The C5 Corvette is an attractive option for some car enthusiasts. After all, the C5 was the first Corvette to win its class at Le Mans.
However, you need to understand the best and worst years of the C5 Corvette, or your dream car could turn out to be a lemon.
What is a C5 Corvette?
The C5 Corvette is the fifth generation of one of America’s most iconic cars. The C5 was the successor to the outgoing C4 model.
The C5 series ran from 1997 to 2004, and there are still plenty of fine examples of this vehicle on the roads today.
The Corvette C5’s best years spanned from 1999 to 2003, except for 2001. It’s best to avoid the 1997, 1998, 2001, and 2004 Corvette C5s.
Life expectancy of the C5 Corvette
In general, you should expect a Corvette C5 to last between 150,000 and 200,000 miles of driving. For the average driver, this ends up between 10 and 13 years.
With a variety of model years and considerable variation in driving style and quality of maintenance, you can find examples ranging from pristine garage queens to rough road warriors who barely make it from A to B.
Common C5 Corvette Problems
The C5 Corvette has some well known issues that affect one or more model year of the car. These problems range from annoying to serious; some might make the car undriveable.
Electric problems
One of the most common problems with the Corvette C5 is a problem with the electrical system. Corvette enthusiasts recognize that the fifth-generation vehicle has a lot of power and improvements over previous versions.
But, with additional options including a heads-up display and other technological advances, there is an ever-increasing probability of electric gremlins.
Over time, the wiring in these systems can fail and it can be expensive to trace the problem in a complex electrical system. The hazard light switch has been known to fail and the fuel level sensors can get dirty.
The electronic brake control module is another electrical accessory that is prone to failure and is becoming hard to find in the aftermarket.
Anti-theft steering column locks
There is a possibility that the steering column is locked due to a problem with the anti-theft system.
The anti-theft function of the steering problem is susceptible, and even the factory key can cause a problem where the system misinterprets the key and causes the entire column to be locked.
This problem was the subject of a factory recall, but it’s such a widespread problem that many C5 owners still worry about it happening after service.
Damaged front air dams
The C5 Corvette is a low-slung car. Consequently, the front air dam and fascia will most likely get some abuse. Scuffs on the underside of the road, stone chips, and cosmetic damage from road debris are common.
In fact, Chevy considers the front air dam on these cars to be an item that will eventually need replacement.
Pop-up headlight failures
Hidden headlights are beautiful examples of precision engineering when they work, but they’re a huge headache when they fail.
So if you turn on your headlights and the car seems to flicker with only one light, or none work, you should think about getting them repaired.
