350-ci 300-hp fuel-injected V8, auto. Older repaint in a non-stock shade of blue probably done after accident in 1998, now shows polishing swirls and light scratches. Rear fascia CORVETTE embossing now filled with pastel light blue paint, cheesy “High Performance” emblem below right taillights. Driver’s door window mounted loosely in the frame, door glass and door to body seals sunburnt and crumbling apart. Clean engine compartment, bottoms of both seats have soiling and moderate wrinkling.

While still pretty decent for a car with over 110k miles on the clock, this was still essentially a play toy used commuter car that's going nowhere but down in value. While well applied, the non-stock paint seemed to put off more than a few people, so this was about as good as one can expect for a selling price.

350-ci 355-hp V8, 4-bbl, auto. Reportedly fitted with new 2007 ZZ4 engine with new transmission, brakes, stainless headers, and new exhaust. Salvage title, rough body fit with multiple cracks in fiberglass and aftermarket L88-style hood, pearl repaint. Big stereo, tinted glass, Centerline mags. Wear to driver's seat.

I'm not sure why this car merited such an engine transplant, as it seemed pretty well wrung out. Even as a beginner ’Vette, this looked scary. I'm guessing all this car's good miles were behind it. Perhaps somebody bought it for the drivetrain. Well sold.

350-ci 220-hp V8, 4-bbl, auto. California market L82 with three owners since new. Gloss to original paint quite good at ten feet, many cracks and buffing marks up close. Some red tape stripes starting to lift. Washed off engine bay, dead bird stuck in right side of cowl behind right windshield wiper arm. Seat upholstery most likely a high quality replacement, as it is not worn on discolored as much as steering wheel rim. Door panels and carpet show more typical wear, but are still in pretty good condition.

Across the block, the reserve was lifted at $10k, and it took an additional bid to get the car sold. With 1978 IPCs gaining ground in the market over the last few years, I’ll say this was bought well despite its condition. Due mostly to the door cracks and the mileage, I don’t think it would be too much of a sin to repaint the black sections, especially since the refurbishment path has already been blazed by the seats.

350-ci 220-hp V8, 4-bbl, auto. Optional L82, a/c, tinted glass roof panels, pdl, and pw. Original paint with plenty of nicks, scuffs, and scratches. Doors have horrible fit issues and will not latch properly, even when slammed. Interior generally original but unwinding. Remote mirror adjuster pretty much dangling loose from door panel. Most telling, the consignor scrawled "AS IS" over the whole section of Silver’s consignment information window card where a general rating of the various systems is requested.

This was at the ICA auction the previous weekend, hammered as a no-sale for $10,500 at the highest point and $6,250 at the lowest (SCM# 119375). It didn’t pay to drive 28 miles northeast, but at least here it was made more presentable. While it looks like they made almost a grand by holding out, the hammer price here was also $10,500, so we’ll call it a draw (or the loss of a couple gallons of gas and a few hours.)

350-ci 185-hp V8, 4-bbl, auto. Fitted with two tops, ps, pb, a/c, tilt/telescopic column, pw, and luggage rack. Mostly original paint with typical light orange peel, door edges chipped. Original chrome and trim presentable but not perfect. Engine repainted and moderately detailed not long ago, balance of engine compartment lackluster. Well preserved original interior with light wear and soiling mostly on the driver’s seat. Door panels look newer.

This was the start of the era that pretty much made the Corvette nothing more than a two-seat Malibu. Then again, folks are stating to collect “higher performance” and even bone lazy Malibus of this era, so this car did as well as could be expected.

383-ci 576-hp supercharged V8, auto. Ross forged pistons and rods, Stage 1 ported and polished heads, roller timing chain, aftermarket boost and temp gauges. Supercharged emblems screwed onto hood. Recent repaint, spray-can yellow stripe. Body cracked, rubber tired. C5 mags installed.

Judging from the laundry list of performance parts, this car must go like blazes... ya think it was driven hard? The whole project looked to me like a case of a $12k car plus $12k in parts equaling a $12k sale, but I was wrong. I'd call this very well sold indeed.

5.7-liter 345-hp fuel-injected LS1 V8, 6-sp. No other options aside from pace car package. Well preserved all original paint and graphics with no chips, scrapes, or decal lifting. Stock oval exhaust outlets replaced by aftermarket round pieces. Light wear and wrinkling to top. Well maintained engine bay, regularly cleaned undercarriage. The driver’s seat has significantly more wrinkling than expected, but reminder of interior has virtually no wear.

I’d say this example fell just below the good example profiled in the previous issue of CM. This selling price was a bit on the low side, but I wouldn’t say it was well bought. A good enough buy if you want one of the few cars that out of the box is perfect for an over-the-top Minnesota Vikings fan.

GM Heritage item. Minimal or no use, some wear to finish, storage strap marks and scratches. Slight delamination of windshield, C4 Corvette trailer wheels unmarked.

The ultimate boat for a Corvette owner. This looked to be the C5 version, of which 125 were made. There is of course a C6 version now. Cost $45,000 new, so this was very well bought—and no problem with a scrap title.

350-ci 300-hp V8, 4-bbl, auto. Said to be matching numbers. Good paint, decent gaps, some cracks to body, new exhaust. Fitted with a/c, ps, pb, pw, and luggage rack. New leather interior. Driver's door chipped, older tires on Corvette Rally wheels.

Not a pretty color and with an unfortunate interior choice. Seemed like a decent driver and you wouldn't see much of the color from the driver's seat, I suppose. Correctly valued at the bottom of the price range.

350-ci 375-hp fuel-injected V8, 6-sp. Originally sold through Mark Chevrolet of Wayne, MI with both roof panels & electronic climate control as the only two options in addition to the ZR-1 package. Claimed original mileage. Exceptionally well maintained and cared for with only the lightest signs of use. Two light nicks in nose paint, light carpet wear on the driver’s side door sill, faint wrinkling of the driver’s seat. Paint regularly cleaned and polished to the point of having a better gloss than when new.

Let’s see... It was $60,590 out the door in 1990, provided the owner didn’t have to pay any additional dealer markup, and it sold here for $26,400. Pretty lousy for an investment, and it proves once again that “instant collectibles” are only money makers for those who build them. This will be a shoe-in for not only a Bloomington Gold car when it becomes eligible, but also as a Benchmark. No matter what the new owner does at this point, this was still bought well.