Here’s How Much Each Generation Chevy Corvette Would Cost New Today

Although pricing for the first model year of the C5 Corvette is nearly $15,000 more than the original MSRP for the first model year of the C4, the difference is actually much smaller when adjusted for inflation. For reference, the original base MSRP for a Corvette in 1997 was $37,495, and that would be $75,210.30 today. C5s aren’t quite as affordable as C4s, though. You can still come across listings with prices below the $10,000 mark, but at that price point it will likely come with a few headaches.

Notably, a convertible C5 wasn’t offered until 1998. In that year, the base price for the coupe had grown to $37,995 while the convertible came in at $44,425. Adjusting for inflation yields costs of $75,044.32 and $87,744.28, respectively. Fast-forward to 2001, and the Corvette Z06 returns to the lineup with a starting price of $48,055, translating to $87,406.62 in today’s money. The convertible of that year would be $85,133.01 based on its original price of $46,805, while the coupe comes out to $73,264.77 following its own original $40,280 cost.

By the time the C5 reached its final model year in 2004, starting prices had grown to $43,835 for the coupe, $50,835 for the convertible, and $52,185 for the Z06. When adjusted for inflation, those figures come out to $74,708.16 for the coupe, $86,638.29 for the convertible, and $88,939.10 for the Z06.