Too funny... I can really relate to your post. For me it was seeing that shiny 25th anniv Indy Pace car on the showroom floor when I went with my parents to pick up their new 78 Impala. The 78 pace car was absolutely seared into my brain. While I would love a clean 4speed L82 25th anniv pace car as a garage queen, I knew the C5 was the Vette for me. I also can relate to wanting a Corvette your entire life and finally getting one... absolutely the best feeling.

 

I love the C5 for its classic design, modern day reliability & fuel economy. I love earlier vettes but money and lack of space keep me from owning them Now if I had a lot of cash I'd have a big collection of all 6 generations but for now the C5 keeps me in the vette family and gets its fair share of attention on the road!!

 

I can't agree with "most". There are more C4 and newer owners out there than the older "Cs".
GM made them better each year. I'm not ready to trade my C5 but The C6 is shorter, lighter and faster. More good things to come.
If you want a good investment-By a preconstruction condo. If you want a good driver by a new Vette. JMHO

 

To echo what some others have written: I like the looks of the older ones, especially the C3, but driving them is a different story. We bought a C3 and loved the look and the idea of having an old car that still looked and ran great, but we decided we wanted something we could drive more. More power to the folks that keep the old ones up, but for me, the C5 is the only way to go.

 

For most people the following equation apply:

C3>(C2+C1) and also C6>(C5+C4) but C3>C6;

where C3 represents Third Corvette Generation Fan Enthusiasm

 

Luckily, I get my choice of 2- C3s or 2- C4s or the C5 to drive any day I wish.

I love them all..I grew up with C3s and to me it has the best body style…C4s no way you can beat the ZR-1 just for its uniqueness and OMG just open the hood no finer piece of art was ever put under the hood…Ok and the C5 it sure makes a great driver I call it my beater as it flawlessly takes me to work in comfort every day..

 

Ok Guys....
I own 64 72 & 98 Ragtops, plus 76 & 79 Coupes.

The older ones are just pure machines.. Ya gota drive em..you know you are driving them, you do not take one for a ride...


The 79 is an automatic and its actually the wives Corvette and yes she does take it out for a ride) ..

Anyway...My 64 and 72 are just plain keepers..are an absolute hoot to drive hard..Nothing can get my adrenaline flowing better then driving over the local
back road twisties.... The 76 comes close
but being a coupe Its just not quite the same...

Now my 98 ... Well I love it...

Z51, 6 sp, Ragtop, 2000 Chrome Wheels
Street Legal Preformance ZL5 package..

Is it as much fun to drive as the others?...honestly not!
Its just not what I call a blast to drive...Oh its pretty fast, handles better then the other, gets much better gas milage then the others, And is by far the most comfortable...BUT it costs more to insure and its the only Corvette I own that will be worth less tomorrow then today... (thats not a factor however)...especially since it has a trunk...

I traded in a 95 (6 sp) for the 98...and the 98
will most likely be traded in for a newer C6.. soon BUT the older ones I would never part with...

Just my feelings...and I do love all Corvettes..just that
I like DRIVING the older ones a "hair" better...

I live 70 miles or so from Carlisle..and the 98 has never been driven up there...all the others have fun display plaques in the garage...and I drive a different one every day...

When I normally go to a local cruise in The 98 is my last choice to take...(its just too new)..

Bob G.

 

ttt

 

i've had my 72' LT-1 w/air since 1974 and my wife and i had our first date in that car. now its part of the family and my 12 year old has staked his claim to it. with the solids in it, it sounds like a vette, and with the side exhaust, its rather loud, but the wife won't let me change a thing on it. its a saturday night cruizer and is still a stop light bruzer.
but the wifes 89 6-speed and my 00 6-speed are more confortable to drive, get better fuel economy, handle better, and we can get parts for them, but there's nothing like getting behind the wheel of 'SLEAZY' and being noticed everywhere we go.

 

ttt

 

Ain't nobody out there that doesn't have an image of cruising around in a Honduras Maroon '62 with the top down - the ultimate "wish I had" Corvette

 

damn, that's nice looking.

 

My first car was a '68 Mustang Fastback so I've got some experience with classic cars...While the mustang couldn't compare to the vette in any performance area, it was an experience to drive, one that the vette can't match.

There is just something about 60's muscle...you either get it or you don't. Truthfully, it'd be hard for my to pass up a fully restored classic muscle car for the vette, there's more to driving than walking the guy next to you.

Ohh and I'm only 23 so it can't be pure nostalgia

 

Own a L-82 1979 and 2003 Aniv Vette, love them both. 2 different rides, power bands and head turns.

 

I like em all except the new C6.

 

 

All I know is I get way more in traffic driving my C2 than I get in my C5. : There just cooler!
But you got to love them all!

 

I especially love the esthetic appeal and design cues developed in the Mid Years, and, Shark Cars (most especially seen in the '67-'72's). Very dramatic and aggressive lines.

 

I can't fit in the C-1,& C4, not enough head room. Couldn't afford a BB C2 or C5. I got the next best thing.

 

I guess I am old school, graduated from high school in 65, college, off to Viet Nam, and then working and now retired. You just cannot compare 1960's-1970's vettes with corvettes now. Technology has changed so much in vehicles it is foolish to try and compare. Since I graduated in 65 and wanted an old corvette. My 68 does just fine. I love the looks, the big block and the nostalgia of days gone bye. There is no comparison of a 68 to the 2000's. Of course the new vettes are going to be more comfortable, better handling, quieter and better stereo's, etc. They have 40 years of advanced technolgy. I just like the older vettes, it was my era growing up. If I was in my twenty's I would probably go for the c5 and C6. That is understandable. Enought babbleing by me. Just my two cents.