When discussing the most influential American cars of all time, it’s hard not to include the legendary Chevrolet Corvette. For eight generations, the Chevy has continued to set the standard for sports cars worldwide to follow. While plenty of sports cars built throughout history push the limits of speed and performance, there isn’t a sports car that can perform as well as the Corvette for the price.

Indeed, the Chevy Corvette has always been a testament to American power and performance at an unbeatable MSRP. That’s accentuated further in the used marketplace, where Corvettes are even more affordable. One legendary generation of Vettes that has recently become cheaper is the sixth-generation Corvette, also known as the C6. Here’s everything you need to know about the C6 Corvette.

The C6 Corvette: History and development

According to Autolist, the development of the C6 Corvette started as early as 2000, as GM designers aimed to tighten the body and refine the performance of the C5 Corvette, which debuted in 1997.

The C5 Corvette was a revolutionary vehicle that took the blueprint of the fourth-generation Corvette and added luxury features that made it more of a realistic daily driver. The C6 was finally released for the 2005 model year and took the Corvette into the new millennium with modern aesthetics.

The 2005 Corvette was incredibly well received, receiving nearly a perfect score from Kelley Blue Book. The C6 Corvette had a great run from 2005 to 2013. Throughout its production run, various trim levels were released, including the Grand Sport, Z06, and world-class ZR1.

Which C6 Corvette has the most problems?

The 2005 C6 Corvette has the worst problems. The 2005 C6 had a powerful 6.0-liter V8 engine that produced 400 hp. Sadly, this 2005 model was only worth considering with a manual transmission because the automatic option for 2005 was an anemic four-speed. According to CarComplaints, this automatic transmission also tended to get stuck in park, leaving drivers stranded.

Other complaints surrounding this model year include electrical component issues. Some of these problems include issues with the push-button start system and the battery holding a charge.

Which C6 Corvette models are the best?

The top three C6 Corvette models are the 2010 Grand Sport Convertible, 2009 ZR1, and 2011 Z06 Carbon Fiber Edition. The 2010 Grand Sport Convertible was an incredibly popular model that brought back the famous Grand Sport name from 1996. The Grand Sport took the base drivetrain of the C6 and added an aggressive, wide-body appearance with upgraded suspension. The 2009 ZR1 Corvette is still one of the fastest Corvettes ever produced, with a top speed of 214 mph, according to Road & Track.

The best C6 Corvette is the 2011 Z06 Carbon Fiber Edition, which added Magnetic Selective Ride Control to the already impressive Z06 Corvette. Special paint options were also available for this year to commemorate Corvette’s 50th anniversary at Le Mans.