Are Millennials Really Killing The Corvette?
Are the youths of today interested in continuing the Corvette legacy, or are crossed-flag fans a dying breed?
Betteridge’s law of headlines is one name for an adage that states, “Any headline that ends in a question mark can be answered by the word ‘No.'” The staff here at Corvette Forum is comprised almost entirely of the dreaded millennial, and we’re extremely enamored with all things Corvette.
We all wish we could take delivery of a new C7 Grand Sport, but the fact is that we’re all saddled with massive student loan debts, and a new Corvette fits into a pretty high tier in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Besides, we’re all completely broke thanks to all the avocado toast, $9 lattes, and new cell phones we are constantly buying. Settle down, fellas, that’s a joke.
The fact of the matter is, there are tons of millennials that are interested in cars, and Corvettes specifically, but we lust after a different Corvette than most of you might think. When we were growing up, C4 Corvettes ruled the streets. GM’s own flying doorstop was the killer car to have in the ’80s and ’90s, and we still want them today.
It doesn’t hurt that a decent C4 can be found for relatively little cash outlay. Some of us in our late 20s and early 30s can afford to spend $15,000 for a nice C4, or even perhaps a less-nice C5, but putting our names on the dotted line for a $60,000 C7 Corvette isn’t as likely to happen.
CF senior member “CP” recently commented in a post that, “The Gen X people have a lower appreciation for cars like the Vette and the Millennials even less so.” From what we’ve witnessed first-hand, he couldn’t be further from the truth. Having witnessed the fervor that was caused when a pristine C4 ZR-1 arrived to the lawn at Radwood, Corvette enthusiasm isn’t going anywhere fast. It’s just changing.
