NC99

I was looking at a C5 ZO6 the other day and a dealer offered me $8500 for my 1999 C5 with 45k miles as a trade allowance. They wanted $29,000 for their 2002 w/ 28500k miles.

Then I was told "people do not buy Corvettes for daily drivers, they are for niche people who are finicky and want perfection in every detail of any Corvette they purchase." I was then told that my C5, although is in great condition and runs very strong, is not even in the same league as their ZO6. They said our two cars were worlds apart. At this point, I just took my keys and left.

$8500? Clean title, no engine noise, meticulously taken care of and IMO low mileage for a 1999. Geeze. I got more out of my 2002 Z28 with 62k miles as a trade in.

j84buick

Pretty standard to get low balled when trading in a car. My last two cars I traded in for new cars I ended up getting pretty much double what the first trade offers were. Remember, they have to get it for cheap in order to sell it and make a profit. I bet they would have went up to 13-14k for you and if you went to the lot the next day your C5 would be sitting there for 20-21k. The key though is to negotiate a lower price on the Z06 before you talk about your trade.

dobewillie

mine is a lifer its worth to me is much more than anyone would buy it for

tricep

As long as yours is worth something to you, thats all that matters. Yep!

BigSexy181971

Typical STEALERSHIP tactic. Now I am not against car dealerdships completely, but the offer they gave you was a down right an embarassment, and if I were you would tell as many people I could about their practices. Your car is worth far more then that.

Hey if you would like to sell it today for that price I will drive up there to buy it unseen. Sure the Z06 is a much better car but for us everyday drivers it isn't enough to make a difference. Hell a FRC is close to a Z06 if they want to make that arguement and an FRC will get even less of a trade in value. Keep your car and find someone who will work with your fairly.

8VETTE7

On a trade a dealer won't offer you much. As posted above the dealer will turn around and offer up your trade at $20K or more and happily take $18 to more than double his investment. Yet there were a couple of posts by prospective new owners just last week that would have killed for a low mileage 99 at $15k. You probably will do a lot better doing a private sale. But don't expect to get rich in todays economy selling a Corvette. Especially with GM offering a brand new base level car with warranty and well over 400HP with a sticker price in the mid 40's.

e6bailey

If the dealer is going to say that about your car they need to take a look at what they have. No matter how good of shape their Z is in with this economy it not worth near what they want.

I am not saying are C5's aren't worth anything, because I think they are worth a lot more then they are selling for. It makes me sick to see what the prices of these cars are falling to when I look at what I paid for my Vette I just try not to worry about it and enjoy my car because its worth much more in my eyes. I understand when buying any vehicle is a bad investment in the long run. Hopefully the market for C5's will rebound a little sometime soon.

p.s
Corvette's are made to be driven by any type of person. Not just to be owned by rich people and sit in the garage! If these so called rich people only owned them they would not care about miles or wear on the car because they could just buy a new one when they wanted

tricep

I stopped by Carmax the other day. All the Vettes were low mile, and low priced. I paid way more for my first Vette than their low mile C6's.

tricep

Hey! ... I thought I taw sumthing... guess not!

kcbeagle

I love buying cars! I embarrass the He** out of my wife or adult kids that ask me along. I even warn them ahead of time that when we go to a dealer, I do not want to be the sales persons friend ( I love it when they try to play to my wife's emotions! She also knows the game! ) . I treat them with respect but I tell them right up front that I know the game and I know what my car is worth on the used car lot. I will not even talk about a trade until I am happy with the price offered on the new car.

I like to make a sport out of it!!

BigSexy181971

I like your style. I do the same unless, I REALLY WANT THE CAR I AM LOOKING AT. Then I am a sucker.

A WORD OF WISDOM TO ANYONE BUYING RIGHT NOW. YOU ARE IN CONTROL!!!

stingraymyway

In today's economy, my Vette is worth what I payed for it. Might not be worth that to someone else, but I have no intention of selling my Vette's.
Dealers are in the business of making money, it's the way they stay in business. Don't be offended.
If you're wanting to "trade up" in the Corvette world, you're better off selling your Vette and buying the Z straight out, no trades.
Good luck.

vettesmith02

Especially about the sucker part when they have a car I want.

I do get pretty good deals on maintenance at the same dealership though.

vettesmith02

No trades... And I don't plan to sell the Vettes... ever.

The grandkids will have a helluva collection when I die.

NC99

It was just a "feeling out" trip because I noticed the car at the dealership down the road from my house. Of course I would trade for a ZO6 if I was happy with the deal, but I'm in no hurry to get rid of mine and won't unless the right deal comes along. Not even looking, just saw it and figured I would check it out.

I love C5's because there is always something to tinker around with them. Whether it's a new mod or just cleaning the engine bay or trying to chase that annoying squeak, it's fun. Buy too new of a Corvette and I would probably just sit and look at it, hoping something messes up so I can fix it!

By the way, their 2002 although very nice, was not perfect. When I test drove it, I nailed it 2nd gear and took it through 3rd gear. The salesman was laughing because I am sure he never had a ride like that. In all fairness, the ZO6 is twice the car my 2002 Z28 6-speed was, but my Z28 was much quicker with the mods done to it. I was not giggly with the ZO6's performance (years of drag racing much faster cars), unlike the salesman who probably had his first real ride in a Corvette. His head was planted against the seat and I'm sure the pucker factor in his rear was a 10!

Mark C5

A dealer in my area has an '08 Z51 coupe black/black with 5,000 miles they are asking $37,700 for. They are even willing to start the warranty at zero. Doesn't bode well for the price of our C5's

MSG C5

I agree. Dealerships are a necessary link in the automotive chain. They are entitled to a profit - ONCE! Try to sell it to a Vette Lover first and make it a win-win for both parties.

jrose7004

It's just that they don't want your trade right now.

tlc0706

Oh Wellll It's a good thing I love mine
BTW NC99 you did right by walking away

ClipperFan

I was looking to sell my 2000 C-5 buy a truck and maybe C-6 next year but prices are so low that I might dump the daily driver and get the truck...............