When the C5-era of the Chevrolet Corvette was introduced, it was a significant shift in the domestic sports car landscape. To be honest, I consider the C5 to be the last time a Corvette truly captured the attention of not only enthusiasts, but national mindshare as well. Heck, I can remember the Hallmark Store making a C5 Christmas ornament that same year! While the latest mid-engine Corvette may be the future of the brand, the C5 and the accompanying Z06 is one of the last legendary Corvettes, in my opinion. Check out this no-reserve Z06 offered here on eBay with bids to $18,299 at the moment.

The Z06 was considered the spiritual descendant of the C4-era ZR1, but with numerous improvements. To this day – and I’m guilty of this – we still talk about the ZR1 in somewhat reverent tones, ooh-ing and ahh-ing about its performance and engineering credentials. I suppose it’s because at the time, American performance vehicles hadn’t reached that level of detail and the ZR1 planted a flag firmly in the ground as if to say, “We can build this, too.” However, the Z06 was a superior car in almost every respect, not to mention being far more affordable to buy even in today’s hyper-inflated market. This is a 2002 model, which means it enjoys a nice bump in power over the intro year offering.

The Z06 was a highly respectable engineering achievement, with lightweight materials used throughout to get the curb weight down significantly compared to the standard C5. I mean, this car was no joke: sodium-filled valves, deleted pre-catalytic converters, hotter camshaft, and a larger air intake were just some of the tweaks the engineers made to build the ultimate Corvette of the early 2000s. Weight savings were achieved through thinner glass, lightweight wheels, and a titanium exhaust system. In 2002, the Z06 produced a whopping 405 horsepower with no turbochargers, superchargers, or hybrid systems needed.

The interior was pretty basic – really, if any part of the car felt like the outgoing C4, it was inside. GM still hadn’t mastered the art of the high-grade interior, and when you look at used C5s with some miles on the clock, the interior is always the biggest let-down. Still, it’s not hard to repair worn lids and plastic surfaces, and aftermarket seat options are numerous. This is a smoking deal at no reserve, especially with reasonable miles and a great color combination. There will come a day, mark my words, when we all regret not buying a Z06 when they were safely under $30,000.