new corvette

[Ronstar]

I really like it in dark gray, C7 is absolutely stunning vs C5. I heard a rumor that there might be a mid-engine Vette coming in a few more years, but suspect that would drive the price quite a bit higher when and if that happens.

So are you going to trade yours in, and get some loyalty cash and 15-20% off?

I heard the same rumor about mid-engine. Probably will drive the price sky high.


Didn't know about the loyalty cash deal. Good thing - I might have pulled the plug and traded a few weeks ago. But I decided to do some fixes on mine and keep it.

 

[Car-Guy]

I heard the same rumor about mid-engine. Probably will drive the price sky high.

I've read that the C7 was going to be mid engine but as you guessed, the price increase was going to be to much. BTW, the dark gray color in the C6 model Vettes is called "Cyber Gray" Not sure if they changed the name for the C7's.

Maybe we will see a mid engine in the C8.

 

[427Vette]

What a great thread! All of the sudden I feel a little connection between some of the members here. I had no idea that there were so many Corvette owners here. The typical thread I seem to read usually has something to do with the poster raving about his 1987 Honda Civic with 379,000 miles on it that was never washed because of the cost of the water and soap wasn't in their LBYM lifestyle. Like someone else said, to each their own.

To answer the OP's question about is buying a new Corvette a bad idea. I would recommend going to look at a 2-3 year old Corvette and see if it still trips your trigger. If you buy a new one it doesn't take real long for yours to be the 2-3 year old one that's not quite as updated and technological as the brand new ones. It seems more and more people buy Corvettes now on a whim rather than having a passion for them. They think they will look good driving it I guess. You can usually get some pretty good deals on some pretty nice cars once the luster wears off for the original buyer. Another thought is just because you buy it doesn't mean that money is gone. If you sell it in a few years you will obviously lose some money but its not like your whole purchase price is down the drain.

I grew up with Corvettes as a kid and have had several of my own. I learned how to run a ratchet at 3 years old sitting on the inner fender of my dad's Corvette. I learned how to drive a stick shift, took my then girlfriend now wife to prom/homecoming in that same car. I kind of doubt that those kind of memories and the legacy that a Corvette has will ever be simulated by the likes of a Miata... maybe but I don't think so. For me Corvettes are a passion, the thought of "look at me luxury" never enters my mind.

Currently I have two a 1966 and a 2008 convertible. I personally will never be without one. Good luck with your decision and if you make the purchase post up some pictures!

 

[38Chevy454]

The new C7 is a very impressive car. Even the used C5 and C6 are great for driving and enjoying the performance. Given my preference for older hot rods, I lean to the C2 as my favorite and C1 behind those. The older ones may not be as suited for daily driving duty, whereas the C5-C7 can all handle that without any issues.

As to OP's original question, why not get one? You certainly can afford it, and if it makes you happy, go for it. If a car means more to you than an appliance to get between two points, buy a car that puts a smile on your face. I am a 100% car guy and you don't justify a car on strictly financial terms. A Corvette is an emotional decision, not really a logical financial trade-off decision.

I have several old cars (eight: 1937-1968) and every one of them can put a smile on my face.

 

[Texas Proud]

Still have my 04 TL with manual trans. Love it!

Yea, mine was manual also!!! As I said, would still have it if not for that stupid truck and me hitting it on some stupid cross bar that ripped into my engine bay...

 

[kitesurfer2]

Thanks for all the responses! I would love to answer them all , but...

I've never thought of my self as a car guy but more of a boat guy, a sailor I had a MGB, Jeep Wrangler, 2 Mustang Gt 5.0 convertibles, a ragtop miata and my current PHRT Miata, as well as a lifetime of pick up trucks and mu current 2016 Ford Transit, my first van. Motorcycles have always filled my need for speed, but sadly, that speed need has been replaced by 'smelling the roses'.
i've turned my head every time a C7 has passed me as i love that car. All other vettes are nice but i'm partial to the red vert, which is what i want. i've found acouple out of state but they are not discounted enough. my local dealer is discounting 10% on '16's but he only has black and blue verts.

so, not being able to find exactly what I want now, i'll watch the used market until next year. There will be deals out this fall and winter i hope.

This will be my daily driver, and my daily drives consist of a 7 miles ride out to the beach just to have something to do.

 

[John Galt III]

I had an 87 Formula 350... spending a few bucks is an understatement... it seemed to break down all the time and was not cheap to have fixed... glad I got rid of it... still, it was a fun car to drive...

Bought a 04 Acura TL with a 6 cylinder that was almost as quick and had a much higher top end... loved it even more than the Firebird.... would still have it if I had not totaled it...

Most expensive fix was having to replace the ECU and Prom. $454. Might have been related to a pinched ignition wire. I think the car was in a wreck in a previous life, which caused the pinched wire. I had the car in my garage with the dashboard apart for days before I tracked it down. But that was back in the days when being in the garage meant you weren't in the cube programming, so it was OK.

This GTA was my stress-reliever "spend some money on yourself" activity and was put through extreme use, if you know what I mean. Knock on wood, it's still going strong after all that. I baby it nowadays though. I drive it less than 5,000 miles a year and in my state that means it doesn't even have to pass emissions test, just has to have an intact exhaust system without leaks.

 

[Danmar]

What a great thread! All of the sudden I feel a little connection between some of the members here.

The typical thread I seem to read usually has something to do with the poster raving about his 1987 Honda Civic with 379,000 miles on it that was never washed because of the cost of the water and soap wasn't in their LBYM lifestyle. Like someone else said, to each their own.

This is hilarious, yes and true. Does get a little repititious and tiresome but does represent the dominant LBYM culture on this site. Have noticed a little broadening of opinions recently. Thanks for posting.

 

[aja8888]

This is hilarious, yes and true. Does get a little repititious and tiresome but does represent the dominant LBYM culture on this site. Have noticed a little broadening of opinions recently. Thanks for posting.

On point!

(some of us are living on the edge like this thread indicates)

 

[CaliKid]

I am not a Vette guy so I would say no to buying a Vette.

However, I did buy a 911 4S cab a few years ago. Loved it the day I drove it home and loved it a few other times. Luckily I bought it used because I tired of it within a year and sold within 18 months. Buying used it was basically a break even proposition... well, "break even" might be more accurate after costs of repair/maintenance/insurance/etc.....

So, YES buy something crazy but buy it used and keep your daily driver if you have room in the garage.

 

[Danmar]

On point!

(some of us are living on the edge like this thread indicates)

Sorry, didn't follow?

 

[kcowan]

What a great thread! All of the sudden I feel a little connection between some of the members here. I had no idea that there were so many Corvette owners here.

Yes lately I have also been hearing about caviar and lobster! It seems that there are some people finding creative ways to spend. My buddy had a Corvette and an Alfa Romeo in addition to daily drivers: BMW and Infiniti. His boat is a Hunter 49.

There seems to be plenty of passions just not getting voiced here. For us, it is fine wine and exotic travel. Plus very nice houses.

 

[My Dream]

I bought a 75' new and still have it today. Last year I did a body off restoration on it and I'm glad I still have it as it has so many memories.

My son bought a used 04 Z06, Z16 with 9000 miles on it several years ago and he claims he'll never sell it.

I drove a 2016 Z51 last weekend that a friend purchased and I have to say, when I get into a Vette whether a passenger or driver, I'm In Heaven!

Last year I drove a 2011 ZR1 and God only knows what over 650 hp (slight tune) can do on a track as I'll never get the chance.

The difference between a C3 and a C7 is night and day.

Follow your dreams!

If it were me, I would buy one that's 1- 2 years old that has been taken care of (I know they're out there) and take advantage of the depreciation.

 

[Texas Proud]

Most expensive fix was having to replace the ECU and Prom. $454. Might have been related to a pinched ignition wire. I think the car was in a wreck in a previous life, which caused the pinched wire. I had the car in my garage with the dashboard apart for days before I tracked it down. But that was back in the days when being in the garage meant you weren't in the cube programming, so it was OK.

This GTA was my stress-reliever "spend some money on yourself" activity and was put through extreme use, if you know what I mean. Knock on wood, it's still going strong after all that. I baby it nowadays though. I drive it less than 5,000 miles a year and in my state that means it doesn't even have to pass emissions test, just has to have an intact exhaust system without leaks.

My ECU went out and it cost me some... but I do not think as much as yours...

My intake manifold gasket went out twice... my auto trans mount broke three times... radiator sprung a leak... alternator went out twice... both of the light lift motors lost their gear and you could not just replace that gear... paint was crap and had to have it painted... had to have the shocks (or struts, cannot remember what it had) replaced as the originals wore different and the car started to lean... I had the big whale wing and it cracked and started to rust underneath (but I never fixed this)...

For maintenance, the brakes lasted 25 to 30 K... also the same with the tires...


Also, I found out that the underside is connected in a way that if you lift it incorrectly you can bend the body panels... found out because when I was getting new tires they screwed up my front end qtr panel and I had to have that replaced... at least at their expense...

All of this and more... I just cannot remember the other things... and I had it 95K miles...

Sure, it was a fun car to drive and it felt like it was faster than my TL, even though the clock says otherwise... but my TL never broke a thing... only maintenance... and it was just as much fun to drive as the Bird... heck, in a way it was better as it was a 6 speed... and the brakes were MUCH better on the TL...

 

[Blueskies123]

I saw this last night, Wow!
Ruby Red 2016 Ford Mustang GT Convertible - MustangAttitude.com Photo Detail

 

[foxfirev5]

As a true LBYM guy I bought a very used '84 Vette , yeah I know, for a song in 1996. The car had 96k on the odometer and while it looked great it was in need of considerable tinkering. Over the next 7 years I put 60k miles on it and had a great time. Parked it out front at the lake house and sold it in short order. Then I switched to boats - a whole different story.

 

[retirementguy1]

Fun thread....For several decades the corvette was the most bang for your buck domestic sports car. You got a lot of car for your money. If you want the "turn your head factor" get a new one. On the freeway its hard to tell what is coming at you. The new corvette front end looks a lot like the Ferrari 458.

If you want performance and value today I would look for a used Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500. You can get a low mileage one for $30k It won't turn heads because of the latest mustang update but it's a lot of car for $30k. The hp per liter is much better than GM vehicles.

 

[Texas Proud]

Fun thread....For several decades the corvette was the most bang for your buck domestic sports car. You got a lot of car for your money. If you want the "turn your head factor" get a new one. On the freeway its hard to tell what is coming at you. The new corvette front end looks a lot like the Ferrari 458.

If you want performance and value today I would look for a used Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500. You can get a low mileage one for $30k It won't turn heads because of the latest mustang update but it's a lot of car for $30k. The hp per liter is much better than GM vehicles.

LOL... I remember reading a comparison of the 'supercars' on one of the car mags... it had the European cars and the Corvette C6 ZR1 IIRC...

They talked about how refined the Ferrari was and I think some other cars.... but then they started to write about the Corvette.... they started with something like 'Get out of the way, Yankee Doodle coming through'.... yep, the Corvette beat all the refined Euro cars in (IIRC) all categories... much faster top end... but, they did not like it because it was not 'refined'.... still, it got 1st place...


edit... WOW... I was wrong on some and especially how long ago it was... 1990... found the article...

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/chevrolet-corvette-zr-1-page-4

 

[aja8888]

Sorry, didn't follow?

You point is well taken on the general LBYM atmosphere here (drivers of old Honda, etc). But some of us look at auto spending with an eye toward fun and performance rather than making it fit the LBYM lifestyle.

 

[retirementguy1]

The Op stated that his LBYM lifestyle has left him with $2k extra per month. Blow it on lobsters, caviar, a corvette, or blow. lol

 

[HFWR]

You point is well taken on the general LBYM atmosphere here (drivers of old Honda, etc). But some of us look at auto spending with an eye toward fun and performance rather than making it fit the LBYM lifestyle.

If the M is large enough, the B can support more toys!

Unfortunately, it's "practical" for me...

 

[OneDay]

If you can pay cash for it, go for it. Make sure to check on insurances.

 

[JonnyM]

Why the hang up on paying cash? I admit we are in catch up mode. After a more than decade hiatus in buying any cars period, we finally "caught up" with the OP so to speak. We found a lightly used 2015 MX-5 PRHT this last Jan 2016. Fun Fun Fun! We thought it prudent to use other people's money, i.e. zero down nearly zero percent. It just becomes a $4xx automatic payment. I can't stand shelling out large gobs of cash, something in very short supply for us. Maybe we'll upgrade to the Vette in another decade. By then we'll have two SS checks to help out with the payments!

 

[Danmar]

Why the hang up on paying cash? I admit we are in catch up mode. After a more than decade hiatus in buying any cars period, we finally "caught up" with the OP so to speak. We found a lightly used 2015 MX-5 PRHT this last Jan 2016. Fun Fun Fun! We thought it prudent to use other people's money, i.e. zero down nearly zero percent. It just becomes a $4xx automatic payment. I can't stand shelling out large gobs of cash, something in very short supply for us. Maybe we'll upgrade to the Vette in another decade. By then we'll have two SS checks to help out with the payments!

I see your point But it's always been my policy to pay cash for my toys. Agree it takes a little more "conviction" to take the plunge and pay cash. But I think that is a good thing. If you can't get your mind around paying cash, maybe you don't want it enough?

 

[Danmar]

You point is well taken on the general LBYM atmosphere here (drivers of old Honda, etc). But some of us look at auto spending with an eye toward fun and performance rather than making it fit the LBYM lifestyle.

Agree and this thread has shown that. Gotta have some fun sometime.