dsandula

I realize this is probably the biggest "it depends" question on this forum, but . . .

It seems there's many 1 year old, low mileage Corvette's out there for sale. With an average $10,000 savings over new, other than not being able to pick colors, options, etc. why wouldn't I buy one of these? Does the initial 5,000 to 10,000 miles on these cars really make that much of difference?

I'm guessing many people get in over their heads financially or find they don't like driving and/or traveling in a Corvette and want to sell them after a year of ownership.

Anyone out there bought a low mileage, 1 year old Corvette and wished they'd bought brand new?

kitesurfer

I found it cheaper to buy brand new than go through the hassel pf buying used.

sTz

No different than buying any other used, 1 year old, low mileage vehicle... Same positive and negative factors.

My only advice is to make sure that you have a period of warranty available... and if so, make sure that there is no warranty block. It's rare, but it happen to someone on here recently.

snow

Nothing wrong at all, let some one else take the initial hit for depreciation. The thing is sometimes its easier to just buy new.

DALE#3

Your purchasing a Sports Car.Not a Cheap Sports Car.I would want to know how it was driven.Was it Beat On before the break in?
Was it maintained properly? At the right intervals? Did it hit every pothole?
This is just a few questions that have a lot to do with issues later.
I don't want the what if's ether.How much are you actually saving?
Do ya have cash? The rates are cheaper new.Trade in toward sales tax a plus.
Maybe a early Stingray is a savings But i would want it NEW So I know the car.Driven the way I Wanted..What's that worth to ya?? I spent the extra for piece of My Mind

Corgidog1

There are folks out there that don't know about this forum or "forum" dealers and overpaid on their 16 vette. They then base their resale based on an inflated number and don't realize the spread between their 1 yr. old car with 5K mileage and a new one from a forum dealer is really not worth buying used.

Greg00Coupe

There are so many "waxers" old guys who wont even take the car out in the rain that buying used is the best choice by far financially. Old guys get the bug, buy the car and either financially or lack of use forces an early sale.

I saw a car with 600 miles go through an auction go for $20K under sticker. Great deals are out there.

Patman

The C7 has held it's value a lot better than the C5 and C6 did in it's first few years of production that's for sure! So the gap between the price of a used one and the price of a new one is not that huge anymore. If you're going to spend $40k to buy used, it's not that huge of a stretch to just pay $10k more and get something brand spankin new, with exactly what you want on it and a full warranty and no scratches on it. Plus that new car smell!

I've mentioned this a few times on here, but the prices on used C7s in Ontario is still insanely high. Why would I pay $63,000 (Canadian) for a 4 year old car with barely any warranty left, when I can order a 2018 exactly the way I want it for a mere $4000 to 5000 more than that?

I've owned 3 Corvettes so far (C4, C5 & C6) and every one of them has been used, but in all three cases I paid less than half the cost of a new one as they depreciated way faster. So that made the decision of used vs new very easy.

Patman

Great deal indeed, but that auction price is not indicative of what someone is going to pay for it. By the time that car goes onto a lot it's price will go up another $10k.

ErnieN85

Just did it that is the best way to go financially

bradc6

I like new things.

lennykoll

I am a careful and thorough shopper! I looked at C7s from new to 2014s and had to ponder the A6/A8 questions. I set my goal to buy nothing with over 8-10K miles and hopefully still in factory warranty. Color was kinda open but decidedly a 'vert with 19/20" wheels, Z51 was optional but NPP was necessary (for me) and Mag ride was desired for sure.

With the 2018 and mid-engine close at hand, a fair amount of very nice alternatives were OUT there, you just had to sort the lot out a bit.

With that in mind, I went onto national sites and narrowed to several vehicles. For me, buying from a private party saved me buck$ by not having to pay sales tax (check on YOUR State DMV rules)! Once I settled on a particular vehicle I put a "deposit" down and had a fellow NCRS (or Forum!?) member nearby go and check it out. Check, check and double check. Had gotten my insurance quotes and finance approvals ahead of time and when all was ok I pulled the trigger.

I could not be happier with a 2017-18 over my pristine 2015! Drove it back from La. to get acquainted and never looked back.

Dealers and new(er) cars proved less attractive FOR ME, but to each their own. Had a couple of minor warranty things covered under B to B but my baby still has the "New car smell".... hope these ramblings help....LK

PS.... Do NOT depend on Car Fax to indicate if your prospective vehicle was in an accident. Latency and the voluntary nature of CF render it as just being an indicator, but not an absolute guarantee that the vehicle was not involved in even a major accident! Repairs are done "off the books" and I once bought a car from a "reputable dealer" that HAD to know it had been wrecked.... but passed it off to me as a one owner trade in. Had to go to court on THAT one....smile....LK

VENOM ACR

Bought my 2014 with 20k miles for 47k. Window was 74k. 3LT, all the options and goodies. Wouldn't be able to have bought it new or would have had to sacrifice a bunch of options. If it's a 2 or 3 year old car and has 50k miles, probably want to steer clear. The original owner was the sales manager at dealership I bought it at. He traded it for a Z06.

Squeaky Wheel

Every Vette I have owned (C4 thru C7) was purchased used. I was however very selective on each of them. All had under 5k miles, were a single owner, had 2+ years of factory warranty left, were a color/interior combo that I liked, and were equipped exactly the way I would've ordered if new. Each had been superbly cared for with no damage, and had clean Car Fax and GM service records. Never had a problem with any of them.

Not sure how much I saved by going that route, but imagine it was a rather substantial amount. For me it was a no brainer. If you can find one that fills all your squares, I say why not? Might take a while to find though, depending on what your requirements are.

90sundevil

I always try to buy 1 or 2 year used cars and always save much more than 10%.

dvilin

I do not like buying someone else's car. Too many unknowns, not worth the savings if any to me.

harmonyp

I bought a 2016 Z51 3LT with 1300 miles on it - previous owner traded it in for a Z06. I saved $20K on it from invoice.

It WAS a brand new car. Regrets - are you kidding - I'm laughing all the way to the bank! I feel like I stole it!

JasonAndrew

That's what I did. I went and met the original owner of my 05 Z51, 13k miles. I am pretty aware of my surroundings, and can read people. When the car is in a meticulous garage, nice house, he has records of service etc., window sticker It may be safe to say it's worth it.

Stay away from people with ad descriptions like: "I don't need help selling it", or "I don't need to sell it".

Added plus when an owner (I may / will offend people on this one. Sorry) doesn't tint the windows, or puts gaudy black wheels on the car, or "lowers the car on stock bolts" kind of thing (corvettes ride kind of high I guess) , you should be good.

On the plus, usually (even occurred with mine) the original owner has the initial bugs (brake issues, recalls) worked out with the car when it was new, from the dealer.

phileaglesfan

Some sellers dont have a clue what a new C7 goes for. While might seem like a good deal for them since tjey paid close to MSRP is not a good deal for the buyer. Now with 10-15k off for a new 17 that makes it harder to find a used C7 at a good price. It isnt hard to find a used Vette with 4 digit mileage.

fsvoboda

At the end of last month, my new 2017 C7 cost about $10,000 less than list price, and I also got 0%/no money down financing from GM. Look around in the dealer inventory section and you'll find similar deals.