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Hello everyone, been considering trading my corvette in for something else, probably within the next year or two. No rush. I am enjoying the car but, I think I might be wanting something different. My question is about C5 pricing, I have looked at online values and private listings and am curious what cars are actually selling for. My car is in beautiful shape and has popular mods. I know mods don't often raise the value, but I feel they would be more appealing to a private party than to a dealer trade. I was wondering if anyone has an opinion on what value I should expect and whether it would be worth the hassle to private sell it over the ease and tax benefit of trading at a dealer (I would be likely buying something else at a dealer at the same time).
Details:
2003 Corvette Base Coupe
Located in CT
Clean title, no lien
~22,000 miles
Silver Exterior, Black Interior (Gray Seats)
Manual Trans
Beautiful condition, great paint, never smoked in, etc.
No mechanical issues
Factory Ride height, never lowered
Mods/Upgrades
Forgestar F14 Wheels 18/19 / Hankook Tires 265/305
C6Z Big Brake Kit, Stoptech Rotor/Pads, Goodridge Lines
C6 Z51 Sway Bars
Bilstein Shocks
Borla X-Pipe and Axle Back
Vararam Intake
MGW Shifter
Bluetooth module
C7 2LT Seats with power function
35% Tint
Rear Spoiler
Clear/Black turn signal housings
Not a great pic, but you know what a C5 looks like...
Last edited by Mazderati; May 11, 2022 at 02:13 PM.
Prices are CRAZY right now. I'd probably list it starting at $25K, but be willing to accept less. You'll almost certainly make more selling it yourself than selling to a dealer. A dealer is likely to offer you a few thousand less than what they think they can sell it for. You might be able to maximize the trade value if it helps them sell you car that they'll make a bigger profit on. Good luck with the sale. Remember, you can always list the car right here on the forum.
EDIT: It looks like you have some aftermarket lighting as well. You may want to update your mods list.
Prices are CRAZY right now. I'd probably list it starting at $25K, but be willing to accept less. You'll almost certainly make more selling it yourself than selling to a dealer. A dealer is likely to offer you a few thousand less than what they think they can sell it for. You might be able to maximize the trade value if it helps them sell you car that they'll make a bigger profit on. Good luck with the sale. Remember, you can always list the car right here on the forum.
EDIT: It looks like you have some aftermarket lighting as well. You may want to update your mods list.
Thanks for the reply, unfortunately prices on everything are high right now... I have no time pressure so I figured I would just start testing the waters early. I'm sure private party would be higher, I just don't know if it's worth dealing with all the hassle, just selling car parts gives me a headache haha. But I guess for a few k it would be worth it.
Yes, good eye, have some aftermarket turn signal lenses. Thanks.
Do you have the original parts the car? You will get the most return selling the wheels & tires, brakes and seats separately
Some but not all. I figured that would be the case but not sure if its worth the time and effort to source the parts and bring it back to stock. Something to consider though, thanks.
With the market such as it is, now is a great time to sell. Low to mid 20’s is realistic. A dealer is going to try and skin you on a trade in. First, no matter what vehicle they need a good margin, and second, a Vette is a small market and they see it as more difficult to flip than an Accord.
Some observations…You’re not likely going to remove the big brakes, so the only things I find that will affect the sale are the black wheels and the spoiler. Seems a lot of people like them and a lot don’t, so if you still have the shiny wheels it would be a plus to show those in your ad as included. The black spoiler is, to my eye (the good one, anyway…) a negative on a low mileage C5. The more you can present a 22k mile car as unmolested, the better.
The black spoiler is, to my eye a negative on a low mileage C5. The more you can present a 22k mile car as unmolested, the better.
The large black spoiler is going to hurt your resale price and limit your number of prospective buyers. It detracts from the appearance of your beautiful mint C5.imho. The Black F14's look great and are a selling point imho.
However stock is always the best.
Last edited by Mike98SilVert; May 12, 2022 at 09:44 PM.
C5 Pricing Advice
