Hello from MB

[Kiowan]

Hi,

Just figured i'd say hello and ask my burning question at the same time.

I'm looking to get myself my first Corvette this year, a C5 coupe to be exact, i'm keeping my eyes open for a nice one in Canada and am willing to go basically anywhere to get the right car but i've not seen an awful lot that fits the bill, grey, manual, reasonable mileage, stock except for minor changes like rims and exhaust, full history and full options. Currently it looks more like i'll be heading down to get one from the States.

Anyway, question is, I live in Winnipeg and I'm going to need year round storage so I can keep the corvette there over the winter and my Cadillac in the summer as I have only one parking space. It doesn't have to be heated but i'd like it to be secure and not some derelict barn full of rats. Does anyone know of anything within about 2hrs of Winnipeg? Guessing the further out I go the cheaper it'll be and lets face it, I'm only going to drive there twice a year.

 

[Rruuff Day]

Welcome to the forum Kiowan. You have come to a good place to start. Not only do we have a lot of very knowledgeable members, we are all pumped to help out our members whenever and wherever we can. I will keep my eyes open here in Alberta for a C5 fitting your want list... can't help with the storage space though... Again. Welcome and good luck with your car hunting....

 

[Kiowan]

Thank you! It's taken me quite a while to decide what I want, I used to have an LT1 Trans Am and then I had an L98 Trans Am GTA, I really liked both cars and was very tempted to go for an LS1 WS6 but....as much as I like Pontiacs, the interior sucks and they handle like a barge. I've always really liked the C5 Corvette and the interior is a way nicer place to be than a Firebird and although i've yet to give one a go, i'm pretty sure the way it's built means it's physically impossible for it to go round a corner worse than an F-body does.

 

[Rruuff Day]

lol.... You are in for a surprise Kiowan. I cannot comment on the C5 handling but my previous and first Corvette was an LS3 C6 and I had never driven anything that cornered that flat in my life...These are not muscle cars and these are not pony cars... The Corvette is a sports car...and as I tell all the new members that haven't owned and driven a Corvette yet.... You won't be able to wipe the smile off your face or curb the adrenalin rush that runs through your body.... I had this sign made by a buddy of mine.... sorta tells it like it is....

 

[marty]

well Kiowan, I just purchased a Corvette very similar to one your looking for except it has a few mods. not too many and properly done. I had to buy from Ont. , most of the way across this country. so I can feel what you're going through a bit. I wish you the best on your search, and don't shy away from the right car 'cause its a long way to get it......'cause road trip! going to drive mine home 9 days from now.

 

[Kiowan]

Well it's a nice drive from Ontario out towards Kenora marty before you hit the prairies if you're coming along Hwy17, just really watch the speed though as the OPP are camped out all along there but mostly just in the towns, also watch for Moose!

I agree that the pickup of the car will be a roadtrip and a chance to get to know the car and make sure it's a good one, i'd quite like to get one from a dry, southern state and meander my way back up, import looks fairly straightforward and still cost effective with the dollar as it is.

Most of my past cars have been BMWs in M-Sport spec, the best handling was my Z4 which is also a 50/50 weigh setup but much smaller than a Corvette and only 240hp from a 3litre straight 6, so if it's anything like that i'll be happy!

 

[Black 03 Z06]

Welcome to the forum. I will keep an eye on the market for you as well.

 

[Dub]

Welcome to CCF, and good luck with your search. I love my C5, and have yet to do any real upgrades, other than wheels, CAI and exhaust, but I'm sure feeling the mod bug these days. Anyway, it sounds like you know exactly what you do and don't want, so that should help you find the right one.

 

[Tony Gull]

Hi. Being new to owning a vette myself, I started looking for a C4. I ended up in an 05 Z51 C6 which was from the States but bought at a dealership in Edmonton. There were a lot of vettes brought up when the dollar was par (and higher). I ended up selling that car and getting into a 14 Z51. My point is to look a little newer just because they are advanced more in a lot of ways. Either way you should not have to go State side. There are so many low mileage examples in Alberta alone but don't be stuck on some of the prices on Kijiji, a lot of the prices guy ask are ridiculous so go in with a good offer and you'll get it. And surprisingly I bought both mine at dealerships and found their prices more realistic. And I made offers that were lower than I thought I'd get them for. Some things I've learned with my 2 purchases and ownership:
the see through targa top is nicer than the body coloured version (noisier but worth it), some cars had both if the owner didn't sell one of them. The see through ones are on Kijiji at times.
You may find more low mileage examples in as we can't drive them year round.
Going to an 08 or newer gives you the 430HP engine in the base and Z51.
You can tell a US car over a Canadian spec one by the analog speedo as US version shows it to 200 mph instead of 300 kph. There may be other differences but even so the HUD and digital stuff can be switched to Metric if you care.
The Z51 package is worth looking for but if you're stuck on a C5 get a Z06. I think you want at least 400 HP since it is out there.
I've only driven the manual versions of these cars so I can't vouch for the autos but I think the 6 speed is probs ok. Automatic owners can update you.
Happy searching, don't get stuck on one car as there are plenty of nice ones with "why did you even own this car mileage" on them.

Just figured i'd say hello and ask my burning question at the same time.

I'm looking to get myself my first Corvette this year, a C5 coupe to be exact, i'm keeping my eyes open for a nice one in Canada and am willing to go basically anywhere to get the right car but i've not seen an awful lot that fits the bill, grey, manual, reasonable mileage, stock except for minor changes like rims and exhaust, full history and full options. Currently it looks more like i'll be heading down to get one from the States.

Anyway, question is, I live in Winnipeg and I'm going to need year round storage so I can keep the corvette there over the winter and my Cadillac in the summer as I have only one parking space. It doesn't have to be heated but i'd like it to be secure and not some derelict barn full of rats. Does anyone know of anything within about 2hrs of Winnipeg? Guessing the further out I go the cheaper it'll be and lets face it, I'm only going to drive there twice a year.

Being

 

[Tony Gull]

Being

how that happened but I'll post this again↑
Hi. Being fairly new to owning a vette myself, I started looking for a C4. I ended up in an 05 Z51 C6 which was from the States but bought at a dealership in Edmonton. There were a lot of vettes brought up when the dollar was par (and higher). I ended up selling that car and getting into a 14 Z51. My point is to look a little newer just because they are advanced more in a lot of ways. Either way you should not have to go State side. There are so many low mileage examples in Alberta alone but don't be stuck on some of the prices on Kijiji, a lot of the prices guy ask are ridiculous so go in with a good offer and you'll get it. And surprisingly I bought both mine at dealerships and found their prices more realistic. And I made offers that were lower than I thought I'd get them for. Some things I've learned with my 2 purchases and ownership:
the see through targa top is nicer than the body coloured version (noisier but worth it), some cars had both if the owner didn't sell one of them. The see through ones are on Kijiji at times.
You may find more low mileage examples in Canada as we can't drive them year round.
Going to an 08 or newer gives you the 430HP engine in the base and Z51.
You can tell a US car over a Canadian spec one by the analog speedo as US version shows it to 200 mph instead of 300 kph. There may be other differences but even so the HUD and digital stuff can be switched to Metric if you care.
The Z51 package is worth looking for but if you're stuck on a C5 get a Z06. I think you want at least 400 HP since it is out there.
I've only driven the manual versions of these cars so I can't vouch for the autos but I think the 6 speed is probs ok. Automatic owners can update you.
Happy searching, don't get stuck on one car as there are plenty of nice ones with "why did you even own this car mileage" on them.

Just figured i'd say hello and ask my burning question at the same time.

I'm looking to get myself my first Corvette this year, a C5 coupe to be exact, i'm keeping my eyes open for a nice one in Canada and am willing to go basically anywhere to get the right car but i've not seen an awful lot that fits the bill, grey, manual, reasonable mileage, stock except for minor changes like rims and exhaust, full history and full options. Currently it looks more like i'll be heading down to get one from the States.

Anyway, question is, I live in Winnipeg and I'm going to need year round storage so I can keep the corvette there over the winter and my Cadillac in the summer as I have only one parking space. It doesn't have to be heated but i'd like it to be secure and not some derelict barn full of rats. Does anyone know of anything within about 2hrs of Winnipeg? Guessing the further out I go the cheaper it'll be and lets face it, I'm only going to drive there twice a year.

 

[Jeremiad]

Thank you! It's taken me quite a while to decide what I want, I used to have an LT1 Trans Am and then I had an L98 Trans Am GTA, I really liked both cars and was very tempted to go for an LS1 WS6 but....as much as I like Pontiacs, the interior sucks and they handle like a barge. I've always really liked the C5 Corvette and the interior is a way nicer place to be than a Firebird and although i've yet to give one a go, i'm pretty sure the way it's built means it's physically impossible for it to go round a corner worse than an F-body does.

Ha! nice! I have had a few f-body cars over the years and still own a 98 TA to this day. I'm a bit hurt at your comments haha, but you are right in that the Corvette is much better.

a Z06 is of course the best choice for a C5 (I'd even take an FRC and do my own mods), but that is absolutely a manual car. An automatic was only made available in a Z06 in the current C7s. Do you have a preference for transmission?

As for storage, you say that you only have one spot? Do you live in a condo or a building complex that has underground parking? Can you rent a spot from somebody else in the building?

 

[Riley P]

Welcome to the forum!!!! The C5Z is a beast of a car, but I'm sure you'll enjoy a coupe as well. The Corvette also has a 50/50 weight split but they drive like a much bigger car then they are.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing what you find and seeing the pictures!!!

As for storage, I'll ask around and let you know if I hear anything.

 

[Kiowan]

I have a budget so the C6 is not an option, tbh i'm not as keen on the C6 styling wise either, especially interior, it has some improvements but front end and interior is not one of them, it's not really about getting the most power I can get either, 350bhp is more than enough. For me I just want it to be a manual C5 with the targa roof, so no FRC or Z06 and I also don't want the convertible. I'm already pretty sure on what i'm after model wise.

Jeremiad, I live in an apartment with outdoor parking only, it's ok for during the summer when it'll be in daily use but it cannot sit out in the open during winter, i'd rather it was stored and i'd end up getting charged for the extra parking anyway.

For me, somewhere good to store the car is first on my list of tasks, once that's sorted i'll start the hunt properly.

 

[Jeremiad]

Fair enough, and thanks for specifying some more details.

For the first couple of years, I stored my TA at a secured storage facility. Depending on where you live, a 10x20 unit can be cheap, but when I got down to Calgary area it was about $300/month which is too much for something that is unheated. I mentioned underground parking garages like apartments, condos, or office buildings where you might be able to use someone else's space. Check local forums to see if there is any warehouses or anything around where other people store their cars for the winter. Some folks rent out their garage space over the winter. Things are around, but it can be tough to find them sometimes. Good luck in both of your searches.

 

[Kiowan]

Yes, i've been looking on Kijiji for someone who has a garage for rent as I figure there are plenty of people with garages that they don't even use, I met a few while apartment hunting although they weren't in appropriate condition for a car (don't fancy a roof collapsing on it). It'd be a lot cheaper than a specific storage facility and it'd be in the city. My only concern with that is the person can change their mind at any point and you're left trying to find somewhere in a rush to store the car, if it happened middle of winter that could be a bugger of a problem here.