02-04 Z06

I want to get an 02 through 04 ZO6. I've never had a Corvette. What do I need to look for and look out for on one of these?

I currently have an 07 F250 and a 13 Boss with a CPR kit on it. Looking for a ZO6 I can daily Drive.

What are you looking to spend?
I bought a 2003 Z with 13k miles on it for 27k back in 2014.
Corvette forum has some gems on it.
Common stuff to see is scrapes under front fascia, if you here a click in the rear end when turning the axle nuts need tightened. Window motors are prone to going out.

I would imagine I can find what I'm looking for in the 15-20k range

The 04 Z06 24 hour Le Mans commemorative has a carbon fiber hood 20.5 lbs vs 31.4 lbs for a regular Z06 hood and they also have polished not the grey painted Z06 rim types the non 24 hour Z06 have and with only 2025 being made they are not that common either. The other Z06 types was pretty much the same stuff except 2001 which only started out with 385 HP, in 2002 it got a bump up to 405 with a new cam profile, intake and runner design and a retune to get the extra HP and torque.

C5 z06 is the only body vette I'd ever consider owning. There was a c5z with a ls7 swap for mid 20s last year that I almost jumped on. These cars are a great bang for the buck, but many are getting pretty beat.

Great car to own... other than the things that make it great on a track, also make it not very comfortable for a daily driver. I ended up selling mine and picking up a C6 for daily driver duties.

The only issue I can recall with the C5Z is broken valve springs. That's a cheap and easy replacement for peace of mind.

OP, i will give you my experience with one I just purchased. I just purchased an 02 with 72k on it in good condition for 14k so they can be inexpensive. The car needs pretty regular attention due to the age. These cars can be plagued with electrical gremlins which usually revolve around bad/worn grounds. The car's electrical system is very sensitive so the battery must be fully charged at all times and it would be wise to keep it on a tender if you dont drive it on a regular basis. Luckily, I have not had to deal with that (yet) on mine. The Z06's tend to be more problem free in terms of electrical issues compared to the other C5's due to not having certain systems such as TPMS and magnetic ride control.

Since purchasing mine in October, I have replaced a bad harmonic balancer, A/C compressor, shocks, end links and high pressure power steering line. All of which are common failures on these cars. My HUD will also need attention as it has a common "falling" issue where it wont rotate up to be visible. The paint is good but as others have pointed out, scrapes and scratches on the front bumper are going to be common along with a damaged support skid bar due to the low ride height. The interior is pretty dated and the seats are terrible. Most owners replace the factory seats. All that being said, its a fun car and responds well to simple mods and they run strong. I just did bolt ons and cam and its making 440rwhp and is a ton of fun on the street.

It seems like the C5s and C6 Vettes are nearing the bottom of their value, but it remains to be seen how their values react with the C8 on the horizon.

Ive been seeing a lot of C6 Vettes under 15k in Phoenix recently. Granted, they all need work but for someone who is mechanically inclined and wants a cheap platform to go fast its hard not to recommend them for a look.

While I may not have any love for GM products, its hard not to like the LS's easy to service nature. A set of valve springs from PAC should easily clear up any reliability issues. And even being a proclaimed Ford guy who is "meh" on Corvettes, if I could get in on a cheap Z06 I would.

I have been saying for the last 2 years I’m going to get a C5 (non) vette for a summer DD. Just haven’t pulled the trigger and garage space will be pretty limited at that point. Only reason I don’t wanna Z06 at this point in time is I guarantee i will go over board with the mods and be broke


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They have traction control module issues. When under warranty Chevy would say "it only happens under spirited driving and the car is not meant to be driven hard. Not covered". Also the steering wheels will lock up and you gots to get towed.

They overall are easy to work on and look great but as with most chevy's I have had or worked on they have horrible electrical issues.

GodStang said:

They have traction control module issues. When under warranty Chevy would say "it only happens under spirited driving and the car is not meant to be driven hard. Not covered". Also the steering wheels will lock up and you gots to get towed.

They overall are easy to work on and look great but as with most chevy's I have had or worked on they have horrible electrical issues.

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Was the steering wheel lock common? I thought it was really only affecting drag cars that pulled really quick 60' times.

08mojo said:

Was the steering wheel lock common? I thought it was really only affecting drag cars that pulled really quick 60' times.

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There was a local corvette club back in ~2004/2005 that was mostly 90yr men who never got over 35mph. Few of them had the issue. whether it was common or not I don't know. I have only ever messed with 2001-2003s Z06s/corvettes.

GodStang said:

There was a local corvette club back in ~2004/2005 that was mostly 90yr men who never got over 35mph. Few of them had the issue. whether it was common or not I don't know. I have only ever messed with 2001-2003s Z06s/corvettes.

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interesting. That sounds common enough to me.