The collector car market, in your inbox
Classic car news, hand-picked vehicles, and auction coverage. Choose what lands in your inbox.
A six-speed, LS1-powered C5 doesn't turn up on the used market every day, and one just landed on the Motorious inventory, where Pennsylvania consignment specialist Classic Auto Mall is asking $29,900 for a 2000 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible finished in Silver Metallic over a Pewter leather interior.
The seller lists 26,700 miles on the odometer, though true mileage is unknown due to a Pennsylvania title exemption, a common wrinkle on cars old enough to qualify. What isn't in question is the drivetrain: a 5.7-liter LS1 V8 backed by the T56 six-speed manual and a 3.42 limited-slip rear end, the exact combination that made the C5 a favorite among drivers who wanted their Corvette to shift for itself only when they told it to. Five-spoke staggered wheels wrapped in ZR-rated rubber round out a spec sheet that reads like a checklist for the C5 faithful.
Chevrolet's fifth-generation Corvette, which we dug into in Motorious Explores The Chevy Corvette, arrived with a stiffer structure and lower curb weight than the C4 it replaced, numbers that translated into the tight, shake-free ride Corvette buyers had been asking for. The car backed up the engineering with hardware: Motor Trend named it Car of the Year in 1998, it paced the Indianapolis 500 that same season, and Car and Driver put it on its 10Best list two years running. For more on how that platform came together, we've also told the story of the 1999 C5 Corvette that set the template this 2000 model followed.
This particular car wears its age honestly rather than hiding it. The listing notes some chips, surface scratches, and chin scrapes on the body, along with a TPMS warning light, but reports that everything else operates as it should and that the car drove without fault during the dealer's test drive. Inside, the two-tone black-over-pewter door panels and pewter leather bucket seats remain in excellent shape, with only the slight patina creasing on the driver's seat you'd expect from a car that's actually been driven rather than trailered to shows. A white canvas top finishes off the look, a color combination that's become something of a signature for well-kept silver C5 convertibles.
That combination of usability and specification is exactly what's kept C5 values grounded even as other Corvette generations have climbed. According to Hagerty's valuation tools, pricing across the C5 generation (1997-2004) has stayed largely stable, with average values running from roughly $17,000 for standard cars up toward $24,000 for more desirable configurations, and convertibles like this one typically commanding a premium over coupes. Hagerty's own market writeups have gone as far as calling the LS1 "one of the best engines ever made," pointing to its extraordinary aftermarket demand and its habit of turning up in everything from restomods to engine swaps that have nothing to do with a Corvette at all. Enthusiasts shopping the segment can run this exact car's specs through Hagerty's 2000 Corvette valuation tool to see how a six-speed, low-mile convertible like this one stacks up against the wider market before making an offer.
If this one gets away, the C5 well hasn't run dry on Motorious. We've recently featured a 600-hp supercharged 2000 Corvette street sleeper for buyers who want their C5 with more bite, and an 8,000-mile 2003 50th Anniversary Convertible for those chasing a true time capsule. But for a driver-quality, three-pedal C5 convertible ready to be used the way Chevrolet intended, this silver 2000 model at Classic Auto Mall is hard to beat at $29,900.
