Chevrolet
CCCUK Member
Used sports cars that should appreciate in value | Autocar
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www.autocar.co.uk
Autocar - Used sports cars that should go up in value inc C5
- Thread starter Chevrolet
- Start date
www.autocar.co.uk
Emc
Supporting vendor
Well ,I am in the states now, I cannot see C5s going up ,I have seen a few early ones being advertised at $5/6k all seem to be high mileage cars, but no buyers taking them.Used sports cars that should appreciate in value | Autocar
Get a great car AND make some money too? It's possible - we drill down the finest
Chevrolet
CCCUK Member
The above Autocar article just "popped up" on my MSN feed. Thought I'd put it up here just to "cheer up" C5 owner club members in all the doom & gloom about. Not that I believe in what Autocar says. Says they weren't officially imported to the UK. As we know, a few were/sold thru Vauxhall dealers.
Invetterate
CCCUK Member
Emc
Supporting vendor
I agree, but as C5s in the states are continuously used as daily drivers the big bucks at big auction cars will be low mileage examples not 100k cars, these are not selling for top money, especially in the UK.
Invetterate
CCCUK Member
Fair point. There may effectively be over-supply in the US and here, people are wary of high mileages, neither of which do much for increasing value.
Perhaps one day it may change [remember when you couldn't give a DB6 away and absolutely no one wanted a Mk2 Jag?], but let those in the know enjoy them in the meantime!
Krusty
CCCUK Member
I don't care what my C5 is worth, or whether I could potentially make a profit or not... it's my car that I always wanted and I absolutely love it! I don't want any other model Corvette other than my C5, in my eyes... it's the perfect car
If you're simply buying any car to then worry about it making a profit or not and you're not 1, moth balling it and never going to put a single mile on it. and/or 2, in the trade. Then why even bother?! You might as well go collect stamps or something instead. You should buy what you want, because you want it... nothing else should matter, you pay your money to have the ownership, along with the memories and it costs what it costs to have that life experience.
On the other side of saying that, we didn't want 10 year old Japanese cars at £1500-£5000 in the early-mid 00's. Look how that turned out! Supra's now selling for £60k+. Skyline GTR's selling for £100k+. You can't even buy a nice Civic EK or Pulsar GTiR for under £10k now and no one wanted them at £500 when they had lower miles, less messed with and newer!
To also give the C5 such a bad wrap ESPECIALLY in this community, is quite sad really as it was such a HUGE turning point for the Corvette in its day! The fact it very nearly never happened but pushed through behind the scenes. Becoming the first mass produced car to come with a head up display... something we all take for granted now in most modern cars. That iconic LS motor that continued throughout so many other models. The unmistakable sleek aero design. Last mass produced car to come with pop up headlights, which is still cooler than anything else on cars today, even kids now are still wow'd by it. Sure, the C6 and 7 have tons more on top of the C5, but that's missing the point... you wouldn't even have them cars if it wasn't for the C5 and the people that bought them, loved them, supported them, modified them and so on.
I was in a position to buy a C7 if I wanted, but I bought my C5 not because of cost, or potentially profitable etc. Because it is the car I WANTED!!! and the attention it gets when I take it places, still shows today that it is an iconic vehicle (here in the UK at least).
So never say never
and well done to the C5 if it does become worth money 
But we as a CORVETTE GROUP should be more supportive towards the 1 model that helped bring so much to the modern era of Corvettes since 1997, no matter what Autosnore or anyone else think and say
If you're simply buying any car to then worry about it making a profit or not and you're not 1, moth balling it and never going to put a single mile on it. and/or 2, in the trade. Then why even bother?! You might as well go collect stamps or something instead. You should buy what you want, because you want it... nothing else should matter, you pay your money to have the ownership, along with the memories and it costs what it costs to have that life experience.
On the other side of saying that, we didn't want 10 year old Japanese cars at £1500-£5000 in the early-mid 00's. Look how that turned out! Supra's now selling for £60k+. Skyline GTR's selling for £100k+. You can't even buy a nice Civic EK or Pulsar GTiR for under £10k now and no one wanted them at £500 when they had lower miles, less messed with and newer!
To also give the C5 such a bad wrap ESPECIALLY in this community, is quite sad really as it was such a HUGE turning point for the Corvette in its day! The fact it very nearly never happened but pushed through behind the scenes. Becoming the first mass produced car to come with a head up display... something we all take for granted now in most modern cars. That iconic LS motor that continued throughout so many other models. The unmistakable sleek aero design. Last mass produced car to come with pop up headlights, which is still cooler than anything else on cars today, even kids now are still wow'd by it. Sure, the C6 and 7 have tons more on top of the C5, but that's missing the point... you wouldn't even have them cars if it wasn't for the C5 and the people that bought them, loved them, supported them, modified them and so on.
I was in a position to buy a C7 if I wanted, but I bought my C5 not because of cost, or potentially profitable etc. Because it is the car I WANTED!!! and the attention it gets when I take it places, still shows today that it is an iconic vehicle (here in the UK at least).
So never say never
and well done to the C5 if it does become worth money But we as a CORVETTE GROUP should be more supportive towards the 1 model that helped bring so much to the modern era of Corvettes since 1997, no matter what Autosnore or anyone else think and say
teamzr1
Supporting vendor
In the USA
Consumers have to pay about $9,500 more for a 3-year-old used car in 2025 compared to pre-pandemic pricing.
With used car prices rising for the last three months, there’s no indication prices will drop anytime soon.
iSeeCars analyzed over 2.6 million 3-year-old used cars and found the average used car now costs $32,635.
That is a $9,476 price increase over the last six years compared to the average price of $23,159 in 2019.
The latest iSeeCars study analyzed 2.4 million 1- to 5-year-old used cars sold in May 2024 and May 2025 to identify used car pricing trends and found that used electric vehicles are one of two major segments still dropping in value, though EV prices appear to be stabilizing after losing nearly 30% a year ago. In May EVs only lost 8.8%, or $2,993, in value compared to losing over $11,000 a year earlier.
- The average price of 3-year-old used cars has increased 40.9% since the pandemic, from $23,159 in 2019 to $32,635 in 2025
- Used cars priced under $20,000 made up 49.3% of the 3-year-old market in 2019, compared to 11.5% of the market today
- Passenger cars saw the biggest price increase since 2019, up 48.7%, with truck prices up 28.8% and SUVs up 15.4%
- In 2019, 42.9% of 3-year-old Honda CR-Vs and 44.3% of Toyota RAV4s cost less than $20,000; in 2025 those numbers have dropped to almost zero
- Best-selling 3-year-old used models that are no longer available for under $20,000 include the Chevrolet Equinox, Honda Civic, Kia Sportage, Nissan Rogue, Toyota Camry, and Toyota Corolla
Consumers have to pay about $9,500 more for a 3-year-old used car in 2025 compared to pre-pandemic pricing.
With used car prices rising for the last three months, there’s no indication prices will drop anytime soon.
iSeeCars analyzed over 2.6 million 3-year-old used cars and found the average used car now costs $32,635.
That is a $9,476 price increase over the last six years compared to the average price of $23,159 in 2019.
The latest iSeeCars study analyzed 2.4 million 1- to 5-year-old used cars sold in May 2024 and May 2025 to identify used car pricing trends and found that used electric vehicles are one of two major segments still dropping in value, though EV prices appear to be stabilizing after losing nearly 30% a year ago. In May EVs only lost 8.8%, or $2,993, in value compared to losing over $11,000 a year earlier.
Dorsetsteve
Well-known user
It’s all well and good saying a car should go up or down in value but the reality is it’s worth what someone is willing to pay. There’s some really cool, usual cars that aren’t worth a bean and some absolute dross that’s worth strong money. It’s all about desirability and pop culture is a massive driver of this.
The typical cycle is that those in there late 40s/50s buy the car of their dreams when they were in their 20s. Look at the prices Skylines, Supras etc are fetching now. Down from their peak in Covid but still. That cycle is breaking down a bit currently though as those coming into that age bracket don’t have any disposable money, they never lived in anything but a bear market economy wise here in the U.K., a house would be a start let alone a toy car for Sundays. Today’s 18 year olds aren’t very interested in cars and car culture is very much under attack and eroding fast. To drive for the sake of driving is considered weird by many, actively discouraged.
I do think the C5/6 generation is at the bottom of its curve. There also seems to be traction in the car enthusiast for simplicity, daily drivers are so technology focused and safety conscious that a rawer experience is desirable. I think the cars of the early new millennium will become more popular as they offer an acceptable compromise. Once brand new cars are automatically speed limited etc people will want to buy the older cars that you can “drive”.
Of corse. This is all just opinion and as per my opening. The market will dictate, the rest is just speculation.
The typical cycle is that those in there late 40s/50s buy the car of their dreams when they were in their 20s. Look at the prices Skylines, Supras etc are fetching now. Down from their peak in Covid but still. That cycle is breaking down a bit currently though as those coming into that age bracket don’t have any disposable money, they never lived in anything but a bear market economy wise here in the U.K., a house would be a start let alone a toy car for Sundays. Today’s 18 year olds aren’t very interested in cars and car culture is very much under attack and eroding fast. To drive for the sake of driving is considered weird by many, actively discouraged.
I do think the C5/6 generation is at the bottom of its curve. There also seems to be traction in the car enthusiast for simplicity, daily drivers are so technology focused and safety conscious that a rawer experience is desirable. I think the cars of the early new millennium will become more popular as they offer an acceptable compromise. Once brand new cars are automatically speed limited etc people will want to buy the older cars that you can “drive”.
Of corse. This is all just opinion and as per my opening. The market will dictate, the rest is just speculation.