Prices started to go up for manual transmissions and post-00' editions. You still have it very cheap in the US!
@@j.cuzzoh Air cleaner flip, better exh manifolds (short or long tubes), remap, change the spark plugs and wires and Summit's damper pulley....oh... Short shifter (a must!). 😊
I almost LS swapped a Porsche 944, but sold it and bought a C5Z 3 years ago during the pandemic before the prices went a little crazy. Great video on the chassis. I do mostly show and long haul trips. I feel like the interiors are overlooked and people need to spend a little more on interiors to make the cars more fun to drive.
Just bought a 2004 magnetic red with a 6 speed manual. Has 53k miles for 17k. I live in AZ and the car is in Salt Lake City. Gonna fly out on Wednesday and drive it back home through those sweet canyons through St. George Utah. I can’t wait! So excited! Cherry on top. Stopping and staying the night in Vegas on the way.
Great video Alex. I’ve wanted a c5 for long time now. Almost bought one back in 2022, I was told, no you have kids, you need a back seat. So I bought a sedan instead. But, it’s 2.0t with somewhat of an aftermarket and I’ve worked on that instead. It now makes around 330 wheel on e50. I also have a big wheel turbo for it, just gotta install it.
As a senior designer on the C5 Corvette at General Motors Design Staff, I should set the record straight. When Mazda came up with a similar design of the C5 Corvette before the design of the C5 was released to the public, there was concern about how this happened. Chuck Jordan was in charge of Design Staff and wasn't a fan of the C5 design. Chuck's son James Jordan was a senior designer at Mazda. The speculation was that Chuck leaked renderings of the C5 to his son in the hopes that Mazda producing it first would call for a redesign of the C5, although the Mazda was a smaller version. It didn't work, and the C5 Corvette went into production as it was.
As an owner that tracks their C5, you missed basically every major mechanical problem to look for. You grabbed a couple that are common but not the biggest ones. The part you nailed was saying the Z06 isn't for you if you don't track the car. The right one to buy is a 03/04 6spd coupe. You get the removable roof and the hatchback. Torque tube noise, rubber connectors and bearings go bad and can grenade the torque tube if not addressed. Basically the majority of the drive train minus the engine has to drop out to rebuild a torque tube. (replace the clutch while you're in there) Harmonic balancer, if it starts to wobble it's bad, they all go bad eventually. Worst case scenario it pops off the front of the car and goes through your neighbors house or it grinds backwards into the block and you lose all your oil. Bad EBCM, controls ABS and traction control. Pre 2001 these can go bad and will basically brick the car. Cannot be rebuilt and requires a specific type of replacement to match your car. 01+ the EBCM can be rebuilt. Adjustable suspension, 20 year old shocks at the newest and has to be deleted from the computer to replace with static shocks. Can and will lock your C5 to under 80 mph if the electronics go bad. Lots of people go C6 Z06 shocks or replace everything with coilovers. Bad grounds, these cars have shit electronics. Grounds are often the first failure point. Oil pressure sensor, pretty much every C5 will kill an oil pressure sensor. Kind of a pain in the ass to replace but parts are cheap.
The EBCM in the 1997-2000 won't kill the car if it fails, you just have no ABS, active handling or traction control. And also a check engine on the dash. I have a 2000, and while it hasn't happened to me yet I don't try to worry about that. I just like to have fun with the car
Is the torque tube noise a common issue on the C6? I recently purchased a 1 owner c6 and the only issue I’ve seen is the Harmonic balancer *that is getting addressed soon with ATI* but should I worry about the tube on a C6 with 26k miles?
@@Ap2Iven torque tubes are all common problems from C5 through C7 since they're all basically the same in construction. Drive line chatter is common on these cars so I wouldn't immediately assume the first little chatter is a torque tube going out. I say drive the hell out of it and don't worry about it until it introduces itself. Congrats on the (damn near) new C6!
Biggest flaw Missed Harmonic Balancer Likes to come loose, because is not keyed, so keep an eye out for wobbling harmonics when going to buy one, see if you can get a better deal 🙃
I just bought a c5 before the price is going up😂. But in my place it cost around 50k cheapest. Im outside of US btw. But one of my dream cars and im lucky to get it in the right time
The C5 body was in concept before the FD and when asked Dave Hill said he was influenced by the NSX. You under estimate the C4 and forget the chassis was released in 84. T1 sways, bilsteins and Z51 or Z06 leafs can be very fast, no need for coil over. Local racer who set up my alignment has a few NASA solo track records on leafs.
The leaf springs are not as bad as people and Top Gear make it out to be, mine is still a blast to drive. I also don't plan on doing coilovers because the car is actually pretty low from factory. The most I'd recommend going for from a functional perspective are those upgraded leafs you mentioned, plus either aftermarket Bilstein shocks or stock C6 Z06 shocks. My C5 has the rare optional magnesium wheels, which I don't plan on changing. For owners of cars with the standard wheels, I'd also suggest upgrading to something like a larger Forgestar F14 to fit C6 Z06 brakes too. I also can't forget aftermarket lowering bolts or drop spindles, which I do recommend for those with larger aftermarket wheels to reduce the wheel gap. I do not recommend lowering bolts or drop spindles for stock size wheels as you're taking away what little ground clearance the car has, like at that point just stance it. Just max out the stock bolts.
The most annoying thing about these cars in my opinion is that they run hot. It’s not uncommon to see 220-235° on a hot day, stuck in traffic. Allegedly, this is “normal.”Figure out how to keep them cool though, and you have yourself a real tank on your hands.
I’ve got a C5 Z06 with 115K miles but it was built to 402 CI and 650 HP at 50K miles. I beat this car relentlessly, race it and it takes it. For the money it’s hard to beat a C5 Z06. The Z06 is definitely worth the extra money if you want a more performance car and more collectible car that will hold its value better over time over a stock C8.
Great video man! Even tho I'm against heavily modded cars... A modded C5 looks great. maybe because of that C5-R racing heritage it has. I love FDs very much,... It is a bit more cruiser biased car than a sports car and it does the job very well (untill engine breaks apart 😑). The C5 has a spectacular supercar-ish looks and this car gets much much MUCH more love and attention overseas than in the US (experienced by myself as I own a 01' yellow Coupe one in Spain). Its also much more expensive and away from the cheap or destructive young hands. American cars community in Europe and Asia is pretty much appreciated. Cool video! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼❤ PS: Oh...and Vette's leaf suspension is hugely underrated btw. But yeah I know coilovers in this car are greatly superior anyway 😅
I have a 2001 Base. I installed the widebody quarter panels. I want to run 20x13 in the rear and 20x10.5 in the front. What offset should i run? Greaat video.
Aaaaaaand making videos like this is a huge contributor in inflating the price of good affordable vehicles. "You better get one now!" Anyone who is selling one and saw this video just increased the price by 3k. And yeah, I'm a brokie, which makes me a little sour. But am I wrong?
It only makes a small bubble. In a few weeks everyone forgets the video and things go back to normal. And honestly, none of this is new information. Everyone knows Corvettes are one of the best, and people have made videos about them for years. Also, with their high production numbers, they should be the least affected of any cars by hype.
Bought a C5Z and imported to Europe. Enjoying it a lot, taking it to track days, had some fun on the autobahn, etc. Tip for anyone planning to buy one: ask for service history and spend money on a PPI by a Vette specialist to avoid big problems/bills!
Alex, shout from FI days... short story: next door neighbor knows a guy who got a brand new Vette for his birthday and he needed to let go of his '01 C5. My neighbor mentioned me (car guy) and yep I bought it. With 44K, this CA car has all the records and has been babied all the way. At about the same time you came out with this video - as if you knew!! When I told him yes to buying it, just know that you influenced this purchase a LOT. Heard you say that this passion project is actually a good investment that is likely on the up. Let's see what happens over the next two years or so...
Ha, old people do know what we have. A lot of us waited 40-50+ years, through a lifetime of responsibilities and maladies to finally possess the car we've quietly loved since we were kids.
Thats my homies car on the beach and pier!!! Firsr other c5 guy i net st a show and we rolled up to tons if meets together. Great guy, clean car inside and out.
I was car shopping 5 years ago for a super reliable but cheap daily. Oh, and also with power and great handling. I couldn't believe people were sleeping on the C5.
Corsa is the best exhaust for the C5. Borla will give you a drone headache. Went from Corsa to Borla and back. Got a Borla mounted on my wall. Also: The body won't rust and every other part is replaceable.
Just remember if your going to buy one your gas gauge is probably gonna go out, gm put the worst fuel sending unit in these cars and they don’t make the part anymore
C5 is my goat. I have a ton of cars but the only one that inspired me to actually build tf out of it was the c5. Getting into a c8 soon because the c5 made me fall in love with vettes, and yes its better looking than the c6.
The fun and wow factor is definitely higher in the Z06. They feel very different. The Z has a quicker throttle response and the 55 more hp in the 2002 thru 2004 model years, combined with the shorter gearing in the T56 M12 trans really wakes it up!
@ definitely makes the chasis stiffer but you really cant beat the targa top driving by a coast. Both are extremely capable tho even the base with less hp and not as stiff chasis is a hell of a machine that gets the job done. I am biased tho cuz i own a hatch lol
I own a 2000 C5, and I love it. Targa top, 6-speed manual, 56k miles, and factory magnesium wheels. Bought it off an older gentleman who took great care of it. I wanted to pick mine up sooner than later because I know that in a few years idiots my age will get these C5s instead of the Nissan 240 they planned to get, have them all clapped out, crash them trying to drift, and then ask for $30k on the basis of "I know what I have." Meanwhile the nice, stock manual examples (+ Z06s) will be actually worth $30-40k after drift tax in a few years. Those boomers people like to joke about for owning these cars are actually the best type of people to buy your Corvettes from. If you're shopping for a cheap C5 in a few years' time and you see a clapped out example for $10-15k, it is probably owned by a young kid who drove the piss out of it everywhere he went and is probably on its third set of wheels from hitting curbs trying to drift. Don't touch it.
Your short history is largely accurate. For a more detailed story on the development and multiple near-deaths of the C5, get "All Corvettes Are Red" by James Schefter.
Daily drove a C5 for years. Things to watch out for that he didn't mention, ABS module is known to have issues due to water seepage. It can be rebuilt and it's not expensive. HVAC controls, lights go out, again cheap to fix can be rebuilt. Seats your options are limited, but a great option available now is the C7 seat swap. Full power does work, it's pretty cool.
Anyone else think the Z06 is a lil bit awkward, and the fastback is beautiful? Fastback design looks much more like a FD. Fastback/hatch makes a bit more lift and weighs a little more, but will make less drag and feed cleaner air to a wing (if you wanted one) and oh yeah, it has a HUGE trunk. Fastback FTW.
Fastback is practical, but the Z tight shape stands out much more against all the hatchbacks and SUVs. When you see it all low slung and purposeful parked by itself you never want to walk away
I bought a c5 a couple years ago and it's the best decision I've ever made, looks amazing, kinda fast, and good on gas lol. I track the car but also daily it from time to time. buy a nice example, get an oil cooler and probably a power steering cooler before anything else, the cars run hot very easily. Also get lowering bolts while you save up for coilovers, you get that nice slammed stance while maintaining the plush ride. The c5 is by far the best bang for your buck. get one and get one now.
How I'm curious what he'd say about the 2nd gen camaros because they've been getting really popular in the pro touring/ auto-cross stuff lately, also see them at the Sema shows often as well for the early 70-73 ones as well
Great review but if you want a C4 only buy 92-96 6speed with a ZF6..I actually own a FRC which which is basically a unicorn C5.. They are great cars.. basically a V8 swapped RX7 with a slightly longer wheel base..do your homework on FRC Corvettes and if you can find one buy one asap!..👍🏾🏁
I love the C5. But the old school Camaro/Firebird interior literally keeps me from buying one. So is the C6 my better option? It’s just a bit more refined in my opinion. But the C5 is LEGENDARY! I am torn. Please do a video on the C6 and also the differences between C5/C6. I think people will enjoy that.
Skimming over what makes a Z06 a Z06 was wild, but specifically how much better they look *insert girl that doesn't know how to arch her back meme* -Oil pressure sensor will go -Abs module notorious for going out leaving you without T/C or abs -if you have one that doesn't leak on both floors and trunk after a carwash you are blessed -MAKE SURE THE LMC5 BYPASS HAS BEEN DONE OR IMMEDIATELY DO IT -they run hot by design, frustrating, but manageable -anti venom mod is dirt cheap and makes shifting feel substantially better -clean your utters -wash/blowout condenser every 2-4 months -again, do the LMC5 bypass or you will be very frustrated on the side of the road or in your garage at some point
got mine at 60k miles for 18k usd. harmonic damper took a shit and so did the clutch. i do drive this car pretty hard. also the trans started leaking a bit. still no torque tube issues thank god. try and buy a post 2000 car because the older models do have some issues with the ecbm (brake control module). definitley buy one.
As a c5 owner here are some things to look out for. Stock seats rocking forward and backwards do to the bushings in the seat track wearing out, also the rear mounts breaking. Fuel gauge issues.
Pre 2003.5 you can easily get to the fuel sending unit. But after you gotta drop the drivetrain, battery drain issues, leaky windows. That can be fixed with adjustments.
Also steering wheel locks can mess up along with the chipped key. Both should be fixed by now. But if not they are cheap fixes. All in all they are v8 go carts.
The seats rocking back and forth happens whenever you drive hard, which is unacceptable in a performance car, which is why I plan on replacing my seats with Corbeau A4s down the line.
Hey I have a 1992 Acura vigor that I really wanna build since it seem hard to get rid of but can’t find anything and they’re rarely much Information I can truly find about it
Not sure if this was mentioned, but top 3 things to look for when buying one idc what anyone says. Harmonic balancer wobble / Leaky oil pressure sensor (if dash reads max pressure then you know) / Old Tires. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THESE THINGS BEFORE BUYING. Old dudes love their vettes, but not buying new tires. I have yet to see a C5 over 100ish K miles without a replaced or refreshed harmonic balancer, which for those of you who aren't mechanically inclined, is pretty spendy. we're talking 2-3 grand in repairs if you take it to a shop. and same thing with the leaky oil pressure sensor. It's in a crappy spot on these cars, and a shop is gonna charge you for a fair bit of labor to take the whole intake off and replace it. That being said. They are absolutely phenomenal sports cars. I love mine, and couldn't be more happy with it, especially at autox or the track.
98-02 Camaros and Firebirds are also worth looking into. They share the same LS1/6-speed drivetrain as these Vettes with the difference being a solid rear axle and coil springs out back and lot of the information covered here transfers with GM building their stuff out of spare parts. They tend to be a bit more cheap and readily available as well.
Those are great cars as well, and I had considered one. However they have started creeping up in value to the point where you can find a C5 for the same price. The C5 offers a more powerful version of the LS1 engine, weighs less, looks better, and handles better. Several years ago the F-body would have been worth the money, not so much now.
I've had both a c5 and a c4 (the c4 was a bit of a pile) if you can get a fair c4 for 3-5k (how much I paid for mine) it's worth it. That being said the C5 is an incredible car, leagues above the c4 when it comes to power, handling and overall stability ESPECIALLY reliability. I got my C5 for 15k with about 60k miles auto. Get the manual if you drive hard. BUY ONE
Also c5 's feel absolutely horrible with bad shocks and poo tires. So if you look at one and the thing is darty, that's why. Get that done and they are so much better, shocks can be bought for $400 or so tired are anything from $500-2000
I've owned 2 c5z's at this point and I think most of what you said is spot on, except I WILL add that I believe you're incorrect about turning the car into a piss missile and that somehow losing all of it's fun. It's the opposite. Take a 3000lbs car that already makes 405hp at the crank(your statement of 385hp was true for the FIRST model year for the Z not the later years btw) and throw headers, cam, and an A&A kit making 10lbs of boost on E85 and all of a sudden you've got well into the high 600whp if not 700whp range. It'll dust any hellkitten on the road at that point with a good drag pack even with the archaic leafspring design no problems but you do have to be careful since 3rd gen LS internals aren't likely to hold up past 600whp reliably even though the block itself can take 800whp. Beings that it turns an already very, very fun well balanced car to drive to 11, it just makes it slightly terrifying if you do NOT know how to drive. However, if you do, it makes for a helluva fun time dicing on pretty much anybody who wants to catch a fade and see your taillights at the strip or at mexico. I'll also add that cooling of stock C5's is lackluster at best if you actually drive the damn thing on the track or dragstrip in any fashion, and that's due to a number of reasons. One, the angle of the radiator is, well, suboptimal and if you track the car, it's incredibly common to flip the radiator's angle by around 90 degrees so the air coming up from under the front bumper(it's still a bottom-feeder design, mind you) actually efficiently goes THROUGH the radiator and not hit 17 different cowling pieces before doing the same action. Couple that with hood vents directly above the wheel arches in the engine bay and a center vent over the intake manifold, and now you've created a low pressure zone above the hood drawing that hot air directly out and over the car thus increasing cooling capacity. Now, not everybody does that, but a TON of people do supercharge or turbocharge their C5's(me included), so a decent alternative is a larger capacity radiator, a good option beings DeWitt's. It's effectively double the thickness of an OEM radiator thus increasing cooling capacity by a large margin. It's popular for racing of course as well but usually it's more often seen on supercharged vettes than anything else since you generate a shitload more heat than usual. I'll also add that EBCM's are prone to failure on the earlier model year vettes, and the earlier LS1's were considered throwaway castings since the casting process wasn't *quite* refined enough to allow the iron sleeves they sunk into said aluminum castings to be as straight as they could be, thus on final cylinder bore machining you'd have wildly off variances and tolerances on cylinder wall thickness. Ergo, if you DO buy an early c5(specifically right before 2000 I believe) and the motor's blown, just plan on swapping to something else off the jump, because your machine shop won't be able to re-machine the bores at all, and the smallest amount of material any shop can truly remove is about 5 thousandths. Thus, later model year c5's in all forms, whether LS1 or LS6 are far more desirable, because even though you still can't machine the bores that much, you can still go about 10 thousandths of an inch overbore on each cylinder because by the early 2000's GM had refined their casting processes so the cast iron sleeves weren't nearly as much of an issue as 1997 and 1998. Also worth mentioning, if you got a C5 with the digital HVAC control module, then you probably will have to deal with the display resistors breaking their tabs off on the circuitboard due to cold solder joints from the factory. That is a relatively easy fix if you've got a soldering iron and some patience and a steady hand, lol. No, you do not have to pay somebody on ebay or facebook to re-solder your HVAC unit, it's really not hard at all and anybody can do it. Overall the platform is just phenomenal, and it's success is the reason we have one of the MOST popular vette platforms today, the C6. GM took the C5 and made it physically better in every single conceivable way(except using a Cobalt's steering wheel). To this day my halo car is a C6 ZR1 despite the cost, just because GM had the balls to supercharge their halo car in the early 2000's just because they could, and I respect that alot. I also wanna point out that you are incorrect about people only slamming airlift on C5's, yes it does happen, no it's not a common mod. I've seen way, way more heads cam intake c5's than you can count and not a single one had anything fancy in the suspension department because honestly as archaic as the leafsprings are, they're just fine and don't really have any issues. Yes coils will help, but they aren't necessary. Go for a cam kit, make sure you don't have yellow valvesprings on those heads(prone to snapping completely at random and dropping valves so major issue), and get a solid street or dyno tune and exhaust setup and the engine will stay dead reliable for a very, very long time AND make more power AND sound amazing. The hyper fixation on suspension(I know Alex, you're plugging your products but lemme cook here rq) is really not warranted on a car that already has god tier handling(50-50 weight distribution) but sub 400whp stock. That being said, I do think eventually I myself will go for a decent set of coilovers, but they aren't gonna be Fortune Autos or BC Racings but rather Aldan Americans or QA1's(nothing really against BC, but I don't care to buy what is essentially more chinese made products at a *slightly* higher QC than, say, godspeed or maxspeedingrods coilovers.)
I love me a c5 z06, for racing heritage with Dale in the c5r, but a 370z can be had just as clapped out, relatively similar almost close power curve, almost couldn’t get that out straight. Juss sayin, if you don’t wanna vette it up, there are similar options that can compete with the vette, I mean there’s a guy keeping vettes honest in grid life with a civic sedan, from 93.
Bought mine 2 years ago, for only $3000. It didn’t have an engine but the body and rest of the drivetrain was perfect! Guy blew the engine, took it out and forgot about it.
If someone is seriously looking for a C5. Do your research on the platform. There’s channels like “C&S Corvette” & “Toys 4 Life” that’ll give you a wealth of knowledge. As you get into your Corvette you’ll begin loving the cars. 😊😊😊 This is why I say do your research. Make sure you are prepared for what you’ll be investing. Part of what makes these fun is the community. 😮 Thus make friends with people and learn. If someone has questions please ask. I’ll do my best to assist. 🎉
Also remember the majority of the "knowledge" is from boomers, so take it with a grain of salt because there is a shit ton of what us gun guys call "fudd lore". If you don't know what fuddlore is, it's basically tiktok brain rot for boomers, think of it like the citigroup infinite money glitch, but for things you will never see done or do.
This is true of any car. Like literally any one of them. Always do your research. Part of the fun of all cars is the community. It's all the same community - the car community. They all intermix and intermingle.
So I have an 04 base.My single reason for the base compared to the ZO6.The back glass.I just cant stand the looks of the chopped off rear look of the ZO6 just my opinion of course..Unfortunately the manual option with the base are not as plentiful as the ZO6.When I purchased mine mileage won the day 27k color spiral grey.As with any older car it helps to know a little about working on cars as you will be tinkering on 20+ year old car.I have never regretted buying my C5,and have had mine for at least 8 years, and 2nd owner.Don't be freaked out about Corvettes with multiple owners its not uncommon because cars like these are impulse buys for most,Just like with any car try to get the latest version they will have the latest updated parts.Make it yours,and remember its still just a car have fun with it dont garage queen it this thing is meant to be driven.
Deals are already starting! Get the homie hookup on only the good parts at www.martiniworks.com
Transaxle guy here, if anyone gives that "ackuatlly!" B.S. The format is the same in purpose. Move all the heavy gear bits and their case to the rear. The difference is pointless. The idea that they are in the same case and use the same fluid together doesn't matter. They both serve the same function, with what GM did being more pragmatic and cooler than what Porsche or Mercedes did.
Especially when you realize that the majority of transaxles like the porsche ones in the 944/928 used a FWD transmission case moved to the rear with the full clutch housing being unused just like what GM did with the T56 and TR6060.
If anyone wants to call me a liar, I have both a 944S2 and C6Z06 at home, a spare AOR transmission and I can drag out a T56 from a fricking tahoe that has the same casing dimensions as my Z06 to compare.
The C5/C6/C7 are transaxle because they combined them together in a single unit. The fact that you can unbolt the differential case from the transmission doesn't matter when you remove/install them together.
It's a transaxle, fight me bro./
Brakes? Get C6 GS or Z06 calipers used which will bolt right up, put on C6 Z06/GS Powerstop rotors (EBC have the vanes on the rightside backwards, which will cause warpage under heavy use) and then run whatever pads are the best balance of performance/life you need. These will utilize larger rotors than the wilwood aero 6's that are a direct bolt on
I would only suggest going wilwood/brembo or other aftermarket if you track a lot as the PBR made brakes do not allow you to swap padlets while still mounted like most brembo calipers do, which is important as most track pads like the hawk DTC series will wear out at a rate of 3 to 4 pad sets per rotor.
You can get all 4 corners of caliper from 1000-1500 depending on aesthetic condition.
Please do this type of video for GTO. I'm interested but I want to know the car car fully. I believe it's another future rising vehicle
Bro please stop posting bout the C5 😭I’m tryna buy one without paying actual RX7 money dawg
I feel this in my soul
Buy one man. I see them all day starting at $8k.
Get one but dont get the cheapest one get a manual base model z06 whatever just get a manual those autos are slushboxes
FWIW, I’m basically on the marketplace looking for one because of this video haha.
@ Get one man I got one about a month ago manual base 97 best purchase i ever made in my life
C5 Corvette is the best bang for your buck sports car for under 15k. Change my mind
Your too right too be wrong
Can confirm
NA Miata with an LS swap?
@@dre32pitt You lose out on aerodynamics and handling for sure. That Miata would be fun, but it's not the weapon that the C5 was made to be. It's essentially a supercar from it's time (which still keeps up with modern muscle), and you can put a little money into to make it an insane beast of a car.
@@MagicalFishy those can be added back for a price, lol.. Functional wing and a MCS suspension will help keep the power down.. but you're right.. definitely more of a hooligan than the c5 would be given the power:weight ratio..
I bought a C5 6 years ago at 18, and it's still my daily as of today. I knew this day would come. Prepare to spend about $2000 getting everything right on it when you buy it. I haven’t had to sync any money into the car repairing it. I purchased the car with 50,000 miles, and I’m at 95 now. I replaced the clutch recently, which is an expensive job. I paid almost 3k. The harmonic balancers are a thing to look out for. The power steering system can easily be overheated, so stay on top of the fluid changes. The cars run hot. I definitely recommend a Dewitz radiator and oil cooler combo. They dropped my temperature drastically. My upper oil pan started leaking after the clutch change, which was a job and a half but doable. I have been 172 miles an hour in the car. The things are rocket ship. Don’t expect to get to those speeds regularly, as the front end lights over 150. I auto crossed the car occasionally it will bite you in the ass. It’s just a learning curve. Drive the cars and learn to push your limits slowly. I went on a road trip cross-country last summer to Michigan from California. I got over 30 miles per gallon round-trip both ways. I saw a peak in Wyoming, getting 33 and running about 75. Updating the lighting on the car was my favorite thing that I did. If you get one, enjoy your ride, drive hard, and don’t look back. You basically have the C8 of the 1990s. That’s still competitive today because it was so damn good.
Edit: If you’re looking to save a buck or two, the C5 and C6 are almost the same car. Think NA and NB Miata. Buy used C6 parts for cheap. I did that with sway bars from a late-model Z51 car.
My 2001 dose burns oil, as mentioned. They tend to burn the most, actually. I only burn a quart every 4 to 5000 miles if I’m not beating on it. It burns more the harder you drive. I highly recommend a quality catch can.
Amazing thanks for the info 🫡
I’m 18 and I just bought my first C5 at 75k miles, so far the car isn’t in driving condition yet, I had to buy a new bumper, radiator, intake, radiator support, and an air injection pump, Once I get all those installed I’ll look into what all you mentioned. Thanks brother 🙏🏼
@@joshuat2408 Mine is an 03 Black Z06 with 89,000 miles. Doesn’t use oil, runs and handles great!
@@carter50211 best of luck to you! enjoy your new ride man!
@@darrylsjodin7184 from what I read through the forms late 2001 early 2002 models received another revision to the oil rings to mitigate that issue
The c5 when tuned right , is one of the best handling cars on the planet. C6 too
Fat tires, Coilovers, Big brakes.. its a monster
I disagree about the z06, having driven a base and a Z back to back, its like its not even the same car. If you're gonna keep them stock, try for a Z, its a very raw experience compared to the other models.
Yes! Aggressive gearing, free revving, and little sound deadening. 3100lbs and 405hp/400 lb ft in 02-04. The Z feels even faster than it is. Absolutely the choice if C5/C6 feels too sedate and you don’t want to mod much.
Yep the Z06 is a way better car for performance.
He's absolutely right. The Z06 isn't out of the realm of the base like the future corvette models are. What he's saying is by the time you buy looking at an oem name badge, the motors are the same with small tweaks. But if you can save 10k ...you can modify the base for a small investment and get big power and handling. It's one of the most produced models. It won't be a significant value difference once it classifies.
@@Naginc yeah if you’re gonna mod get the base 100%. If you plan to move on to another car and want to retain value, get a Z06 and don’t mod or remove the mods you do at sale time. They’re all great for the money still
Hmm, you're 99% spot on with everything from what I remember 30 years ago Alex. I worked for Joe Spielman. He was the best General Manager I ever worked for at any company. He had a way of talking to everyone. You never felt like you were talking to a high level VP. I was a budget manager, fun fun at Metal Fab '95-'98. I saw the mocked up C5 in C4 wolf's clothing. Inside GM, the word was the Corvette was cancelled, until Jack Smith drove the prototype. Joe and the head of Chevy "found the money (I'm leaving stuff out)" to get that far. The other thing was the company was coming out of near bankruptcy and the "coup" that made Jack Smith the CEO. Things were looking up. Had this been a year earlier, I doubt there would have been the same outcome. One other thing, Joe knew all along they had a great car. The C4 never recovered structurally from Lloyd Reuss changing from T-Tops to a Targa Top at the last second. The C4 was never meant to be built that way no matter how tall you made the Rocker Support. One other thing, the LS6 had the ring/oil troubles, I don't remember that on the LS1 but could be wrong? Also, the 2001 LS6 was 385HP. After that, they were 405HP.
Just to mention, the 2001 LS6 and Prior LS1s didn't have an oil control ring and had a pretty poor PCV system that involved the valley plate (under the intake manifold plate). You can upgrade the valley plates but piston rings... Not as easy.
The 2002 LS6 and LS1s after October 2001 for 2002 had the oil control ring and PCV upgrades.
Have you read "All Corvettes Are Red?"
@seangeist9495 no but I know Joe is in the book and he's in the Corvette Museum HOF.
I was one of those slammed c5's on work meisters at slammedenuff lmao. My fiance bought a shirt from your booth. Cheers bro!
I KNEW during covid 2020 to buy this HIGHLY UNDER-RATED TIMELESS BODY LINE LOOKING CORVETTE. I now own 2 C5 Convertibles both with difficult to find RED interior. 2001 35K miles 2002 60K miles. 💯🔥💯🔥
I have a 2003 C5Z. The LS6 has some upgrades that are very nice if you want to drive the car hard at the track. Upgrade the harmonic balancer, valve springs (if you have the yellow springs) , and those horrible seats and you are good to go.
Absolutely love my c5 z, I personally didn’t go with a base since I initially fell in love with the z06 specifically when I first saw one at the age of 5. But I always tell my coworkers and friends that are in the market for a fun car for ~$20k that the c5 base is the best bang for the buck reliable good handling car out there.
I always loved the C5 vette. I wish they made the z06 with rear glass hatch. I know it ads weight but I think it looks better with the hatch. C5, the last of the pop up head lights. Great car for the money
@ can’t say I agree with you about the hatch, I love the FRC. Love how it’s just the driver bubble, also the hatch makes it look like every corvette after the c5. I like the uniqueness of the FRC
God damnit it always comes with my next car on the hunt.
😂
Harmonic balancer is something to check as well when buying one.
Just put a normal solid pulley, lighter and indestructible
I'm stuck between a C5 Corvette or 5th Gen Camaro. This video did help a TON. Great work. Need to check on some 5th Gen Camaro videos
As much as I’m a fan of the C6 and C7 Corvette, I’ve been really getting into C5 the silhouette shape especially when lowered and the fact that ppl are doing JDM style on these cars makes them look dope 🔥
old people don't know what they have? you weren't even born when the C5 came out and when the C5 z06 came out. Modifying it , racing, all before your generation would call it the old guy with new balance shoes ( goes for porsche as well) no, you guys should feel blessed you have a vast selection of cars to choose from in the used market. Was NOT like that years past and reason most "older guys" were buying porsches and corvettes is because , they could afford it. You didn't see some twenty something buying corvettes. Their price range were the camaros , mustangs and going back, the Starion's, conquests, the used car market mostly. People use to work, focus on starting their lives after college, wishing they could get a higher end car, a sports car , like the corvette or porsche but priorities kick in. So now the corvette is the flavor of the month now? dodge challenger and chargers go to h@ll, become the most repossessed car and dodge shutting it down. Camaros and mustangs dime a dozen now going after corvettes. Guess that is what the internet does for people right?
Worst ones? In what way? The C4 dominated so much it was kicked out of the escort series. It was 29-0 vs the porsche 944 turbo. They had to make the corvette challenge series LOL. You called it a muscle car its a sports car. It dominated the Z''s, the supra's all of them back in the day. Then they had the C4 zr1, the grand sport with the LT4 and the base whether early C4's (L98) or the later C4's with the LT1. It only weighed around 3000 lbs. The corvette racing history speaks for itself, why you marginalizing the car? Btw, Ferrari licenses Chevy's Magnetic Ride suspension system btw, not the other way around.
AMEN brother! Bunch of clowns just reading off the monitor and TEACHING us..lol
Been working at home depot saving up for one of these. Saving for the c5 zo6 still pretty far away though
If the difference between a similar base and Z06 for that generation is a long time, just get the base. You can open up the LS1 to beyond the LS6 capabilities, and unless you are racing in grassroots like the corvette cup series, the difference in weight isn't worth the extra cost. You'll still be able to enjoy throwing her around.
Leave the notch backs for the racer boys and make yourself a nice fun base. They look better anyways and as a C6 Z06 owner, I can promise you that when you can take that roof off on the summer days, that extra 120lbs is worth it.
For me personally, I’m glad I got to get the zo6. I was in a similar position and nearly pulled the trigger on a 2004 Targa before backing out. 6 months later I found a clean zo6 for cheaper.
Ive had several enthusiast cars before this and wanted to save myself the headache of modding. I wanted a car that was a weapon out of the box and boy did the zo6 deliver. It’s been 2 years and I’m only now just adding power. I never kept any of my other vehicles stock! It’s just that good
You should do the s197 next. The Boss 302 was advertised as being faster than a BMW M3 around a track. What Ford did not mention, the 5.0 Mustang GT was only a second slower than the M3, when Motor Trend tested the Mustang GT against the BMW M3 IN 2011.
Probably was faster than an m3, lap time tests are not an exact science
C6 Corvette is the one for me and u will get one. All of the Corvettes featured in this video were super dope 😎🏆
The stock Z06 titanium exhaust sounds great! The Z06 chassis with the thicker leaf springs doesn’t roll much at all!
Yeah it's pretty stiff in the z06. I've the z51 pack and it def is much better than the base line suspension.
I got a Millennium Yellow 2004 C5 Corvette Base for $16k… Idk if I paid was way too much. 😅 It has a 6 speed, all stock, owned by a 73 year old old man and luckily it has a 41,000 miles. Registration and taxes was nearly $1900. Spent $2400 for all fluids to be replaced, 2 belts replaced, the steering rack position sensor replaced and service active handling to be fixed. I also had them tighten the end links. I spent $1255 for new Continental Extreme Contact Sport 2 and thinking of dropping $1500 for someone to install ATI Harmonic Balancer… I also want to install a duck bill spoiler, get a exhaust with long tube headers and other things in the future. I love my car but still, I don’t know if I paid alot for it. 🤔 Also please help me with recommendations!!! I would greatly appreciate it…😅
There are times where I feel like the $17k I paid for my low mile 6-speed 2000 was a bit much, but I forget about all that when I drive it
Lol in Europe your car doubles that exact money you spend buying it. Prices started to go up for manual transmissions and post-00' editions. You still have it very cheap in the US!
Any recommendations on essential mods?
@@j.cuzzoh Air cleaner flip, better exh manifolds (short or long tubes), remap, change the spark plugs and wires and Summit's damper pulley....oh... Short shifter (a must!). 😊
I almost LS swapped a Porsche 944, but sold it and bought a C5Z 3 years ago during the pandemic before the prices went a little crazy. Great video on the chassis. I do mostly show and long haul trips. I feel like the interiors are overlooked and people need to spend a little more on interiors to make the cars more fun to drive.
Christmas music on Halloween is wild 😂😂😂
I caught that also 😂
I owned a C5 Z06 years ago and it was an absolute riot to drive.
Just bought a 2004 magnetic red with a 6 speed manual. Has 53k miles for 17k. I live in AZ and the car is in Salt Lake City. Gonna fly out on Wednesday and drive it back home through those sweet canyons through St. George Utah. I can’t wait! So excited! Cherry on top. Stopping and staying the night in Vegas on the way.
I really missed out on the 1st Gen z06’s at the bottom of their depreciation.
Great video Alex. I’ve wanted a c5 for long time now. Almost bought one back in 2022, I was told, no you have kids, you need a back seat. So I bought a sedan instead. But, it’s 2.0t with somewhat of an aftermarket and I’ve worked on that instead. It now makes around 330 wheel on e50. I also have a big wheel turbo for it, just gotta install it.
As a senior designer on the C5 Corvette at General Motors Design Staff, I should set the record straight. When Mazda came up with a similar design of the C5 Corvette before the design of the C5 was released to the public, there was concern about how this happened. Chuck Jordan was in charge of Design Staff and wasn't a fan of the C5 design. Chuck's son James Jordan was a senior designer at Mazda. The speculation was that Chuck leaked renderings of the C5 to his son in the hopes that Mazda producing it first would call for a redesign of the C5, although the Mazda was a smaller version. It didn't work, and the C5 Corvette went into production as it was.
As an owner that tracks their C5, you missed basically every major mechanical problem to look for. You grabbed a couple that are common but not the biggest ones. The part you nailed was saying the Z06 isn't for you if you don't track the car. The right one to buy is a 03/04 6spd coupe. You get the removable roof and the hatchback.
Torque tube noise, rubber connectors and bearings go bad and can grenade the torque tube if not addressed. Basically the majority of the drive train minus the engine has to drop out to rebuild a torque tube. (replace the clutch while you're in there)
Harmonic balancer, if it starts to wobble it's bad, they all go bad eventually. Worst case scenario it pops off the front of the car and goes through your neighbors house or it grinds backwards into the block and you lose all your oil.
Bad EBCM, controls ABS and traction control. Pre 2001 these can go bad and will basically brick the car. Cannot be rebuilt and requires a specific type of replacement to match your car. 01+ the EBCM can be rebuilt.
Adjustable suspension, 20 year old shocks at the newest and has to be deleted from the computer to replace with static shocks. Can and will lock your C5 to under 80 mph if the electronics go bad. Lots of people go C6 Z06 shocks or replace everything with coilovers.
Bad grounds, these cars have shit electronics. Grounds are often the first failure point.
Oil pressure sensor, pretty much every C5 will kill an oil pressure sensor. Kind of a pain in the ass to replace but parts are cheap.
The EBCM in the 1997-2000 won't kill the car if it fails, you just have no ABS, active handling or traction control. And also a check engine on the dash. I have a 2000, and while it hasn't happened to me yet I don't try to worry about that. I just like to have fun with the car
Is the torque tube noise a common issue on the C6? I recently purchased a 1 owner c6 and the only issue I’ve seen is the Harmonic balancer *that is getting addressed soon with ATI* but should I worry about the tube on a C6 with 26k miles?
@@Ap2Iven torque tubes are all common problems from C5 through C7 since they're all basically the same in construction. Drive line chatter is common on these cars so I wouldn't immediately assume the first little chatter is a torque tube going out. I say drive the hell out of it and don't worry about it until it introduces itself. Congrats on the (damn near) new C6!
@@numberonebacon thanks for your help and info and yes the car is damn near perfect . Tireshad a Dot of 2012 😂 and still had oem brake pads
Biggest flaw Missed Harmonic Balancer Likes to come loose, because is not keyed, so keep an eye out for wobbling harmonics when going to buy one, see if you can get a better deal 🙃
I just bought a c5 before the price is going up😂. But in my place it cost around 50k cheapest. Im outside of US btw. But one of my dream cars and im lucky to get it in the right time
ALEX STOP IT i need to get one within the next 3 months before they get to expensive
The C5 body was in concept before the FD and when asked Dave Hill said he was influenced by the NSX. You under estimate the C4 and forget the chassis was released in 84. T1 sways, bilsteins and Z51 or Z06 leafs can be very fast, no need for coil over. Local racer who set up my alignment has a few NASA solo track records on leafs.
The leaf springs are not as bad as people and Top Gear make it out to be, mine is still a blast to drive. I also don't plan on doing coilovers because the car is actually pretty low from factory. The most I'd recommend going for from a functional perspective are those upgraded leafs you mentioned, plus either aftermarket Bilstein shocks or stock C6 Z06 shocks. My C5 has the rare optional magnesium wheels, which I don't plan on changing. For owners of cars with the standard wheels, I'd also suggest upgrading to something like a larger Forgestar F14 to fit C6 Z06 brakes too. I also can't forget aftermarket lowering bolts or drop spindles, which I do recommend for those with larger aftermarket wheels to reduce the wheel gap. I do not recommend lowering bolts or drop spindles for stock size wheels as you're taking away what little ground clearance the car has, like at that point just stance it. Just max out the stock bolts.
The most annoying thing about these cars in my opinion is that they run hot. It’s not uncommon to see 220-235° on a hot day, stuck in traffic. Allegedly, this is “normal.”Figure out how to keep them cool though, and you have yourself a real tank on your hands.
I’ve got a C5 Z06 with 115K miles but it was built to 402 CI and 650 HP at 50K miles. I beat this car relentlessly, race it and it takes it. For the money it’s hard to beat a C5 Z06. The Z06 is definitely worth the extra money if you want a more performance car and more collectible car that will hold its value better over time over a stock C8.
This
Great video man! Even tho I'm against heavily modded cars... A modded C5 looks great. maybe because of that C5-R racing heritage it has.
I love FDs very much,... It is a bit more cruiser biased car than a sports car and it does the job very well (untill engine breaks apart 😑).
The C5 has a spectacular supercar-ish looks and this car gets much much MUCH more love and attention overseas than in the US (experienced by myself as I own a 01' yellow Coupe one in Spain). Its also much more expensive and away from the cheap or destructive young hands.
American cars community in Europe and Asia is pretty much appreciated.
Cool video! 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼❤
PS: Oh...and Vette's leaf suspension is hugely underrated btw. But yeah I know coilovers in this car are greatly superior anyway 😅
I have a 2001 Base. I installed the widebody quarter panels. I want to run 20x13 in the rear and 20x10.5 in the front. What offset should i run? Greaat video.
Aaaaaaand making videos like this is a huge contributor in inflating the price of good affordable vehicles. "You better get one now!" Anyone who is selling one and saw this video just increased the price by 3k. And yeah, I'm a brokie, which makes me a little sour. But am I wrong?
It only makes a small bubble. In a few weeks everyone forgets the video and things go back to normal. And honestly, none of this is new information. Everyone knows Corvettes are one of the best, and people have made videos about them for years. Also, with their high production numbers, they should be the least affected of any cars by hype.
Cope harder
As an Aussie I so want a c5 Corvette now!
Bought a C5Z and imported to Europe. Enjoying it a lot, taking it to track days, had some fun on the autobahn, etc. Tip for anyone planning to buy one: ask for service history and spend money on a PPI by a Vette specialist to avoid big problems/bills!
Alex, shout from FI days... short story: next door neighbor knows a guy who got a brand new Vette for his birthday and he needed to let go of his '01 C5. My neighbor mentioned me (car guy) and yep I bought it. With 44K, this CA car has all the records and has been babied all the way. At about the same time you came out with this video - as if you knew!! When I told him yes to buying it, just know that you influenced this purchase a LOT. Heard you say that this passion project is actually a good investment that is likely on the up. Let's see what happens over the next two years or so...
Ha, old people do know what we have. A lot of us waited 40-50+ years, through a lifetime of responsibilities and maladies to finally possess the car we've quietly loved since we were kids.
Thats my homies car on the beach and pier!!! Firsr other c5 guy i net st a show and we rolled up to tons if meets together. Great guy, clean car inside and out.
POP UP…UP AND DOWN….HEADLIIIIGHTS!!
I was car shopping 5 years ago for a super reliable but cheap daily. Oh, and also with power and great handling.
I couldn't believe people were sleeping on the C5.
Let's correct something here. The FD looks like a corvette, not the other way around. 😂😂😂 Great video. Very insightful.
Corsa is the best exhaust for the C5. Borla will give you a drone headache. Went from Corsa to Borla and back. Got a Borla mounted on my wall.
Also:
The body won't rust and every other part is replaceable.
Just remember if your going to buy one your gas gauge is probably gonna go out, gm put the worst fuel sending unit in these cars and they don’t make the part anymore
I bought an LS6 engine from a 2004 Z06 to do a swap on my 2002 Astro van.
Do a video on Astro vans for the hell of it. 💀
c4 needs some love too ;)
it was pretty much the only 80's car that didnt suck
They need to do some research on the C4 before throwing that much hate
02 6spd 3rd owner 100k miles. Red interior. Never lettin it go. All service records, window sticker, manuals and all.
C5 is my goat. I have a ton of cars but the only one that inspired me to actually build tf out of it was the c5. Getting into a c8 soon because the c5 made me fall in love with vettes, and yes its better looking than the c6.
You must really love pop-ups to prefer the C5 looks over the C6, but as a C5 owner who loves his car I have to admit the C6 is better.
@pauljr.harrington1905 it's not just the pop ups, I like the body lines more. The c5 looks much lower and sleek.
@@pauljr.harrington1905c5 was revolutionary and just looks so sleek, c6 is just a evolution of the c5
yalls content is killing my budget car dreams
If you wreck it you end up w/ a great swap donor. Still winning.
If you buy a C5 ZO6 look forward to spending three to six thousand dollars more. They are actually going up in price especially low mileage ones.
More like 8-12k more.
The fun and wow factor is definitely higher in the Z06. They feel very different. The Z has a quicker throttle response and the 55 more hp in the 2002 thru 2004 model years, combined with the shorter gearing in the T56 M12 trans really wakes it up!
I agree but i really dont like the roof I would way rather have 55 less hp and build it or swap it later on the hatch looks so much better
@ Yes, originally I liked the hatch better, but now the roof has grown on me and I think it looks more tough. It makes the chassis stiffer too.
@ definitely makes the chasis stiffer but you really cant beat the targa top driving by a coast. Both are extremely capable tho even the base with less hp and not as stiff chasis is a hell of a machine that gets the job done. I am biased tho cuz i own a hatch lol
@ Yes that would be amazing to drive down 101 with the top off in Cali on a sunny day!😎
I own a 2000 C5, and I love it. Targa top, 6-speed manual, 56k miles, and factory magnesium wheels. Bought it off an older gentleman who took great care of it. I wanted to pick mine up sooner than later because I know that in a few years idiots my age will get these C5s instead of the Nissan 240 they planned to get, have them all clapped out, crash them trying to drift, and then ask for $30k on the basis of "I know what I have." Meanwhile the nice, stock manual examples (+ Z06s) will be actually worth $30-40k after drift tax in a few years. Those boomers people like to joke about for owning these cars are actually the best type of people to buy your Corvettes from. If you're shopping for a cheap C5 in a few years' time and you see a clapped out example for $10-15k, it is probably owned by a young kid who drove the piss out of it everywhere he went and is probably on its third set of wheels from hitting curbs trying to drift. Don't touch it.
Great info….
Miss my C5 Z06
Alex did I hear Neo Soul Noel🤔
For some odd reason it works in your video bro 👌🏾
Thanks for the credit brotha🤝🏻 I appreciate you🤍
Your short history is largely accurate. For a more detailed story on the development and multiple near-deaths of the C5, get "All Corvettes Are Red" by James Schefter.
Daily drove a C5 for years. Things to watch out for that he didn't mention, ABS module is known to have issues due to water seepage. It can be rebuilt and it's not expensive. HVAC controls, lights go out, again cheap to fix can be rebuilt. Seats your options are limited, but a great option available now is the C7 seat swap. Full power does work, it's pretty cool.
2001-2004 can be rebuilt. If the 1997-2000 ABS modules fail you're screwed. I own a 2000, hasn't happened to me yet but I try not to worry about it
Got a 99 c5 for a year now, Best car I´ve driven so far. Parts are hard to find in europe tho..
Anyone else think the Z06 is a lil bit awkward, and the fastback is beautiful?
Fastback design looks much more like a FD.
Fastback/hatch makes a bit more lift and weighs a little more, but will make less drag and feed cleaner air to a wing (if you wanted one) and oh yeah, it has a HUGE trunk.
Fastback FTW.
Fastback is practical, but the Z tight shape stands out much more against all the hatchbacks and SUVs. When you see it all low slung and purposeful parked by itself you never want to walk away
I bought a c5 a couple years ago and it's the best decision I've ever made, looks amazing, kinda fast, and good on gas lol. I track the car but also daily it from time to time. buy a nice example, get an oil cooler and probably a power steering cooler before anything else, the cars run hot very easily. Also get lowering bolts while you save up for coilovers, you get that nice slammed stance while maintaining the plush ride. The c5 is by far the best bang for your buck. get one and get one now.
Sold my game collection 2 years ago. Bought a 50th anniversary C5 With the proceeds. She had 8k on her. She is the best.
I could probably buy one if I sold my collection as well. How did you move all those? One-by-one on Ebay?
Found some reseller who bought it in three batches. I sold it to them for $0.50 on the dollar according to price charting prices
Love my C5. Now I just need to get it on bags.
How I'm curious what he'd say about the 2nd gen camaros because they've been getting really popular in the pro touring/ auto-cross stuff lately, also see them at the Sema shows often as well for the early 70-73 ones as well
Great review but if you want a C4 only buy 92-96 6speed with a ZF6..I actually own a FRC which which is basically a unicorn C5.. They are great cars.. basically a V8 swapped RX7 with a slightly longer wheel base..do your homework on FRC Corvettes and if you can find one buy one asap!..👍🏾🏁
I love the C5. But the old school Camaro/Firebird interior literally keeps me from buying one. So is the C6 my better option? It’s just a bit more refined in my opinion. But the C5 is LEGENDARY! I am torn. Please do a video on the C6 and also the differences between C5/C6. I think people will enjoy that.
Skimming over what makes a Z06 a Z06 was wild, but specifically how much better they look *insert girl that doesn't know how to arch her back meme*
-Oil pressure sensor will go
-Abs module notorious for going out leaving you without T/C or abs
-if you have one that doesn't leak on both floors and trunk after a carwash you are blessed
-MAKE SURE THE LMC5 BYPASS HAS BEEN DONE OR IMMEDIATELY DO IT
-they run hot by design, frustrating, but manageable
-anti venom mod is dirt cheap and makes shifting feel substantially better
-clean your utters
-wash/blowout condenser every 2-4 months
-again, do the LMC5 bypass or you will be very frustrated on the side of the road or in your garage at some point
got mine at 60k miles for 18k usd. harmonic damper took a shit and so did the clutch. i do drive this car pretty hard. also the trans started leaking a bit. still no torque tube issues thank god. try and buy a post 2000 car because the older models do have some issues with the ecbm (brake control module). definitley buy one.
Keep your door jams lubed
Could you talk about the Alfa Romeo Giulia sometime? Looking to pick one up soon
As a c5 owner here are some things to look out for. Stock seats rocking forward and backwards do to the bushings in the seat track wearing out, also the rear mounts breaking. Fuel gauge issues.
Pre 2003.5 you can easily get to the fuel sending unit. But after you gotta drop the drivetrain, battery drain issues, leaky windows. That can be fixed with adjustments.
Also steering wheel locks can mess up along with the chipped key. Both should be fixed by now. But if not they are cheap fixes. All in all they are v8 go carts.
The seats rocking back and forth happens whenever you drive hard, which is unacceptable in a performance car, which is why I plan on replacing my seats with Corbeau A4s down the line.
Great video
Hey I have a 1992 Acura vigor that I really wanna build since it seem hard to get rid of but can’t find anything and they’re rarely much Information I can truly find about it
You should cover the 3rd generation f-body! Or Firebird to be specific!
Not sure if this was mentioned, but top 3 things to look for when buying one idc what anyone says. Harmonic balancer wobble / Leaky oil pressure sensor (if dash reads max pressure then you know) / Old Tires. MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THESE THINGS BEFORE BUYING. Old dudes love their vettes, but not buying new tires. I have yet to see a C5 over 100ish K miles without a replaced or refreshed harmonic balancer, which for those of you who aren't mechanically inclined, is pretty spendy. we're talking 2-3 grand in repairs if you take it to a shop. and same thing with the leaky oil pressure sensor. It's in a crappy spot on these cars, and a shop is gonna charge you for a fair bit of labor to take the whole intake off and replace it. That being said. They are absolutely phenomenal sports cars. I love mine, and couldn't be more happy with it, especially at autox or the track.
98-02 Camaros and Firebirds are also worth looking into. They share the same LS1/6-speed drivetrain as these Vettes with the difference being a solid rear axle and coil springs out back and lot of the information covered here transfers with GM building their stuff out of spare parts. They tend to be a bit more cheap and readily available as well.
Those are great cars as well, and I had considered one. However they have started creeping up in value to the point where you can find a C5 for the same price. The C5 offers a more powerful version of the LS1 engine, weighs less, looks better, and handles better. Several years ago the F-body would have been worth the money, not so much now.
I've had both a c5 and a c4 (the c4 was a bit of a pile) if you can get a fair c4 for 3-5k (how much I paid for mine) it's worth it. That being said the C5 is an incredible car, leagues above the c4 when it comes to power, handling and overall stability ESPECIALLY reliability. I got my C5 for 15k with about 60k miles auto. Get the manual if you drive hard. BUY ONE
Also c5 's feel absolutely horrible with bad shocks and poo tires. So if you look at one and the thing is darty, that's why. Get that done and they are so much better, shocks can be bought for $400 or so tired are anything from $500-2000
i bought an all stock sn 95 a 6 years ago. good luck out there lol
C4 is the best gen, you can’t beat the display or nostalgia it brings
SRT-4 IS THE NXT CAR YOU SHOULD DO!!!!HAD MINE FOR 16YRS SO FAR...AND IT EATS EVERYTHING!!!!!🤯🇺🇲💯🇺🇲💯🇺🇲
I've owned 2 c5z's at this point and I think most of what you said is spot on, except I WILL add that I believe you're incorrect about turning the car into a piss missile and that somehow losing all of it's fun.
It's the opposite. Take a 3000lbs car that already makes 405hp at the crank(your statement of 385hp was true for the FIRST model year for the Z not the later years btw) and throw headers, cam, and an A&A kit making 10lbs of boost on E85 and all of a sudden you've got well into the high 600whp if not 700whp range. It'll dust any hellkitten on the road at that point with a good drag pack even with the archaic leafspring design no problems but you do have to be careful since 3rd gen LS internals aren't likely to hold up past 600whp reliably even though the block itself can take 800whp.
Beings that it turns an already very, very fun well balanced car to drive to 11, it just makes it slightly terrifying if you do NOT know how to drive. However, if you do, it makes for a helluva fun time dicing on pretty much anybody who wants to catch a fade and see your taillights at the strip or at mexico.
I'll also add that cooling of stock C5's is lackluster at best if you actually drive the damn thing on the track or dragstrip in any fashion, and that's due to a number of reasons. One, the angle of the radiator is, well, suboptimal and if you track the car, it's incredibly common to flip the radiator's angle by around 90 degrees so the air coming up from under the front bumper(it's still a bottom-feeder design, mind you) actually efficiently goes THROUGH the radiator and not hit 17 different cowling pieces before doing the same action. Couple that with hood vents directly above the wheel arches in the engine bay and a center vent over the intake manifold, and now you've created a low pressure zone above the hood drawing that hot air directly out and over the car thus increasing cooling capacity. Now, not everybody does that, but a TON of people do supercharge or turbocharge their C5's(me included), so a decent alternative is a larger capacity radiator, a good option beings DeWitt's. It's effectively double the thickness of an OEM radiator thus increasing cooling capacity by a large margin. It's popular for racing of course as well but usually it's more often seen on supercharged vettes than anything else since you generate a shitload more heat than usual.
I'll also add that EBCM's are prone to failure on the earlier model year vettes, and the earlier LS1's were considered throwaway castings since the casting process wasn't *quite* refined enough to allow the iron sleeves they sunk into said aluminum castings to be as straight as they could be, thus on final cylinder bore machining you'd have wildly off variances and tolerances on cylinder wall thickness. Ergo, if you DO buy an early c5(specifically right before 2000 I believe) and the motor's blown, just plan on swapping to something else off the jump, because your machine shop won't be able to re-machine the bores at all, and the smallest amount of material any shop can truly remove is about 5 thousandths. Thus, later model year c5's in all forms, whether LS1 or LS6 are far more desirable, because even though you still can't machine the bores that much, you can still go about 10 thousandths of an inch overbore on each cylinder because by the early 2000's GM had refined their casting processes so the cast iron sleeves weren't nearly as much of an issue as 1997 and 1998.
Also worth mentioning, if you got a C5 with the digital HVAC control module, then you probably will have to deal with the display resistors breaking their tabs off on the circuitboard due to cold solder joints from the factory. That is a relatively easy fix if you've got a soldering iron and some patience and a steady hand, lol. No, you do not have to pay somebody on ebay or facebook to re-solder your HVAC unit, it's really not hard at all and anybody can do it.
Overall the platform is just phenomenal, and it's success is the reason we have one of the MOST popular vette platforms today, the C6. GM took the C5 and made it physically better in every single conceivable way(except using a Cobalt's steering wheel). To this day my halo car is a C6 ZR1 despite the cost, just because GM had the balls to supercharge their halo car in the early 2000's just because they could, and I respect that alot.
I also wanna point out that you are incorrect about people only slamming airlift on C5's, yes it does happen, no it's not a common mod. I've seen way, way more heads cam intake c5's than you can count and not a single one had anything fancy in the suspension department because honestly as archaic as the leafsprings are, they're just fine and don't really have any issues. Yes coils will help, but they aren't necessary. Go for a cam kit, make sure you don't have yellow valvesprings on those heads(prone to snapping completely at random and dropping valves so major issue), and get a solid street or dyno tune and exhaust setup and the engine will stay dead reliable for a very, very long time AND make more power AND sound amazing. The hyper fixation on suspension(I know Alex, you're plugging your products but lemme cook here rq) is really not warranted on a car that already has god tier handling(50-50 weight distribution) but sub 400whp stock. That being said, I do think eventually I myself will go for a decent set of coilovers, but they aren't gonna be Fortune Autos or BC Racings but rather Aldan Americans or QA1's(nothing really against BC, but I don't care to buy what is essentially more chinese made products at a *slightly* higher QC than, say, godspeed or maxspeedingrods coilovers.)
For the price difference between base and z06 get the base and do heads, cam, intake.
Love these
I’m confused, who’s running bigger tires in the front than the back and for what benifit?
Your opinion On the magnetic ride I love it But I only drive on the street
I love me a c5 z06, for racing heritage with Dale in the c5r, but a 370z can be had just as clapped out, relatively similar almost close power curve, almost couldn’t get that out straight. Juss sayin, if you don’t wanna vette it up, there are similar options that can compete with the vette, I mean there’s a guy keeping vettes honest in grid life with a civic sedan, from 93.
Bought mine 2 years ago, for only $3000. It didn’t have an engine but the body and rest of the drivetrain was perfect! Guy blew the engine, took it out and forgot about it.
U should do the 2013 srt 8 and 5.7 v8 talk about mopar and give me some insight
How about a C4 corvette ?
If someone is seriously looking for a C5. Do your research on the platform. There’s channels like “C&S Corvette” & “Toys 4 Life” that’ll give you a wealth of knowledge. As you get into your Corvette you’ll begin loving the cars. 😊😊😊
This is why I say do your research. Make sure you are prepared for what you’ll be investing.
Part of what makes these fun is the community. 😮 Thus make friends with people and learn.
If someone has questions please ask. I’ll do my best to assist. 🎉
Also remember the majority of the "knowledge" is from boomers, so take it with a grain of salt because there is a shit ton of what us gun guys call "fudd lore".
If you don't know what fuddlore is, it's basically tiktok brain rot for boomers, think of it like the citigroup infinite money glitch, but for things you will never see done or do.
@ Go deeper into your point, thank you. 😊
2001 and up is a safer bet
@@castlegarage6969 That’s a great point.
Please share the reasons so others can learn?
This is true of any car. Like literally any one of them. Always do your research. Part of the fun of all cars is the community. It's all the same community - the car community. They all intermix and intermingle.
Love it!
Ok now do the C6 please.
I'd like to see you guys talk about the Chevrolet S10, even though I know it'll never happen. Ever.
So I have an 04 base.My single reason for the base compared to the ZO6.The back glass.I just cant stand the looks of the chopped off rear look of the ZO6 just my opinion of course..Unfortunately the manual option with the base are not as plentiful as the ZO6.When I purchased mine mileage won the day 27k color spiral grey.As with any older car it helps to know a little about working on cars as you will be tinkering on 20+ year old car.I have never regretted buying my C5,and have had mine for at least 8 years, and 2nd owner.Don't be freaked out about Corvettes with multiple owners its not uncommon because cars like these are impulse buys for most,Just like with any car try to get the latest version they will have the latest updated parts.Make it yours,and remember its still just a car have fun with it dont garage queen it this thing is meant to be driven.
Right after a bought one nice 😎
Waiting for the moment he tries to tell us it's a 1 of 500 or 1 of 1.