I have been thinking about buying a C5 vette for a while.
Specifically, I would like a 1999 Fixed Roof Coupe. (pre-Z06)
Or a 2000 with the sport suspension and 6 speed.
My color preference - pewter.
I found a red 1999 FRC in Florida.
Good: Excellent asking price. (16500) Very low miles. (37K)
Brand new tires. (worth about 800 for this car)
Bad: Rebuilt title. It’s Red.
Would you?
A) Buy the Red one. Corvettes look great in Red, anyway.
B) Wait for a Pewter one with a clean title and probably more miles and probably pay a little more as well (maybe 1000).
pewter looks good with those wheels. if your only saving 1k more for a clean titled car and you can afford it then it’s probably worth it. 1k isn’t really that much more if your already going to spend 15-20 grand.
Unless the price difference and lower mileage REALLY mean something to you, wait for something with a clean title. If you’re spending that much moeny, better get everything you want. I like the way the red one looks, and I love those wheels, but I would DEFN wait for something with at LEAST a clean title.
I signed up on ls1tech and have looked a couple other places. autotrader, ebay, etc. All seem to be going for about the same price. Blue book on a '99 FRC is between 15K and 19K, depending on miles and condition.
Pewter (with a capital P) is keeping an eye out for me, too.
My view has always been if you are buying a car you love and plan on keeping it for a while, then you buy what you want. Do not settle for anything less. When I bought my WS.6 I knew what I wanted and I had to look for 6-8 months and drive to Rhode Island to get it. On the other hand if you are buying a car to piss around with for a few years then I would just try to find the best deal. Just my $.02.
I like the red FRC cars for sure… I wouldn’t be scared about the R Title until you find out the story. Sometimes cars get rebuilt titles for stupid reasons.
