Great video, I enjoyed it. My take: I'm 32 years old. I've owned 2 C5 Corvettes, looking for my 3rd. Bought my first one, a 2002 Electron Blue 6 speed back in 2012 when I was 20. I got the opportunity to ride in a couple C5 Corvettes beforehand and got to drive a stock one and was BLOWN AWAY by the driving experience and performance. I knew that was what I wanted from a car instantly and my Corvette research began. That was when I was about 17 or 18. Since then I've been pretty immersed in the Corvette community and my affections for the model have only grown. They are special cars, especially the C5 given it's unique position. The C5 was designed to compete with the Ferrari 360 and you can TELL. Americans are just so used to seeing them that they frequently underestimate what they are capable of on the world stage. That leads me to the Corvette Racing program which solidified the Corvette as a top contender. They have had the most successful team in modern sports car racing, beating the likes of BMW, Porsche, Aston Martin, and Ferrari to name a few. The entire package of the C5 for the price is unbelievable. It's probably the best platform for tuning/modifying out there. You can build it into any type of car you want and compete with cars that cost much more. The actual driving experience itself even in stock form is a purist's fantasy. You will smile so often that you'll get out of the car with your face sore. I'm a big advocate for Corvettes and the C5 in particular due to the blend of classic performance car characteristics and modern technology. It's light, it's aerodynamic, it's fast and powerful, it's reliable, it's good looking, it's comfortable, reliable, practical, easy to work on, inexpensive to maintain, handles well, etc. It checks all the boxes in a way that no other car does. The C5 IS the secret sauce of the automotive world.
I'm old, 54. But when this car came out it was cutting edge of power, style and speed. I finally got one with 47000 miles on it a few years ago. I love this car more than I love myself. You just have to drive one, it is impossible to put into words. Are there faster cars out there, oh yes. But this one is special to me and that is all that matters.
Love my 2003; great engine, tons of torque, reasonably easy to work on, and they handle beautifully. Looks are definitely a matter of personal taste, but I prefer the lines of the C5 to any of the models that followed. Definitely the best car I've ever owned. Whether the C6 (LS2 or LS3) is "better" really depends on what the buyer is seeking. The C6 range of years offer a lot of variety in terms of equipment and appointments, but all of them are more refined than a C5. I prefer the more elemental feeling of the C5 while others might want more comfort in a top end late-model C6. The best buy is the car that best fits what you want. I don't think you can go wrong with either generation.
Times are changing for the c5. The pricing has put them in the hands of a different crowd I bought my first c5 coupe a couple years ago. I replaced it with a 03 C5z a year ago. I’ve turned all the wrench’s on both since day one. HCI, Long Tubes, 390 gear, upgraded brakes, dbl adjust coilovers . 453/402 to the wheels. GenX. No NB, Jorts or window stickers.
Got my base 1999/Auto for $9500 last year as a weekend track car. I have dumped a lot of ebay stuff in it, HPTuners software, BTR CAMS, HEADS, Turbo etc (About 4K). Pushing about 550 HP at the wheels. The LS1 block is very forgiving and a great engine to cut your teeth on for building and tuning. It's a awesome little car and it is fun as hell to drive.
Good video brother 👍 I own 2 C5 Convertibles myself. 2001 only 35K miles. 2002 49K miles. Hands down best timeless body lines in the game. I break necks every time I take them out. 💯💯
Piston slap in the LS1 engine, which is found in the 1997-2004 Corvette C5, is a known issue. It occurs when the piston has a slight amount of clearance within the cylinder bore, causing it to slap against the cylinder walls, particularly when the engine is cold. This can result in a knocking or rattling noise. Usually no piston slap sounds after a few minute warm up. Sometimes it may even be serpentine belt, tensioners and pulley noise too. Just go easy accelerating until warmed up.
Best bang for buck is a 6spd C4. I recently picked up an LT4 powered 96 for half the price of the C5s. They dont have BCM issues or the steering lock issues. The C4 was the last full feeling driver corvette.
@@benjaminwillard2394 I dislike the oversteer with the C5. You have a more numb experience. I had a 2000 C5 FRC making 456WHP NA and I like the way my stock LT4 C4 drives compared.
@@hbmartian I would agree with the oversteer issue, its a toss up for me a cherry 96 lt4 is a sweet ride and I love those seats too. Considering maintenance and availability the c5 is so much cheaper & easier to replace
@@benjaminwillard2394 I got my CE LT4 6spd for probably half the price of a C5 FRC or Z06 with higher miles. The aftermarket is not that big for the C4 though so That is one negative.
Own an 03 M6 Z51 car. When it was stock sans a Vararam and mufflers it went 12.89 @ 109 at QCR with a pretty crap DA on stock tires. I added headers/mid pipe to complete the exhaust and a twin disc RST clutch. I managed to get the car down to a 12.23 @ 118.6 on street tires in excellent air. I backed that up with a 12.01 at 117.9 running a CCW drag pack with a 26x11" bias ply (probably too wide im but sizes are limited on a 16" wheel) in so-so DA ~ 750 ft even at our slower local track QCR. It would've gone 11s all day at sea level. STOCK TUNE and the CEL from the headers on. Untouched 241s, stock LS6 intake, stock cam when I pulled it. I'm sure I'll get called a liar but I've TONS of slips and video. Added a cam/meth/Novi2000 and it made 573/495 on Hutters stingy Mustang on low boost, a lowered redline and limited timing. Roughly 640 on a Dynojet. It was an animal until I broke the ringland on #7. Never got a full pass out of it, had switched to coilovers (Aldans) which fought me tooth and nail. Then smoked the clutch bad. It saw almost 118 in the 1/8th though...so uh, yeah. Hoping to bring it back out with like a forged 413 LS2 for my goals. Ive only the fuel to support around 900 and I don't want to shred drivetrain constantly. Will see. But yeah they can be surprising.
@@runsgoodbutsmokes Ha, yeah its just a pretty high MPH for the mods. Corvetteforum used to keep a "fast list" in the C5 section between stock and bolton cars with mods listed. It was #4 for ET but I had the trap speed of #1 covered by quite a bit. Just always ran incredibly well and almost 10mph from an exhaust is rather unheard of. I was accused of spraying it constantly.
I just bought a 2001 C5 only has 6000 miles on it haven’t been able to drive it much yet I’ve put a 100 miles on it since buy it because I live in Washington state it rains most of the time here and I bought it from the original owner Had my mechanic check it all over he says I got a good one so I’m July I’m driving it to Los Vegas 21:43
my 2000 6 sp with 430whp hits 60 in 4 seconds consistently with 315 30 18s... hits 170mph with ease, flat eats these new heavy dodges and fords... The only thing that got me by a full car length was a dual motor Tesla at a claimed 760whp. c5 for the soul moving experience
@ws6guy yeah I don't know. A sticky tire could help with that. I recently sold my 2017 Mustang GT, with just full exhaust, 3.73s, Cai, and a decent tune, and just by the little dash thing that told you your 0-60 times I hit 0-60 in 4.0 seconds before. Had about the same horsepower and a little heavier. But who knows!
wheelspin was a major obstacle I managed a 3.7 0-60 but I dont feel like its good enough to advertise a 0-60 time unless its repeatable stop light to stop light.. a lot of these so called 3 second 0-60 times are done under perfect track like conditions
I accept pretty much everything you said except everyone b****** about the gear shift knob. It is nothing more or less than a narrow Hurst T-shift knob. I never missed a shift with my Hurst and I've never missed a shift in my ZO6. And when the power band kicks in at 3700 RPMs it feels like turbos and I had a 300ZX Twin Turbo before this ¿`_
I love how people think what they have is the best!! It's pretty funny actually! I know damn well what I have isn't the best not even close but it's WHAT I LIKE!!! To me the C5 is super ugly!! The ugliest corvette on the road! But they do obviously have good performance and that being said I'd NEVER buy a C5 basemodel! I would take a ZO6 but wouldn't like to look at it!!
Also, the title is a question, not a statement. Did you see the question marks? Do you understand what that means? It's up to you to decide. I appreciate you watching and commenting. This video is 100% for debate!
@runsgoodbutsmokes also you profile name doesn't make any sense either! If it smokes it doesn't run good it's got internal issues mostlkely fried rings. And it's definitely not up for debate!! C5 is definitely NOT the better than new corvette! Not even close!!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
My C 5 was the best CORVETTE I have ever owned. I have had two C3s and a 99 C5 . The C5 had 26,000 on the clock when I bought it. I went to CORVETTE Warehouse .I sat in a twenty twenty . I hated it .I felt like I was closter phobic . Too close quarters . Love C5s.
Great video, I enjoyed it. My take: I'm 32 years old. I've owned 2 C5 Corvettes, looking for my 3rd. Bought my first one, a 2002 Electron Blue 6 speed back in 2012 when I was 20. I got the opportunity to ride in a couple C5 Corvettes beforehand and got to drive a stock one and was BLOWN AWAY by the driving experience and performance. I knew that was what I wanted from a car instantly and my Corvette research began. That was when I was about 17 or 18. Since then I've been pretty immersed in the Corvette community and my affections for the model have only grown. They are special cars, especially the C5 given it's unique position. The C5 was designed to compete with the Ferrari 360 and you can TELL. Americans are just so used to seeing them that they frequently underestimate what they are capable of on the world stage. That leads me to the Corvette Racing program which solidified the Corvette as a top contender. They have had the most successful team in modern sports car racing, beating the likes of BMW, Porsche, Aston Martin, and Ferrari to name a few. The entire package of the C5 for the price is unbelievable. It's probably the best platform for tuning/modifying out there. You can build it into any type of car you want and compete with cars that cost much more. The actual driving experience itself even in stock form is a purist's fantasy. You will smile so often that you'll get out of the car with your face sore. I'm a big advocate for Corvettes and the C5 in particular due to the blend of classic performance car characteristics and modern technology. It's light, it's aerodynamic, it's fast and powerful, it's reliable, it's good looking, it's comfortable, reliable, practical, easy to work on, inexpensive to maintain, handles well, etc. It checks all the boxes in a way that no other car does. The C5 IS the secret sauce of the automotive world.
Very well said!
I own a 2000 C5, and couldn’t have said it any better than you just did. Truer words couldn’t be spoken clearer!
Amen brother!!! You are definitely 💯 in what you laid out.
I'm old, 54. But when this car came out it was cutting edge of power, style and speed. I finally got one with 47000 miles on it a few years ago. I love this car more than I love myself. You just have to drive one, it is impossible to put into words. Are there faster cars out there, oh yes. But this one is special to me and that is all that matters.
Very well said! I thought the same when I drove a C5 for the first time. It's timeless! Very good car!
Just bought a 2002 with 60k and everything is stock. No magnetic ride hassles. Wonderful car😊
Love my 2003; great engine, tons of torque, reasonably easy to work on, and they handle beautifully. Looks are definitely a matter of personal taste, but I prefer the lines of the C5 to any of the models that followed. Definitely the best car I've ever owned. Whether the C6 (LS2 or LS3) is "better" really depends on what the buyer is seeking. The C6 range of years offer a lot of variety in terms of equipment and appointments, but all of them are more refined than a C5. I prefer the more elemental feeling of the C5 while others might want more comfort in a top end late-model C6. The best buy is the car that best fits what you want. I don't think you can go wrong with either generation.
Got my C5 last year, an '03 with 6K miles, nothing else matters!
There were only 2,200 6speed manuals built in 97...I own 1 has 61k miles. Absolutely love it.
I got one 137k and still pulling to redline! 97 m6
You are right, the C5 is the best buy!
Times are changing for the c5. The pricing has put them in the hands of a different crowd
I bought my first c5 coupe a couple years ago. I replaced it with a 03 C5z a year ago. I’ve turned all the wrench’s on both since day one. HCI, Long Tubes, 390 gear, upgraded brakes, dbl adjust coilovers . 453/402 to the wheels.
GenX. No NB, Jorts or window stickers.
Got my base 1999/Auto for $9500 last year as a weekend track car. I have dumped a lot of ebay stuff in it, HPTuners software, BTR CAMS, HEADS, Turbo etc (About 4K).
Pushing about 550 HP at the wheels. The LS1 block is very forgiving and a great engine to cut your teeth on for building and tuning.
It's a awesome little car and it is fun as hell to drive.
"cams", what motor did you swap into it?
Good video brother 👍 I own 2 C5 Convertibles myself. 2001 only 35K miles. 2002 49K miles. Hands down best timeless body lines in the game. I break necks every time I take them out. 💯💯
That's awesome! That was something I noticed driving this one too. Lots of heads turn on you!
@@runsgoodbutsmokes🫡🇺🇸👍
What happened to the 2003?
Piston slap in the LS1 engine, which is found in the 1997-2004 Corvette C5, is a known issue. It occurs when the piston has a slight amount of clearance within the cylinder bore, causing it to slap against the cylinder walls, particularly when the engine is cold. This can result in a knocking or rattling noise.
Usually no piston slap sounds after a few minute warm up. Sometimes it may even be serpentine belt, tensioners and pulley noise too. Just go easy accelerating until warmed up.
Best bang for buck is a 6spd C4. I recently picked up an LT4 powered 96 for half the price of the C5s. They dont have BCM issues or the steering lock issues. The C4 was the last full feeling driver corvette.
the 96 lt4 is the better car up to year 2000...
@@benjaminwillard2394 I dislike the oversteer with the C5. You have a more numb experience. I had a 2000 C5 FRC making 456WHP NA and I like the way my stock LT4 C4 drives compared.
I'd love to drive an LT4 C4! Don't see many of them anymore
@@hbmartian I would agree with the oversteer issue, its a toss up for me a cherry 96 lt4 is a sweet ride and I love those seats too. Considering maintenance and availability the c5 is so much cheaper & easier to replace
@@benjaminwillard2394 I got my CE LT4 6spd for probably half the price of a C5 FRC or Z06 with higher miles. The aftermarket is not that big for the C4 though so That is one negative.
Own an 03 M6 Z51 car. When it was stock sans a Vararam and mufflers it went 12.89 @ 109 at QCR with a pretty crap DA on stock tires. I added headers/mid pipe to complete the exhaust and a twin disc RST clutch. I managed to get the car down to a 12.23 @ 118.6 on street tires in excellent air. I backed that up with a 12.01 at 117.9 running a CCW drag pack with a 26x11" bias ply (probably too wide im but sizes are limited on a 16" wheel) in so-so DA ~ 750 ft even at our slower local track QCR. It would've gone 11s all day at sea level. STOCK TUNE and the CEL from the headers on. Untouched 241s, stock LS6 intake, stock cam when I pulled it.
I'm sure I'll get called a liar but I've TONS of slips and video. Added a cam/meth/Novi2000 and it made 573/495 on Hutters stingy Mustang on low boost, a lowered redline and limited timing. Roughly 640 on a Dynojet. It was an animal until I broke the ringland on #7. Never got a full pass out of it, had switched to coilovers (Aldans) which fought me tooth and nail. Then smoked the clutch bad. It saw almost 118 in the 1/8th though...so uh, yeah. Hoping to bring it back out with like a forged 413 LS2 for my goals. Ive only the fuel to support around 900 and I don't want to shred drivetrain constantly. Will see. But yeah they can be surprising.
That sounds about right to me haha
@@runsgoodbutsmokes Ha, yeah its just a pretty high MPH for the mods. Corvetteforum used to keep a "fast list" in the C5 section between stock and bolton cars with mods listed. It was #4 for ET but I had the trap speed of #1 covered by quite a bit. Just always ran incredibly well and almost 10mph from an exhaust is rather unheard of. I was accused of spraying it constantly.
C5 is the best looking corvette of all time. If you said the c7 was, i wouldnt argue with you.
I love my C5 but I’d trade it for a C8 any day. There’s a list of cars I’d trade the C5 for.
Porsche 944, karmann ghia convertible, IROC-Z,
I agree
I just bought a 2001 C5 only has 6000 miles on it haven’t been able to drive it much yet I’ve put a 100 miles on it since buy it because I live in Washington state it rains most of the time here and I bought it from the original owner
Had my mechanic check it all over he says I got a good one so I’m July I’m driving it to Los Vegas 21:43
Awesome! Enjoy it!
I have had my 1999 C5 for 4 years now!. No issues 74,000 original miles.
Enjoy it!!!
Don’t give the secret away…
I have mine, by all means give the secret away 😂
People have been giving it away for a while now. That's why prices are going back up.
Honestly you cant beat them man. I daily mine.
Agree 100% I'm using mine right now! They're amazing!
my 2000 6 sp with 430whp hits 60 in 4 seconds consistently with 315 30 18s... hits 170mph with ease, flat eats these new heavy dodges and fords... The only thing that got me by a full car length was a dual motor Tesla at a claimed 760whp. c5 for the soul moving experience
That's pretty impressive and I believe it! That's awesome!
Seems off considering the c5z does 0-60 in 4 seconds and a lot less whp than 430..
@ws6guy yeah I don't know. A sticky tire could help with that. I recently sold my 2017 Mustang GT, with just full exhaust, 3.73s, Cai, and a decent tune, and just by the little dash thing that told you your 0-60 times I hit 0-60 in 4.0 seconds before. Had about the same horsepower and a little heavier. But who knows!
wheelspin was a major obstacle I managed a 3.7 0-60 but I dont feel like its good enough to advertise a 0-60 time unless its repeatable stop light to stop light.. a lot of these so called 3 second 0-60 times are done under perfect track like conditions
C5? Nah man I’d say the best ever are C6/C7 Z06/ZR1
I accept pretty much everything you said except everyone b****** about the gear shift knob. It is nothing more or less than a narrow Hurst T-shift knob. I never missed a shift with my Hurst and I've never missed a shift in my ZO6. And when the power band kicks in at 3700 RPMs it feels like turbos and I had a 300ZX Twin Turbo before this ¿`_
Nope i have c5 with 20k miles but c6 or c7 for sure
2002 is not base of 39,000
these videos are good and bad... the bad they keep making them more in demand and raising prices.... the god its a c5 video
I love how people think what they have is the best!! It's pretty funny actually! I know damn well what I have isn't the best not even close but it's WHAT I LIKE!!! To me the C5 is super ugly!! The ugliest corvette on the road! But they do obviously have good performance and that being said I'd NEVER buy a C5 basemodel! I would take a ZO6 but wouldn't like to look at it!!
My goodness and so sorry did not mean to offend you! My deepest apologies for having my own opinion and making you laugh for it. So so so sorry!
@runsgoodbutsmokes well when you make a ridiculous title like that what do you expect?! Lol
@sarahgarcia346 got you to click it didn't it? So who is the ridiculous one? It's just an option. Haha. We all have them
Also, the title is a question, not a statement. Did you see the question marks? Do you understand what that means? It's up to you to decide. I appreciate you watching and commenting. This video is 100% for debate!
@runsgoodbutsmokes also you profile name doesn't make any sense either! If it smokes it doesn't run good it's got internal issues mostlkely fried rings. And it's definitely not up for debate!! C5 is definitely NOT the better than new corvette! Not even close!!🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
My C 5 was the best CORVETTE I have ever owned. I have had two C3s and a 99 C5 . The C5 had 26,000 on the clock when I bought it. I went to CORVETTE Warehouse .I sat in a twenty twenty . I hated it .I felt like I was closter phobic . Too close quarters . Love C5s.
I just keep getting videos of c5’s🫠🫠🫠I need one
I just found a heads cam and 6 speed 2000 vette on marketplace yesterday for $10k clear coat was peeling a little, but price wasn't bad! Just do it!!!