C4 vs.C5 - an Objective Comparison
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2016
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From: East Metro (Twin Cities) Minnesota
St. Jude Donor '21
PLEASE Keep in mind the original intent of the Video.
I am not saying one car is better than the other, I just looked at all the data I could find on Horsepower, 0-60, 1/4 mile, slalom, lateral g forces, approximate current selling prices etc., for the later year more common versions the C4 and the C5. What is better for you also includes your intended use, budget and how your life experiences molded your preferences as to which one you find has the best looks (interior and exterior) as well as the way it feels to drive.
My personal opinion, they both are pretty damn cool.
I am not saying one car is better than the other, I just looked at all the data I could find on Horsepower, 0-60, 1/4 mile, slalom, lateral g forces, approximate current selling prices etc., for the later year more common versions the C4 and the C5. What is better for you also includes your intended use, budget and how your life experiences molded your preferences as to which one you find has the best looks (interior and exterior) as well as the way it feels to drive.
My personal opinion, they both are pretty damn cool.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 2,310
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From: East Metro (Twin Cities) Minnesota
St. Jude Donor '21
1. Seems to me that there are always people lurking on these forums gathering info about certain generations (after all this is the Corvette Forum) before making their first Corvette purchase. They might find the OBJECTIVE comparison of value - instead of "some guy" just saying this or that sucks (a little subjective...) They may find the info within the video of value. ( I know I lurked for a year before I bought my first Corvette..)
2. There are always people that are current owners of a Corvette looking to add another corvette to their garage - or "upgrade" to another generation. They might find the info within the video of value.
Have a great Saturday.
Team Owner
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From: Hartford WI
If the question was objective comparison, how is that not valuable? "everything else" is subjective and would be hard to discuss since we don't have a common base to begin. I like a white car because it picks up less heat. You like a blue car because it brings back certain memories, none of which I can totally understand since I wasn't there. If I told you I like Mcdonnald's hamburger taste better than the Burger King one, how would we discuss that?
Last edited by aklim; Feb 27, 2021 at 10:51 AM.
Burning Brakes
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If the question was objective comparison, how is that not valuable? "everything else" is subjective and would be hard to discuss since we don't have a common base to begin. I like a white car because it picks up less heat. You like a blue car because it brings back certain memories, none of which I can totally understand since I wasn't there. If I told you I like Mcdonnald's hamburger taste better than the Burger King one, how would we discuss that?
I think the comparison missed the mark in one crucial respect:
NEITHER car stands up to "obective" comparison with a more modern machine like the C8. Anything done to either to bridge the performance gap with a C8 results in compromising the reliability, driveability or comfort of the older platform.
So... Yeah... Newer platforms are OBVIOUSLY objectively better.
In other news, F-15 Eagles are objectively better than F-4 Phantoms and can sweep them from the skies. Does this surprise anyone?
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2012
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From: Melbourne, FL
If the question was objective comparison, how is that not valuable? "everything else" is subjective and would be hard to discuss since we don't have a common base to begin. I like a white car because it picks up less heat. You like a blue car because it brings back certain memories, none of which I can totally understand since I wasn't there. If I told you I like Mcdonnald's hamburger taste better than the Burger King one, how would we discuss that?
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2018
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From: Mays Landing, NJ
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2019
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From: USA
Not sure about an inanimate object talking to you but they don't talk to me. They just are. As to women, I could also say, for instance, "My wife jane is someone I would like to live with although she is 5'6 and 250 lbs with a cups over Suzy who is 5'8, 120 lbs with a 38C rack". Also, Suzy has a way better physical shape than Jane.". So if you are asking me whose body I think is better, it would be Suzy.
Team Owner
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From: Hartford WI
Team Owner
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From: Park City Utah
Why?
1. We ALL already know the specs. They've been available to all of us, for decades. They're as quick as a google search away.
2. We ALL know, with out even taking 30 seconds to look up the cars' specs, that typically, newer cars out perform older cars, so....
3. SO...if we ALL already know that the newer car will objectively destroy the older car in all objectively measurable tests, then why would we own a C4? What do we care about? What makes it worth owning? The
everything else
Team Owner
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From: Park City Utah
So Aklim, are you in "first place"?? With your modified C4? 
If you sold it and bought a C8....would you then be in "first place"??
There is no objective first place in cars anymore, that's for sure. First place is loving what you have and having what you love.
If you sold it and bought a C8....would you then be in "first place"??
There is no objective first place in cars anymore, that's for sure. First place is loving what you have and having what you love.
Team Owner
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From: Hartford WI
Which C8? The highest performance one? Sure. Among the stock ones. FOR NOW. Until something better comes along.
I'm not sure I follow your argument. IF it was there, what changed that there is no more "king of the hill"?
I think that was a song that goes "If you can't be with the one you love, love the one you're with".
Last edited by aklim; Mar 1, 2021 at 10:21 PM.
Team Owner
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From: Park City Utah
So preaching to us about rationalizing 2nd and 3rd place mentality is pretty presumptuous and irrelevant, in today's car scene and also, when most of us (not you though), already have the car that we LIKE and CHOSE.
The "everything else" isn't a rationalization (for me, at least). The "everything else" is precisely why I CHOSE the C4 over a newer and "objectively better" car.
Team Owner
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From: Hartford WI
Something better already has.
What changed? Limitations. Once, a 450hp 'Vette, Camaro, Trans Am, Mustang...that thing would have been the "king **** on up in here"....where ever it roamed the street. And it would have been drivable by a good driver. Today, we have 1000hp cars. 1500hp cars. 2000 hp cars....and so on. I saw a YT vid in my feed recently about a 3k hp Mustang (a street car). There is no limit today, and no one can fully drive any of these cars to the cars' limit anyway...so there is no meaningful KOTH anymore. There's just; yet another 1k+hp car. Whoopie.
So preaching to us about rationalizing 2nd and 3rd place mentality is pretty presumptuous and irrelevant, in today's car scene and also, when most of us (not you though), already have the car that we LIKE and CHOSE. The "everything else" isn't a rationalization (for me, at least). The "everything else" is precisely why I CHOSE the C4 over a newer and "objectively better" car.
What changed? Limitations. Once, a 450hp 'Vette, Camaro, Trans Am, Mustang...that thing would have been the "king **** on up in here"....where ever it roamed the street. And it would have been drivable by a good driver. Today, we have 1000hp cars. 1500hp cars. 2000 hp cars....and so on. I saw a YT vid in my feed recently about a 3k hp Mustang (a street car). There is no limit today, and no one can fully drive any of these cars to the cars' limit anyway...so there is no meaningful KOTH anymore. There's just; yet another 1k+hp car. Whoopie.
So preaching to us about rationalizing 2nd and 3rd place mentality is pretty presumptuous and irrelevant, in today's car scene and also, when most of us (not you though), already have the car that we LIKE and CHOSE.
The "everything else" isn't a rationalization (for me, at least). The "everything else" is precisely why I CHOSE the C4 over a newer and "objectively better" car.Once modified, isn't it a matter of time before something more powerful comes?
Clarify "CHOSE". Sounds like a past tense word to me. The C4 was great in it's time. It got all the attention due to it then. That time passed. C5 became the big boy. Then C6 and so on.
Race Director
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From: Melbourne, FL
As they say "The King is dead. Long live the King".
Once modified, isn't it a matter of time before something more powerful comes?
Clarify "CHOSE". Sounds like a past tense word to me. The C4 was great in it's time. It got all the attention due to it then. That time passed. C5 became the big boy. Then C6 and so on.
Once modified, isn't it a matter of time before something more powerful comes?
Clarify "CHOSE". Sounds like a past tense word to me. The C4 was great in it's time. It got all the attention due to it then. That time passed. C5 became the big boy. Then C6 and so on.
Hell there's no real king because there's so many different ways to look at it. A Tesla is really fast on its first stoplight launch, but can't do much on a longer run, from a roll, around a corner, or top speed. Does that make it the king? I'd argue not, because it can't do any of the other performance stuff.
If you're someone who must have the king of the hill, even only for stock cars, you're a very sad person and likely wasting a lot of time and money.
Team Owner
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From: Park City Utah
Geezus, let's split some hairs, shall we? Yikes, Akllim.
At the risk of getting sucked into the minutia of the Aklimmy-go-round, let me clarify for you; As you already know, Aklim, I had a new C6 and I bought my C4. I had both for ~6 months. I never drove the C6 and I always "CHOSE"/"CHOOSED"/"CHOICE-ED"/"CHASEN" (whatever word you want to pick)....to drive the C4. I eventually sold one of the cars b/c it never got driven. My CHOICE at that time, was the C4...so you are right Aklim, when I sold the C6, 11 years ago and kept the C4, that is "past tense", because you know...it was 11 years ago. However, today, when I write about it in posts, what I'm actually trying to convey, is that it is still the CHOICE that I make(current tense), every time I drive it and every day/month/year that I keep it. I like it and keep it and chose it and have done so for the past 11 years or so, and continue to do so. I like it(current tense)...and I like it for reasons OTHER than: that a C5 is faster 0-60 (or whatever objective measure you CHOOSE to pick). I like it for the "everything else", which is basically the experience that it provides.
.
At the risk of getting sucked into the minutia of the Aklimmy-go-round, let me clarify for you; As you already know, Aklim, I had a new C6 and I bought my C4. I had both for ~6 months. I never drove the C6 and I always "CHOSE"/"CHOOSED"/"CHOICE-ED"/"CHASEN" (whatever word you want to pick)....to drive the C4. I eventually sold one of the cars b/c it never got driven. My CHOICE at that time, was the C4...so you are right Aklim, when I sold the C6, 11 years ago and kept the C4, that is "past tense", because you know...it was 11 years ago. However, today, when I write about it in posts, what I'm actually trying to convey, is that it is still the CHOICE that I make(current tense), every time I drive it and every day/month/year that I keep it. I like it and keep it and chose it and have done so for the past 11 years or so, and continue to do so. I like it(current tense)...and I like it for reasons OTHER than: that a C5 is faster 0-60 (or whatever objective measure you CHOOSE to pick). I like it for the "everything else", which is basically the experience that it provides.
.
Last edited by Tom400CFI; Mar 2, 2021 at 09:48 AM.
Team Owner
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From: Park City Utah
Hell there's no real king because there's so many different ways to look at it. A Tesla is really fast on its first stoplight launch, but can't do much on a longer run, from a roll, around a corner, or top speed. Does that make it the king? I'd argue not, because it can't do any of the other performance stuff.
This is exactly right. What are the top carS today? Veyron? SSC? Hennessy Venom? Lamborghini whatever? Ferrari? Posha? Tesla? IDK...but gather them all up and no current or recent 'Vette is even close to comparable in any objective measure...but let's figure out which of those top dogs is "first". Ready? Get set....Debatable until the end of time. There is no clear "first b/c" they're all undrivable to their limits AND they each excel over their peers in different ways. They're all phenominal machines. And someone's home built car may out-do many of ^those, anyway like the 3k hp mustang....it would be "first" on the dyno, probably not in any other way. To imply (or outright state) that anyone w/a C4 is rationalizing "2nd/3rd place" or whatever is ridiculous for two reasons:
1. Many or most of us CHOSE/CHOOSE the C4 to have/drive/own for specific reasons that all add up to, "we like it better" (than other options)
2. There is no car that is "first" or will make you "first" and if you think that there is, then:....
Love what you have, and have what you love.
Team Owner
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From: Hartford WI
If you want to look at it like that, the corvette hasn't been the king of anything since the c4. Just another player with a budget flair.
Hell there's no real king because there's so many different ways to look at it. A Tesla is really fast on its first stoplight launch, but can't do much on a longer run, from a roll, around a corner, or top speed. Does that make it the king? I'd argue not, because it can't do any of the other performance stuff.
If you're someone who must have the king of the hill, even only for stock cars, you're a very sad person and likely wasting a lot of time and money.
Hell there's no real king because there's so many different ways to look at it. A Tesla is really fast on its first stoplight launch, but can't do much on a longer run, from a roll, around a corner, or top speed. Does that make it the king? I'd argue not, because it can't do any of the other performance stuff.
If you're someone who must have the king of the hill, even only for stock cars, you're a very sad person and likely wasting a lot of time and money.
This is billed as a performance car. Certainly the criteria, plural, would be different for a sedan or a purely racing car. The Mustang, for example, might beat it on one objective category but on the whole, what wins? Like mentioned, the F4 might look better in some people's eyes than the F15. When they face off, it isn't only top speed we are looking for, is it?