Here’s a bold claim: there is simply no bigger bang for the buck in the automotive world than a C5 Corvette. If you could have just one car for everything, a C5 is an awesome choice. Their list of virtues is as long as your arm, including great looks, impressive performance, unbeatable reliability, excellent comfort, and bargain-basement pricing. The car was all-new from the ground up and represented a quantum leap forward when compared to the old C4, and while the Corvettes for sale today might be slightly faster, their leaps forward are far less remarkable. In short, a C5 still feels contemporary, accelerates and handles better than 98% of the other cars on the road, and costs about as much as a 3-year-old Honda. Pretty hard to beat that.

This spectacular 2001 Corvette convertible gets everything right. It’s offered in arguably the most attractive color combination of Magnetic Red over tan leather and it’s a 6-speed manual. Add in a long list of options, just 44,397 miles, and a few upgrades, and you get one of the most appealing and fun-to-drive Corvettes you can own. Magnetic Red was introduced for the 1999 model year and remained on the color pallet for the balance of C5 production, and it’s easy to see why. It’s not in-your-face like Torch Red but it’s far from subtle, and we’ve found in driving this car that everyone wants to know what color it is. It’s 100% original paint, so the car has never been hit or touched-up, and it’s almost impossible to resist touching it every time you walk by simply because it looks so luscious. A few upgrades make this one special, including the rear wing out back that still incorporates a hole for the power antenna, as well as a set of black grilles in the nose that lend it a racy look. The C5’s curves have aged quite well, and it still looks like a Corvette should look so everyone knows what it is when they see it. The C5’s build quality was extremely good, with great gaps, deep paint, and a general quality that was a hallmark of the Bowling Green plant where the guys seemed to take extra pride in their work. You’ll be thrilled by how easily the doors close and how the trunk and hood snap closed with a precise feel. If you’ve driven older Corvettes, be prepared to be impressed by how well this one works.

The beautiful tan leather interior is a great place to spend your time, and I should know—I’ve logged tens of thousands of miles behind the wheels of various C5s during my time with a major Corvette tuner. After mastering the awkward fall/twist that was required to get into older Corvettes, the C5 was a revelation: a Corvette you could enter with no more difficulty than a Chevy Impala sedan. This car carries the optional Sport seats and they’re both power actuated, so it’s incredibly easy to get comfortable behind the wheel. The leather is in exceptionally good shape for being 16 years old and in a convertible and the seats remain firm and grippy for performance driving. You’ll also note a few upgrades here, the most notable of which is the rather expensive burled walnut interior package which is far better than most of the aftermarket stuff we’ve seen. It’s nicely integrated and fits the curves of the Corvette’s dash and console perfectly, making it look as if the factory built it that way. There’s also an embroidered armrest between the seats and a set of polished Corvette sill plates that protect this high-traffic area from scuffs and damage. Everything works, of course: the dual-zone A/C is ice cold, the heads-up display is bright and crisp, and the power windows zip up and down with enthusiasm. Other options include the aforementioned 6-speed manual (yes, a manual gearbox was optional on the Corvette!), fog lamps, and a great-sounding AM/FM/cassette/CD changer stereo with Bose speakers. The steering wheel, dash pad, door panels, and other soft parts are in exemplary condition throughout thanks to very fussy owners who cherished this car from day one. The tan convertible top is original and in great shape, too, and stows easily in a matter of seconds once you master the technique. Thanks to an insulated layer inside and excellent weather seals, this is also a convertible that seals up nearly as well as its coupe siblings. And with a C5, you also get a good-sized trunk that comes complete with a cargo net and heavy-duty rubber liner. Oh, and you also get a wind blocker that fits behind the seats for top-down motoring that has been color-matched to the car.

The mighty LS1 V8 really shouldn’t need an introduction. This is not your average Chevy small block; it was all-new from the ground up when it was introduced in 1997. The block and heads are aluminum, it has 6-bolt cross-bolted main bearings, a composite intake manifold, fly-by-wire throttle, and factory stainless steel exhaust headers. When it hit, it was a technological tour-de-force that’s still in production today in various forms. In 2001, it cranked out an even 350 horsepower that’s enough to make the 3300-pound Corvette feel like a rocket sled, even in today’s age of 500 horsepower cars. Even more remarkable is how tractable it is: it fires instantly and idles perfectly every time, it never gets fussy in traffic, and in 6th gear on the highway, it can pull down 28 MPG. Yeah, impressive is the word for it. And like most Chevy small blocks, it’s insanely easy to modify; fortunately, this one remains entirely stock, from the air cleaner to the exhaust manifolds, which means that it not only runs like it should but also that it hasn’t been abused, raced, or otherwise tweaked by guys who don’t quite know what they’re doing. The lone mechanical upgrade is a Corsa stainless steel cat-back exhaust system, but that’s purely for the soundtrack, which is spectacular indeed. The engine bay is spotless (another sign of a fastidious owner) and everything on the engine is OEM-spec—even the battery is a Delco unit! Proper service and care ensures that this car still works like it should.

The 6-speed manual transmission is a very desirable option and you’ve probably found as you looked around, there aren’t many 6-speed convertibles laying around, and certainly not many this pretty. The aft-mounted transmission is bolted directly to the differential, which houses 3.42 gears on a limited slip, and if my experiences racing these cars were any indication, you will never, ever break the driveline in this car, no matter how hard you hammer it. A glance underneath reveals that this car has never seen winter weather and probably hasn’t even seen rain more than a handful of times—check out the bright, clean aluminum suspension components. Massive 13-inch disc brakes with standard ABS were part of the package and you will note that almost all the factory markings and decals are still in place on the various components of the undercarriage. This is one clean C5! A glance at the RPO sticker suggests that this car originally came with polished wheels, but today it wears a set of chrome Z06 alloys that look awesome and carry brand new 245/45/17 front and 275/40/18 rear Michelin run-flat radials that cost about $1600.

If you can’t tell by now, we’re smitten with this car. It’s beautiful, fast, comfortable, and efficient if you can manage to keep your foot out of it. There’s massive club support and I would argue that there are very few cars at this price that can match the C5’s long list of virtues. If you’ve been looking for an affordable convertible, you can scarcely do better than this immaculately-maintained Corvette. Call today!