Ever since the first Corvette rolled off the production line in 1953,Chevrolet has been one of the prime names in America when it comes to the bestSports Carsmoney could buy. Some of these are absolutely legendary models that are prized by collectors, while others are a bit forgotten and more affordable than you might think on the used market. There's also one model on this list you can still buy brand-new today, and its top variant has some of the best bang-for-your-buck when it comes to its performance of any car around! Chevrolet Corvette (C1) Bring a TrailerThe C1 Corvette was Chevrolet's first proper sports car, and arguably the first proper all-American sports car. Its retro-futuristic styling has aged really well, and they've become really desirable classics thanks to those looks and their historical importance. Early models came with a 3.9-liter inline-6 that was rated at 150 hp from the factory. A 195 hp 4.3-liter V8 was offered from 1955, and it became the only engine option from 1956. The V8 gradually increased in size over the C1's production run, reaching 5.4 liters by the time production ended in 1962. This 5.4-liter version produced between 250-360 hp, with the most powerful model being fuel-injected.Bring A TrailerIf you want to buy a C1 Corvette, you're going to have to have a lot of savings around somewhere. The earliest 1953-1955 models have an average used value of $103,838, with some examples selling for higher than $300,000. Models from the end of the C1's run (1961-1962) are a bit cheaper, at an average used value of $72,724. This puts any example of the C1 well out of the price range for the average enthusiast, and well into the territory that's for serious and wealthy collectors only. Chevrolet Corvette (C2) MecumThe C2 Corvette had a lot to live up to, following the success of the C1. It thankfully delivered on that! This is perhaps one of the most iconic Corvette shapes ever, especially when it comes to the rare split-window coupe body style. It was available from 1962-1967, and carried on using the 5.4-liter small block engine from the later variants of the C1. It was also the first Corvette to be offered with big block engines - a 6.5 liter big block option producing 425 hp appeared in 1965, and the 7-liter big block replaced it from 1966 onwards. The 7-liter units could have anywhere from 390-435 hp, making them genuinely impressive for their time!Mecum AuctionsLike the C1, the C2 is a Corvette for seriously wealthy enthusiasts only. It has an average used value of $124,310 across all variants, with some examples selling for 7 figures or close to that. Chevrolet Camaro (First Generation) via Mecum1967 saw the introduction of a car that would end up becoming synonymous with American sports cars in general. That's the Chevrolet Camaro. The first-generation Camaro set the nameplate off with a strong start. That was thanks to its great looks, great driveability and fantastic engine choices. These were made up of a couple of inline-6s and a large selection of V8s. The biggest of those V8s was the 7-liter variant found in the COPO 427 Camaros, which produced up to 430 bhp and 450 lb-ft of torque!via MecumLike the C1 and C2 Corvettes, you'll need a decent amount of money in your back pocket to be able to afford a first-generation Camaro. The average used value of one is $73,640 across all its variants. Pristine versions of the most desirable examples can sell for well into 6 figures, too. Chevrolet Corvette (C3) via Bring A TrailerThe C3 is possibly one of the most well-known generations of the Corvette. Introduced in 1967, it stayed in production right up until 1982! During that time, it went through a lot of updates. It also, unfortunately, ended up being throttled due to the oil crisis and ever-tighter emissions regulations.Mecum AuctionsThe earliest models came with a 5.4-liter version of the Chevy small block V8 (producing 300 hp in its standard form or 350 hp in the higher-performance L79 version) or a 7-liter big block V8 (producing anywhere from 390 hp to around 430 hp). The small block's capacity went up to 5.7 liters from 1969, while in 1970 the 7-liter big block was replaced by a gargantuan 7.4-liter unit. By the time production ended, however, only the small-block engine was available and it now produced a measly 190 hp.Mecum AuctionsThe C3 Corvette is, surprisingly for its age, an affordable classic Chevy sports car. The average value of the C3 across all its variants is $37,249, and many more basic examples sell for $20,000 or less. If you're willing to put up with something that could be a bit of a project car, you might have a genuine bargain on your hands! Chevrolet Camaro (Second Generation) Bring a TrailerThis iteration of the Chevrolet Camaro has to be one of the most famous Chevy sports cars of all time. It lasted an astonishing 11 years from 1970-1981, and it had a wide variety of engine options. This included 5.7 and 6.6-liter versions of the small block V8, as well as a 6.5 liter big block engine. Cheaper non-V8 versions got a 3.8 or 4.1-liter inline-6 early on, with a 3.8-liter V6 replacing it in 1980.Via: Bring A TrailerThe second-generation Camaro is possibly one of the most affordable ways into owning a classic American sports car from that '70s golden era. The average used value across all variations is around $39,211, and only very special examples sell for big money. Chevrolet Camaro (Third Generation) MecumReplacing the second-generation Camaro after its long production run, the third-generation model definitely isn't as good-looking as its predecessor. Its styling is very much of that '80s era, with all its wedgy lines. It also had what is quite possibly one of the worst base model engine options ever, in the 2.5-liter Iron Duke 4-cylinder unit that only produced 88-90 hp. The 2.8 and 3.1-liter V6 options weren't much better either, producing 102-135 hp and 140 hp, respectively. If you wanted real power, you needed to have either of the V8 options. These were 5-liter and 5.7-liter variants of the Chevy small block engine, with the 5-liter producing between 145-230 hp and the 5.7-liter producing between 225-245 hp.MecumWhile it may not be as loved as other Camaro generations, the third-generation model is still a bit of a bargain on the used market. The average used value for third-generation Camaros across all variants is $22,054. That's significantly cheaper than its predecessor, and those prices are likely going to stay low for a bit longer. Chevrolet Camaro (Fourth Generation)MecumThe fourth-generation Chevrolet Camaro is likely the least talked-about version of this quintessential American sports car. In some ways, that's a bit odd. Its looks have definitely aged better than the more boxy third-generation's have. It also had a better selection of engines than the third-generation Camaro did, thanks to not having the underpowered Iron Duke-powered 4-cylinder variant and better V6 and V8 options.ChevroletLike the third-generation Camaro before it, the fourth-generation Camaro is an absolute used car bargain. It's the cheapest Camaro generation overall on the used market, with an average used value of $19,831. Values are still going down too, meaning that this car is going to stay a bargain for a good while! Chevrolet Corvette (C4) Via: Bring a TrailerAfter the C3's incredibly long production run, the C4 Corvette was something very different. It embraced the wedgier design language of the '80s, something that's aged surprisingly well to this day. It also pushed the boundaries of how fast the Corvette could go. The twin-turbocharged Callaway models were the first to do this, producing anywhere from 382 hp in the standard version up to 880 hp in the one-off Callaway SledgeHammer. There was also the legendary ZR1. Thanks to the help of engineering know-how from Lotus, the C4 ZR1 was able to accelerate from 0-60 mph in under 5 seconds (according to contemporary tests from Car & Driver and Road & Track) and top out at over 170 mph.Via: Bring a TrailerThe C4 arguably gives you the most value for money out of any Corvette generation. A base model C4 will set you back around $12,809, while a ZR-1 will cost you around $39,299. Even the Callaway Corvette is more attainable than you might have thought, with average used values currently at around $31,171. Chevrolet Corvette (C5) Via: Bring a TrailerLike the C3 Corvette, the C4 was in production for a really long time. As a result, the C5 was a big update to what we knew as the Corvette package. The boxier '80s styling gave way to more rounded late-'90s styling, although it did keep the pop-up headlights. In fact, it was the last car ever made to have pop-up headlights! Both the regular and Z06 versions of the C5 are powered by 5.7-liter V8 engines. The LS1 engine in the standard model produces 345-350 hp, while the LS6 in the Z06 produces 385-405 hp. The Z06 is legitimately fast even by today's standards, too - it had a 0-60 time of just 3.9 seconds!Via: Mecum AuctionsThe C5 Corvette's fuel economy was surprisingly good for what it was and for its time. The regular C5 had EPA ratings of around 18-19 mpg city and 25-28 mpg highway. Some owners have also reported 30 mpg or more when doing highway driving in real life.ChevroletThe C5 Corvette is possibly one of the best sports car bargains on the used market. A base model example will set you back around $19,649, while a Z06 will cost you around $26,869. Both of those variants are easily attainable to an average sports car enthusiast, and will still give you something that's still genuinely fast on today's roads. Chevrolet Corvette (C6) Bring A TrailerThe C6 is often regarded as one of the best of the Corvette generations. When you take a look at it and what its basic package offered, it's not hard to see why. This was a truly modern Corvette, and one of the first to be able to properly compete with European and Japanese sports cars. It also had one of the craziest engine options ever developed for the Corvette. That was the 7-liter LS7, which was only available in the Z06 variant and produced 505 hp and 470 lb-ft of torque. More regular C6s got a 6-liter V8 in early models, producing 400 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque. This was later upgraded to a 6.2-liter engine, producing 430-436 hp and 424-428 lb-ft of torque If you went for the top-of-the-range ZR1, you got a 6.2-liter supercharged V8 producing 638 hp and 604 lb-ft of torque.ChevroletWhat those engine options got you was a properly fast car, even by today's standards. The C6 ZR1 had a 0-60 time of 3.3 seconds when it was independently tested by MotorTrend, as well as a quarter-mile time of 11.2 seconds at 130.5 mph. At that time, that was a faster quarter-mile time than almost every other car MotorTrend had ever tested!Bring A TrailerThe base model C6 Corvette has an EPA rating of 15-16 mpg city and 25-26 mpg highway. That was helped by the manual transmission having computer-aided gear shifting, forcing the driver to shift straight from first to fourth gear at low RPMs. For a car with a big V8 like that, that's actually very efficient!ChevroletOn the used market, these C6 Corvettes are more attainable than you might have imagined. A base model C6 is worth around $28,231. A Z06 will set you back around $49,062, while a ZR1 is worth around $103,358. While an ordinary enthusiast will definitely be priced out of the ZR1, the base model is absolutely attainable and the Z06 might take a bit of saving up.