If you've found this page, Congratulations! Our purpose is to provide a quick useful guide to information that will assist you in buying, owning and most of all enjoying the Chervolet Corvette C5 cars. All Corvettes have their fans and each model year has its pluses and minuses. They are all great cars. I found the C5s most closely matched what I was looking for in a sports car; styling, american V8 sound and performance, interior and storage space, wide aftermarket and enthusiast support, and it's an American Classic with real sports car history and heritage.
Corvette Terminology First you'll need to understand a little Corvette terminology. Cx refers to the model range/body style for Corvettes. Corvette Cxs are as follows: C1= 1953 - 1962 C2= 1963-1967 (Also, sometimes referred to as the midyear corvettes.) C3=1968-1982 C4=1984-1996 (Note: there were no 1983 cars. O.K. one in the National Corvette Museum, but that's another story.) C5=1997-2004 C6=2005-current(2008) Regarding C5s: FRC=Fixed Roof Coupe Roadster=Convertible Coupe= the glass hatchback with the removable Targa style top (Note: these removable tops were available in body color or transparent, dark blue tinted type.) RPO=Regular Production Order. These are 3 charcter alpha numeric codes for vehicle options. For C5s they are printed on a label on the inside of the glove box door. For the buyer these RPO numbers can be a gereat source of information. For example, G92= the performance axle ratio, 3.15:1. The following link is a great souce of C5 (and other Cxs) RPO and Production quantity information, shown is info for 2004 models: http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/specs/c5/2004/2004prod.html
Z06= the higher performance Corvette, more HP, stiffer suspension, wider tires & wheels, all C5 Z06s are manual transmission 6 speeds. Z51=This is a suspension option that provides stiffer springs and shocks. In terms of stiffness it is between the base suspension and the Z06 suspension. Z15=This is the RPO for the 2004 Le Mans Commomerative edition. It was available in the Coupe, Roadster and Z06. (Hey, look we're using Corvette terminology already) LS1=5.7 liter, 350 cubic inch (technically 346 ci), horsepower and torque varies per year and transmission noted below. (345 HP 1997-2000, 350 HP 2001-2004) LS6=This is the C5 Z06 Corvette engine, 5 .7 liter, 350 cubic inch (technically 346 ci), horsepower and torque varies per year noted below. (385 HP 2001, 405 HP 2002-2004) DIC= Driver Information Center, an alpha numeric display in the instrument panel below the speedometer and tach. It displays and allows owner selection of a wide range of vehicle information, oil pressure, oil temperature, volts, tire pressures, etc. Photo of DIC below:
HUD=Heads Up Display, a visual projection of vehicle information; tach, speed, etc that is projected up from the dash to the windshield where it is seen by the driver. The viewing angle can be changed to suit various height drivers and it can also be turned off. (Personally, I didn't expect to use this feature but I found when I turned it off I missed it and I now leave it on all the time.) Photo of HUD below:
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