Corvette Collectibility vs. Reality: When Garage Queens Sit

Episode 38 of our exclusive CorvSport Garage Queens and Flops series marks another milestone in a journey that began just over two years ago. What started as a fascination with ultra-low-mile Corvettes has evolved into a full-blown market study—and today is our fifth installment dedicated entirely to the queens that didn’t sell. Not every pristine Corvette finds a buyer. Some sit. Some sweat. Some stall. And that’s where the real story begins.

From Redline Living To Museum Preservation

CorvSport has long celebrated the idea of rowing gears, chasing apexes, and putting miles where they belong—on the odometer. Your author has never hidden from that mindset. But two years of watching Garage Queens accumulate dust rather than distance has added a new layer of respect. There’s something undeniably compelling about enthusiasts who preserve their Corvettes in near-delivery condition, treating them like artifacts rather than automobiles. The tension between driving and storing isn’t a battle—it’s a balance. And the market ultimately decides which philosophy pays off.

Five Flop Episodes And One Lingering Question

Across five dedicated Flops features, a pattern has begun to emerge. Which Corvette generation struggles the most when low miles meet ambitious pricing? Which models linger the longest? We’re breaking it all down after today’s spotlight, including a full archive recap dating back to late 2024. How many days have these cars been sitting? What percentage reductions finally sparked movement—if any? We’ve compiled the numbers into a clear, easy-to-digest table so our readers can see exactly how the market has treated these would-be time capsules.

The Dealer Clock Never Stops Ticking

From our resident in-house retired used-car dealer—17 years deep in the business—comes a perspective that most enthusiasts never see. Inventory isn’t just inventory; it’s capital tied up and waiting. Even without relying heavily on floorplan financing, the mental clock is relentless. Days-on-lot matter. Money parked in metal that isn’t moving creates pressure. Add typical floorplan structures into the equation, and the anxiety multiplies. A $20,000 vehicle once meant interest north of $5 per day. Now imagine six-figure Corvettes carrying that same daily meter. That slow burn can turn optimism into urgency in a hurry.

High Stakes And Higher Price Tags

We’ve explored before how ultra-low mileage changes the calculus. These aren’t typical used Corvettes; they’re speculative assets dressed as sports cars. Dealers often acquire them through wholesale lanes, signing the buyer’s order while the floorplan company settles the bill with the auction house. The strategy works—until it doesn’t. When a six-figure ZR1 or a museum-quality convertible sits longer than expected, the cost of patience rises quietly in the background. The longer the listing lingers, the louder that ticking clock becomes.

Why eBay Keeps Delivering The Drama

Our playground for this ongoing experiment remains eBay. Unlike Bring a Trailer’s tightly filtered approach, eBay allows virtually anyone with an account to roll the dice—seven-day auctions, Buy It Now buttons, private sellers, major dealers—all coexisting in one sprawling marketplace. That openness creates volatility, opportunity, and occasionally heartbreak. As we dive into today’s expanded Garage Queen Flops coverage, the analysis becomes sharper than ever. Five episodes’ worth of stalled queens. Hundreds of cumulative days on market. Price cuts, price hikes, and everything in between. Buckle up—because the data behind these flops may surprise you more than the mileage ever did.

This market feature is free, and you can enjoy an ad-free experience, get exclusive content, and support CorvSport for only $2.92/month!

The Top Garage Queens That Remain Unsold: Part Five

#3 — 1998 Corvette Coupe

354 Miles

Days Without A Sale: 68+
Price When Featured on 12/11/2025: $37,745
Price Now: $37,745
Reduction In Price: 0%
Link To Current Listing

VIEW More pictures at the Full eBay Listing

#2 — 2007 Corvette Ron Fellows Edition Z06

46 Miles

Days Without A Sale: 68+
Price When Featured on 12/11/2025: $84,989
Price Now: $74,989
Reduction In Price: 11.8%
Link To Current Listing

VIEW More pictures at the Full eBay Listing

#1 — 2022 Corvette Stingray C8.R Championship Edition

45 Miles

Days Without A Sale: 299+
Price When Featured on 4/24/2025: $113,800
Price Now: $112,900
Reduction In Price: 0.8%
Link To Current Listing

VIEW More pictures at the Full eBay Listing

The CorvSport Takeaway

The clock is ticking — and it’s ticking loudly. Across the Garage Queen Flops CorvSport has tracked since February 2024, the average time to sell is 163 days. That’s more than five months of showroom lighting, battery tenders, and static tire patches. The average original asking price sits at $106,429. The current average price? $101,950. That’s just a 4.8% reduction. In other words, while the days pile up, the pricing barely moves. So the question we posed in the intro still hangs in the air: who’s struggling, and why aren’t prices reacting?

Which Generations Are Struggling?

The data points squarely at the C7 (2014–2019) generation — especially the high-trim ZR1 and Z06 variants — as the biggest lingerers. Multiple 2019 models dominate the top half of our Days on Market list, including several examples sitting well beyond 150 days, and one nearing 300.

The C4 (1984–1996) and C3 (1968–1982) entries show mixed results. While a 1978 Pace Car lingered at 280+ days (even after an 11.3% cut), other vintage cars show moderate resistance rather than outright stagnation. The C6 (2005–2013) models appear stable but not immune, particularly special editions that dealers believe deserve a premium. Interestingly, the C8 (2020–present) isn’t immune either. A 2022 C8.R Championship Edition is sitting at 299+ days with barely a price adjustment. Even the newest generation isn’t bulletproof when priced ambitiously.

Is 4.8% Really Market Movement?

A 4.8% average reduction after 163 days is hardly capitulation. It’s a hesitation. A pause. Only four cars required double-digit cuts. Most dealers appear content trimming lightly — 5%, maybe 8% — while letting the clock run. And then there’s the outlier: a 2019 Z06 Convertible that actually raised its price by 5.8% after 162+ days on the market. Bold? Confident? Or simply unwilling to blink?

This doesn’t look like a distressed market. It looks like a standoff. Dealers aren’t slashing. Buyers aren’t chasing. Inventory lingers in climate-controlled stalemates. Which raises a bigger question: are these cars truly “for sale,” or are some dealers comfortable collecting dust on six-figure inventory while waiting for the perfect buyer?

The 2019 ZR1: The Crown Jewel That Won’t Move

If there is a poster child for this ticking-clock market, it’s the 2019 ZR1.

The final front-engined Corvette.
755 horsepower.
One year only.
Collector gold on paper.

And yet, multiple 2019 ZR1 examples are sitting deep into triple-digit days on market — some with zero price movement. One sat at 288 days without a single dollar reduction. Another ZTK example crossed 150 days before trimming 9.1%.

Why? Because collectors see what it is. The last of its kind. The ultimate expression of the front-engine era. But here’s the tension: everyone sees that. Supply of ultra-low-mile examples remains surprisingly strong. When every owner thinks they have the crown jewel, pricing hardens. The high-stakes game of low miles becomes a waiting game. Sellers won’t discount history. Buyers won’t overpay for nostalgia.

And so the clock keeps ticking.

At 163 days average time on market and only modest price movement, this isn’t a collapse — it’s a staring contest. The garage queens aren’t depreciating rapidly. But they aren’t dancing off showroom floors either. In today’s Corvette market, collectibility alone isn’t enough. Timing — and the willingness to move with it — may be the real horsepower.

Garage Queen Flops: At A Glance

Days on Market	Vette Specs	Miles	Original Price	New Price	Price Reduction
299+	’22 Stingray C8.R	45	$113,800	$112,900	0.8%
288+	’19 ZR1 3ZR	12	$269,950	$269,950	0%
280+	’78 Pace Car	16	$61,998	$54,998	11.3%
247+	’10 ZR1 3ZR	733	$100,000	Call for Price	N/A
245+	’21 Stingray 1LT	220	$69,900	$63,900	8.6%
212+	’90 ZR-1	98	$34,100*	$66,995	N/A
198+	’16 Z06 Conv.	26	$127,000	$127,000	0%
198+	’12 GS Centennial	244	$79,900	$69,900	12.5%
162+	’19 Z06 Conv. 2LZ	380	$99,999	$105,800	-5.8%
157+	’19 ZR1 3ZR ZTK	279	$164,395	$164,395	0%
157+	’98 Pace Car	63	$59,995	$59,995	0%
148+	’19 ZR1 3ZR ZTK	45	$220,000	$200,000	9.1%
144+	’21 Stingray 3LT	274	$79,998	$79,998	0%
114+	’93 Convertible	217	$48,750	$39,800	18.4%
78+	’01 Z06	969	$39,989	$39,989	0%
73+	’17 Z06 2LZ	982	$89,850	$84,900	5.5%
73+	’91 ZR-1	923	$79,800	$75,800	5.0%
68+	’98 Coupe	354	$37,745	$37,745	0%
68+	’07 Ron Fellows Z06	46	$84,989	$74,989	11.8%
Average	—	303	$106,429	$101,950	4.8%
Average Days On Market	163 Days