6-Speed Convertible: 1996 Chevrolet Corvette

Just in time for summer is what appears to be an outstanding value for a drop-top Corvette with the elusive 5-speed manual gearbox. The 1996 Corvette represented the last year of the C4 platform, and to mark it, Chevrolet offered a special Collector’s Edition with Sebring Silver paint and unique 5-spoke alloy wheels. Whole it’s purely cosmetic in nature, it was a refreshingly restrained approach to creating a special edition model in the Corvette lineup. This 1996 convertible listed here on craigslist for just $9,900 is made even more desirable for featuring a rare 6-speed manual.

The C4 is a known quantity around these parts, oftentimes labeled as one of the best sports and muscle car values on the planet. The smart play with a C4 is to buy one with some unusual or rare features, be it color, equipment, or transmission, and likely see your value stay fairly flat while not spending much of anything on maintenance (aside from the typical consumables.) The Collector’s Edition really wasn’t all that complex of a package but the end result was a home run. Most C4s wear red or black paint, and silver wasn’t nearly the popular color that it is now. This ’96 convertible appears to be clean and straight with just 82,000 original miles.

So, with that kind of mileage, it’s actually been driven but it’s still quite low by every other standard. Why more Corvette owners don’t opt for the manual gearbox, I will never know, but finding a C4 with a stick that isn’t a ZR-1 is not exactly easy. This transforms the car, in my opinion, and opens up all sorts of other possibilities in terms of  how you enjoy using it. With the stick, I’d say finding some suspension upgrades, perhaps headers and exhaust, and maybe even a roll bar would all be compelling options for having a highly affordable collector car that can pivot between comfy cruiser and cheap track day thrills.

Of the 5,412 Corvettes sold as Collector’s Editions, most of those were coupes, with just 1,381 built as convertibles. That makes a rare car already significantly more obscure, and combined with the 6-speed, this C4 is looking like a better and better value. The LT-4 engine is another big reason why this is such a compelling buy since it bumped up the horsepower to 330 b.h.p. along with 340 lb.-ft. of torque. To put a few more cherries on top, this Corvette comes with the factory hardtop and the seller notes he replaced the water pump and Optispark in the summer of ’24. Someone, please – buy it now. Thanks to Barn Finds reader Curvette for the find.