Did I pick the wrong car?
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 257
Likes: 75
Did I pick the wrong car?
I never expected my '99 to be a collector's item, but in the post-Covid era, it seems the value is slipping despite meticulous maintenance and improvements. I was browsing through several sites today, and it appears the F-body Trans Am is averaging $25K for a low mileage WS6. Are we in an age where the C5 is going to be less desirable? The '99 30th anniversary TA is pulling northward of $50K!
I've only owned my convertible for 5 years now, but I am wondering if putting more money into it at this point will never produce an ROI?
The C5 top sale in this site is obviously an outlier.
https://www.classic.com/m/chevrolet/corvette/c5/
But the TA is making considerable gains and looking to overtake the C5 here:
https://www.classic.com/m/pontiac/fi...-gen/trans-am/
What are your thoughts?
I've only owned my convertible for 5 years now, but I am wondering if putting more money into it at this point will never produce an ROI?
The C5 top sale in this site is obviously an outlier.
https://www.classic.com/m/chevrolet/corvette/c5/
But the TA is making considerable gains and looking to overtake the C5 here:
https://www.classic.com/m/pontiac/fi...-gen/trans-am/
What are your thoughts?
Last edited by dainon; Nov 22, 2022 at 09:40 AM.
Popular Reply
Nov 22, 2022, 05:21 AM
Running Guns & Moonshine
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 12,671
Likes: 7,303
From: CT
This is not a house, a rifle, or the S&P500.
Cars depreciate. Only exotics or rare cars command premiums after they have exited the social lexicon.
Corvettes are as common as buttholes and the C5 was the most produced Corvette perhaps ever.
Drive it. Enjoy the ease and affordability of maintenence. But please if you think of ROI at any time related to a car which is not an exotic or a truly desirable collector car then please sell it and go find one of those to place on a pretend pedestal.
Cars depreciate. Only exotics or rare cars command premiums after they have exited the social lexicon.
Corvettes are as common as buttholes and the C5 was the most produced Corvette perhaps ever.
Drive it. Enjoy the ease and affordability of maintenence. But please if you think of ROI at any time related to a car which is not an exotic or a truly desirable collector car then please sell it and go find one of those to place on a pretend pedestal.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2021
Posts: 6,513
Likes: 4,360
From: Florida
2025 Corvette of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2024 C5 of the Year Winner- Unmodified
2022 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Hmmm. I never thought of the C5 as investment opportunity. Still, it seems to have maxed out depreciation and has recently grown in value.
I’ve owned several iterations of the Corvette, including a C1, but just thought of them as cool cars I could modify. Who knew?
I’ve owned several iterations of the Corvette, including a C1, but just thought of them as cool cars I could modify. Who knew?
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 13,598
Likes: 1,353
From: Home of the VOLS ! Knoxville, TN. Tennessee
St. Jude Donor '11-'12-'13, '15, '16-'17-'18-'19
Can't look up Vette prices now. They are skewed. This is what is called an off-season time for Corvettes. Values this time of year are not ideal if you're a seller.
I don't believe the C5 will ever reach a collector's status although Z06s are doing pretty well now. The WS6 would not have either if they kept making them.
I don't believe the C5 will ever reach a collector's status although Z06s are doing pretty well now. The WS6 would not have either if they kept making them.
Running Guns & Moonshine
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 12,671
Likes: 7,303
From: CT
This is not a house, a rifle, or the S&P500.
Cars depreciate. Only exotics or rare cars command premiums after they have exited the social lexicon.
Corvettes are as common as buttholes and the C5 was the most produced Corvette perhaps ever.
Drive it. Enjoy the ease and affordability of maintenence. But please if you think of ROI at any time related to a car which is not an exotic or a truly desirable collector car then please sell it and go find one of those to place on a pretend pedestal.
Cars depreciate. Only exotics or rare cars command premiums after they have exited the social lexicon.
Corvettes are as common as buttholes and the C5 was the most produced Corvette perhaps ever.
Drive it. Enjoy the ease and affordability of maintenence. But please if you think of ROI at any time related to a car which is not an exotic or a truly desirable collector car then please sell it and go find one of those to place on a pretend pedestal.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 7,310
Likes: 469
From: Texas Where God intended me to be.
2023 Corvette of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2022 C5 of the Year Winner - Unmodified
Cruise-In X Veteran
St. Jude Donor '08 thru '11,'22 thru '26
Oh the horror. I can't believe a 2000 10K vette isn't worth 50K. 
because there are people out there asking that for them. I picked up the 2001 Vert with 35K on it for 22K a few months back. I thought the price was right as she was a garage Queen. Not any more, drove it to work in the rain this morning.
because there are people out there asking that for them. I picked up the 2001 Vert with 35K on it for 22K a few months back. I thought the price was right as she was a garage Queen. Not any more, drove it to work in the rain this morning.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 7,818
Likes: 2,267
From: Brighton MI
I watch the Corvette market pretty regularly. Prices have been trending down since early summer...that trend has accelerated this fall, probably due to seasonality on top of the overall market heading down for used cars.
We all love to see the cars we own appreciate in value, which they did for a couple of years. But that was an aberration in the market. That is over now. Prices will probably get a seasonality bump in the Spring. Otherwise, most C5's will continue to depreciate, albeit fairly slowly at this point in their lifecycle.
Just enjoy your car and don't worry about if you made a grand or lost a grand.
Just my two cents...
YMMV.
We all love to see the cars we own appreciate in value, which they did for a couple of years. But that was an aberration in the market. That is over now. Prices will probably get a seasonality bump in the Spring. Otherwise, most C5's will continue to depreciate, albeit fairly slowly at this point in their lifecycle.
Just enjoy your car and don't worry about if you made a grand or lost a grand.
Just my two cents...
YMMV.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Apr 2019
Posts: 2,466
Likes: 700
From: Clark, NJ
That's the reason to own these cars.
Three years ago I started shopping for an LS powered, 2 door, 6 speed manual, RWD car and I found that Camaro, Firebird, GTO and Corvette were all selling in the high teens to low 20s for nice cars. There were more Corvettes to choose from and I think it's the better car anyway so I bought one and here I am.
I recently bought an '88 C4 L98 automatic for $6,500 and if it was an IROC with an L98 it would sell for twice or 3x as much as the Vette. The car also has 4 new tires, battery and cat-back exhaust so I think I scored. Just those parts alone are about half the price of the car.
Enjoy your car.
Three years ago I started shopping for an LS powered, 2 door, 6 speed manual, RWD car and I found that Camaro, Firebird, GTO and Corvette were all selling in the high teens to low 20s for nice cars. There were more Corvettes to choose from and I think it's the better car anyway so I bought one and here I am.
I recently bought an '88 C4 L98 automatic for $6,500 and if it was an IROC with an L98 it would sell for twice or 3x as much as the Vette. The car also has 4 new tires, battery and cat-back exhaust so I think I scored. Just those parts alone are about half the price of the car.
Enjoy your car.
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Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 257
Likes: 75
I am getting an itch.. Do I add a couple hundred ponies to my tired LS1, or for the same price, do I upgrade to a C6? Or.. should I have been in the hunt for one of these WS6 converts? A mechanic once told me to sell my car and just go out and buy it the way I want it and let someone else eat the loss on the mods. I am just shocked that an F-body could pull C5 values.
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 257
Likes: 75
Can't look up Vette prices now. They are skewed. This is what is called an off-season time for Corvettes. Values this time of year are not ideal if you're a seller.
I don't believe the C5 will ever reach a collector's status although Z06s are doing pretty well now. The WS6 would not have either if they kept making them.
I don't believe the C5 will ever reach a collector's status although Z06s are doing pretty well now. The WS6 would not have either if they kept making them.
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2020
Posts: 90
Likes: 58
2022 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2021 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
The way I see the logic is because most corvettes are lower miles due to the "age" of owners and only driven Sundays. A lot of Camaro and Firebirds etc. were owned by maybe a younger person who could drive it daily or more often. So finding low mileage F-Body or Fox Body cars brings a premium now because there really isn't that many. Corvettes with extremely low miles do bring in premiums. Until the vast majority of them are driven or wrecked and you weed out a lot of potential low mileage cars you won't see a huge spike in pricing.
Instructor
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 144
Likes: 13
My theory is that a lot of the Trans Ams, Irocs, and the like were 1/2 the sticker price and tended to be purchased by much younger drivers. Unfortunately these drivers could not afford to have a second car for a daily so they got used and in many cases abused. Finding a 20-30-40 year old corvette with less than 50k miles is the norm, not the exception. Also since the majority of the corvette’s were second cars they did not have to endure the daily abuse and are survivors. If you find a TA, IROC or similar in garage queen status it will command a premium as it’s rare. It’s not because the vette is a worse car, it’s just far more common at this point.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2021
Posts: 6,513
Likes: 4,360
From: Florida
2025 Corvette of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
2024 C5 of the Year Winner- Unmodified
2022 C5 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
My theory is that a lot of the Trans Ams, Irocs, and the like were 1/2 the sticker price and tended to be purchased by much younger drivers. Unfortunately these drivers could not afford to have a second car for a daily so they got used and in many cases abused. Finding a 20-30-40 year old corvette with less than 50k miles is the norm, not the exception. Also since the majority of the corvette’s were second cars they did not have to endure the daily abuse and are survivors. If you find a TA, IROC or similar in garage queen status it will command a premium as it’s rare. It’s not because the vette is a worse car, it’s just far more common at this point.
Pro
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 545
Likes: 384
From: southern rural MI
I never expected my '99 to be a collector's item, but in the post-Covid era, it seems the value is slipping despite meticulous maintenance and improvements. I was browsing through several sites today, and it appears the F-body Trans Am is averaging $25K for a low mileage WS6. Are we in an age where the C5 is going to be less desirable? The '99 30th anniversary TA is pulling northward of $50K!
I've only owned my convertible for 5 years now, but I am wondering if putting more money into it at this point will never produce an ROI?
The C5 top sale in this site is obviously an outlier.
https://www.classic.com/m/chevrolet/corvette/c5/
But the TA is making considerable gains and looking to overtake the C5 here:
https://www.classic.com/m/pontiac/fi...-gen/trans-am/
What are your thoughts?
I've only owned my convertible for 5 years now, but I am wondering if putting more money into it at this point will never produce an ROI?
The C5 top sale in this site is obviously an outlier.
https://www.classic.com/m/chevrolet/corvette/c5/
But the TA is making considerable gains and looking to overtake the C5 here:
https://www.classic.com/m/pontiac/fi...-gen/trans-am/
What are your thoughts?
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 12,864
Likes: 4,668
I never expected my '99 to be a collector's item, but in the post-Covid era, it seems the value is slipping despite meticulous maintenance and improvements. I was browsing through several sites today, and it appears the F-body Trans Am is averaging $25K for a low mileage WS6. Are we in an age where the C5 is going to be less desirable? The '99 30th anniversary TA is pulling northward of $50K!
I've only owned my convertible for 5 years now, but I am wondering if putting more money into it at this point will never produce an ROI?
The C5 top sale in this site is obviously an outlier.
https://www.classic.com/m/chevrolet/corvette/c5/
But the TA is making considerable gains and looking to overtake the C5 here:
https://www.classic.com/m/pontiac/fi...-gen/trans-am/
What are your thoughts?
I've only owned my convertible for 5 years now, but I am wondering if putting more money into it at this point will never produce an ROI?
The C5 top sale in this site is obviously an outlier.
https://www.classic.com/m/chevrolet/corvette/c5/
But the TA is making considerable gains and looking to overtake the C5 here:
https://www.classic.com/m/pontiac/fi...-gen/trans-am/
What are your thoughts?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 888
Likes: 754
From: SW Desert
Future value of any vehicle will always be a crap shoot. Plenty of other ways to get a more predictable return on investment. Enjoy that Vette no matter what its value may or may not be. A good therapeutic power ride at certain times can be priceless. And IMO the only T/As worth collectable price tags have Pontiac engines and ROUND headlights.
Drifting
Joined: Mar 2018
Posts: 1,365
Likes: 414
From: New Jersey
Maybe. If you bought it as an investment then you picked the wrong car. If you don't maintain it the value will really fall. The one thing about the C5 is that if you have a well maintained and clean shiny one it will not fall in value as fast as a brand new car. I have had mine for 4 years and it's worth more than I paid for it, but it not an investment. Will it's always be worth more than I paid for it? No, It won't if I drive it for 200k miles.
Instructor
Joined: May 2022
Posts: 136
Likes: 66
From: Long Island, NY
I watch the Corvette market pretty regularly. Prices have been trending down since early summer...that trend has accelerated this fall, probably due to seasonality on top of the overall market heading down for used cars.
We all love to see the cars we own appreciate in value, which they did for a couple of years. But that was an aberration in the market. That is over now. Prices will probably get a seasonality bump in the Spring. Otherwise, most C5's will continue to depreciate, albeit fairly slowly at this point in their lifecycle.
Just enjoy your car and don't worry about if you made a grand or lost a grand.
Just my two cents...
YMMV.
We all love to see the cars we own appreciate in value, which they did for a couple of years. But that was an aberration in the market. That is over now. Prices will probably get a seasonality bump in the Spring. Otherwise, most C5's will continue to depreciate, albeit fairly slowly at this point in their lifecycle.
Just enjoy your car and don't worry about if you made a grand or lost a grand.
Just my two cents...
YMMV.
I paid a fair price for my c5... it does not concern me that I could lose $ on her.. if I do and continue to take care of her I wont lose much bc the c5's are close to hitting a plateau.. so Im good...if only i could have lived my life losing only 1k per year on my cars... !! 
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2016
Posts: 2,347
Likes: 1,179
From: CLEVELAND STUCK IN OHIO
2024 C3 of the Year Finalist- Modified