Wow—what a generous and sweet gift!
Much of the reliability comes down to its reuse of the transmission offerings from the 1962 Corvette, which were already well known for their dependability, especially in regards to the 4-speed manual.
But, generally, you can’t go wrong! (As long as the used vehicle you’re looking at is in good condition, of course.) Some Corvette generations of course have increased a lot more in value in comparison to other models, but none of them seem to be depreciating at all. If you want a sports car that won’t depreciate very much at all, then a classic Corvette is perfect.