The C5 has slowed in depreciation while the C6 is still falling because its newer. That said, you'll get a nicer C5 for 15k than a C6 for 15k. If you want a nice C6 you'll be in the 20s.

 

A C6 in the teens? That might be hard to find and when you do, it will be a beater.

 

 

If you don't mind me asking, why are you only wanting to keep one for a year or two?

 

 

im Buying in the winter, and I have expenses I can foresee in a year or so. So c6 beater or nice c5?

 

Personally I like our C5 better than our C6, yes the C6 has a bit more power but to me I like the feel of the C5 much better and it will most likely be worth the same or more a year or two now depending on what you pay now, remember you make your money buying the car not selling it.

 

Buying in winter is good; prices are lowest this time of year.

Neither a low mileage C5 or higher mileage "beater" C6 may be right for you if you are not prepared for the cost of ownership. These costs of ownership to the extent they can be predicted will vary greatly depending on the car. So first word of advice before you pull the trigger on a Corvette: best read the stickies on this forum and best to drive the cars you are considering, have it checked out by someone who knows them and buy the car- not the window sticker on the car. An accident free, high mileage C6 (or C5 for that matter) with new tires, and a documented and up to date service history might actually turn out to be a far better purchase for you than the low mileage C5 sitting right next to it.

Your "teens" price point might be a bit optimistic. Depending on your market, a 2001 or newer C5, 6M convertible is very likely to bring a premium over an automatic coupe, and if equipped with the Z51 suspension that can also bring a premium, such that you would be looking at a car in the upper teens around my neck of the woods (if you can find one). Higher miles or a reported accident, more like the mid-teens. On the other hand the news on the C5 depreciation front (again in my area) is good. Prices seem fairly close to what they were this time last year when I was Corvette shopping and bought.

No matter what Corvette you are looking at, be it a low mileage C5 or higher mileage C6 if it will need anything in the nature of routine upkeep during your two years of ownership (as many of these cars do at time of sale) unless you do the work yourself, you could easily be out an additional $2,000. Should you get a convertible and it need a new top, those are pricey and should it be a 6M and need the clutch replaced, that too is very pricey.

Personally, I'm of the view that these cars are best considered adopted, rather than bought and sold.

 

 

 

Get the stick shift bro. You said you wanted a stick... don't settle for paddle shift.
I just bought a c5 and I was in the same boat as you. I coulda bought a c6. but heres why I bought the c5...
In two years, you're not gonna lose as much on a c5 as you would on a c6.
Also the c5 is a more raw feeling. Theres a road... here in Mexico... where I may have gotten to 120 in a c6 and didn't even realize it. in my c5, I drive that same road and since it feels a lot more visceral, its scary to take that road at even 110.
The only thing I wish I had was the c6 steering. other than that c5 no regrets! good luck!

 

I was always a "muscle bike" guy, until I broke my leg at work a few years back and decided riding probably wasn’t a good idea anymore. I was laid up, mostly in a cast, for the best part of 8 months. Anyway, had lots of time, with no real deadline, to find the right replacement for the bikes. Looked at everything, Camaros, rustangs, even older exotics ... started looking at Corvettes. I love chrome bumper C3’s, but nice ones were out of my budget and I planned on playing golf again one day so no room for clubs in a C3, not with a passenger anyway. My budget was 15 - 25,000, depending what turned up. Looked at several C5’s and a few C6’s. The C6’s I looked at were all near the top of my budget and were not perfect by any means. I estimated that the best C6 I saw, which was just over my budget would have required a couple thousand in work to meet my minimum standards, headlight lenses, paint correction, and really good detailing. The C5’s I looked at were all over the place in price and condition. Ended up buying a 2000 Base Coupe, M6, LT headers, high flow cats, Magnaflow cat back, and CAI. Essentially perfect paint and interior and other than the exhaust and cai, unmolested. It was $21,000 CDN, about $16,000 USD. Since buying it, I’ve really had no problems but this year I’ve noticed some weather seal deterioration on the exterior of the windshield and the halo. I expect to put close to $1000 into it this year to replace some weather seals. I guess my point is, I think it’s more important to find the best car in your budget rather than fixate on one model or the other. And I agree with some of the other posts about going manual, I really don’t think an auto would have satisfied my inner child the way a manual does.

 

If you're only keeping it a couple of years then get the cheapest thing you can find that is decent.

 

Well this is an investment nightmare of a question.

What happens if you break something major in that year? You gonna sell for a massive loss and not be able to cover your other expenses?

 

I bought a C5 Z06 a couple years ago for 16.5k with 87k miles. My dad bought a 2005 C6 3lt with magnetic suspension, fully adjustable heated seats, nav, and all the bells and whistles for 16k and 75k miles this year. Mine is the hot rod and his is the comfortable quiet old man Corvette. Both cars are in great shape and were bought from older guys that drove them to work and road trips and babied them.

Good deals are out there, just have to look for them. My dad prefers his and I prefer mine.

 

The only C5 to get if you're worried about depreciation would be something with FRC (fixed roof coupe). Of course you can go with 50th anniversary/commemorative edition/pace car/etc. but that's a lot of $$$.

 

Keep in mind manual transmission production in C5 production that is not a Z06 or 99-00 FRC C5 (which both were all manual) is VERY low. It's because both the market of the car and the other is that a manual transmission in a C5 is actually an option in that you originally paid for it over the four speed automatic. The ratio varies depending on year but it's roughly in the neighborhood of a fourth of total production being a manual transmission. It means that manuals can - and honestly should - bring a premium over a similarly equipped automatic car.

I agree with what someone posted above. You can't really get any lower than what C5s are currently at and it's for sure a very good buyers' market. C6s will still have a little bit to fall.

The absolute cheapest I have ever seen an C6 sell for is $12K and it was here on the forum. Was a high mileage car that the owner was selling here because that's what they were offered on trade in. Was an automatic though but all C6s 2006 and onwards have the paddle shift (2005 C6s are effectively "C5.5s" in that they have a lot of carry-over C5 parts on them).

 

I look at C5s for sale on at least a weekly basis and there are quite a few nice ones available right now. You gotta be willing to travel to get one. Prices are lower right now because of the time of year. I use autotrader, cars.com, cargurus.com, and craigslist for my searches...