Buying the Cheapest Corvette Z06 in the USA

Corvettes are pretty inexpensive to own, all things considered, but this cheap Z06 may end up costing its new owner a fortune.

Ah, it’s Tyler Hoover, AKA Hoovie’s Garage. This serial car buyer, and automotive hoarder, is back, with another insanely cheap sports car. This time, it’s a C5 Corvette Z06. On paper, at least, this sounds like a smart buy, and, in theory, one of his most practical purchases to date. However, when it takes several minutes to push the car into the shot, you know it’s going to be a fun ride.

This particular C5Z is a 2002 example, painted in Electron Blue, and, from a distance, it still looks great. Hoover wanted into the Z06 life, and purchased, what, at the time, was the cheapest Z06 for sale in the United States with a clean title. And for $11,000, this 104,000-mile C5 Z06 sounds like a great buy, what could go wrong?

For such a good buy, this C5Z has a few, let’s call them ‘quirks’ that need to be worked out. He had to push it into frame (and then jump start it with his Porsche 911, which is LS1-swapped) because the battery is dead. Oh, and it has no electric remote to open it up and start it. However, once it’s fired up, the LS6 and 6-speed transmission work excellently. But, with ABS and traction control lights permanently stuck on the dash, there may be a few other electrical gremlins. Like the HVAC controls, which don’t control anything at the moment. Additionally, the driver’s seat is collapsed, and the windshield is cracked. We’re guessing he needs to handle the C5’s infamous Body Control Module issue.

So, Hoovie’s Garage has quite a few things to sort out. However, Hoover himself admits the car has a lot of potential, and we agree with that assessment. We will be keeping tabs on this ‘restoration’ to see how it goes.