I'm new around here and looking at buying my first C6. Not in a rush but equally ready to buy the right car at the right price.
As I haven't been looking for a long time, I was curious - do prices go down in the winter? are they currently trending up or down overall? I'm talking vs. last 12 months not vs. pre-COVID etc.
I noticed a lot of prices on used performance cars are cooling off in the last year or so and want to know what the experts here think.

 

Welcome to the forum, you've come to the correct place to learn and lots of knowledgeable members on here that can help you figure things out. Generally speaking prices are somewhat lower in winter, and the prices have come down some recently.

I'd ask you to say what your "right car at the right price".

So you have some sort of ideal of what you want?

Meaning do you want a Coup or Convertible?
Do you want a base, GS, Z06, ZR1
Next is year? 2005 - 2007 for the LS2 or 2008 - 2013 for the LS3? (of course the Z06 and ZR1 have their own engine codes)
Auto transmission of Manual?
Do you have a particular color you'd want? For me the Corvette had to be white. For others it doesn't matter and just as long it is the "right car at the right price"

Anyway...best of luck to you...
Jason

 

Sure. Seen a few things I'm interested in and will be putting up a WTB thread soon with more specifics. Right now I'm 50/50 between a base Coupe or GrandSport. Must me a Manual. Must be 2008+. Black/Gray.

 

Depending on the climate where you live, prices may go down in the winter slightly, but only if the seller needs to sell. A Corvette with a manual transmission will cost as much as 10% more than a similarly equipped Corvette with an automatic transmission and will be harder to find. Fewer Corvettes were produced during the model years 2008-2013 due to the economic issues of that period.

 

A few thoughts.

Good cars don't drop price in winter. Driver cars might, but people tend to wait until spring to sell of they can. I think what people see as "prices dropping in winter" in northern areas is more like "only crappier cars are for sale in winter, and there's less of them".

Manuals being 10% more... I think that's being kinda conservative. Hagerty says 10% as general guidance, but I think the more enthusiast oriented cars the manual price delta goes even higher. A GS Coupe for instance it makes sense would be a higher price delta to have a manual vs a cruiser base convertible. When you start talking about the more limited stuff like IO GSs, Centennials, 60ths, etc then it makes sense for the rarity of the manuals to bring an even larger price premium for a manual.

Macro level pricing...you see more floaters for sale lately. Those turds make it seem like prices are "cooling off", but I don't know that the real top of the market drivers really are. I will say this, they're not making any more of them and they're not going down in mileage, so if you find the car that's your right spec, jump on it, you might never see it again, ESPECIALLY if you're looking in a couple hours radius,looking for specific colors and options, etc

 

Take your time and do not rush. I would rather have a GS but that is just me. Does the color have to be black with titanium interior ( light grey) actually that is my color car. I found mine at a new car dealer. Keep looking and you may get lucky. Best of luck

 

Thanks all, I live in Texas.

Exterior colors I'm interested in are either Black or Gray. Interior, I'm flexible. Depends on the exact car I guess.

Will put up a WTB soon. Interesting feedback on the pricing trends.

 

A C6 Corvette with a manual transmission, (whether Base, GS or 427), will be more difficult to find since manual transmission equipped C6 Corvettes only account for about 25% produced overall. A 427 Convertible will be the most expensive manual transmission equipped C6. There were significantly more manual C6 Coupes produced than Convertibles and most of the C6 Corvettes were built between2005-2008 and that's when the most manual trans equipped C6 Corvettes were produced.

C6 Production Numbers - Corvette Central Tech Blog
https://www.vettefacts.com/c6/2005.aspx
https://www.corvetteactioncenter.com

 

I purchased my car in the fall. But when I was shopping, I noticed that maybe prices dropped a little bit in the fall but inventory seemed to drop a lot. I felt like there were fewer cars to choose from compared to what was available in the spring. Luckily I found a car I liked but was kicking myself for a little while for waiting too long.

 

If you focus more on price than options you will limit yourself in finding the car that is right for you. Make a list that consists of must haves and move onto nice to have and target those cars in your hunt, when you find one now you can focus on price and deicide if it works for you. I would rather pay more for what I want than pay less for what I don't want.

 

Price? Depends, are you looking for a lower mile very good condition car, prices on those are not dropping and likely won't. Higher mileage "driver" cars, yes prices may have softened slightly but you're talking a couple thousand at best and if you're spending $25k+ for a 15 year old used car does that make or break you, it shouldn't. Since you mentioned base or GS I'll say just rule out the base and get a GS or you will always be wondering "what if". When you find the right car at the right price buy it or someone else will, don't lose a car over a couple thousand bucks.

 

This right here ^^^.

Pay a little more and get the EXACT car you want. You only pay once, you have to live with what you have chosen. Compromised choices live in the garage to be looked every day. Color, transmission, base vs higher trim, etc.

As someone else said, be patient.

Good luck on your hunt, this is a fun part of having one.

 

OP LDN,

You are smart-shopping. Good for you. I know you mentioned 2008-2013, manual transmission, base or GS, nice decision.

If your primary use for a C6 is pleasure/tour driving and general commuting, then an automatic transmission is worth serious consideration. GM did good with the C6 automatic mated to the LS3 engine. Personally, I would go for "Better" and step up into a 2010-2013 Grand Sport with the 3LT option group to assure full satisfaction.

If you are all about power, then a ZO6 or ZR1 should be your focus. Keep in-mind that an LS3 with NPP exhaust is only 69HP less than that of a ZO6, but the reliability of the LS3 is superior over the ZO6 (and 427) LS7 engine. There are a number of aftermarket super charged C6s out there, another consideration for more power. These are often priced far below their cost of purchase, installation, and tuning.

There is a lot of forum discussion on failing harmonic balancers with the C6. I believe the cause is the high torque condition that comes natural with manual transmission drivers. The automatic transmission doesn't go torque crazy until the driver intentionally calls for it, hence less issues with harmonic balancers.

I don't know when the dry sump applies to the manual transmission, but I noticed every Grand Sport with manual-trans has one. Personally a dry sump turns me off, but I am in the minority. I like the battery under the hood, not in the trunk, and 6 quarts of oil in an oil pan, not 10.5 quarts in a canister mounted where the battery goes. A dry sump oil system has no application for a C6 that won't be driven wildly on a track.

Again, everyone has different tastes. Fortunately the C6 offers lots of choices. Good luck in your search for that 2008 black or dark gray coupe. Hopefully you find a fully featured Grand Sport with low miles that you can afford, avoiding undo financial stress.

 

The market is def cooling from the post covid crazieness but I doubt c6s will dip to where they were pre-covid. Their was a point there right around 2019 where you could pick up a mid-mileage ZR1 for like high 50s... I doubt we'll see that again. That being said get in where you fit in with your budget and buy the newest lowest mile one your budget will allow. If manual is a must dont settle, like Ron said, the autos in these cars (05 withstanding) are really really good, but they will not scratch the manual itch if you have it (ask me how i know lol, biggest regret with my car). I agree with Ron, shoot for a GS if you can, all GS manuals are dry-sump. Its a nice setup rather your tracking or not, plus you get a forged crank which is a really nice upgrade over the auto if you plan to build the car.

 

I recently searched for a 2008-13 C6 manual convertible. I found 3 very quickly in my area. You shouldn’t have a problem finding a GS coupe with a manual.

 

Great advice. I'm in the same position as the OP. I have a boat and a camper to sell first so I am enjoying the hunt.
I should end up with a 35k top end budget. Leaning toward an 08-13 GS vert but damn those coupe lines are awesome.
Also a big Yellow fan but some of them Cyber Greys are sharp! Decisions, decisions

 

Lots of great thoughts coming your way, LDN; it’s a good duration from the members. When searching for mine, I got on Autolist (in fact, I still GT notices from them as I’m just curious about prices) and I was able to list several filters. Personally, I like it and it’s free. Although there are lots of available cars in Texas, I wanted a specific year with very specific options. I found mine in Florida and had it shipped to me. Like others have said before, I found exactly what I wanted and paid a bit more for it.

Only you can determine what acceptable mileage is for what you want and as you look at a bunch of these cars, you will get a feel for how their price varies with ultra low, low, medium, high and very high mileage. As others have said, make yourself a list of have to haves, like to haves, and don’t care about styles and options and begin your search. Please let us know how it goes. Best of luck.

 

Thanks everyone, great to hear all your thoughts and ideas! I'm 100% set on a manual. I have a couple of other vehicles so this is going to going to fill a very specific C6 shaped gap in the garage (Manual, N/A V8, 2 seater, etc.)

 

Cooling off a bit because all the cash buyers have bought what they wanted...now the TAM is made up of finance buyers, and with rates being what they are thanks to the senile ***** Biden ruining our economy, sales on these toys have slowed, thus less demand=lower prices.

 

You can try the Hagerty's valuation tool. It gives you actual sold prices over a period of time. I used it recently when I bought my 2013. The seller's price was exactly what they had been selling for over the course of the last year. It gave me an accurate value and piece of mind that I paid fair price for the car.