2003 Chevrolet Corvette Convertible

Attention Corvette lovers! I am selling my 2003 50th Anniversary Corvette with 58K miles on the odometer. Yes, this is my car, so fire away with questions.

I purchased the car in July of 2016 with roughly 54000 miles on the clock. It now shows 58138. That computes to just about 570 miles a year! Those miles were accumulated for the most part by taking my wife for rides on Sunday afternoons.

Motor Week did a great job of describing the car when it hit the streets so you can find their description and comments below. I will add the following: It has a 12 CD changer in the trunk. The “heads up” display is a nice addition and a new convertible top was installed when I purchased the vehicle. It has been garage kept and covered during my ownership.

In 2003 Chevrolet celebrated the Corvette’s five decades with a special edition 50th Anniversary model which is available in both hatchback coupe and convertible. Built on the C5 platform, it was enhanced with special Anniversary Red paint, 50th anniversary badges, and champagne-painted 5-spoke alloy wheels, 17s in the front and 18s in the back.

Inside, the 50th Anniversary featured a unique Shale interior color, and a host of new standard features shared with all 2003 Corvettes. These include new sport seats, that in the Anniversary car, were embroidered with 50th Anniversary badges. It also includes dual zone climate controls.

Underneath the paint and badges, the Anniversary rides on GM’s new and innovative Magnetic Selective Ride Control. Standard on the Anniversary Vette, MSRC shocks contain a special Magneto-Rheological fluid that changes consistency, and therefore the shock damping, according to the output of a special electromagnetic coil inside the shock. Sensors on each wheel feed road information to a computer that constantly adjusts the damping to optimize both ride and handling.

The 50th Anniversary model delivered all the handling and grip that Corvettes are world famous for. With the added benefit of MSRC virtually eliminating body roll and front plow. You can still break the rear end loose in a smooth, controllable slide if you wish. Thank goodness!

That’s because the 50th Anniversary Vette still packs 5.7-liters of pure pushrod V8, which pumps out 350 horsepower and 360 pound-feet of torque to the rear wheels. The power flow on this example is controlled by a 6-speed manual gearbox, which when engaged punched the big Vette to 60 in only 4.9 seconds. The 1/4 mile flashed by in an equally exhilarating 13.4 seconds at 106 miles-per-hour!

As before with the latest generation 5.7 small-block, the power band is wide and flat, with maximum torque available at only 4,000 rpm. Throttle response is instantaneous, so much so that it actually breaks the rear tires loose with each upshift. Raw American power!

But power is nothing without control, and the Corvette’s big 4-wheel disc brakes with standard ABS allow it to stop from 60 in a precise 120 feet. It does dart about a bit when stopping on a loose surface, but never enough to unsettle the chassis. And pedal feedback is excellent.

Fuel consumption is surprisingly good as well. EPA estimates for our automatic Corvette are 18 city/25 highway. We got a very fine 23 miles-per-gallon in 500 miles of normal driving.

In the interest of full disclosure, there are 2 minor flaws with the vehicle. A small 1” scratch has been filled on the driver’s door, but it is still noticeable. Also, the seam on the driver’s seat is starting to pull. A good upholsterer could fix that with ease.