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Each was premium-priced Corvettes for that year. They were chock-full of goodies and creature comforts, but none had any performance enhancements; then factor in their late C3 and C4 status, and many go ignored. So, be very careful about the “allure” (think “fishing lures) of the “low-mileage” Corvette.
1997-2000 Corvettes
Competitive Spirit Drives Rick Hendrick's Passion for VIN 001 Corvettes - Corvette: Sales, News & Lifestyle - Corvette Blogger
Competitive Spirit Drives Rick Hendrick's Passion for VIN 001 Corvettes - Corvette: Sales, News & Lifestyle.
Posted: Wed, 04 May 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]
The completed cars were then sold to privateers for around $30,000 on top of the price of the car. (We will soon be running a feature story about Dan Barr’s Corvette Challenge car in Vette Vues Magazine.) But the kicker is that they were totally street legal. From 1985 to 1987, L98 Corvettes won every race in the SCCA Showroom Stock Series and were unceremoniously kicked out! But, like all LS Corvette engines, more can be squeezed from these beautiful LS6 engines. The LS6 is essentially a hot-rodded-up version of the LS1.
Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport
The cars look a little different with re-styled front and rear bumper covers, and owners appreciated the opened-up rear glass fastback that came out in 1978. The suspension and brakes are basically the same as the early beast Vettes. Find out the Best Corvette used Corvettes to Buy under $10,000, the Best Corvette under $15,000, and the Best Corvette under 30K. You can buy a Corvette on any budget that is under-appreciated and undervalued!
Table of Content: The Best 10 Affordable Budget-Friendly Corvettes
If you follow the unfolding saga of Chevrolet’s latest, greatest wonder Corvette, the 2023 Z06, the prices are eye-popping! It’s very easy, after adding the top-level interior and extra goodies, to be looking at a $130,000-plus on the new Corvettes. Are you looking to buy a Corvette on a budget? The 2023 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 has a starting price of $106,395, but let’s face it, that isn’t in everyone’s budget.
Popular Years for Chevrolet Corvette in Charlotte, NC
Unless otherwise noted, all vehicles shown on this website are offered for sale by licensed motor vehicle dealers. By accessing this website, you agree to the TrueCar Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. If you’re in the market for a used Corvette, don’t forget to explore our Corvettes for Sale classified ads. Ensuring a secure and well-informed purchase is paramount, and this article equips you with the knowledge you need. You can access the full article by clicking here, allowing you to arm yourself with the necessary information for a confident Corvette purchase.

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The base engine for the 1962-to-1965 was the 250-horse 327. If you ordered one with the 2-speed Powerglide transmission, it was a nice secretary Vette. The C5 sports car was a great platform and indeed revolutionary, and the newer cars just kept getting better and better. But that doesn’t mean the early C5s are bad, far from it.
1982, 1988, and 1993 Special Edition Corvettes
While you are here, check out our Corvettes for Sale classified ads and find a used Corvette for sale by the owner. Raw steel surfaces begin to rust, oil gets not-so-oily, and gasoline starts forming lacquer that can seriously muck up a fuel system. Ten years of “just sitting” can turn a once-performance Corvette into a problem Corvette. Cars are “machines,” and they work best when they are used frequently, like muscles.
If you are looking to get into an older, classic-type Corvette without the nose-bleed prices, look for “drivers.” Corvettes that might be a wee bit tired but driven regularly. We hope that this article has served as your compass to finding the best Corvette to buy in 2023. We’ve uncovered some hidden gems—low-cost Corvettes that are underappreciated, undervalued, and fit any budget. However, it’s worth noting that prices in the Corvette market are on the rise. Scuttlebutt has it that the 330-horsepower rating on the LT4 was bogus.

While prices are drifting up, they are still bargain performance cars. They respond very well to performance enhancements, are comfortable cruisers, and can get over thirty miles per gallon, thanks to the wonderful transaxle with two overdrive gears. As with previous special edition Corvettes, the engine was stock. The price was steep, $4,795, on top of the $29,489 base price. Only 2,050 35th Anniversary Corvettes were built, making them somewhat collectible. Prices for clean versions are drifting up, but as with almost all C4s, you can get one for not a lot, relatively speaking.
Hardtop C5 Corvettes also have the status of being the platform that was used to create the Z06 Corvette. In 1972 the same LT1’s “net” rating was 255-hp, an apparent 75-horsepower drop, but attributed to the difference in measurement parameters. So, what would be the “gross” rating of the C4’s 330-hp LT4? Somewhere around 427 horsepower, IF the 330-hp was correct, or 478-hp if the rumored 370-hp was correct! That’s why you should look for an LT4 for your ’96 Corvette. Back in the day, Corvettes could be anything from very mild to wild.
It means you can get into the Corvette community without spending big bucks. The car came with a performance cam and long-tube headers. Today, the car is pretty much done, packs as much power as a C6 Z06, and is beautiful! TrueCar does not broker, sell, or lease motor vehicles.
When the 1978 Indy 500 Pace Car came out as a celebration of Corvette’s 25th anniversary, the car created an unbelievable uproar and insane speculation. Chevy skipped Corvette’s 30th anniversary because there were no production Corvettes in 1983. Early C3 427s and LT1 Corvettes get all the attention these days as the “must-have” Vettes. But we’re looking at “affordable” driver Corvettes here. The classic, chrome-bumper Mako Shark-themed Corvette is still highly desired. Yes, it’s a bargain compared to some of the offerings from Porsche that are close to and above $200,000, but still!
By the end of the year, 6,759 cars were sold with a premium of $4,247 on top of the $18,290 base price tag. The C4 made such a big splash that the 1982 Collector Edition Corvettes were quickly forgotten. The Corvette community lionizes the classic small-block Chevy engine; it’s important to remember that the 350 L98 is just a classic SBC with a pretty good electronic fuel-injection system.
After the two-year series was over, the cars were sold off and pretty much forgotten, especially as newer Corvettes only got better and better. Earlier in the 1990s, when the C5 was being planned, management thought a lesser-expensive, stripped version could be offered. But it turned out there wasn’t a cheaper LS engine or transaxle to use or lesser-expensive components to be substituted. As it turned out, the “cheaper” Hardtop was priced at $38,777, just $394 less than the base model coupe. The common denominator of all three of these Corvettes is that they are all very, very nice cars.
Improve the intake and exhaust, install a stiffer cam, and a few other goodies, and you can blow past the C6 Z horsepower level. These cars have all the pluses of the before-mentioned C5, plus an overall stiffer, more rigid structure. This is thanks to the bonded and bolted-on hardtop roof.
Moreover, it’s essential to recognize that older Corvettes are appreciating in value rapidly, primarily due to the soaring demand for used cars. Consequently, many are turning to the used car market, where used vehicles often command prices higher than their new counterparts. This shift has proven advantageous for those with an extra car or those willing to part with their first one.
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