6,337 Actual Mile Corvette Convertible 6.2L LS2 4L65E

For years, the car magazines have been pitting the Corvette against the Porsche 911, as if buyers were cross-shopping the two makes. In truth, there's nothing more American than a Corvette, and the guys who love them, love them for exactly that reason. A Corvette fan would sooner drive a Honda Accord than one of the rear-engined missiles out of Stuttgart. The Corvette is unapologetic about what it is fast and powerful, with a big, honkin'’ V8 up front and a sharp suspension that can make even average drivers look like Fangio. Wrap it up with one of the most distinctive and recognizable shapes in the entire motoring kingdom and you have a slam-dunk of a sports car that handily outsells its competition year after year. Cars like this 6300 original mile 2005 Corvette convertible clearly demonstrate that there's just nothing in the world quite like the wonderful plastic 2-seater from Bowling Green.

2005 was the first year for the “C6” Corvette; that is, the sixth generation. An evolution of the revolutionary C5, it took everything that was great about the C5—the civility, the spacious trunk, the sonorous and lightweight LS engine and took it all to the next level. More power, better handling, improved ergonomics, and arguably a more handsome shape, the C6 continued to build on the Corvette team's tradition of quality and performance. This Victory Red 2005 roadster has just 6337 miles from new, and looks to have been lovingly cared for its entire life. Build quality on the C6 Corvettes is light years ahead of the good old, bad old days of the ‘60s, and this 100% original car demonstrates that very clearly. Panel gaps are tight, and the molded plastic body panels tended to be flatter and straighter than many of their steel counterparts, and never rust. There are no nicks or scratches on this car, no signs of abuse or repair, nothing that might suggest that this car has done anything other than live a pampered existence. The only real evidence of those 6300 miles is some very minor scuffs in the black rubber air dams under the chin from driveway aprons. Otherwise, this car is in near-showroom condition in every way.

The glass is unmarked, and I'm wondering if this car has ever seen rain, it's so clean. At the very least, I'm pretty sure the windshield wipers are factory-issue. There's no chrome save for the tips on the exhaust, and they are clean and shiny, and all the emblems are perfect. Aside from the chrome wheels, the owner of this car wisely chose to forego the dress-up items that so many Corvette owners seem inexplicably drawn to in the catalogs. No chrome taillight covers, no shiny door edge guards, no goofy Corvette logos glued on in odd places, just clean, factory styling.

Under the hood, the C6 got a nice horsepower upgrade in the form of the 6.2 liter LS2, which cranks out 400 horsepower and 400 pounds of torque. One of the sweetest small block V8s ever designed, this engine revs easily, pulls to redline effortlessly, and is perfectly happy trundling around town at 1000 RPM try that with your 427/435! The engine bay in this car has been beautifully maintained, and the ultra-clean components throughout are more proof of this cars easy life and exceptional maintenance. After the detail job we gave it here at RK Motors, it probably even looks better than it did on the showroom floor!

The rest of the chassis is equally well-maintained, and equally potent. The brakes are giant vented rotors, clamped by multi-piston calipers dressed with the Corvette logo. Still using the tried-and-true transverse leaf spring front and back, the suspension is compact, lightweight, and effective. Its firm, but not bone-shaking like the C4 cars were the chassis is so stiff and so robust that you no longer need incredibly stiff suspension settings to generate grip. The Hydra-Matic 4L65-E automatic transmission is an upgraded version of the C5’s 4L60-E, strengthened and revised to accommodate the LS2’s 400 lb.-ft. of torque. It includes GM’s advanced Performance Algorithm Shifting, which automatically selects the optimal gear for a given driving condition, making it a willing accomplice for performance driving and hard cornering. The transmission now shifts at higher revs to take advantage of the higher engine output. Rolling stock consists of 18x8.5-inch front wheels with 245/40/18 front and 19x10-inch rear wheels with 285/35/19 Goodyear F1 Supercar extended mobility tires (that means they're run-flats, which means no space-hogging, heavy spare is required). The owner also specified chrome wheels, which really pop against the bright red paint. Wow!

The ebony leather interior inside this car is gorgeous; I don't care what all the car magazines say. No, I guess the Corvette interior team didn't spend much time looking at the guts of a Porsche, but at the same time, this car costs about half of what a Porsche costs yet goes nearly as fast, so I'm thinking they spent their time and money in the right place. At any rate, I'm not going to hold their choices of plastics against them, since it all looks cohesive and all the controls are well-placed. The dashboard is easy to see, and the HVAC and stereo systems are powerful and effective, even with the top down. The leather buckets are power-adjustable and extremely comfortable for long hauls, although they might be a little slippery if you're going to put this car on the track. Everything is in first-rate condition, and as I said, someone must have taken VERY good care of this car. Clear Corvette-logo floormats have been recently installed for long-term protection.

Furthering that new car feel, we have a lot of documents on this car, including the original window sticker, manuals, instructional DVD, and other materials that came with the car.

In terms of bang for the buck, you just can't beat a C6 Corvette. They're faster than 95% of the cars on the road, they have killer handling, they're durable, comfortable, and hell, they even get good gas mileage. If you haven't driven a new Corvette, you're really missing out. This one looks like a brand new 2010 Corvette in every way only the title reveals that it isn't a new car. This car is a screaming bargain that will give you all the benefits of a brand new Corvette at a deeply discounted price. No, it isn't a “put it away forever” collector piece, it's a car that you can (and should!) enjoy every day, because it'll make even the most boring commute a blast. Pick this one up for a fraction of the MSRP on a new one and make this summer the one where you finally get your dream car. Call now!