When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
C6 Corvette ZR1 & Z06General info about GM’s Corvette Supercar, LS9 Corvette Technical Info, Performance Upgrades, Suspension Setup for Street or Track
Well I just finished reading a thread from 2011 discussing the depreciation of Vettes. In that thread it was said how quickly base models have depreciated. The conversation quickly switched to C6 Z's.
There it was discussed how quickly a 2006 $70K+ car depreciated down to $40K. Now, 4 years later, a cherry 2006 Z is still getting north of $40K. So the question is, has the price of used Z's stabilized? Will a $40K Z continue to hold it's value as long is it remains stock and in top shape? Say thank you to the fugly a$$ end of the C7 for helping to keep your value up.
Well I just finished reading a thread from 2011 discussing the depreciation of Vettes. In that thread it was said how quickly base models have depreciated. The conversation quickly switched to C6 Z's.
There it was discussed how quickly a 2006 $70K+ car depreciated down to $40K. Now, 4 years later, a cherry 2006 Z is still getting north of $40K. So the question is, has the price of used Z's stabilized? Will a $40K Z continue to hold it's value as long is it remains stock and in top shape? Say thank you to the fugly a$$ end of the C7 for helping to keep your value up.
Tough question, with a lot of opinions and perspectives...mine is that a low mile, and I mean really low mile original Z06 will bring more money and hold its value better...any corvette will. The debate is where is the bottom, heck a 1980 180hp corvette with low miles in original condition will bring more than it sold for new now, but its 35 years old. I own a 2011 Z07, in 2046 I would be 93, it wont really matter to me by then.
I have been watching Corvette pricing for 41 years and the typical cycle is they depreciate the first 10-15 years and then, if they are original and low miles they begin to stabilize and begin a slow move upward. Problem is, its a long road, if you like something buy it, its not an investment unless you are in your 20's, maybe 30's and its a long wait...my 2 cents.
Content dictates value. What else can you buy with all the exotic hardware our Z's have for that kind of money? Not to mention power to weight, aerodynamics, performance, etc! And every year there are less of them, and definitely less nice ones!
I think your dead wrong about the "fugly" C7 *** end keeping your value UP...that definitely has everything to do with why the values are down. Many people bailed out of C6's to buy C7's and flooded the market with them. Values are headed down, and will continue to go down by all indications. A well kept, lower mile, stock car will certainly retain the most value possible, but the car is far from bottomed at 40k.
You have a plethora of examples of people, reviews online, side by side tests showing that a C7 Z51 vs a C6Z is a real decision...as was the C6Z51 and C5Z...nothing has changed. Z51's are close to breaking into the 40's. When you have guys with 40k to spend...a z51 being that close says their money goes to a used C7, not a C6Z. C6Z's are going well into the thirties, and I'm betting by the end of 2016 you'll start seeing higher mile cars in the 20's...I've already seen several cars under 100k go for 31k-33k.
The LS7 head issues that are revealing themselves more and more are also impacting resale, that's a fact also. No one wants to replace an LS7.
To those who do not know about the head issue then a "stock" Z will be desirable. To those who know about the issue a car with a "head" fix by a reputable shop would be more desirable. IMO
High 40's for a C7 Z51(I have not seen any this cheap myself and I am in the car business) or mid 30's for a C6Z I still go for the Z. Not to mention the issues with the C7 and direct injection. How will those cars run with coked up valves and 40-50k miles... Time will tell.
I paid 34k for my car, one owner, heads/valves replaced under GM warranty, mint condition 55k miles silver 2lz package. it took a lot of shopping, as there are a few cars in the low 30's-high 20's but most of them had high miles, or were a little rough around the edges. Also, they "needed" the vavle guides checked.
I predict c6z's will bottom out in the mid-high 20's. There will always be a newer/better/faster vette coming out...
I think your dead wrong about the "fugly" C7 *** end keeping your value UP...that definitely has everything to do with why the values are down. Many people bailed out of C6's to buy C7's and flooded the market with them. Values are headed down, and will continue to go down by all indications. A well kept, lower mile, stock car will certainly retain the most value possible, but the car is far from bottomed at 40k.
You have a plethora of examples of people, reviews online, side by side tests showing that a C7 Z51 vs a C6Z is a real decision...as was the C6Z51 and C5Z...nothing has changed. Z51's are close to breaking into the 40's. When you have guys with 40k to spend...a z51 being that close says their money goes to a used C7, not a C6Z. C6Z's are going well into the thirties, and I'm betting by the end of 2016 you'll start seeing higher mile cars in the 20's...I've already seen several cars under 100k go for 31k-33k.
The LS7 head issues that are revealing themselves more and more are also impacting resale, that's a fact also. No one wants to replace an LS7.
Pretty much. Also look you are seeing c5s for less than 10k now and c5z less than 15k..
Every new model coming out is just dragging down the price of the old ones.
I paid 34k for my car, one owner, heads/valves replaced under GM warranty, mint condition 55k miles silver 2lz package. it took a lot of shopping, as there are a few cars in the low 30's-high 20's but most of them had high miles, or were a little rough around the edges. Also, they "needed" the vavle guides checked.
I predict c6z's will bottom out in the mid-high 20's. There will always be a newer/better/faster vette coming out...
I hope you're right. Amazing car for that $$. At that price I will look carefully for nice ones and buy 2 or 3 more. I personally think a well kept low mileage Z will be worth $$ and be cool to own.
I look at prices for the late 70's cars like the 37 year old 78 Trans Am for instance and have to think C6Z's will see the same type of appreciation some time from now.
Well I'm sure there will be higher HP Vettes down the road, I doubt you will ever see anything again labled "427". I think we have seen the last of the high displacement NA engines gone the way of the DoDo.
What do you think a in tact DoDo bird would fetch these days?
I think the c6 z's will stabilize at 32 to 45k. Depending on year condition mileage.
I bought mine new sticker 80k. Picked it up with 17 miles for 60k. It's a 2009 bought in fall of 2009. I have been going back and forth on the c7 z. I can easily afford it but it just doesn't appeal to me like me c6 z did when I first saw it and still does.
If you get hung up on depreciation check out how much a BMW m5 from 2009 has depreciated. And BMW wouldn't discount much on those.
Corvettes aren't so bad.
C6z prices are dropping fast. I just traded mine in on a c7z and lost 10k in 3 years. Going to drop another 10k next 3 years. C4 zr1 guys thought their cars were special and wouldn't loose value either. Look at the prices of those. My c7z is going to loose a ton in value over the next ten years. I'm going to enjoy the car and not care about it. If you can't afford to loose the money buy a mid year corvette or put your money in a 401k.
Pretty much. Also look you are seeing c5s for less than 10k now and c5z less than 15k..
Every new model coming out is just dragging down the price of the old ones.
Interestingly, if you look at several indicators C5Z's have risen in value over the past three years. Inevitably though, you are also seeing some cars with over 100k that are pulling low dollars.
I think in the future C5Z and C6Z will be incredible buys. The C5Z has been an incredible buy for several years, and the C6Z is going to perch right in there with it. Don't mope about it...these are great cars...it's not about the money or the value, it's about the performance and ability.
I think C5Z's and C6Z's are going to have their place long term. C6Z and C5Z marked the end of respective era's with end of the NA big cube motor and end of a design era with C5Z (flip up lights, traditional Corvette design that lasted decades). Too many people sweat value with Corvettes. Nice cars will stabilize but trickle down more slowly, high mile cars will continue to decline at traditional rates....simple. I think C5's are going to bottom at 10k-14k unless you have mileage or title issues. I never really see a C6Z going into the teens either...just mostly because of the LS7. But C5Z for 15k and C6Z stabilizing at 25k...biggest bang for your money on the planet.
i picked up my 08Z for 19k and it was bone stock.. high mileage but wonderfully kept. clean title and one previous owner. After 6 months im still grinning ear to ear. I get to enjoy the heck out of it without worrying about depreciation and other than the odometer it still looks and performs like a 40k one.
Most people want their car to be worth as much as possible when they decide to sell or trade and I am no different.
I have been a Corvette owner for most of the last 37 years and truly love the brand. However GM has disappointed me with their handling or lack of regarding the LS-7 although most large corporations deal with their customers in the same way. Its a bean counter thing---IMO.
My 09 Cyber/Grey 3LZ Z06 has been my favorite of all I have owned and while I like the new C7 Z and someday may own one for now I will be happy with what I have.
If I could drive mine more I would, mileage and trade in concerns are not very important when weighed against the fun factor of driving.
I paid 34k for my car, one owner, heads/valves replaced under GM warranty, mint condition 55k miles silver 2lz package. it took a lot of shopping, as there are a few cars in the low 30's-high 20's but most of them had high miles, or were a little rough around the edges. Also, they "needed" the vavle guides checked.
I predict c6z's will bottom out in the mid-high 20's. There will always be a newer/better/faster vette coming out...
I think I remember the car you're talking about. From Newport beach right? Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe just because the heads were replaced with a new set of GM heads, doesn't mean that the valve guide issue was fixed. It requires machining of the heads and guide replacement.
08-14-2015, 07:11 PM
C6 Z's and depreciation
