7 Cars You Might Have Bought If You Didn't Buy a C7 Corvette
If you own a Chevrolet Corvette, you bought an iconic car, but if you hadn't bought yours, what would you have gotten? What would you be driving now if you didn't love America, baseball, apple pie, and Chevrolet?
1. Porsche 911
Even though the Chevrolet Corvette has an iconic look, we can't deny that the Porsche 911 also has a classic shape that is immediately recognizable. In fact, numerous people end up owning both a Porsche and the Corvette, but good luck deciding which one to take out today. Performance may be similar, but the feel of a rear engine 911 with a smaller, higher revving, flat six is totally different than the old school, front engine, torquey V8 in the Vette.
2. Jaguar F-Type
It is no secret that the Corvette when Chevrolet introduced it in 1953, was aimed squarely at the straight six powered Jaguar sports cars like the XK120, and later XK-E. Jaguar lost their way and made mostly sedans, but recently the F-Type was released to bring back their sports car passion. If you hadn't bought a Corvette, buying the beautifully styled Jaguar F-type would be understandable, after all it is basically Jaguar's version of the Vette, which was Chevy's version of an old Jaguar.
3. BMW M4
The M4 and the Corvette are rather close in price and performance, and you can't deny the excellence of German engineering. The BMW M4 comes with a twin-turbo straight six, producing 425 horsepower, so performance is similar to the base Vette, but it has a back seat. If you didn't have the Corvette, you could be excused for buying the BMW so there would be room for your kids, or grand kids, in the back.
4. Dodge Viper
The Dodge Viper seems like a car a Corvette owner would appreciate; it is beautiful-looking, it is powerful, and every inch of it is unique. The best comparison would be between the C7 Corvette Z06 and the SRT Viper, because starts the Z06 about $80,000, and it develops 650 horsepower, while the Viper starts at $90,000, and offers 645 horsepower. The current Viper is not much different than the first Viper from 1992, except it cost more and makes more power, and that first Viper was intentionally built to be a somewhat crude throwback. Perhaps a better Vette to compare it to would be an early big block equipped C3?
5. Ford Mustang Shelby GT350
It may seem crazy that a Corvette owner would end up buying a Mustang instead, but we are talking about the Shelby GT350, not your average Mustang, not in price, not in performance, and not in features. Although the Mustang may come in just slightly under the Corvette in price, it has a back seat, and can be easier to get into and out of if you have a bad back or knees.
6. Dodge Challenger Hellcat
The Challenger Hellcat is a powerful, good-looking car, with a lot of interior room and a usable trunk. In fact, choosing the Dodge Challenger Hellcat and the Corvette may be the hardest of any on this list. Performance is great for both even though the Challenger is heavier, as the Hellcat develops 707 horsepower, but glance at lap times on a curvy track, and the Corvette leaves the Dodge for dead. If you want a car with impressive straight line speed, and bragging rights to 707hp, get the Hellcat. Or stick with the Vette and enjoy the curves too.
7. Nissan GT-R
Go go Godzilla! The Nissan GT-R evolved from the legendary Nissan Skyline, and features enough technology to be the mech that takes on the real Godzilla. If the Corvette is the ultimate American car, with a lot of our national character baked into it, the GT-R is the distillation of the technologically brilliant Japanese car. But, do you want a car that you drive or one that has a dozen computers to practically do the driving for you? The best thing to be said for the Nissan is the standard all-wheel drive, but you can buy a C7 Corvette and a Silverado 4x4 for the price of the GT-R.
For help with keeping up your late model, or older Corvette, check the how to section of the Corvette Forum.