I surprised to find that unlike other cars, used car pricing on Corvettes do not drop drastically year to year. They do depreciate each year going forward, but not nearly what I expected.

 

I bought my 2017 Z51 3LT Convertible that was never titled in March of 2018. The owner of the dealership had driven it some, and it had nearly 4K miles.

It's MSRP was $83K, and I paid $59K. I thought it was an excellent deal.

Ken

 

After searching cars.com for months, found a used '17 Z06, 1LZ, 7sp, WGG with 600 miles. Hard to believe but a close inspection revealed it to be show room new. Snapped it up & love it. :-)

 

Yes, You can find those deals, not super common, but they exist. I purchased a 2016 Z51, 3LT a year ago. It was new with 80 miles on it from a Chevy dealership in Southern California. I was very skeptical when I found it advertised online. I called the dealership and asked a salesperson about it. He said he would get back to me. Few minutes later, I get a call from the General Sales manager, which is not very common. Typically GSM's don't waster their time and call random customers inquiring about a car 'till they know customer is serious. I talked to GSM and he said it was a "new" car. I went to the dealership and was expecting to find something wrong with the car, being a demo with several hundred to few thousand miles on the odometer, maybe it was wrecked, sold and repo'd, something had to have been wrong with the car. Got there and examined the car, it was new and had 80 miles on it. Asked for carfax and they gave it to me and confirmed it was new. I talked to GSM as I found out that the warranty clock started in May 2016, and told him I would buy it only if he was able to reset the clock to when I purchase (which would be May of 2018). He said no problem and would work with GM rep. I asked if I can have this in writing and he agreed. Also asked for a oil change and a new battery. I told him I would think about it and get back to him. Went back the following weekend, and offered him a lower price than what he was asking for. He said he couldn't sell it for the price I offered but he would call the owner and check. He went back to his office and made a phone call while I was standing there, I could hear him talk to someone ( maybe the owner or maybe his girlfriend who knows or no one for that matter). after a few minutes, he came back and said OK.

So final deal on 2016 Z51, 3LT, with NPP exhaust,
Z51-Style Satin Black With Yellow Stripe Aluminum 19" (48.3 Cm) Front And 20" (50.8 Cm) Rear Wheels
Body-Color Dual Roof Package Includes Body-Color Roof Panel And Transparent Roof Panel
Magnetic Selective Ride Control
Transmission, 8-Speed Paddle Shift
Wing-Style Spoiler With Wicker Package - Includes Body Color Wing Spoiler And Wicker
Calipers, Yellow-Painted
Yellow Custom Leather Stitch Includes Seats, Instrument Panel, Doors, Console, Shifter And Boot

MSRP $85,180
Purchase price $53,000 +taxes and fees includes OEM outdoor stingray cover with fresh oil change and new battery and most importantly reset GM Factory warranty clock to May.2018.

I think I did OK.

 

You're likely to get a better deal on an in stock 19' right now from one of the dealers on this site. There is a reason these dealers have 17's on the lot. They are very tough to deal with or simply unwilling to deal and want top dollar for their cars or they would have been gone years ago...... I really see no advantage to buying a new 17' over a new 19' when you can get 20% off the two year newer model. As other's have stated 17' was hardly the best year for the C7. Not bad, just not the best. Now, if you can get a dealer sitting on a 17' to drop the price by 30% or more that is a different story.

 

I was amazed when I was shopping for my Vette last year seeing local dealers with "new" Vettes one and two model years old that simply refused to deal. Some of these cars had been sitting out in the lots for over two years and endured who knows how many washes, and customers crawling in and out of them. Plus, in a few instances, when I asked to test drive them, the batteries were dead and had to get a quick jump.

After a month or so, and knowing that the 2019 models were just a few weeks away from hitting the streets, I threw my hands in the air and went for what I wanted at one of the forum dealers. Sure, I had to ship it, but I still came out ahead over most of the local dealers on their older models, plus my car was only a month from its build date.

 

Doesn't seem far-fetched at all.

BUT

IMHO you should not pay any more for it that any other low mileage used 2017 C7 with similar options, because once you buy it and put a few miles on it that's exactly what you'll have, and exactly what it'll be worth.

The car may be "new" in their opinion, but it's not. It's just another low mileage 2017 C7.

 

I mentioned recently in another thread that KBB lists my used 2017 ILT auto (no other options) at the same cost as I bought it for new two years ago. I'm told that the base cars drop less in value than upscale cars with many options, and I got a very good deal.

 

Don’t care if it’s new it’s still a two year old car and should be priced as a low miles used car. People are getting up to 15% off 2019 model.
z51vett
Doug

 

Before I bought my "new" 2 year old Corvette, I was looking for a used Corvette with low miles and was thinking that I could be saving $5,000 to $10,000 maybe even more. However, after reading many posts and realizing that you are buying a "Sports" car and most people who drive a sports car will drive it spiritedly or even aggressively, heck maybe even from day 1 without it being broken in properly. I definitely had second thoughts about a used Corvette. Especially if you are planning on keeping the car long term.

To me it was important to find a Corvette as new as possible without a lot of miles on it, and if the price was right (to me) then great. If the price was to high (again for me) then I would look into a slightly used Corvette. Luckily, I came across my car at a dealership for over a 35% discount. That's pretty hefty discount for a new Corvette as used vehicles of the same model year in my area were going for 49K to mid 50's. It really made sense to me to purchase my "new" 2 year old vs buying the same model yr used.

 

I believe you would be better off and buying a 2019.Even though their new 2017 the price will drop as soon as you buy it.
The dealers need to discount big time.

 

I’ve been looking for a C7 and came across a new 2017. Dealer is only knocking off 15% off the sticker. I did not think that was enough on a 2 year old car. What do you think is fair?

 

It depends but if he is starting at 15 off it could be really hard to get better than 20 and you can get that on a 19 from a dealer here on the site. As has already been stated plug the car into KBB and get a value based on used with low miles. As already stated several times in this thread. That is exactly what it will be worth once you drive it home. I would not purchase it if I cannot get at least close to that value.

There is zero advantage to a 17 priced anywhere close to a new 19. If the dealer is in love with that car let him keep it and work with one of the forum dealers on a new 19.

 

What is fair is maybe the high end of a similarly equipped low mileage used 2017. There's no advantage to buying a "new" 2 year old car so there's no point paying a premium for it. As soon as you put some miles on it, that "new" premium will evaporate.

 

LOL im no rocket engineer but id say 38% below MSRP is one helluva deal.

 

I just did a search on Autotrader for new, 2017 C7s. I found several at more than 25% below MSRP. Probably worth if for anyone shopping for a bargain to at least look at what's out there. Yes, there's the usual dealers who have a 2017 or 2016 at only 10% below MSRP so you've got to discard those deals, but there are a few dealers who read the tea leaves and decided to price their older inventory to sell. I were buying, and I found exactly what I wanted, I'd take into account that a "new" 2017 has had no previous owners and has the full warranty so they should be worth more than a used 2017 that has one year remaining on the B2B warranty.

 

I might be wrong about this, but as long as a car has NEVER been titled, a dealer can call it new.

 

CJ ******;

Great question,

Yes, unsold new cars can and do sit on lots for an extended period of time?

Two key things to look for!

1) "GMVIS" report?
2) Recalls outstanding?

Many thanks,

Ray

 

Look up Bill Gatton Chevrolet in Bristol Tenn. They have 3 2017 C7's in stock. See Dave Meade or Jay Hall. I have been transporting their units for almost 15 years. Great bunch of guys!!! Good luck.

 

Bought a 2017 in November. Car was brand new. Got 25% off sticker. You should get at least that if not more. Also ask if it has a recall for the power steering issue.