1997 Chevrolet Corvette

Description

The C5 Corvette might just be the best value in performance cars available anywhere today. As much of a game changer as it was in 1997, today it offers exciting performance, great handling, and surprisingly comfort and utility, all at a fraction of its original cost. This low-mileage '97 Corvette was one of the first off the line and the original owner surely paid a substantial premium to own it, yet today you can enjoy its many virtues for pennies on the dollar.

Torch Red is the perennial favorite Corvette color, with more Torch Red Corvettes sold each year than almost anything else. With just 19,975 original miles on it, this one has obviously led a very good life as a hobby vehicle, and never had to survive the rigors of commuter traffic. As a result, the usual high-wear areas look excellent, including the chin and rocker panels, neither of which have been abused by concrete and gravel. Finish quality on these Corvettes was the best ever, so the doors close with reassuring solidity and the gaps are excellent thanks to the new plastic body panels. Even the paint applied by the guys at the Bowling Green factory is the best in the GM universe, with a smooth, slick surface that's only gotten better over the past 17 years thanks to regular polishing and waxing. It's not perfect, but if you want a great-looking Corvette, this one is extremely impressive.

The black leather interior offers all the most important options for a C5, all of which were in-demand when it first hit the market. Sport seats were a big deal, as is the dual-zone climate control, and this car also features things like power windows and locks, cruise control, a tilt column, and a powerful AM/FM/CD stereo with Bose speakers all around. As someone who was there in 1997 when these cars hit the market, this one was the one everyone wanted to own. It's all in excellent condition with only very minor comfort marks on the driver's seat and the door panels don't even show a little indentation where the driver's elbow might have rested. Everything works, as you'd expect, with powerful A/C, a comfortable driving position, and gauges that were ground-breaking when they debuted. This car also offers two tops and the C5 was the first Corvette to actually offer a decent trunk that was still usable even with the tops stowed in their special mounting brackets back there.

The LS1 really needs no introduction after nearly two decades of making horsepower. In 1997, it was rated at 345 horsepower and made the C5 legitimately fast. It was also smooth, torquey, and virtually indestructible. It took a while, but eventually the aftermarket caught up and made hundreds of speed parts for these engines, but this one is refreshingly stock, with only an aftermarket cold air intake and a growling Corsa cat-back exhaust system on its list of improvements. The stock black plastic coil covers give the engine bay a neatly finished look and it's obviously been well-maintained since new. A 4-speed automatic overdrive transaxle was actually standard equipment and it spins a set of 2.73 gears so this is a remarkable highway cruiser that pulls down impressive gas mileage, too. Shiny Z06 wheels are a direct bolt-on, giving the C5 an updated look and they still carry 245/45/17 front and 275/40/18 rear Goodyear run-flat radials.

You can't buy more performance for less money anywhere else, not with this level of finish and so few miles. This Corvette is a great opportunity. Call today!