Corvette Z06 Owners Paid The Price, Now Buyers Are Getting Deals

Not too long ago, the Z06 stood proudly at the top of the Chevy Corvette food chain, a high-revving benchmark for performance purists. Then came the ZR1 and the even more unhinged ZR1X, reshuffling the C8 hierarchy and pulled attention away from the Z06.

Read: Someone Paid Over $300K For A Corvette That Lost $60K In Weeks

As Chevrolet continued to push the envelope, the Z06 and E-Ray began to look a little less special by comparison. The steady rollout of quicker, more extreme models hasn’t just shifted the spotlight, it’s also taken a heavy toll on the resale values of both.

As shown in the graph of Bring a Trailer results, Corvette Z06s were regularly fetching between $200,000 and nearly $250,000 for a couple of years. Eventually, those figures began to taper off, with most sales settling in the $120,000 to $150,000 range.

Prices Under Pressure

Now, it’s not hard to find a low-mileage E-Ray for around $90,000. Even the Z06, once the crown jewel, has seen significant depreciation. Earlier this month, a red example sold on Bring a Trailer for just $95,500. It had only 4,700 miles on the clock and came with a strong factory spec, including an original MSRP of $135,145.

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Shortly after, a black 2023 Corvette Z06 appeared on the auction block. This one, finished in Carbon Flash Metallic and showing just 2,800 miles, managed a final bid of $107,000 failing to meet reserve. While that’s a lot better than somewhere in the $90,000 range, it’s pretty abysmal given the car had a sticker price of $150,225 and was ordered with the 70th Anniversary Edition package.

According to the window sticker, the original buyer shelled out $10,495 for the visible carbon fiber aero package. That includes the large rear wing, dive planes, and a collection of exposed carbon components. The build also featured $8,495 carbon ceramic brakes, a $2,595 front lift system, and the aforementioned $4,500 anniversary pack.

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It’s possible that the final spec of the car put off some prospective buyers. While the black exterior finish is relatively inoffensive, some elements of the interior may split opinions. These include the Ceramic White trimmings on the seat, the Torch Red seatbelts, and the red carbon fiber trim on the steering wheel.

A Buyer’s Market Emerges

Because the Corvette Z06 isn’t a limited-production model, its resale trajectory was always going to settle lower than more exclusive offerings. That’s not ideal for those who bought early at full sticker, or worse, paid markups, but for buyers now stepping in, the timing couldn’t be better to find a well-optioned, lightly used car for considerably less than new.

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