Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
None of those cars you mentioned are Corvette competitors (save the 911). There are plenty of direct competitors that are still going strong and superior to the Corvette in pretty much every way.
Says the man who owns a car that's inferior in every way.
Lets face it, most people objecting to the Corvette is because it's an American car. Which supposedly means "non-refined". Only european cars can be refined and worthy of the name supercar I guess
Only real Anericans appreciate American icons. If you see a guy with a Harley, Wrangler, and a Vette, it's very clear who's team he's on.
whoever thinks corvettes are a redneck/cheap show car are really stupid. One of the best performance cars you can buy for the price. I would rather have a Z06 over any porsche except for a GT3 (nearly twice the price after dealer markups), and any BMW/Mercedes/Audi except for maybe an R8 (nearly twice the price as well)
I do also have a Wrangler denim jacket to go with my silver Vette that cost me a lot less then 70 grand. Way less. I did indulge in Vanity Plates. Mine are "RVRRAT".
Instead of a Harley I ride a 650 cc Burgman Scooter. Lots of fun and really quick like a mid range sport bike in drag.
Even people who don't care about cars assume your doing all right if your in a Corvette. Also seen as a super performance car, a car a lot of people are jelilous of. Also a luxurious car for the well heeled. A mid life crisis car too. Many people are knowledgeable about Corvettes all years.
How about a Nissan GTR costs even more but many people don't even know what it is. I don't think it has the same prestige except with knowledgeable sports car people.
GTR is prestigious amongst car fanatics. And having something really cool that only a select few even know that it's cool makes it even cooler. Better then all the people rolling their leased 3 series and c class around town
I've never seen anyone driving a Vette who wasn't a fifty something (or older) white male.
I'm a woman and drive a Corvette. Exactly 50 years old and I'm not sure why that's a bad thing. A 2 seater is not practical for most younger folks. When I had 3 kids at home I drove a GMC Yukon XL. It makes sense that Vette drivers will be older than average. My husband used to have a CTS-V. It was more practical than a Vette when all the kids were at home.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hemlock140
Really only car people like me notice other cars, and am not impressed by the owner's money, just by the coolness of the car. That's the reason I drive a Challenger, it's just very cool, not cookie cutter like most cars out there, and lots of fun to drive, but also affordable.
I like fast cars so I drive one. BTW-my husband drives a Challenger RT with Scat Pack. Fun car.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry Caldwell
If you want to drive a sports car and don't have a lot of money to squander, Corvette is where you end up. The low end $30k crowd will drive a Miata.
Exactly. The Miata is cute but there is no performance there. With kids in college we can't spend outrageous amounts of money on cars. If I want a sports car before I'm too old to climb in and out of it now is the time. So......with a moderate budget Corvette is where we landed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LeagleEagleDFW
Corvettes are plain, boring cars for mid-life crisis people. There are a whole host of vastly superior cars available for the same money. I have no idea why someone would choose a redneck-mobile like a Corvette with so many other options available.
No midlife crisis here. That seems to be what people who don't like sports cars say to people who do like sports cars.
Redneck? Really? I live in an urban area and see lots of Vettes on the road. In the more redneck areas of my state (Florida) the pickup is king, not the Corvette.
There really aren't a whole lot of sports cars that compete with the Corvette. The base Vette sticker is around $55K and can be purchased for around $50K.. There are other cars in the same price range but not sports cars.
I realize there are cars that are in that price range. But vastly superior to the Vette?
No, none of those vehicles are. And btw, I'm speaking in terms of performance. If he's about to launch into a tirade over cup holders, Corinthian leather, how fresh the doughnuts and how cute the receptionists are at the dealerships... lol, well I'm out.
That's a subjective statement. I've driven the C7, the M4, and own a Cayman S. Although the Vette is good for some hooligan fun, my experience is it was no where near the level of refinement of the other two. My Cayman S is a far better handling machine, more acute and precise in its delivery of power. You should drive them all & posted your thoughts.
Lets face it, most people objecting to the Corvette is because it's an American car. Which supposedly means "non-refined". Only european cars can be refined and worthy of the name supercar I guess
Disagree.
I don't like the Corvette (in general) for a couple reasons. The first would be that when I came of driving age, the current Vette model was the C4. The C4 was a horrible car using outdated technology. All the Japanese/Euro cars of the time were superior, there is no question. During that time, the Viper was introduced.
THAT became the defacto American sports car to me. It was crude, loud, but at least it had the goods to back up those looks.
Timing is the second reason. GM blundered on with the C5, where they realized they really needed to revamp the Corvette, because the C4 had been around for what, 14 years??? That is an eternity in an automotive life cycle. To their credit, the C5 was a much better car as far as performance... but the interior, even though improved, was still cheap and no comparison to other sports cars. The C5 had 350 hp... which was still far less than what you could get with the extremely sexy Viper GTS, which had 450 hp. The interiors sucked in the Vipers too... but again, it had enough power and styling to get buyers to overlook it.
Then the C6 comes around, and it wasn't really a huge step forward, just a little more power, a bit more refinement (the ZR1 at least was in Viper territory) but of course, Ford releases their GT40 clone, the Ford GT, and now the Corvette is a distant 3rd as far as being the American super car.
So at this point, for me, it's been over 20 years over my driving life where the Corvette hasn't been the American sports car icon, that role has been filled by the Viper and GT.
Enter the C7. Finally, GM seems to have really gone all out. The interior and refinement are vastly better than the C5/C6, styling looks fresh if a bit controversial, and performance is very respectable for what you pay. The current Z06 still isn't a match for the Viper though, even though it should be based on their stats, but it's a toss up as to which I would buy. Probably the Viper, because they've finally got a decent interior too, and I've wanted a Viper for a long time due to their styling and power in each generation.
The C7 is the first Corvette in the past 30 years that I would consider buying. But during those 30 years I've bought and driven a lot of cars that were more impressive than contemporary Corvettes. It's a hard sell to someone like me to seriously consider a Corvette after all this time.
All hover in that $60-70k range. The Cayman and the M4 selling quite well these days.
Corvettes cost less than that. The base price of a Stingray is $55K.
Base price of:
Porsche Cayman-Base price around $53K
BMW M4-Base price around $66K
370z nismo-Base price around $43K
Lotus Evora-Base price around $90K (not yet available)
The Lotus and BMW are significantly more expensive than the Corvette so they aren't really competitors.
The Nissan 370Z Nismo is really really hard to find. When I was looking there weren't any within 50 miles of where I live. I would have driven one if I could have found one. If a car is so difficult to find you really can't consider it a competitor. Corvettes are pretty easy to find. One of the biggest Corvette dealers in the country is in Miami. They routinely have over 100 Corvettes on the lot. That's just one dealer. It would have been nice to find a Nissan to try. It looks like a fun car. I see that a local dealer has one now but I already bought my car.
Porsche Cayman is a Corvette competitor but my husband's partner has had such a miserable experience with his that we did not consider it. I can hardly call it a superior car given that is always having a problem.
So you listed 4 competitors. Only one is a true Corvette competitor. There aren't that many Corvette competitors in the $50-60K price range.
That's a subjective statement. I've driven the C7, the M4, and own a Cayman S. Although the Vette is good for some hooligan fun, my experience is it was no where near the level of refinement of the other two. My Cayman S is a far better handling machine, more acute and precise in its delivery of power. You should drive them all & posted your thoughts.
Refinement is one of those things people talk about when they get beat. So let me clarify one last time. I'm talking about being a vastly better sports car. Something that can objectively be measured by a stopwatch and a radar gun. That is all.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
