I just bought this 1999 Coupe and the seller showed me a clean car fax. After I paid him cash and got home I realized the carfax was for another 1999 corvette, not the one I bought. Today I found out there are no airbags in place so I need some replacements. Anyone have both that they want to sell? Does the dash have to be removed in order to install the replacement bags?
Thanks,
Ted
tls1@att.net

I am pretty sure I'd take that car right back to the seller and get my money refunded. It sounds like fraud to me!

Sorry to hear about that. Have you contacted your district attorney or consumer affairs department about this? In some areas selling a car without airbags is illegal. I'd spend more time on this than trying to fix the car.

You'll probably need a lot more than airbags. IIRC, in your previous post it showed a code for the SDM. That will probably need to be replaced and then programed by a dealer to work properly. And do you know if the crash sensors were replaced? I would doubt it. Impact bars, absorbers...? There is a lot that needs to be checked out to make sure the car is safe.

Also, if you are going to DIY, do you have a set of service manuals? The airbags are explosive. They need to be handled and installed properly to avoid injury.

Good luck with everything.

I'm thinking the same. Plus, I'd check with the DA and show them the Carfax.

I called the DA and was told it was a civil matter. I called DMV and now find out it has a salvage title not the clean title that he gave me. DMV essentially said "dummy". The seller now has disconnected his phone. I am having my local Chevy dealer repair what needs to be done so it is safe to drive. All these parts are expensive!

I'd dust off my lawyer and sue the guy for fraud! The salvage title will make the car really hard to sell ever. Also since you really don't know what damage was done, I'd be worried about how good of job the repair was! If it was a flood car for instance it'll have electrical problems from now on. I certainly wouldn't take this lightly.

Jrose is right. You should consider getting the car inspected, or at least up on a lift and give it a good going over. No telling what lurks in the history of the vehicle.

what a nightmare

Yep file a civil suit. See if you can find out what happened to the C5. You can restore it to it's capability and hold on to it if need be and still be very happy. The C5 is a great Corvette and there are many in service so getting parts used isnt a problem. Most anything can be fixed so you can enjoy the Corvette. It just might be hard to sell. Best of Luck

I would think that providing a fraudulent title is a criminal offense. I'd press the DA for more help. And then an attorney. But, if the guy vanished, you may be out of luck. As long as you plan to keep and drive the car for a while, it may be worth fixing.

Thanks for all the input. The seller has vanished but I was able to contact the orginal owner who gave me pictures of the accident. He hit a 2" pole along side of the road that set off the airbags and damaged the front bumper but no damage to the frame or suspension. The owner drove it home from the accident. My local Chevy dealer did an inspection and detailed everything that needed to be done. I got new airbags and was going to have them installed when a friend saw the car and fell in love with it in as is condition so I sold it. The next day I found a 45K mile 1998 with Corsa Cat back and am happy again. ;-)

I'm just curious, Ted, but did you have any indication on the dash that something was wrong with the airbags? If not, what was done to fool the system?

Glad to hear things worked out Ted.

The blown airbags were glued back into position so well that to the casual observer (me) it was not apparent. Now I find that the airbags from a 1998 I bought on EBay are not compatable with the 1999 so have to go buy another pair for the new owner. I want it to be right and safe.