I bought a C5 Z06 and so should you!
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- in this episode of ALifeWithCars I reveal my new and amazing purchase, a 2003 50th anniversary C5 Corvette Z06. This is a quick overview and ride in the car and thoughts after owning it after 8k miles.
Also where have I been over the past year? well its a long story that I try to keep short check out this upload to learn more!
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One of the best looking Corvettes of all time. Performance wise they are still relevant 20 years later.
Most definitely! I am in love with it! Thanks for watching, more to come
Bought my 2004 CE Z06 site unseen in Sept of 21. 45,000 miles and one of 2025. Any way, I had no way to get it so I flew from Houston to Lubbock, walked to a hotel, woke up the next day and walked to the dealership, bought the Vette, and drove 9 hours home. Was the roughest ride ever and I hated the car! Got home and realized two things. The stock seats are the worst seats ever made. The dealership had the tires at like 45 psi so every bump hurt.
Within months I had track tires, coilovers, Sparco seats and Harnesses and some other goodies on it. Saved every part though. Any way, amazing cars. I am so glad I bought one!
Do yourself a favor and take it to a track day. I raced modern cars and was beating them and the other drivers were asking how much power I had. One guy asked if I was pushing 800 hp, lol. I laughed and said it was stock but, and I quote, "I know how to drive!" He didn't like that but it is true. You can flog the crap out of these cars and other than the straight, you won't lose to modern cars.
That’s awesome man what a great memory of getting it and improving it!! And I agree the seats could be better, right now I have Michelin pilot sports on it, set to 30psi
I guess due to the fact that I’ve driven so many crappy cars with crappy suspension. I don’t think it’s that bad.
Definitely have some plans with the thing
Congrats on your purchase! I’ve had my C5 Z06 for a little over a year and love it.
Thanks a bunch I love it! Lately with the weather I haven’t driven it too much but spring is about here so can’t wait to drive it all the time!
Congrats on your purchase, and getting married! Bought my C5Z in ‘22 with 26k miles for $25k, one of my favorite vehicles I’ve owned. Started replacing items that are age worn. Tires, shocks, swaybars, seats, and a short shifter have made a great driving experience even better. Hoping to do long tube headers next, while retaining the factory titanium mufflers.
Much appreciated friend! Really appreciate the watch and yes these are all things I have on my list of to dos
I bought my 2003 C5Z last September 2023 with 4,500 miles in Phoenix and drove back to St Louis. What a great car! I took it to a track day two weeks later and it is awesome! Hope you are still enjoying it! Great car….
That’s awesome dude! Cool you are in the St. Louis area as well Maybe see ya around at a car show or something, cheers thanks for watching!
@@ALifeWithCars What groups do chase around for car events? Do you go to any of the Cars and Coffee events?
congrats on ur marriage and dream car purchase!!!
Thanks so much! It was an exciting 2023! I will have to say my now wife loves the corvette as well, almost as much as she loves me 😂
Thanks for watching friend!
Bro, we’re in the same boat, all I have owned has been BMW and Bendz, now I’m picking my 04 Z06 this Friday. I cant wait!
Rock on buddy! You will not be disappointed lol, after a full year still my favorite car I’ve owned by a long shot
Wow, nice! I have a black 03 Z06, got it 2 years ago with 70,000 miles, now 80,000 miles. Love it! Has had some problems, front wheel bearings, water pump, starter. Changed all of the fluids out to Amsoil synthetics. Next is probably the harmonic balancer and clutch. You shouldn’t see those problems for a long time! Congrats!🎉
Appreciate you watching friend! I’m glad you have enjoyed yours thoroughly as well, yes I have heard a lot of these concerns as well as a few others, but like you said hopefully it will be a while or I will have done it already with maintenance and or upgrades and I won’t have to deal with it. Really appreciate the watch buddy more to come
Congrats on the Corvette! I'm hoping to get a C5 this spring. If that really is the stock exhaust, it sounds amazing!
Titanium stock exhaust, yes. First manufactured vehicle to have it!
Thanks brother
And yes totals stock Titanium exhaust, the saline is about perfect lookin at a few ways to mildly increase the volume but retain the factory axle back, and definitely get one it’s been fun! If you don’t have z06 money get a 99-2000 FRC especially if you don’t like the big glass hatch like me, sometimes I think if I could go back, I may have saved $15,000 and gone that route and then I would’ve been able to do whatever I wanted to it
Thanks a bunch for watching and commenting man. Hopefully you get your Corvette soon.
Ever since I saw the c5 in midnight club I have always wanted one😍this cars are beautiful
Agreed appreciate the watch buddy
incredible find. beautiful car. new exhaust and upgraded tires are the way to go.
Thanks a ton appreciate you watching! Definitely on the list of things to do!
@@ALifeWithCars awesome!
I bought one July 2023!!! An 03 in electron blue.
Had 88K miles on it when I purchased. I’m currently at 94K miles.
I paid low $20K, but a few thousands of the purchase price included a service contract.
Very nice! Congrats on yours! Sounds like a pretty decent deal! Thanks for watching friend.
Thanks, man.
And congrats on your Z06 purchase and marriage!!! 🙄👍🏾👍🏾
It's my dream car as well and you can get them.for a reasonable price if they are decent
Have had an 03 Z for 4 years. Has 35k miles on it now. Been a good car.
Beautiful yellow color and cool ride. I also have an 03 Z06 which I bought used in 2012. The original owner had the engine built and supercharged by Les Stanford Chev in Dearborn MI. They are known as the Corvette King. She's got 580 rwhp. She's good at rolls but not digs since she wears her stock wheels and tires. Congrats on your new ride.
That’s awesome man! Guarantee it’s a blast , thanks a ton for watching the video man I really appreciate it
I bought my 2nd Corvette, a 2004 Machine Silver Z06 with 23K miles and never looked back. My history was a C5 Convertible I bought new in ‘02. Knew I wanted a C5 because of the Fixed Roof Coupe design. I love that dark lemon color!
Love it! Thanks for watching friend. I’ve enjoyed mine thoroughly over the past year l. Makes sense why you guys love these cars! Cheers
I owned a 2004 Z16 CE, which I thoroghly enjoyed...especially after a cam swap. I sold it for a C6 Z06...also awesome...but I still miss the Z16. Glad that you are enjoying it!
I love the c6 z almost bought one but I couldn’t resist a car with a 1/4 of the miles in way better shape for less money than the c6z I was looking at, one day I will have one though
Thanks for watching friend!
@@ALifeWithCars You made a great choice. Both cars are tremendous and you couldn't have gone wrong either way.
Definitely considering a c5 z. Would love your thoughts on s2k vs z06 in terms of livability and reliability.
100% would own a c5z every day of the week over an s2000, hands down full stop! More room interior and cargo, waaay more power, looks cooler in my opinion in a good color. honestly I think it may handle better to! After 4 years of an s2000 and 2 years of the vette, would pick this every time.
The only thing better in the s2k was the shifter feel, but no car accept a Porsche feels like a Honda in the way it shifts.
Plus they get the same mpg lol so that’s a perk
You seem like a cool down to earth guy… congratulations on getting married… that is a awesome car… I’d like to have a c6 zo6 one day… thanks for the video buddy…
Much appreciated friend! Trying to get some more content out here soon, really appreciate the watch and the comment! Cheers!
I had heard that besides skip shift if you just get a tune not only will you on average get better gas mileage but the skip shift can be tuned out. Good luck with the C5Z. I had one and they are a HOOT to drive. Mine was a black 2004. 😁
Great ideas, thanks for watching I’m sure I’ll do something eventually maybe supercharger 🤔
Love my c5
Over the past year I definitely agree! Cheers thanks for watching
I own a 02z look just like ur, I changed the front turn signal to clear and led, remove body side molding, lower about 3/4 " all the way around w c6z Blistein shocks. Love it, easy maintenance and parts is cheap. Who care about the interior, is a sport car to enjoy the performance.
Different seats and head unit cleans up the interior heaps also for the people that care
Exactly! All things Im thinking about doing, and appreciate the watch my friend! Cheers!
Agreed!
if one is gong to track the car, keep the side strakes, they are aerodynamic aids that help hold the car down at speed, but they do really mess up the looks.
Amazing looking Corvette, congratulations!
I have owned 5 C5 vettes, 3 were Z's. The stock exhaust you have (the last 1/3rd) is titanium and if you wanted to replace that system I would run a B&B PRT system. If you have a lift the exhaust is probably one of the easiest to change of any car. You may want to look into getting a column lock bypass and skip shift eliminator. Corvette forum is a great place to start to fill your cup full of vette knowledge. If the car still has Goodyear tires on it, they suck. I would also suggest a good catch can setup.
Appreciate the advice friend! I love the car and yes on the forums I see all of these recommendations! Cheers
@@ALifeWithCarswhatever you do, don't swap out the stock titanium exhaust.
I got my 2002 Z06 last year is 70.000 miles is a 650hp in one year is been out of my driveway twice jus to worm it up..I love this car I'm 65 my wife 67 and we love this c5 Z06 you guys be surprised whow nice is to drive this thing
Thanks for watching friend
Keep it stock! It’s really clean and is already amazing from factory. Higher resale value in the future if you ever need to move on from it
I do agree with this, but we all have that urge ya know
im 66 and ive never owned a pair of new balances, I've owned a few corvettes but never new balances, mike tyson wears new balances I might check them out.
Congrats 🎈 Beautiful Corvette
Don’t forget turn off traction control when you want scary fun hold button down 5-seconds you have competitive driving mode
Didn’t actually know this, thanks for the tip
Very nice. I have a 01 zo6 with under 8k miles. She's fun to take out once in a while. 👍
Love it! I bet yours is immaculate! Cheers to c5z love! Thanks for watching friend
Sold my Yellow 04 c5Z06 and instant regret. I should get another. Beautiful car!
Thanks friend, it is pretty amazing definitely get another one lol peer pressure
I have a 2004 Z06 that looks identical and it came from Edwardsville, what are the odds? I’m a Chicago Cop. I called Edwardsville PD to see if any of my brothers knew the car. The dispatcher had a bad attitude and told me her Policemen aren’t errand boys and hung up on me. Have you seen another like yours in your town?
I only know of one other that is yellow and I met the guy at the gas station about 3 months ago, he was an Edwardsville cop funny enough. I do believe he still owns it though. Cheers dude funny small world. And I appreciate what you do man, especially in the area you serve!
Great video. I want to get a higher mileage straight body c5 zo6 but I want to keep it around $15k, drive the crap out of it until it breaks and then rebuild it to 500hp N.A.
Thanks Dan, appreciate you watching, I know I see them out there here and there recently saw one with a built 408 that needed some tuning work, clean car clean title for like 16k$ join the c5 Z06 owners group on facebook every once in a while you find a deal
Nice C5Z!!! I drove a C6 Z06 for a few years and decided to get into to a C5 (same fun for cheaper) they are great cars but a bit old and you can feel it. Mines done up, interior wise and a few bolt on mods + tune, amazing looking car and drives awesome but its always throwing random codes on the DIC. Thats the only down side to owning a C5 I'd say, you get one code resolved and another 3 show up, super annoying lol
Awesome man love that, and man that stinks hopefully mine will hold off a bit on the codes lol cheers thanks a bunch for watching
Funny how it goes from too fast to not fast enough. My first drive in my 03Z6 was like whoa! Now I’m like come on come on. Gonna supercharge it this summer though
Exactly! Seemed like all the power you would need until you get comfortable then you’re ready for something more, I told my wife I wana feel scared in the car lol that’s what makes it exciting! Thanks for watching!
Yes that's so true!!
my 2002 c5 z06 has 3,000 miles on it. i had the honker put on, anerican racing headers, catless xpipe with a borla muffler-less axle back, and a tune, getting performance valve springs and push rods next week. its getting closer to what i like. stock this car is way too tame, close to boring. i plan on more mods down the road. with the list above it dynoed 400 to the wheels on a hot humid day, i was surprised. the valve stings will most likely just improve the acceleration.
More or less just doing the valve springs for preventative maintenance. Unlike a lot of owners I don’t have the funds to go wild and mod the car, really like the fact that stock as a rock, I’ve been able to put 10k miles on it in a year and it has not gone down in value
But I’m definitely getting the itch to do something to it lol
Thanks for watching
@@ALifeWithCars yep, when revving it, its louder than my straight piped 1993 viper i had, but not as impressive at idle as the viper. but the ls6 is a breather for sure, more of a breather than the ls2 i had in my gto.
🔥🔥🔥 shutting the door to open the trunk is one of the best things for me
lol right! Everyone has said get new struts but most on the forums report no change and mine are still good, so for now this is the workaround. Thanks for watching!
Congrats! I’m looking to buy one by the end of this year any suggestions? I’ve been researching for a couple of months.
In my opinion definitely look for a 03-04 if you have the budget, however all of them are awesome. I was on the hunt for one around 20k miles all stock and found this one but there are so many options with a variety of miles, join the c5 zo6 owner’s group on facebook sometimes you will find a deal because members know when they post their if the price is too high they will get roasted lol in my opinion sometimes it’s the place to find a deal however I randomly found mine on facebook marketplace
Hope this helps thanks for watching friend
Looking at an '03 Z06 with 56k miles right now. Thinking about pulling the trigger. Still no regrets with yours? Also, is that a Tissot watch?
Absolutely no regrets 33k miles and counting 😉 and no sir they are nice watches tho, this one I was wearing in the video is a first generation autodromo group B automatic
@@ALifeWithCars Oh wow that's a sick watch yet another thing added to the wishlist.... And hell yeah I'm going to test drive her this weekend I'll let you know how it goes.
@@SBgamer1811 definitely dude if it feels solid and it’s a good price get it! They have a few little issues but compared to a lot of other vehicles it’s very minimal, get on the c5 z06 owners group on Facebook. And thanks a bunch it’s been a good watch especially for right at 1000$, titanium case and it has a nylon strap option as well, bracelet has pins instead of screws, and no micro adjust clasp but that is my only gripe lol cheers buddy hope you get that Z
I bought a base 02 6 speed with z51 and 70,000 mi. In Canada it was $21,000...us about $18,000. No service history so took it in and had every fluid front to back changed and full inspection. Mechanics said I stole it. 😮😮😮 Now where to start with mods.
That’s a good deal for sure in my opinion, for the money literally you cannot buy anything that competes in all categories like these cars! Cheers thanks for watching
I feel the C5 is a sweet spot in the line , with the convertible being the ultimate expression of the type. Avoiding any needed cosmetic repair is the key to a good used car purchase, because the mechanical stuff doesn't require an artistic touch, or waiting around for a special guy, and is cheaper. . it is best to find a corvette specialist garage , because it is a uniquely specialized design, and you don't want any earn while you learn situations screwing up the car .
I shift by ear, so never even activate the skip shift. It only works at 35% throttle or less, from 21 to 35 mph , so if it is working as you describe, it has problems. .
I activated it a couple of times making a left turn when I first got the car, but now that I understand the conditions that activate the system, I never even know it is there . however the way traffic is in my area, I don't short shift or spend a lot of time at low throttle . Of course, I only get around fifteen mpg around town that way. I bought it for highway efficiency anyway. and because it was one of the few cars, that wasn't German, that I physically fit into , being a touch over six feet tall. The C5 has the largest interior room of any corvette.
Appreciate the watch, it’s not a big deal just annoying when I granny the car around.
i’m looking into getting one as well for a daily. how would you say the fuel economy is? i’m especially curious because you come from hondas / 4 cylinders like i do. how much WORSE is it lol?
Well based on how I drive it probably not great I would say low 20s if you baby it on the highway I think I got around 26 on a long trip, the kicker tho, you have to run premium 91-93 so it will be more expensive to run for sure
Nice!!! Congrats.
Thanks for watching!
I like it brother!!
Much appreciated buddy more to come!
I think people are too hard on the interior. The areas I think they could have done better with is the plastic front bezel and the two lids/doors by the shifter, and the cup holder. Those are unfortunate, but I think the rest is very nice. The dash, pillars, and doors are wrapped in leather! Is that so bad? How many cars of any era have that? Somehow people never comment on this. Also, the seats are super comfortable and look very good, although I wish they had the bolstering of the C4 seats.
From what I've seen, I'd say it's generally a lot nicer than all/most other vehicles of the time and aside from that bezel, I don't think there is realistically much to complain about.
I agree will all of that lol, thanks for watching friend!
@@ALifeWithCars Thanks! Oh, I got caught up on the interior and forgot to mention - great video!
We should meet up some time bro. I’m I’m west St. Louis county and absolutely love my modded 2002 c5z.
Definitely man! Add my Instagram and I’ll message you , it’s the same username as my channel ALifeWithCars, maybe we can meet up here this spring would love to check out the difference with some mods on the car! Thanks for watching!
I need the internet to stop telling people to buy C5 Z06s... I need them for keep going down just s bit more
lol I hear you but man it’s worth it
@ALifeWithCars I'm building a plan on my head, by December I'll have enough to buy a base model cash... the thing is, I can also try to get a Z06 down to the mid 20Ks and get a small loan. There's only 3 Z06s for sale on my town and all have been seating on the marketplace for months. If by the end of the year they are still available, I bet I can get the owners to drop a couple grands. One is a 2002 the other are 2001 so of course I want the 2002 one
i have an extra skip shift eliminator if u didnt find one already { they sent me two lol so i have one new in plastic} works amazing no more lock out feels great just cruising now
Hey man just saw this comment add my instagram and message me, I may be interested, haven’t ordered one yet the year has already been crazy! Thanks for the offer for real
cant hear the audio, thats recycled water your using at the car wash, its the dirty water from all the car washes before you
Bussin bussin
skip shift rev the engine past 2500rpm it will never come into play
Oh most definitely do I understand how to get around it but it would be awesome to just delete it and not deal with it 😉 thanks for watching man
Give me the money and I’ll go buy one yesterday
lol I hear it! I consolidated 2 cars into 2 cars into 1 with this one and laid out more money on top. But I hope you get there man it’s a great time for the price
I'd be happy with just a base model c5. I have to many dam kids though.
Oddly I'm currently driving a 02 civic
Hey man nothing wrong with that I have had many old civics they are fantastic cars, good luck in your journey, a c5 in any for is a very achievable dream you got this!
lots of bang for your buck
Definitely!
If you recline any more you'll be laying back
It is definitely more comfortable like that and it is exaggerated by the camera angle. Haven’t figured out the perfect place to put it, also the passenger seat is about upright due to my 4’11 Wife being the most common passenger
Thanks for watching