Table Of Content

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.
1980-1981 Corvettes
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!
Popular Years for Chevrolet Corvette Convertibles in Charlotte, NC
The all-new LS1 base engine was rated at 345 horsepower, but when locked into the C5’s vastly improved structure, it did everything better. And it didn’t take long for buyers to discover that the all-new engine had LOTS of red meat that was not hard to extract from the LS1. Challenge Corvettes didn’t have much power, perhaps slightly more than the advertised 245-horsepower. But anyone that ever drove or owned one can tell you that they are hot, dirty, rough, harsh, smelly race cars.
1988-1989 Corvette Challenge Cars
Scott Teeters’s article on the top ten under-appreciated, under-valued Corvettes to buy in his article on Which are the Best Used Corvettes to Buy. But you must love rowing and banging gears, as the LT4 was only available with the manual 6-speed transmission. So, when looking for an LT4-powered ’96 Corvette, expect to pay a little more, but only if the seller knows what they have. The LT4 option could be ordered on any 1996 Corvette Coupe or Convertible. The 1996 Grand Sport is the obvious Top Shelf last-of-the-C4 Corvettes. But if you search diligently, you can find a regular ’96 Corvette with the same engine used in the Grand Sport.

Mega collector Rick Hendrick lets us inside his private garage - Detroit Free Press
Mega collector Rick Hendrick lets us inside his private garage.
Posted: Fri, 18 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
So, it would be best to consider a few things when seeing a 30-year-old Corvette with very low mileage.
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.
Used 2021 Chevrolet Corvette for Sale in Charlotte, NC
And then there are all the supply-chain issues and production stoppages, plus the Gas Guzzler Tax. But let’s all take a breath… and look at a longer perspective. If you’re considering selling your Corvette and converting it into cash, we invite you to explore our cost-effective advertising rates. You can promote your Corvette for sale in Vette Vues Magazine, a trusted resource for Corvette enthusiasts since 1972.
Transmission
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.
The Corvette: speed, luxury, elegance, & class - WCNC.com
The Corvette: speed, luxury, elegance, & class.
Posted: Fri, 24 Mar 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
The all-new LS1 was waiting in the wings, and Chevrolet didn’t want their all-new, modern engine showing LESS power on paper than the last of Chevy’s old engine. By the end of the 1996 production run, 6,359 Corvette customers wisely checked off that “LT4” option box and got themselves a real sleeper fourth-generation Corvette. To celebrate Corvette’s 35th anniversary, a very special package was offered. White was chosen as a nod to the 1953 Corvettes. The car’s white painted wheels, black B-pillar, transparent black roof panel, and white leather interior trim made the car so distinctive. These were assembly-line-built cars that were then taken to outside vendor shops to be retrofitted with full roll-cages, lightweight Dymag wheels, and various other racing equipment.
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.
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.
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.