What year to buy?

I was wondering what year C5 might be the best for a newbie. I am buying one for a graduation present to myself and want to pay between $20,000 to $30,000. Are '97s more problematic? Would a newbie notice the difference betweeen '97 and say '99? Any input on first time buying would be appreciated.

-BigRed-HDL

P.S. - If only I spent as much time studying as I do shopping for my first 'Vette.

[QUIKAG]

Buy the newest year you can afford. They've gotten a bit better year by year with little niggling problems worked out as the model gestated.

[EHS]

I agree.

If you can afford it, buy '99, possibly '00 and up.

Go to www.alldata.com and look up the TSBs for each year -- you'll see the decline as the car matures.

Cool, thanks. I can't wait to join the club. Now, if only I can find a Navy Blue one for a reasonable price.

Just thought I would share this link also. This is a used Vette dealership in Arizona. They also ship anywhere but their selection is incredible. http://www.cnv-corvettes.com/
I about wet myself over the older models they have. Could be a good reference point on pricing for you.
Good luck!

Good Site. Thanks a bunch.

[danl72]

Good luck finding a Vette that you want. Before you buy one or any car for that matter; make sure you get the history of the Vette. You don't want to buy one that may have had some problems or has too many miles. You can go to carfax.com. it will cost you about $20.00 but you can get as many history reports as you want. It is well worth it. there are some people out there that you cannot trust. Good luck, and we are here to help if needed.

[EHS]

To add to what danl72 stated, as important is to have a "friendly" dealer run the service history on the car -- this can be done with the VIN number.

You can then see what work has been done on the car (at least work through a Chevy dealer, including warranty items such as reringing the engine for oil consumption problems, for example).

The newer the better

If I were buying another vette I would buy the newest model I could for the least amount of money. a good place to shop for one right now is at corvetteforum.com. go to their classified section and scroll through a couple of pages. there are some people there who have recently fallen on hard times and are begging to get out of debt or are ruining their credit. It's a bummer taking advantage of people who have fallen on hard times, but the reality is you'll be doing them a favor and getting a pretty good deal in most cases. there are also real bargains on new vettes as well. check it out... good luck!