theseal

thinking of getting a c6 z06....

preferably a clean, fairly low miles car, black, red, silver in that order.

as a baseline, i see dealers advertising $14,000 - 18500 off of MSRP (actually some of them say invoice) for new 2013's.

if that is true, a base, no option black 1lz z06 retails at $68000; what is the cheapest you can get one for? $54,000 and I'll just buy a new one.

a clean 2006 ranges from a best i have seen of about $32k, to ASKING prices in the mid 40's. What do you think I should find one for now? If I could find one in the mid $30's, that would be well worth it.... however, mid 40's is getting awfully close to a new one in today's market.

a 2009 seems like the first year of a combination of improvements worth much (07 has axles, 08 the trans, but 09 also has new programming which hopefully helps). An 09 would be worth at least $3000 more than an 06 to me.

what should an 09 go for?

and do we expect them all to drop significantly this fall when the 07's hit?

thoughts are appreciated.

TNlowz06

The closer to 2006, the less depreciation you'll have, fact.

Jawnathin

For a 2006, mid 40s is way too high. Just as 32k is far too low. If you can find a good one for 32k, make that deal ASAP.

I think High 30s is about right for an 2006 car in good condition. And less if higher mileage or less than ideal (but restorable) condition.

Don't think you'll find a new Z06 for 54k. Look at the Dealer section for an idea of the kind of cars and prices they have available. I think you're looking at mid-60s at bare minimum for a 2013.

ATC399

A brand new Z with a warrenty....jmho...You just never know how she was used

radchad3

I agree with the above. I have yet to see a new z06 go for 54k. I also not think u will find an 06 with the right story for 32k. I would think a low mile one owner 06 would be a good deal n the low 40s. An 09 probably very low 50s maybe creeping down into the 40s. Mid 60s as the lowest I have seen for a new z06. Good luck in your search!

mlambert890

The dealer super incentives are off of inventory at this point and inventory is pretty much never strippers. If there were a total bare bones lowest possible MSRP in inventory, then the 54k might happen. MSRP for any of the cars Ive seen offered from inventory is far higher than that though. So while in theory a $68k could go for $54k, reality is going to be a ~$90k going for 70s most of the time.

Its also not apples to apples to compare a brand new car with 0 options to a used car that was fully loaded and call it "similar". Gotta compare similar option pack and trim levels.

sublime1996525

Low 40's for an 06. The thing I'd tell you is buy the newest car you can afford.

propain

Other than the upgraded dry sump in 09 the 2008 is your best buy right now.

All the problems fixed from the previous years. Get one with low miles and 1 previous owner and your good to go.

Too-Fast

Good rule of thumb to live by...purchase the newest corvette you can afford, you won't go wrong. If you can purchase a new one at 20-22% off MSRP, then you are killing the first year depreciation.

tim414

A "new" Z06 base is $75K....so 68 is the 'sale'.

Jawnathin

I purchased a used one in late 2011 and have approximately $0 in depreciation. Even gained a little bit of value this summer . I didn't buy it for depreciation or as a collectible though, so no matter to me.

OP, I wouldn't ignore the earlier cars too. If you can find a nice deal on a nice car, then go for it. I do think they got better as the years progressed but there wasn't anything significant or anything you couldn't change on your own if you decide to do that later on.

Joe_Planet

Dont buy an 06 without a warranty. You blow that moter and will be stuck big time, those ls7 retail for 17k now.
Personally I'd get an 09+, but then again I have a '12 :P

Jawnathin

There is no difference between an 2006 engine or 2013 engine. Buying a newer car gives you a warranty but that is just delaying the inevitable. You're going to end up in the same situation and will still want to rework the heads if you plan on keeping it long term.

Most 2009s have less than one year of warranty left. Then you're in the same place as every other car out of warranty.

For the cost difference between the cars you could do a rework (and hell, probably even buy a new motor) and still come out ahead in an 2006.

X25

There are so far no reports of a car with the issue past GM's stated Feb 2011 quality fix date in terms of cars with dropped valve issues. There's only one car that had an issue (2012 Z06 at 400 miles), but its issue was rather the intake valves, not exhaust valves, and it had issue from day 1 (probably a lemon).

Only time will tell if GM was right or not

ATC399

Can you prove that statement to be accurate?...Because if that is true then the "427" vert will implode and so will GM...

theseal

Thanks for the input folks. Still a tough decision. The market is true it appears: hard to decide what is best.

Those saying low 60's best case for a '13 appear to be correct.

spicytuna

According to GM, the valve guide problem only occurred on a "small number" of 08,09,10,11 models.

Jawnathin

Pretty sure I had read somewhere a 2012 had some sort of issue or wear and had to get stuff replaced under warranty.

Ultimately time will tell, but many folks thought 09+ were immune with the part number change.

And as they got older and even though they were built in very limited numbers compared to the earlier years, we started to see failures for 09s and 10s. There is nothing to indicate there was any sort of change for any year after that.

I don't mean to be a pessimist but I'm expecting the same thing as the 11s, 12s, and 13s get older.

Considering there are no known changes and we've seen issues up to the 2012 model year, I think its just a matter of time before we'll see anything on a 2013 car. As I noted above, many folks thought the 2009+ cars were immune, but it just took a bit of extra time before we started to see those pop up. I'm expecting the same thing as the 11s, 12s, and 13s get older.

Here is an example of an issue. The car is an 2009, which dropped a valve, and the replacement motor was built in September 2012, well within the range of being a MY 2013 car, which experienced wear as well. This could be a one off, but it was a little disheartening to see it happen on such a new motor.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-z...ve-guides.html

Sadly, I don't think it is a matter of 'Can I prove 2013s have an issue?', but rather 'Can you prove that GM did something about it for 2013s?'

ATC399

Thanks for the follow-up

b4i4getit

GM has never stated this in any formal way. Only a supposed representative on this forum that could be anybody made this statement.