Today’s Nice Price or No Dice Corvette is claimed to have lived its entire life in the Southwest. Arizona is a hot place to spend even one summer, so let’s see if its price makes it a hot commodity no matter where you are.
When you consider all the brand names under which the Isuzu Trooper was sold through the years, it’s surprising that you don’t find one of them lurking around every corner and taco stand. Instead, we have rare examples of the original like the 1986 Isuzu Trooper II two-door we looked at yesterday, and sellers who consider the rarity to mean more bucks for the trucks.
That seemed to be the case with yesterday’s truck, which asked $11,500, and it also seems that few of you were in agreement with that sentiment. What resulted from that disagreement was an 80 percent No Dice loss.
For a long time, Chevy liked to let its halo car, the Corvette, stick around for… well, a long time. The third generation lasted for fully 14 years before passing the baton, while its successor the C4 managed an impressive 12-year run. Things changed a bit with the introduction of the C5 in 1996, as that model’s reign lasted a mere seven years before being given the heave-ho.
Despite that short model run, the C5 was notable on a couple of fronts. It was the first Corvette to feature a combined transmission/differential transaxle unit, offering either a six-speed manual or a four-cog automatic mounted. That was in search of the elusive 50/50 weight balance and is a feature that carried through to the C7 generation.
The C5 was also the first ’Vette to feature a chassis constructed with hydroformed box-section elements. That made for significant structural improvements over the prior model. Lastly — literally — this was the final Corvette to date to sport pop-up headlamps. Those had been a Corvette styling trope since 1963.
Despite all that, the C5 ’Vette hasn’t yet seemed to find its groove in the fanbase. Maybe it’s the Pontiac-esque styling that features more rounded edges and soft curves than Corvette lovers can abide? Could it be the door handles that were shared with the contemporary Oldsmobile Aurora? Or perhaps it’s just an underappreciated model that now represents one of the best values in the Corvette market? Take your pick.
This 2001 Corvette coupe is just such an example, and it comes equipped with the right factory gear and some updates. Those include the LS1 V8, which in this model year gained a modest boost to 350 horsepower. Behind that — way behind because it’s a transaxle, remember — sits a Tremec T-56 six-speed manual.
The car comes in what looks to be Light Pewter Metallic paint and rolls on chrome-plated factory 19-inch wheels wrapped in Michelin rubber. According to the ad, there are 123,000 miles on the clock and what the seller says are “minor cosmetic issues compared to mileage.” Those don’t show up in the pics and in fact, the car looks to be in pretty nice shape for having spent its entire life exposed to Arizona’s baking temperatures.
The interior benefits from rebuilt and re-upholstered seats as well as an updated head unit for the stereo. These were neither the best nor the worst Corvette interiors ever, although stepping directly from a C5 to a C6 can quickly show the earlier model’s inequity.
The ad also notes a number of mechanical updates, the most notable of which is a new clutch that went in just 5,000 miles ago. New belts, hoses and radiator should help the car keep its cool.
The title appears to be clean and the car is running current tags. The asking price is $10,500 — fully a grand less than yesterday’s Isuzu — and you now need to decide if that’s a deal for this set of wheels.
What do you think, could this C5 get some love at that $10,500 asking? Or, is that a price that makes you think this ’Vette won’t soon be a phoenix out of Phoenix?
You decide!
Facebook Marketplace out of Chandler, AZ or go here if the ad disappears.
H/T to tomtwgtwgtwg for the hookup!
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