How much is it worth
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6th Gear
Joined: Oct 2017
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How much is it worth
I have a 1997 c5 that is brand new it has 77 miles on it window Sticker seats still in plastic the whole 9 yards it was bought by my boss for his father as a gift at auction his problem is once he starts to drive it it' a 97 vette his thought was to sell it and buy one that has 30 or 40k on it
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2015
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From: Rocky Mountains
I know a sub 100 mile 04 Z06 recently sold for about 47k at auction.
But a '97 won't have that level of value. Hard to say exactly, but I'd guess maybe around 20-25k to the right buyer. What color and options does it have ?
But a '97 won't have that level of value. Hard to say exactly, but I'd guess maybe around 20-25k to the right buyer. What color and options does it have ?
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2013
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From: Shell Point (Crawfordville) Florida
Don't forget the extra expense over the cost of the car to replace the tires (no matter how good they look they are 21 years old and are not safe), and probably all the belts and hoses as that rubber is also 21 years old, and a new battery. Has it been run in all that time, does anyone know how it was stored, or just left in a garage? That still could be quite a find but not worth that much, 20-25K, IMO. I would be down more like 15K or less, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and someone may be willing to go that high if they think an unused and possibly neglected 21 y.o. car is a great buy.
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6th Gear
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The car is black loaded he was asking me and not sure if I would drive it or sell it I would hate to ruin it but at the same time merry Christmas here a vette now don' drive it lol not well thought out (my opinion)
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2015
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From: Rocky Mountains
Driving it won't ruin it. But it will lose "collector" value. If he drove it for a few years and tried to sell if with 10k+ miles, the value will drop considerably. But if he wants a C5 anways, it sounds like a nice car, but it will need some maintenance. Change all the fluids, belts, and hoses, replace the tires and battery.
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6th Gear
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Apparently the guy had one from every year he had one sell for 350k he claims he had a full time mechanic start the cars weekly bring them up to temp changed fluids every year move them around etc but still it' been sitting for 20 years I would be careful but I agree it would loose it's value
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Drifting
Joined: Jun 2013
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From: Shell Point (Crawfordville) Florida
Maybe it's just me but if you are not a serious collector with extra money to burn, why would you buy that to hide it away in a garage and not drive it? And he pays a full-time mechanic to work on them and keep them in shape? So he can just look at them? When you get over the cost of the car, the storage, the insurance, the maintenance and the mechanic, you have to sell it for a genormous amount of money just to break even financially. I'm very glad someone can afford to do that, but it would drive me crazy to walk into the garage every day.
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Maybe it's just me but if you are not a serious collector with extra money to burn, why would you buy that to hide it away in a garage and not drive it? And he pays a full-time mechanic to work on them and keep them in shape? So he can just look at them? When you get over the cost of the car, the storage, the insurance, the maintenance and the mechanic, you have to sell it for a genormous amount of money just to break even financially. I'm very glad someone can afford to do that, but it would drive me crazy to walk into the garage every day.
having said that they, my 2000 is a bit of a Garage Queen, not because I don’t want to drive her but time is a factor. Consequently, I only have 10K on the odo. Never sell her though! Those 10K miles have been some of the most driving fun I’ve ever enjoyed....
Pro
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From: Carol Stream (Chicago suburbs) IL
I have a 1997 c5 that is brand new it has 77 miles on it window Sticker seats still in plastic the whole 9 yards it was bought by my boss for his father as a gift at auction his problem is once he starts to drive it it' a 97 vette his thought was to sell it and buy one that has 30 or 40k on it
Because of the "time capsule" condition of the car you describe, an auction format would be the only way to get the true value of this car- put a reserve on it and hope for a profit. That's what I would do if it were my car. Curious, if you know, how much was paid for the car at auction? Be great if you could share some photos!
Last edited by wdcraig; Feb 12, 2018 at 07:54 PM.
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6th Gear
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I will take pics tomorrow it's at our shop but good point on the balancer didn' think of that one I will also find out the price he just bought it before Christmas at the mecum I think it was in Schaumburg il
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I'd say he did OK on the buy.
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