A Dealer Is Selling A Corvette Z06 For $12,000 Off And It’s Not A Fluke

The mid-engined Chevrolet Corvette Z06 looks awesome. I mean, here’s a brand new car with a warranty that offers an 8,600-rpm, 670-horsepower flat-plane crank overhead cam V8 for less than a comparably equipped Porsche 911 Carrera S. That’s supercar stuff for luxury sports car money. As it stands, there’s just one problem: Chevrolet might’ve built too many of them.

A quick Cars.com search reveals 1,069 brand new Z06s sitting on dealer lots, and Chevrolet’s own inventory finder has an even higher number, 1,677 overhead cam naturally aspirated Corvettes available for people to buy right now. That’s nearly half the national inventory of all Corvettes, and you know what the rules of supply and demand say.

That’s right, it’s discount time, and the discounts are getting pretty good. For example, take a look at this brand new Z06 with the Z07 package up for sale at a Chevrolet dealer in Texas. It’s a loaded 3LZ trim, has a light grey interior that won’t threaten your posterior with searing should you leave this thing parked in the sun, and it’s being listed at $149,915 despite having an MSRP of $161,915. That’s a discount of $12,000 off sticker price.

Want to go further? Here’s a dealer in Miami with 48 Corvette Z06 examples in stock, all of which are listed below MSRP. Want the biggest discount? This mid-range 2LZ trim in a fetching shade of yellow with the carbon aero package is listed for $133,528, or $19,952 below MSRP. Okay, so it doesn’t suddenly make it Mustang money, but considering this is the closest thing to an American Ferrari 458 Italia out there, that’s not bad.

This 2025 Corvette Z06 hasn’t even arrived on the lot yet, but that still isn’t stopping a dealer in Minnesota from slicing $12,000 off the MSRP. It’s a base 1LZ trim in Sebring Orange, and while the window sticker says it should cost $127,100, it’s being listed for sale at $115,100. That’s well-equipped Stingray money, and at that point, why not give up a few creature comforts for an amazing engine?

It’s a stark contrast from what we saw two years ago, when C8 Z06 examples were going for well above MSRP on auction sites. This 2023 Corvette Z06 Convertible was one of the first to hit Bring A Trailer back in March of 2023, carrying a sticker price of $126,785. By the time the gavel dropped, the high bid stood at $227,000, a shocking premium simply to be one of the first with a C8 Z06.

Likewise, this 2023 Corvette Z06 with the Z07 package hit Cars & Bids back in February of 2023, and it sold for a whopping $218,200. Sure, it was a desirable spec and it had some automotive celebrity provenance with YouTuber The Stradman being the original owner, but that’s still $47,040 above MSRP.

So what on earth happened for prices to swing from dozens of thousands of dollars above MSRP to five-figure discounts in just over two years? Well, a few things happened, starting with the obvious one of production ramp. At first, the Corvette Z06 made up a small portion of Corvette production as GM worked on slowly building pace. At the time, it was a hot car available in small numbers, so those who wanted to pay to be among the first owners did so. However, four things then happened to affect demand. Firstly, Chevrolet ramped up production, making it less difficult to order a Z06. Secondly, pricing rose, making the Z06 still fair value but not a screaming deal. Third, Chevrolet announced faster Corvettes. The ZR1 makes four digits of horsepower and can hit 233 MPH, while the ZR1X adds an electric motor to the equation for a claimed sub-two-second zero-to-60 mph time. Suddenly, the Z06 wasn’t the hottest Vette on the block.

Finally, Chevrolet dealers are likely facing the reality that selling new enthusiast cars kinda sucks. After all, many enthusiasts don’t just look at new cars, they also look at used ones too. Most people likely wouldn’t compare a well-specced new Honda CR-V to a gently used BMW X3, but there’s probably some enthusiast out there comparing a C8 Z06 with a second-hand Porsche 911 GT3, or even an Audi R8 with its V10 wail.

However, if you do want a new Corvette Z06, now seems like a pretty good time to buy one. After all, if you can easily find them being advertised for five figures below MSRP, there are probably dealers out there with older inventory that have more wiggle room when it comes to a deal. I guess the moral of the story here is to not fall for the new car hype and immediate over-MSRP gratification because waiting a couple years could save you serious bucks. Just think, you could do a bunch of trackdays with the $12,000 you save.

(Top graphic image: Cars.com seller)

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