jcsperson

I'm so sick of hearing that term. The truth is that the "mid-life crisis" is a bogus concept invented by effete liberal psychologists and believed in by women. It doesn't exist.

The truth is that mid-life is when most men, after building careers, raising families, paying off mortgages and college tuitions for their kids, after reaching a station in life where it's possible to do so, are finally able to act upon dreams deferred by other things. That's it.

Koufax

I'm 69 years old. I bought my first Corvette - and my first true sports car - 2 years ago when I bought a C5 vert. I fully expect to buy another -- a C7 this time - in about 4 years when the prices of the 2014s come down to my budget. So Bloomberg may be right, but maybe not.

PSU_Vette

I love the fact that older guys still drive their Corvettes... It makes us "younger" guys that actually drive them in the left lane look all the faster! Just kidding of course!!

The truth of the matter is that I don't think the statistics are wrong in this case. Folks under 30 just aren't as interested in cars, as they are other things.

cor28vettes

Good catch. But regardless of the original source, there's a lot of truth in the article. It may or may not apply to CF members here but that's not necessarily where the problem lies. The market, with new technology, is ever changing. You're only as good as your last sale.

New cars can be financed up to 96 months. That's nuts but we understand why. 1 in 3 have negative equity when they trade-in on a new car. Not you of course. Then lenders are doing subprime lending to people with low credit scores, just like they did with housing. They will still finance over 100% on usd cars. Tax and all. No money down. That's nuts as well.

What are boomer people buying when they hit 70? Corvettes? Yep, they still buy em if they're alive like me. They had a great run last year at 40.6K production, 2015 at 34.2K, 2014 at 37.2K, thanks to design, technology, and a totally new generation of owners. Last time Corvette cracked 40K in sales was 07 and 76-81. But cars, be it sports, sporty or sedans, continue to be replaced with SUV's and good-ole-boy trucks across the board. Demand is still there for sports and sporty but gradually declining as select boomers with funds age out, beginning with those born in 1946. I say we got another 18 years. By then all bets are off. I won't be around but by then you will all be cruisin hands-free in your electric whatever, consumed by robotics. Not knocking progress mind you.

So what's the problem you ask? It's called the bubble potential. Sound familiar? Younger replacement buyers owe like hell and have no back-up savings. I was reading 2/3 of Americans would have a problem coming up with even $1K for emergencies. Spending is always the economic growth. If you ain't got the money to spend you gots to borrow or do without. We don't like to do without do we? So if in this food chain something major goes wrong, the bubble bursts once again and someone gets left holding the bag.

sunsalem

You have defined the stereotype.

Mister Big

Wow, you and Chachi would make a good pair riding off into the sunset with your guns a-blazin'.

TyBoo

Ok then, that about covers the politics.

To the gist of the article, I need to both agree and disagree. It quotes some guy saying, “When you get into your 60s, comfort becomes more important.", and I agree with that. But I disagree with the articles implication that the C7 (and others, I'm sure) are uncomfortable to the degree of folks like me being unwilling to climb into them.

The interior refinements of the C7, as opposed to the sacrifice of comfort vs. performance of previous Corvette generations, were tailored precisely for the demographic the article describes as not so likely to buy. GM saw the need to give the reluctant buyers something that would allow them to finally satisfy their lifelong Corvette coveting without giving up at least a modicum of luxury.

To my mind's eye, GM hit it out of the park. I have not cared much for the looks and feel of the Corvette since the last Stingray in 1976. I actually thought I was past the stage of wanting one of these cars until I sat in a C7. Now I am two years into owning one, one year into retirement, and less than a year from Medicare. Pretty close to the guy they had in mind when they wrote the story.

The guy who wrote that article, and the two guys who plagiarized it, should have interviewed me. If my creaky bones complain too much when I get in my 3LT, I just turn on the heated seat and set the cruise control.

davidtcpa

I am just after a baby boomer born in 1965. I will drive a Vette as long as I am above ground!!!!!!

CRABBYJ

At 73 no problem getting in, out, or driving my C7. Remembering where I parked it is another story.

Chuck72

+1, here.

Millerrock

X2!!! I can go weeks before seeing one on the roads near me. The only people near me that have c7's are the 6 of us, all in our 30's. We will keep the corvette alive!!

pdiddy972

That's rapidly becoming a distinction without merit. A 2017 ZL1 Camaro just lapped the Ring in 7:29.60. And it was driven by Chevy's ride and handling chief with the new 10-speed automatic. And it was in D the whole way (he didn't even shift with the paddles). That car is a monster!

Here is the lap:

fueledpassion

Extremely well put ^^^. Sometimes, those deferred dreams are terrible ones though, like my mother in law. Watched her walk out on her entire family because she said she never got to be a young woman without kids - at some point she bought into the progressive lie that the grass is greener for women who are detached from motherhood and wifehood. In that case, I would definitely call it a "crisis" but not for the woman but for her family.

fueledpassion

Well yeah, stiffen the chassis, double the brake size, put 600+ HP under the hood and ANY car with good tires and a competent driver will get deep into the 7 minute lap times at the Ring.

What the gentleman above was referring to is that by original definition - as in the purist definition of "sport car" - requires it to be strictly a two seater. Why? Because any other type of vehicle can be a multi-use vehicle with 4+ seats. Can it fit a family? Then it ain't a car designed for sporting - it's a car designed to maximize the fun in seemingly mundane, boring trips to the grocery store and to your grandmothers house across town. This is why it is always absurd yet entertaining to see a YouTube video of some Z06 trollin around town to get groceries with an 800hp swamp donkey engine under the hood.

It's a practicality issue by definition. Sports cars are supposed to be sported in a sporty fashion used solely for sport - not work duty or family duty. You might disagree with this but back in the day that is what defined a sports car - two seats was just a hard, fast rule and sports cars were built around "race purposes". As soon as you start adding weight and extra seats, you have a house divided. No longer is it a pure sports car. It doesn't mean those Stangs and Maro's aren't competitive with sports cars - they are! It just means they aren't solely designed for that. This is also why the innate man finds it strange to spend $60-80K on a Camaro or Mustang that is built for "racing". The platform was never a race platform the begin with - it was doomed to limited glory because of this.

streety2k

Born in 87 sadly I am classified as a millennial. This is my second corvette z06. Although we do things differently here in Florida many other millennials in their 30s usually buy camaros out here and not corvette they also purchase mustangs and sadly BMW's, Audi's and Mercedes AMG usually the C class. The corvette even the C7 while attractive is marked by many as being an old mans car. Only the Z06 is considered "wicked sweet dude." As quoted by an FAU student named Billy.

I actually completed a statistical study on campus for a thesis in an attempt to show that younger generations are not savvy to automobiles anymore. I asked a bunch of questions from what type of car they currently drive to what they hope to drive. The results were rather sad as most individuals did not even know how many miles per gallon their vehicle get all the way down to they didn't even know the year of their car. Needless to say many young men opted for Subaru vehicles non WRX and non BRZ as being most desired. For women it was the Land Rover Range Rover followed by Mercedes G wagon.

It was a sad day as many of them did not even want an American car let alone think of the corvette. The good news is once the questionnaire was over and I asked them about the corvette or viper many wanted to change their answers for which of course they aren't aloud to. It is sad that the first thought people have is not for American sports cars as a dream car. When I was young I had posters all over my room of dream cars. Not one of them had four doors. Most had at the minimum a v8 only special case was the Lotus with a 4cyl.

Interestingly enough the number 1 concern was environmentally friendly followed by safety or "feeling of safety" in the case of the women since they were quoted as not caring about actual safety only that it felt safe as was "high up". During exit interview when I asked where they obtain most of their automotive information from; their responses were unanimous in saying from magazine covers and from commercials. Not from inside the magazines but the covers. I almost cried.

If this keeps up we may see an end to mass production sports cars and see very limited amounts being made.

JoesC5

Whole lotta' truth is that statement.

sunsalem

At 60 it's tough for me (bad hips and back).
Once in it, I'm fine...reasonably comfortable IMO.


Well, yeah...

fueledpassion

Unfortunately, at a freshly ripened age of 30, I too have this issue.

I chalk it up to having a burden of truth so heavy on my mind that it squeezes out the minute details like how to get back to my car, or where I last left my wallet/phone or what my phone number/address is.. I need a hard drive upgrade in my brain.

eshrink

Mid-life crises is a very real, and empirically demonstrated occurrence, in the course of human living.

However, the term "crises" is not, in fact, accurate. It is, instead, a period of reassessment: What did I do with my life? Were my goals realized? How much time is remaining? What are my regrets?

There is also a biological imperative: In that period which we refer to as mid-life, the capacity to want and/or bear children has ended. Life takes on a different meaning going forward.

Does this then lead to the purchase of a vehicle? Perhaps it does for some. Cars are associated with a youth in which those cars may have been owned or for which they have been longed. It may be a reliving of life lost or it may be the realization of a dream not filled before.

I purchased my C7 Corvette (fifth Corvette in my lifetime) after a succession of Vipers and FordGTs. I purchased it so that my (then teenage) son could enjoy before he went to college, but also because unlike the predecessors in our garage, the Corvette was inexpensive.

We like the car a great deal.

Would I purchase another? That I do not know since there are other cars that are more interesting to me.

While I do not know the accuracy of Bloomberg's assertion, but I can see that there are many other cars that those approaching midlife today would prefer.

sunsalem

I never ask that question: