Maybe the economy has some to do with it? :confused: :confused: :confused:

 

Once the C5 came out, everyone saw the general could make a modern sports car, rather than a two seat hot rod. I happen to like my 2 seat hot rod but I do see the value in the C5.

 

As far as the bad rep, think back to before you were into Corvettes, (if there ever was a time) and think of the rumors you heard.

Especially, when I first began considering buying a Corvette, I heard about them being overpriced and unreliable. Mostly due to them being loaded with supposedly crummy unnecessary and expensive electronics that would leave you stranded or on fire in the blink of an eye.

This is what I can think of as far as bad rep. I now have no idea where the notion they are expensive came from... I guess all it takes is for an ignorant person to see an overpriced vette for sale, which there are many.

It'll be interesting to see the C6s affect on the C5 resale value when it becomes an older body style. Then, the gap should close considerable between 96-97 price tags.

 

I'd rather have the car he got rid of to get that one.

That '70 was hot Eric.

My opinion on the C4 market:

I paid $22k for my '95 3 years ago with 57,000 miles. Today I would be lucky to get $13k for it with 112,000 miles.
The car still looks brand new(well mostly), but I knew going in that this car was not an investment. The fact is they made so many C4's that the only one's that will command a higher price are th especial editions such as the Grand Sport, ZR1,the 88 35th Anniversary, any of the LT4 cars,the Malcom Conner Edition and the '95 Pace Car. There were too many '86 Pace Cars, too many Collector Editions, too many Ruby Red's, and too many '84's to make them worth anything more than a regular C4(except for any LT4 Collector's Editions).

This is just my opinion, because your car is worth what anyone is willing to pay for it.

As Voltech said, this forum likes low prices and for us that's a good thing. In the Northeast, we have so many rich people that car dealers(and everything else retail) sells for a heck of a lot more, because it means nothing for these people to pay extra because they have more money than they know what to do with.

Barrett Jackson is killing us also. Personally I would never buy a car based on what a similar one sold for at BJ.

An example: I was talking to a used car dealer on my route. His main customer base are multimillionaires who live on the ocean. They call him up(those that don't buy new cars for whatever reason) to buy a used car(usually for their kids), he sends the car over and mails them a bill. They pay it no questions asked.
He currently has a 2001 Silver C5 convertible for $42,900, well I can buy the same car in Atlantic City for $5,000 less.

He has a '69 small block convertible with an automatic and a vinyl hardtop. The car has 35,000 miles and he said if it were for sale that he would ask $39,000. I'm sorry, but that car is worth maybe $25 tops. He said a similar car just sold for $98,000 at BJ. Well that guy who bought that was an idiot, just like the guy who bought the '57 BelAir for $56,000 that had been in a fire and sold with a salvage title.

C5 prices are droppijng and right now that is killing the C4 market, but the C3 market is rising, so when the C5 used prices are tanked out and the C6 prices start dropping, the C4 will start going up, because at that time, a C3,C2 or C1 will be out of reach for 90% of the people.

You also gotta remember the old supply and demand. We have a large supply of C4's but the demand is for C5's.

 

:iagree: That makes perfect since.

 

:withstupid:

 

I have looked on autotrader.com, local car lots, local newspaper, and in NADA and I have not seen the low prices listed here that some people are claiming. (I'm sure with the current economy there are few out there)

A good magazine issue to get that has a lot of info on market of Corvettes is the Sept. 2002 issue of Corvette Fever. It has a 2002 price guide that is based off the Corvette market sales for the US. It also has the percentage of drop from 2001 to 2002. It even beaks down the models within the year and which one dropped more the other. I can tell you now that 13,000 to 15,000 would be a steal for a 1996 in average condition with avg. miles.

[B]If anybody is interested I have scanned the info (on the C4s only) from the mag and it is posted below ( Click on Picture for Larger size)[B]

Market Info



Price Guide on C4




[Modified by Corvette1996LT1, 3:45 PM 1/25/2003]

 

Mojo, I didn't have alot of money tied up in that '70, and it was time to put alot of money into it. That car was not original, had been in a couple of accidents (previous owner), and would never be an NCRS type of car, and command the type of value that the car needed to have put into it. I sold it for a fair price, and was able to pick up this '96 CE LT4 Vert for the money I made off the sale of the '70. I think any of you would have done the same.

 

i was looking thru my indiana car and rv trader and saw a 98 c5 for 20900 now that to me is cheap i paid 7500 for my 85 with 90000 miles i thought it was a good deal i got 7500 in it now too :lol:


[Modified by jparr, 9:09 AM 1/25/2003]

 

I used autotrader when I was search for my vette. I noticed that the ones that listed high would stay listed for a couple months. And the ones are listed"reasonable" would be gone quickly.

:iagree: They are normally priced in high teens or even low 20s, althoug I just found one listed for $10.9K :confused: Need to go check it out--maybe I will get my second vette alot sooner than I thouht. :D


[Modified by vette_dreamer, 10:01 AM 1/25/2003]

 

[QUOTE]You also gotta remember the old supply and demand. We have a large supply of C4's but the demand is for C5's.

Two words, Supply / Demand!

 

:yesnod:

 

:iagree: :yesnod:

 

If you're buying, it's just a gift!

Think about it, you can buy a great C4 for less than a new Harley. Even in this worst winter in memory my daughter is daily driving the 91 she bought last fall. And I as a parent don't have to worry about her becoming a vegetable from a thrill ride gone wrong. Steer your kids away from bikes and into Vettes for their own good.

Hell, it's less than the cost of an economy car. Shhhh, let's keep the secret.


[Modified by 94lt1torchred, 8:33 PM 1/25/2003]

 

2005 :cheers:

 

Up here in Canada, due to a lower availability, prices stay higher for some years. The C5's are still pricy, and C4's have not dropped as much. I have seen a 1993 for as high as $32000 CDN $that is about 20,500 US $. There were not many C4's available for sale in the paper here in Toronto over the past summer. Lots of C5's though.

I think it is a supply/demand thing. In a market like California, there are just so many cars available. When I went on business, I never saw so many Mercedes, Porsches BMW's I figure California sales keeps those car companies in business , and I am sure there are plenty of Corvettes too.

Regards,

Dan Y.

 

I think you're looking at trade in value on a C4 compared to the retail asking price of a C5...

I'm in Kalifornia (L.A. area) and I see the C5s with asking prices $10K higher like you mentioned... Now they may be asking that price but unless someone is foolish enough to pay it, the dealer is going to be holding on to it for a long time...

One thing that led me to buy my C4 when I did was the C5 coming out and dropping the C4's value by about 20% overnight... When I was shopping back in early 98, the dealers were still asking near new price on the 97 C5s and still getting it... C4s were a dime a dozen on the used car market...

And as far as trade in value... I was at a corvette specialty dealership here looking at a 96 LT4 CE (I want a 6spd) and they were asking $22K for a car with only the LT4 and Bose as options, nothing else... The CE also had 73K miles on it... They were willing to give me $15K for my 96 LT1 with all options except sport seats and only 67K miles... They also had a few other C4s on the lot that they were asking $17K+ for that weren't in nearly as good a shape as mine is... BTW, they still 2 months later have that same CE listed for $22K miles, hasn't sold yet... If I get serious again later about upgrading, I'll be selling mine privately...

Personally though, if I'm going to spend somewhere around $25K I'll look for a low mile, loaded 99 Coupe, or for around $30K max, I'll expect a new looking, fully loaded, low mile 99 Convertible...

They can ask high $ for C5s all they want, but the used car market sux right now with the still on-going 0% financing and other incentives... It's a buyer's market and a seller's nightmare...

 

:iagree:

 

Does anyone know what the production numbers are for total C-4's built vs. C-5's?
I know that over 50% of C-5's to date are lease cars. I believe the lease numbers for C-4's was about 21%.


[Modified by Magic Man, 6:04 AM 1/26/2003]

 

quote:
Does anyone know what the production numbers are for total C-4's built vs. C-5's?
I know that over 50% of C-5's to date are lease cars. I believe the lease numbers for C-4's was about 21%.

Well, I don't know the numbers on the C5 but I can tell what they were on the C4. I pulled the info from my Corvette Anthology disk. From 1984 to 1996 I'm coming up with around 360,595 C4 Corvettes. Highest production year was 1984 with 51,547. The lowest production year was 1992 with 20,479


[Modified by Corvette1996LT1, 2:11 PM 1/26/2003]