2005 Chevrolet Corvette coupe

EBay #300238341900. S/N 1G1YY22U655127183. White/black leather. Odo: 33,876 miles. 45 Photos. Huntsville, AL. AL salvage title. “Minor damage to the front right... appears to need the following: Front bumper, headlight, right fender; Repair door; Airbags.” Suspension repaired by seller. “Runs and Drives. Engine and Trans are perfect.” 16 bids, sf 469, bf 155. Cond: 4.

The CM Analysis

SOLD AT $16,102. We have adages to protect us from so many of life’s perils: “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” “Friends don’t let friends drive drunk.” “Looking at cleavage is like staring into the sun.” Etc., etc. Why don’t we have one for salvage titled cars? If the damage is really so trivial, the seller would have fixed it already... especially in a state notorious for title washing. How ’bout this warning: “Looking at salvage is like staring into the sun?” “If it is broke, don’t fix it?” “Friends don’t let friends buy this?” Well sold, as usual.

2005 Chevrolet Corvette coupe

EBay #200233324074. S/N 1G1YY24U655100806. Orange & black/black glass/black & orange leather. Odo: 32,086 miles. 18 Photos. Las Vegas, NV. Thorough repaint to Sunset Orange (original color not mentioned) including engine heads and center console. Lambo doors, replica Z06 wheels, lowered 2 inches. LS2 rebuilt and stroked 4k miles ago to 408 ci, making, “465 rwhp and 440 rwtq...tuned by Dyno Dan of DynoJet... the car get about 15 mpg in the City and 26 mpg highway,” with automatic transmission. 4 bids, sf 175, bf 54. Cond: 2.

The CM Analysis

SOLD AT $27,705. Perfect for an Oregon State Beaver or Princeton Tiger fanatic, but these colors and mods are not for everyone. Accordingly, there was no ROI on these “upgrades” for the seller... in fact, they seem to have hamstrung the winning bid by about $5k.

2005 Chevrolet Corvette coupe

EBay #310027766466. S/N 1G1YY24U755100846. Red/gray leather. Odo: 19 miles. 23 Photos. Woodbridge, VA. Highly-rated pawn shop seller claims, “the car you are looking at is the First C6 sold! If you are looking for a very special car you have found it, as there have only been 6 of the cars built during the entire Corvette run from 1953 until now, one for each generation! The First and Last cars of each Corvette generation have become highly prized by collectors and have brought record prices at recent auctions.” Car is pristine, driven barely two miles since delivery only to keep things lubed. 15 bids, sf 3065, bf 18. Cond: 1.

The CM Analysis

SOLD AT $50,100. No proof of purported provenance offered, and lower VINs appear in this very magazine. Hard to believe that story was worth anything, but still someone saw fit to pay 2008 money for an as-new 2005. Without bulletproof paperwork, that’s no way to make money. I would say well sold, but in this case it feels more like a good save, as the seller was able to recoup most of the purchase price after three idle years.

2005 Chevrolet Corvette coupe

EBay #220253313886. S/N 1G1YY24U255129638. Blue/black leather. Odo: 11,522 miles. 16 Photos (date stamped 6 months before the auction). Enterprise, AL. Step right up folks, get your eleven word description right here: “THIS CORVETTE WAS PREVIOUSLY OWNED BY DRAG RACING LEGEND WARREN JOHNSON!!!” 6-speed. 1 Buy-It-Now bid, sf 619, bf 341. Cond: 2.

The CM Analysis

SOLD AT $32,500. And it is supposed to be a good thing that a kick-ass drag racer used to own this Corvette? What? Could I interest you in Steve Fossett’s compass? How about a llama previously “herded” by Michael Jackson? It is not surprising that celebrity ownership gave no bump to market price here... on the contrary, it is amazing that it didn’t make a dent.

2008 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 coupe

EBay #300232568395. S/N 1G1YY26E285102546. Black/black & red leather. Odo: 5,960 miles. 15 Photos. Los Angeles, CA. “Brutally Fast. This is probably the sickest Z06 alive... There has been NO PAINT OR BODY ACTION OF ANY KIND.... HAS OVER $13,000 IN PROFESSIONALLY INSTALLED PERFORMANCE UPGRADES: Quality Motorsports 600HP cam, RPM Motorsports Head Work, Ported Throttle Body, Ported Intake and Tune, American Racing Headers, Cross Pipe with High Flow Cats, Borla Black-Cat Exhaust, Killer Bee Vette-Air Cold Air Induction, Callaway Short Shifter, Pfadt Coilovers adjustable for ride quality and height, F/R Pfadt Sway Bars adjustable with bushing kit, Katech Belt Tensioner, Stock Wheels Powder Coated Black, Blackout Treatment on all lenses. 660-670 HP/560 Torque. 570HP to rear wheels with dyno chart to prove. Stock is 505HP/425HP to rear wheels. This car is NASCAR fast and WILL MAKE ANY FERRARI CRY FOR ITS MAMA.” 12 bids, sf 273, bf 2. Cond: 2+.

The CM Analysis

SOLD AT $65,101. It’s always a good idea to let someone else take that first whack of depreciation. MSRP is not mentioned, but it is clear the seller had to have been into this beast for at least the high eighties. A good find at a market-correct price.