'05 CTSV Opinions?

[ChiliPepperGarage]

I'm once again coming to the RDP knowledgebase for help!

Got a guy interested in trading a 2005 CTSV plus cash for my 34K miles C5 Z06. The CTSV has been a car I'd consider to replace the Vette because it has good power but sits a bit higher than the Vette so easier to get in and out of and also don't have to worry so much about going off the pavement.

I'll have to figure out the value of his car. it is very clean and good condition but has 150K miles on it. How are these cars for reliability? Anything I should check out in particular? It won't be a daily but will get used for fun drives in the mountains and maybe trips to Scottsdale AZ and back (1500 miles round trip) every couple months.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

No. Not with 150k miles on it, no way, no how. That is maybe a $12k-$13k car if it’s in good condition.

They are OK cars… just OK. Interior quality is roughly the same as your C5Z The rear diffs have issues in these cars and the 6 lug wheels are weird. The car was not designed with a V8 in mind, it was made to fit, so there are some quirks. You are obviously familiar with the engine and trans, it’s the same as your Z06.

The V2 CTSVs are spectacular cars however.

 

[SoCalZero]

I had this year car new. Had for two years. Fun car but was always in the shop. Three differential replacements, two upper ball joints and miscellaneous electrical issues. If you hit hard turns on the regular ball joints will go out. It will start with stabillitrac kicking in for no reason until they finally give out. Diffs will break if you drive it somewhat aggressively.

 

[Cole Trickle]

Pass on a gen 1.

Weak rear end and the interior doesn’t really hold up. Most were trashed on pretty hard.

 

[bilz]

This place still amazes me.

 

[Inmate 1]

300 mph speedometer seems a little lofty

 

[DLow]

Absolutely no way. For above mentioned reasons.

 

[OldSchoolBoats]

My dad has a low mile C5 Z06 and if he ever considered trading it for that Cadillac, with those miles, I would have him put in a home.

 

[Chili Palmer]

V3 FTW.

 

[Bigbore500r]

No. Not with 150k miles on it, no way, no how. That is maybe a $12k-$13k car if it’s in good condition.

They are OK cars… just OK. Interior quality is roughy the same as your C5Z The rear diffs have issues in these cars and the 6 lug wheels are weird. The car was not designed with a V8 in mind, it was made to fit, so there are some quirks. You are obviously familiar with the engine and trans, it’s the same as your Z06.

The V2 CTSVs are spectacular cars however.

I always wanted a Gen I CTSV when they were the hot thing, but the rear diff issues warded me off. They did beef the rear diff up in 2007, which I think took care of the issue for everyone except East Oakland sideshow participants . They did have some quirks and features.....the only thing wierder than the CTSV having 6 lugs, is seeing the new Maverick R with 6 lugs

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

I always wanted a Gen I CTSV when they were the hot thing, but the rear diff issues warded me off. They did beef the rear diff up in 2007, which I think took care of the issue for everyone except East Oakland sideshow participants . They did have some quirks and features.....the only thing wierder than the CTSV having 6 lugs, is seeing the new Maverick R with 6 lugs

The revised diff case was a little better. They still needed axles, a girdle, and a host of parts to keep them from wheel hopping.

They were fun though.

 

[Mandelon]

My neighbor has one with a supercharger and racing slicks. He races it. Or he used to, it has some issues and is currently in the trailer. Apparently getting to 1200 HP is problematic... who knew? He has had three of them. It sounds awesome.

 

[Mcob25rg]

Hard no. You have a better car, a ZO6 with 150,000 miles?? I know how I would have driven it. Keep what you have - he wants out for the same reason as I’m telling you not to do it - you’re better off!

 

[Racey]

Pass on a gen 1.

Weak rear end and the interior doesn’t really hold up. Most were trashed on pretty hard.

They also seem to develop cooling issues around 100k

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

My neighbor has one with a supercharger and racing slicks. He races it. Or he used to, it has some issues and is currently in the trailer. Apparently getting to 1200 HP is problematic... who knew? He has had three of them. It sounds awesome.

View attachment 1291005

That’s a Gen 2. Much better car. They came supercharged from the factory.

 

[ChiliPepperGarage]

The reason I'm selling the Z06 is because it is hard to get in and out of, sits so low I hate to drive it off pavement and I live in the desert where there is a lot of off pavement, and lastly because it is a low miles perfect condition car which means it can only get worse over time. I'd like something that goes well but I can beat on and not worry about. The CTSV would fit that bill but sounds like the V1 gen has some problems.

Here's what I found out about them:

The rear diff housing can break because it is cast aluminum with just a single mount. There is a brace available that helps strengthen it. I will never to a burn out in the car or race it so the brace probably would suffice.

Motor mounts wear out. Pretty easy fix for that.

Radiators tend to split. DeWitts (which also make Corvette radiators) has a good replacement.

Shifter bushing wear out. Aftermarket shifters solve that and provide a more possitive shft.

Headlight and taillight lenses fade and are no longer available. No solution for that issue.

Electrical issues. Could be a problem that can not be repaired.

HVAC system issues. Same as electrical.

So it seems like kind of a crap shoot with these cars. Could get lucky and have no issues or it could be a nightmare. Too bad because I really like these cars.

KBB shows this car at $7500 to $11K price range. I'm asking $26K for my Z so he'd have to kick in a bunch of cash for me to even think about it. Probably will pass as I don't want something I have to work on (I already have plenty of those).

Thanks for all the feedback.

 

[Cole Trickle]

The reason I'm selling the Z06 is because it is hard to get in and out of, sits so low I hate to drive it off pavement and I live in the desert where there is a lot of off pavement, and lastly because it is a low miles perfect condition car which means it can only get worse over time. I'd like something that goes well but I can beat on and not worry about. The CTSV would fit that bill but sounds like the V1 gen has some problems.

Here's what I found out about them:

The rear diff housing can break because it is cast aluminum with just a single mount. There is a brace available that helps strengthen it. I will never to a burn out in the car or race it so the brace probably would suffice.

Motor mounts wear out. Pretty easy fix for that.

Radiators tend to split. DeWitts (which also make Corvette radiators) has a good replacement.

Shifter bushing wear out. Aftermarket shifters solve that and provide a more possitive shft.

Headlight and taillight lenses fade and are no longer available. No solution for that issue.

Electrical issues. Could be a problem that can not be repaired.

HVAC system issues. Same as electrical.

So it seems like kind of a crap shoot with these cars. Could get lucky and have no issues or it could be a nightmare. Too bad because I really like these cars.

KBB shows this car at $7500 to $11K price range. I'm asking $26K for my Z so he'd have to kick in a bunch of cash for me to even think about it. Probably will pass as I don't want something I have to work on (I already have plenty of those).

Thanks for all the feedback.

Look for a gen 2 coupe. It’s like 3x the car and the auto/coupes go for less than the other cars.

They rip pretty dang good. I would be looking for something low mile so it holds value like the z06.

You might have to throw in money but it’s a hell of a car.

Another car to consider would be the chevy ss. Great interiors and they rip with the LS3

 

[Cole Trickle]

V3 FTW.

gen 3 is bad ass.

$pendy and holding value pretty dang good..

I want a zl1 camaro and the used ones cost more now than they did 3 years ago.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

gen 3 is bad ass.

$pendy and holding value pretty dang good..

I want a zl1 camaro and the used ones cost more now than they did 3 years ago.

Yep. Decided I'm waiting a year for a Camaro purchase. Prices are only gonna drop when the pain starts.

 

[Cole Trickle]

Yep. Decided I'm waiting a year for a Camaro purchase. Prices are only gonna drop when the pain starts.

There is a guy local with the same orange 1le. It has dukes of hazard 01 on the side.

Saw it like 2 days after we were talking. At first I was like dang he made the drive and got off his wallet...lol

 

[D19]

I had one. Couldn't solve the stabilitrak issues. On the freeway the car would randomly just pull/jerk right sometimes.

The dash cracked really bad.

Very comfortable and well riding car other than those issues. I’d pass and go for a newer Gen.

 

[92562]

I ordered a 2005 from the factory with the SG2 suspension and optional wheels. It was a lot of fun to drive but sucked in LA stop and go traffic. I traded it for a CLS55. I would not by a Gen 1 with that many miles. As for the faded headlights, sand them with a 5000 grit sanding pad and clear coat them with a good automotive clear coat. My neighbor has a red Gen 3 with about 22K miles. It is bad ass!

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

There is a guy local with the same orange 1le. It has dukes of hazard 01 on the side.

Saw it like 2 days after we were talking. At first I was like dang he made the drive and got off his wallet...lol

Still have scoliosis sitting on my wallet over here.

 

[ChevelleSB406]

I had one. Couldn't solve the stabilitrak issues. On the freeway the car would randomly just pull/jerk right sometimes.

The dash cracked really bad.

Very comfortable and well riding car other than those issues. I’d pass and go for a newer Gen.

I sold Cadillacs for a while, I had a customer with a 2007 that tried to kill them randomly all the time. He was a nice guy, a cop, and after a few weeks of it still trying to kill him, he got less nice as you could expect. I went out with the service guys, and encountered the issue of the wheel suddenly jerking to the side, holy shit. We eventually solved it, it was the steering wheel position sensor having intermittent issues, stabilitrak trying to align the car to a false position of the wheel. Steering wheel would be straight, but stabilitrak would think you were in a drift and try and correct, almost killing you.

Different gen from yours, but I wonder if the same issue.

 

[Chili Palmer]

I’m a big fan of my V3 - it checks all the boxes for me. If something happened to it I’d replace it with the same. If the engine dies, it’s a small block Chevy and the parts are available everywhere, and it’s not an overly complicated engine like the German counterparts.

 

[WAAZ]

I ordered a 2005 from the factory with the SG2 suspension and optional wheels. It was a lot of fun to drive but sucked in LA stop and go traffic. I traded it for a CLS55. I would not by a Gen 1 with that many miles. As for the faded headlights, sand them with a 5000 grit sanding pad and clear coat them with a good automotive clear coat. My neighbor has a red Gen 3 with about 22K miles. It is bad ass!
View attachment 1291031

I still keep a pic of this one that I found online - way out of my price range, but sexy af!

 

[RitcheyRch]

I’m a big fan of my V3 - it checks all the boxes for me. If something happened to it I’d replace it with the same. If the engine dies, it’s a small block Chevy and the parts are available everywhere, and it’s not an overly complicated engine like the German counterparts. View attachment 1291047

bad ass and enjoy

 

[HBCraig]

The reason I'm selling the Z06 is because it is hard to get in and out of, sits so low I hate to drive it off pavement and I live in the desert where there is a lot of off pavement, and lastly because it is a low miles perfect condition car which means it can only get worse over time. I'd like something that goes well but I can beat on and not worry about. The CTSV would fit that bill but sounds like the V1 gen has some problems.

Here's what I found out about them:

The rear diff housing can break because it is cast aluminum with just a single mount. There is a brace available that helps strengthen it. I will never to a burn out in the car or race it so the brace probably would suffice.

Motor mounts wear out. Pretty easy fix for that.

Radiators tend to split. DeWitts (which also make Corvette radiators) has a good replacement.

Shifter bushing wear out. Aftermarket shifters solve that and provide a more possitive shft.

Headlight and taillight lenses fade and are no longer available. No solution for that issue.

Electrical issues. Could be a problem that can not be repaired.

HVAC system issues. Same as electrical.

So it seems like kind of a crap shoot with these cars. Could get lucky and have no issues or it could be a nightmare. Too bad because I really like these cars.

KBB shows this car at $7500 to $11K price range. I'm asking $26K for my Z so he'd have to kick in a bunch of cash for me to even think about it. Probably will pass as I don't want something I have to work on (I already have plenty of those).

Thanks for all the feedback.

My rear end went out on my wife's 2019 CTS as well. Still under warranty but took 3 months

 

[sintax]

Pass on a gen 1.

Weak rear end and the interior doesn’t really hold up. Most were trashed on pretty hard.

not to mention HORRIBLE tech package

 

[Chili Palmer]

My rear end went out on my wife's 2019 CTS as well. Still under warranty but took 3 months

I was looking for a V-Sport (twin turbo V6), prior to finding my V, but those had rear end and u-joint issues. The upcharge for the V was well worth it to me.

 

[D19]

I sold Cadillacs for a while, I had a customer with a 2007 that tried to kill them randomly all the time. He was a nice guy, a cop, and after a few weeks of it still trying to kill him, he got less nice as you could expect. I went out with the service guys, and encountered the issue of the wheel suddenly jerking to the side, holy shit. We eventually solved it, it was the steering wheel position sensor having intermittent issues, stabilitrak trying to align the car to a false position of the wheel. Steering wheel would be straight, but stabilitrak would think you were in a drift and try and correct, almost killing you.

Different gen from yours, but I wonder if the same issue.

I replaced that steering wheel positioning sensor in the column. It fixed it for a few months then it came back then I sold it. I was over it. Lol

 

[D19]

I’m a big fan of my V3 - it checks all the boxes for me. If something happened to it I’d replace it with the same. If the engine dies, it’s a small block Chevy and the parts are available everywhere, and it’s not an overly complicated engine like the German counterparts. View attachment 1291047

Beautiful car

 

[DarkHorseRacing]

for those of you waiting on a Camero, isn’t GM canning the model in the next year or two?

That would suck, they are nice cars for much less than the Vette.

No idea if GM is going to release a new electric car that looks like a Camero with a different name or what.

 

[LargeOrangeFont]

for those of you waiting on a Camero, isn’t GM canning the model in the next year or two?

That would suck, they are nice cars for much less than the Vette.

No idea if GM is going to release a new electric car that looks like a Camero with a different name or what.

2024 is the last year.. and production is supposed to end pretty early in 2024.

 

[Bowtiepower00]

Camaro is done. Order banks are closed. Production was shut down early.

 

[Canuck 1]

Don't do it, that is a money pit looking for a new home