Patman

I was surprised when I asked my 16 year old son how he would configure a new Corvette if he was buying one and he actually said he would go with chrome wheels (and Admiral Blue). I figured all of the younger generation preferred black wheels. The salesman who I ordered my 2018 from told me that anyone older than him (he's 55 I believe) almost always orders chrome wheels, and anyone younger than him orders black. Virtually nobody orders the base silver wheels (but I almost did)

Patman

I did pick a bad example to show numbers, but I guess what I was trying to say was that in order for a car to be a good investment, you can't just sell it for more than you paid for it, you need to sell it for considerably more than you paid for it, because your money invested elsewhere at even just a modest 5% interest rate would make you more money. Especially when you add the factor of insurance and maintenance to having a car as an investment.

It wasn't too long ago (probably around 2013) that there was a 2003 Anniversary edition Corvette (the burgundy one) for sale in the Auto Trader up here in Ontario, the guy bought it new and did not put any miles on it at all, I guess he saved it thinking it would be an investment. It was listed for a very long time, and the price was about $10,000 over MSRP at first. But even at that price he wasn't going to make any money, because he would have originally paid close to MSRP plus an additional 13% in tax. So this guy made a very poor decision buying that car (probably not even realizing that the anniversary edition that year wasn't even rare, it was the most ordered car that year!) It's sad really, he didn't even get to enjoy the car by driving it, and ended up losing money in the end.

tcinla

Makes your biggest quandary the following and you will be much happier :

Auto vs manual
Color combo
Trim level

Kevin A Jones

Yep, 'limited' or 'special' additions are over none these days (almost a different one each year) and while fun to own are rarely worth collecting/investing in.
For example, there will most likely be disappointment for those who purchase the 'Carbon 65' (a $15,000 option) in hopes of them or their heirs turning a profit 30 years from now.

It would be different if only one or two limited or special additions were offered every 10 years or every gen, however that will never happen though a they are such a profit center for GM.

sunsalem

^^^^ I completely agree.
There simply is no way to know EXACTLY which "limited or special" editions will turn out to be collectable.
Unless, of course, someone is prescient and can see the future...
However, if any of you guys are, please PM me some stock picks...I could use the dough.

b4i4getit

Corvette will never be a collectable. They make too many. Don't buy one as an investment. Buy it as a toy only.

phileaglesfan

I just had a hip replaced so I want to make sure it recovers well anyway. Also paying off my landscaping and it is almost winter here in Utah.

If they put an A10 in the 2019, then I will wait till I can buy one. I don't see 2019s being close to MSRP like people state. While the A10 would be a big jump, selling 2019s at $6-10k more would be saying 2018s and below are crap.

I'm wondering if the big change will be the ZR1 being added. Too bad they can't replace the wheels on the GS/Z06 with something that would not bend under normal driving.

3 Z06ZR1

The old orange peel jobs of even 2 years ago seem to be gone at least the extreme peel ones. My 2017 paint is very nice and much improved over a lot I have seen. No complaints.
The old paint shop will still be in use from what I heard.

phileaglesfan

I disagree somewhat. Wife and I was just at the dealer and they had an Admiral Blue Z06 with tons of orange peel. If I do get Admiral Blue I might wait until the new paint booth is painting that color. It is harder to see on colors like silver and white.

Patman

There seems to be quite a bit of inconsistency in the level of orange peel, because my 12 year old Corvette in LeMans Blue (which is virtually identical to Admiral Blue) doesn't have a huge amount of orange peel in it at all.

OnPoint

OP - the most important thing to me that you said in your original post is that you keep your cars for 7 - 8 years. That's actually an advantage for you. What that means is that whether your vette is a '17 or '18 or '19 will have minimal impact on re-sale 7-8 years down the road. Miles and condition rule at that point for somebody in your shoes.

And - your retention time helps you on the front end if you can find a '17 or '18 in the color combo with the options you want, as you'll save some $$ over a '19. My suggestion is spend the next couple months shopping around, see what the '19s offer, and take advantage of middle of the winter buyer's advantage.

Then get the one you want and enjoy your next 7 - 8 years. These are fun rigs.

Foosh

I agree. Take the best deal you can find on a new 17, 18, or 19, and it will make virtually no difference 7-8, or even 4-5 years, down the road. Better yet, save a lot of money on a low-mileage CPO, and you'll be financially even better off. The first-owner depreciation hit is brutal.

For the last decade or so, I've always purchased CPOs if I can find the right one, and saved tens of thousands. I did the same on my '14 C7 Z51 convertible, which was 11 months old w/ 3K miles when I purchased it because the 1st owner just had to have a Z06 when they appeared. I bought it for 28% off original MSRP, and it has never been in for anything other than the seatbelt/airbag recall on 14 and 15 models.

Moreover, because of the both the extra 12 months of CPO B2B and powertrain warranty, I ended up w/ 4/48K and 6/100K warranties, which was more than I would have had on a new car purchased on the same day.

Skid Row Joe

With the exception of time frame cusps, when newly released model/s are imminent. Then, the opportunity to choose the year and model of C-series comes into real time play. Unless you're tapping the used market, this is the time to have your best selections readily available to purchase.