I Have Been Following C5 Prices For About A Month On The Forum,ebay,auto Trader And Leftover O4 Model Yrs On Internet. Leftover Coupes 36k-40k Leftover Z06 43-45k, Z16 12,500 Off Sticker. I Have Made Inquires On Several 02-03 Coupes & Z06. Out Of 7 Only One Had Been Sold . I Am Wondering With Winter Approaching [i Live In New England] And The C6 Becoming Available Will The Prices Continue To Decline Or Level Off. I Am Worried About Buying Now And Prices Continuing A Downward Spiral. Any Thoughts On Subject. Thanks Steve.

 

I think for the near future that C5 prices are going to He77 in a handbasket...thats why I bought a new 04..so I could lose a ton of money in the future... ...but I will have fun doing so...and anyway I got so much off of MSRP that it will take a few years for me to really get screwed moneywise...

 

Even if new C5 prices keep going down it won't be by more than $1-2 K as the dealers aren't going to lose money on them. If you wait to save a bit you miss out on driving the best Vette yet.

 

Used car prices never go up only down, except if you wait long enough and they become classics. Even then, then prices aren't that much improved when inflation is considered. Buy it now and enjoy!

 

Read a report on the C5 values in a Corvette magazine. The article suggested that the older C5s will suffer the least amount of depreciation, worst will be the 04s. I would suggest an 02 Z06, remember this prediction 5 years from now.

 

I'll take my new $41K 2004 CE loaded coupe with every option (including F55, 2 tops, 12 CD changer, MN6 and Corsa Indy exhaust w/pro tips--installed by dealer) and smile for a long time. I will enjoy every dollar of depreciation!!!

 

 

You can put it off but you're the only one that will suffer. My suggestion is find the one you like while there is still some kind of selection out there and make the jump!

 

I agree. Plus the C6 price will always be just enough higher to make a new C5 look good to someone with marginal credit or "just not enough income" to afford a C6 and it's insurance costs. And the C6 price is only going to, gradually increase.

"A 17 or 18 yr. Old Boy With A Dream" might want a C6, but right now, have to make his first Vette a new C5.

Sly

 

I think the used C5 market is depressed as a result of the massive discounts available on the left over new C5's I believe once the new C5's on the lots are gone and the C6's are selling for sticker or more the C5 prices will hold or even go up some.

 

Try and sell a used c5 today and get a decent price. Ya can't.........

Why=dealers have NEW c5's for 10-13k BELOW M.S.R.P. (unheard of for Vettes).

Now once those 04's are all sold, and buyers can either buy your "used" c5 vert for $40k or buy a "new" vert for $63k.........you will IMHO see the prices of used c5's actualy INCREASE from where they are right now.

At the moment a buyer can compare a "used" c5 to a "new" c5 and for 5k more get brand spanking new. Well DUH......... heck for 5k, what would ANYONE with a brain purchase.

Now when the spread from used to new starts hitting $20k........well that c5 in good shape with 19,000 miles on it, for $250.00 less per mth payment starts looking pretty darn good.

I bought a new vert in late June for just under 12k off sticker, and IMO it was/is the best time EVER to purchase a new Vette, from a $$$$$ perspective.

When/if I look to sell this car in 3 years, and I have $42,500 invested, and am selling my car, with the buyer having to chose MY car or the new vette for $60k (assuming you can get under MSRP at that time).....I imagine I will be able to get 32-36 out of my car, and STILL save the buyer 25k or more over the price of a new vette, and I will have driven the corvette, for 3 years and only lost $3k a year?

Wow........what an affordable ride, it will have been.

 

Same here.

 

If they don't sell soon, I think they may go down a bit more, but not much. They probably will not be willing to sell them at a loss and someone out there will get a great deal on a fantastic car.

 

Yep!!!

 

Very well put!!!

 

With my luck, the prices of used C5's will drop like a rock, since I want to get rid of my '04.

 

Bang on, this is just a window of opportunity for excellent C5 value. Those that seize it will be fortunate.

 

There is a glut of used cars because of new car incentives, leases, and low mortgage rates (lots of refis are used to buy new toys). This has contributed to a drop in price for cars across the board because of the supply and demand economic fundamentals. The C5 is a specialty vehicle less prone to usual market dynamics, however there is no shortage of them available either. Depending on the C6's acceptance and desirability, which will take at least 1.5 years for the market to realize, C5s will drop or rise. My bet is that the C5 pricing will be more tied into whatever the prevailing market dynamics are, than anything to do with the C6. But, mostly I believe that cars are terrible investments, lose most of their value during the first two years, followed by the next two, then begin to stabilize. Forget about the worth, it is mental masturbation, enjoy it until you are ready for something else, research the existing values at that time, and sell it for a fair price.

 

Keep telling yourself that............. You don't own a mid year.

It's a mass produced car and there are thousands available. In 3 years that c5 is not going to bring 32-36k. By then you will have 3 year old mass produced c-6's for sale and they will follow the trend of Corvette resale. In 2001, I bought a loaded perfect 99 coupe for 29K. It stickered for 43k. That's 14k off sticker for a 2 year old car. Good Luck and I hope your plan works out.

 

The MSRP on the C6 is less than the C5. No way can you look at a Vette as an investment. It's to enjoy and you have to pay for the pleasure.