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Douglas Barton·
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Is The Wholesale Corvette Market Crashing Or Sizzling? Special C8 Stingray & Z06 Edition

Join CorvSport.com for today's exclusive dealer-to-dealer wholesale market report, and impress your enthusiast friends with actual market data!

Will this C8 Z06 sell today?!? Photo Credit: Manheim

In our last exclusive dealer-to-dealer wholesale market report two weeks ago, I spoke about the relationship between retail market activity and wholesale prices. In short, during my 17 years as a used car dealer, if the metal was moving quickly off my lot, the activity and prices at the wholesale auction would increase. I sometimes hear around social media that the C8 market is “crashing,” but if you look at our full archives below today’s report, you’ll see that the Corvette wholesale market is pretty darn hot, and not because we are in the Texas market. [Author’s Note: This market report is FREE and not behind a paywall. Yes, FREE! If/when any pop-ups appear, please click to dismiss them and continue enjoying the article. One may require two steps–first, the arrow on the left, then the x on the top right.]

I’m sometimes asked if I miss the industry–do I miss being a dealer? After 17 years in the ring, my usual answer is a resounding no. The risk with being the vehicle’s caretaker from auction to retail sale was, at times, overwhelming. The freedom of being my own boss was the only saving grace, and sure, the adrenaline rush from duking it out on the auction block was pretty fun–except when I lost OR overpaid!

If this is the first time with us, I developed these exclusive wholesale market reports 67 weeks ago to give enthusiasts and shoppers insights into the used C8 market. If you want to check out interesting wholesale trends, especially as we moved from the Florida to the Texas market, we have our full archives below today’s results.

A Quick Review Of The Process:

In preparation for each installment, I start a list of Corvettes from that week’s runlist that catch my eye. As a retired owner/operator of a used car dealership, I’ll use my 17 years of experience (and industry access) to give you insights into the market. My search is focused on the nation’s largest dealer-only wholesale auction, and all the Corvettes featured are from the Texas market. Corvettes end up at a dealer-only wholesale auction for many reasons, but most are trade-ins that the dealer decided not to retail on their lot. Some may also be repossessions or coming off leases. It’s also common for dealers to dump problem (or slow-selling) units at an auction.

For Fun (and Insights):

Compare the MMR (estimated wholesale value) to the actual hammer price (if sold). It’s also interesting to compare the wholesale purchase price (if it sells) to the Cox Automotive estimated retail value, as this will give you an idea of the margins used-car dealerships are working with.

[6/19/2025 Edition]

Top 7: Wholesale Dealer-Only Auction Activity Report

#7

2022 C8 Stingray Coupe 2LT

35,365 Miles

Condition Report: 4.9/5.0

Announcements: 2LT package, Navigation, Performance exhaust

Autocheck History Report: 5 owners, 0 accidents

MMR: $59,600

(MMR=estimated wholesale value, based on vehicle, miles, condition, and recent auction sales)

Historical Wholesale Averages

  • Past 30 Days: $68,600 (6,973 average miles)
  • 6 Months Ago: $61,100 (14,048 mi)
  • Last Year: $67,100 (11,483 mi)

Estimated Retail Value: $61,100

(Based on Cox Automotive retail transactions)

Auction Results: Sold for $58,500

(Insights: Well, those FIVE owners on the history report did not scare away bidders–a sharp 2LT C8!)

#6

2022 C8 Stingray Convertible 3LT

11,657 Miles

Condition Report: 4.8/5.0

Announcements:

Autocheck History Report: 3 owners, 0 accidents

MMR: $74,100

(MMR=estimated wholesale value, based on vehicle, miles, condition, and recent auction sales)

Historical Wholesale Averages

  • Past 30 Days: $74,300 (11,814 average miles)
  • 6 Months Ago: $73,400 (7,141 mi)
  • Last Year: $77,600 (8,203 mi)

Estimated Retail Value: $77,500

(Based on Cox Automotive retail transactions)

Auction Results: Sold for $76,000

(Insights: According to the MMR, this was strong money for this 2022 3LT Vert. The color may not be for everybody, but I love it!)

#5

2023 C8 Z06 Coupe 3LZ

13,381 Miles

Condition Report: 4.8/5.0

Announcements: None

Autocheck History Report: 3 owners, 0 accidents

MMR: $113,000

(MMR=estimated wholesale value, based on vehicle, miles, condition, and recent auction sales)

Historical Wholesale Averages

  • Past 30 Days: $115,000 (21,632 average miles)
  • 6 Months Ago: $120,000 (5,544 mi)
  • Last Year: $127,000 (4,408 mi)

Estimated Retail Value: $118,000

(Based on Cox Automotive retail transactions)

Auction Results: NO SALE

(Insights: This C8 Z06 looked good on paper, and the dealers were out buying today, so we’ll chalk this one up to the selling dealer’s reserve being too high.)

#4

2023 C8 Z06 Coupe 3LZ

11,249 Miles

Condition Report: 4.8/5.0

Announcements: 3LZ package, Navigation, Clean Carfax

Autocheck History Report: 0 owners, 0 accidents (yes, the report is showing zero owners)

MMR: $115,000

(MMR=estimated wholesale value, based on vehicle, miles, condition, and recent auction sales)

Historical Wholesale Averages

  • Past 30 Days: $115,000 (21,632 average miles)
  • 6 Months Ago: $120,000 (5,544 mi)
  • Last Year: $127,000 (4,408 mi)

Estimated Retail Value: $120,000

(Based on Cox Automotive retail transactions)

Auction Results: Sold for $111,000

(Insights: This Z06 was well bought, at $4,000 under MMR! As we’ve noted before, Texas Auto Value comes to the dealer-only auction ready to sell!)

#3

2023 C8 Stingray Coupe 2LT

10,382 Miles

Condition Report: 4.8/5.0

Announcements:

Autocheck History Report: 1 owner, 0 accidents

MMR: $67,900

(MMR=estimated wholesale value, based on vehicle, miles, condition, and recent auction sales)

Historical Wholesale Averages

  • Past 30 Days: $68,700 (9,280 average miles)
  • 6 Months Ago: $65,300 (9,843 mi)
  • Last Year: $70,800 (7,551 mi)

Estimated Retail Value: $69,400

(Based on Cox Automotive retail transactions)

Auction Results: Sold for $63,250

(Insights: I love this color, and the buying dealer got a deal–wow, $4,650 under MMR. This C8 was one of two from GiveMeTheVin, who also comes to the auction ready to hammer!)

#2

2024 C8 Stingray Coupe 1LT

13,851 Miles

Condition Report: 4.9/5.0

Announcements:

Autocheck History Report: 2 owners, 0 accidents

MMR: $62,200

(MMR=estimated wholesale value, based on vehicle, miles, condition, and recent auction sales)

Historical Wholesale Averages

  • Past 30 Days: $64,400 (5,917 average miles)
  • 6 Months Ago: $62,800 (3,376 mi)
  • Last Year: $67,500 (2,440 mi)

Estimated Retail Value: $65,000

(Based on Cox Automotive retail transactions)

Auction Results: Sold for $62,500

(Insights: Given some of the modifications, this was a good buy for the dealer. The performance exhaust and high wing are popular mods, and elevate this 1LT Coupe!)

#1

2024 C8 Stingray Coupe 3LT

2,826 Miles

Condition Report: 5.0/5.0

Announcements:

Autocheck History Report: 1 owner, 0 accidents

MMR: $76,700

(MMR=estimated wholesale value, based on vehicle, miles, condition, and recent auction sales)

Historical Wholesale Averages

  • Past 30 Days: $76,300 (5,160 average miles)
  • 6 Months Ago: $72,900 (3,525 mi)
  • Last Year: Not available

Estimated Retail Value: $79,700

(Based on Cox Automotive retail transactions)

Auction Results: Sold for $78,500

(Insights: This was a strong sale for Texas Auto Value–the C8 buyers were out today!)

Summary: Once again, our top wholesalers, Texas Auto Value (TAV) and GiveMeTheVin (GMTV), came to the auction to sell, with TAV selling all four of their Corvettes, and GMTV hammering both of theirs. There may be an abundance of brand-new C8s sitting on dealer lots, but the used market appears to be “sizzling” hot! Thanks for joining CorvSport today, and we’ll see you in two weeks!

Sales Ratio Tracker (click date for report archives):

Are you CORVETTE OBSESSED like we are? The team of renowned authors and contributors at CorvSport hopes you sense our passion for the iconic Corvette, and our vast database of articles and guides should prove it–5000+ features since Scott Kolecki founded CorvSport over 15 years ago! Join the fastest-growing Corvette community on our Facebook page, with over 169,000 followers (50,000 since January 2023!). Meet other hardcore enthusiasts and say hello. This is Douglas B. signing off–click here if you would like to see more of my features.

*All images and information are credited to Manheim Auctions

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