I’ve noticed over the past couple of years our supposed “little brother and cousin ” have far surpassed the average base model C4 in value a car that cost more than DOUBLE new are now worth more than HALF I.E. a 1988 Camaro IROC that cost $18k new are going for roughly the same price today with low miles compared to an 88 corvette with similar mileage that cost $36k new now costs around $9k...the 4th gen 93-96 Camaros aren’t as valuable but they’re right up there with the 93-96 base and LT4 Vette’s if not a little more..

My theory is older buyers generally bought Corvette mainly because of the afford it factor and took/take better care of their car those those that bought the F-bodies also the Corvettes fiberglass body is its own “Achilles heel” for long term value/appreciation as there are more of them on the road compared to its steel bodied little brother and cousin which rust and much more commonly get scrapped

What do you think?

There are 632 C4 corvettes for sale at the moment on autotrader.com compared to 218 V8 Camaro/Firebird and production numbers when new favor the F-bodies

 

Really comes down to people want what they want. I believe a lot of your theory about scarcity is correct. Other factors could be the Corvette appeals to a very specific buyer whereas the Camaro/TA has a broader appeal IMO. Basically looking at the same engine, TTops, ease of getting in/out, and a backseat. Also, the Camaro/TA generations don't really have to compete against one another like a C4, C5, and C6 and so on. The continued evolution of the Vette has a negative impact on the value of the preceding generation (excluding C1,C2, and some C3's). If I was simply purchasing a Corvette for the Vette experience a C4 wouldn't even be on my radar.

 

I suspect that more kids related to or had access to the Camaro and Firebird etc. back in high school and into their 20s. Now the same person is getting to the point in life where they can get another one as the kids are grown up etc. I know when I got out of college I could afford a new Firebird but not a Corvette but the Corvette is so much more car for the money now that unless you need the back seat I would go for the Corvette.

As has been already mentioned I also think the average Camaro, Firebird etc had a much harder life than the average Corvette so less nice ones available now which raises the value on the few really nice examples available at any given time. I cannot remember the last time a saw a Firebird like the one I bought new so just does not seem like there are very many around any more and the few I have seen over the years have been pretty rough.

 

Berlinettas were for chicks back when they were new. No man would be caught dead in one. lol
Most vette buyers are stuck on these cars and know about them. If they arent kept up right they dont bring any money..Camaros were way more popular among age groupel

 

95 Z28, 50,000 miles, new tires - $8k https://minneapolis.craigslist.org/d...854474121.html

 

Havent looked in a while but generally there around a dozen low mileage real clean original c4s for sale nation wide, and there is usually zero low mileage clean original camaros, not many exist.

 

and that’s pretty much what a 95 Corvette with the same mileage is worth today a car that cost double new like I said the 4th gen cars aren’t worth near as much as the third gens today I sold an 89 IROC almost 2 years ago for $16k today I could probably get $20k for it that’s more than what most 5th gen Camaros go for now...

 

and hence the appreciation

 

$8k for a clean 94 Corvette with 50,000 miles. Hardly .... Not in my area, more like at least $10k to $12k.

 

It's basic supply and demand..more C4 Corvettes are available thus their lower prices.

 

IMHO if you are selling your c4, for pennies,
you are a jerk because you are screwing the people who really need go sell (ie. Moving overseas for example).

let the car sit . All these developers keep building these space constrained houses /townhomes on 1/4 acre lots or less and theres no room to store anything anymore

 

I think it is psychological.. When I drove and F Body and a Mustang, I was into "Muscle Cars" and I never considered the Vette to be one. At all.

They were some high end sports car that was designed for slalom or something, and not ripping up roads 1/4 mile at a time and basically doing the kind of driving I was used to. Look at the puny little upper control arms? They're a joke! And the frame.. And it's all just too light and spindly.. And all of it. It's just not a hot rod!

And the parts are expensive and they're not featured in the magazines (<- A major factor, imo) and you don't see them modded and nobody I know has one, and everyone who does is old, but everybody has an F Body and a Mustang because they're the real "Muscle Cars" and the Vette is for snoots and snobs in a mid life crisis and trying to show off and be cool, and not real people and, and, and, and.. And then I bought one, and now I have no interest in third gen F Body anything, and the last time I drove a Mustang I hated it. It's too small. It rides like crap and handles like crap. I can't believe I ever owned one.

And I have met a lot of people who think this way.. So, I think it is a mindset and a stereotype attached to the Vette, and the C4 particularly because of their vintage, and I think it affects their resale value as a direct result.

And any time you feel bad about the resale value, check out what Harleys are going for. It's amazing. I have been kind of tentatively looking around for an older pan or shovel project bike and, they've just taken a sale price nose dive right off a cliff. It is incredible what you can get for 5K now.

Keep expecting to see a bin full of Harleys at the Dollar Store, while C4 prices seem to be up somewhat where I am VS previous years?

 

Just a note it’s not just C4’s the 97-02 V8 Camaros and Firebirds have equaled or exceeded a same year/mileage corvette especially the SS/Ws6/Firehawk cars especially the 2002’s. Will there be a time when a base model 2001/2002 Z28 is worth more than a similar Z06? Probably the Special edition cars are there now last year I sold my 2002 WS6 Coupe for my 2002 C5 Coupe similar mileage/condition for $3500 more than I paid for my C5 and there’s no question the C5 is the better all around car(loved the WS6 looks though)

 

What’s really crazy is the value of a clean low miles 90 IROC a car that cost around $20k new compared to the 90 ZR1 a car that was over $65k and some paid $100k if you can find one the IROC has eclipsed it

 

C4= Plastic, aluminum, and so far in most case proven that the frames hold up WAY better than ALL previous vehicles. Same+ more performance than an firebird, camro, etc, and great platform to start with over even a modified camaro etc for handling.

IMO a 90+ vette is 2x the car a camaro, firebird, trans-am, mustang etc are from the year years.

All those other cars are high school cars and beaters that have been through OVER AND OVER. IMO nothing special or different about a car with seats, that will rot away every ten years.

At the risk of sounding very snobby and people taking this the wrong way.... In my observation a person that attains a corvette is a goal oriented person, a person that buys those other cars just want a fun car. A motivated goal oriented person will tend to continue to want to grow and move on and up. Many vette owners sell to buy newer vettes as they learn about them and can afford them. possibly says something about intelligence?

 

Corvette owners always think anything not the newest gen is shot that has no value. They get on here and say EVERY car isnt perfecg and needs 5k into it and so is worth a dollar and a used piece of chewing gum. Part of it is that people are sort of ******** about it, if you have a c4 itd a pos and not as good as a c6 and why would you own a c4 and blah blah blah. Camaro owners tend to be a bit more accepting bunch, and despite the fact that a 3rd gen or 4th gen is really a **** car overall, they can still see it's a fun good car.

The other thing is as other pointed out, a lot more c4 survived. The bodies didnt rust out, a lot of owners took good care of them, you see fewer in junkyards or tore up.

The real ironic part is the c4 is twice the car a 4th gen is, a d 5, the car a 3rd gen is.

 

Used to feel the same way as confab, driving those 5.0s and Irocs when they were new.
Old guys and coke dealers drove C4s, had 0 interest at the time. Still like them all but most are hacked/neglected so bad even low miles doesnt always mean much
Diz sellers dont dicatate selling price unfortunately. Think we all start high but if noones biting the price has to drop til it sells..

The snobbery in the crowd sometimes keeps me from buying another to a point. Never had a negative comment driving old iron..both C4s all the time. From "vette guys"....too old, incorrect all that bs. who cares, keep making that lease payment!

 

In 1988 I bought myself a Fox body Mustang hatchback 5.0 5 speed manual as a daily driver. Never thought about even looking at a Corvette because they were about twice the $14,000 I paid for the nicely equipped Mustang. I held on to that car when I retired it from being a daily because it was such a fun car. Had it until 2009 when someone hit while parked , totaling it, Keep in mind back then it would easily keep up with a C4.

Fade away to today, It is much easier to find a C4 than a late model Fox body 5.0 Mustang in reasonable condition. That is why I bought the C4. When my Mustang was totaled it had 213,000 miles and looked and ran great because I kept it that way. I'd never be able to find a similar Fox hatchback to match the one I had.

 

I disagree- I have my 94 Vette and a 2002 SS SE. The SS is much faster (at least in a straight line, maybe in the curves also), Also doesn't have the creaky interior of the Corvette.

They are different cars with a different driving characteristics.

 

Great Av!