You seem like a very nice and polite young man - and I mean that in a positive way. Honestly - you should be looking at the F-bodies as pointed out. But a 300+HP car whether it's an F-body, a Mustang or a Corvette is still very dangerous in the wrong hands.

I don't pretend to know you or know anything about you. It would be easy to draw the conclusion that you are indeed responsible and mature (and here are the key words) for your age , simply by the intelligent manner in which you respond and even the grammar and spelling. But I still think at 17 you lack sufficient skills to handle a 300+HP car. I hope you took a close look at the linked thread in my first post.

I applaud and welcome young guys like you to the hobby and I am thrilled that there are still 17 year olds that lust for the same car that I lusted for when I was 17. And I don't want to stifle that enthusiasm, or make you think that only a bunch of old fart snobs think they can own a Corvette. Without young guys and girls dreaming about a Corvette, soon there will be no Corvette when the old farts die off. You represent the future success and the continuation of this car.

Please wait until the time is right to own the car, and to really enjoy the car for it capabilities, without having to worry how you are going to be able to afford it......and at 17 I don't think you're ready.

Peace

P.S. Fill out your profile and I hope you hang around. Don't stomp off angry - remember you asked for opinions.

 

blacksedan87, what you said about the power of these cars has really made me think, and I have realized that the most powerful car I have ever driven was an fwd 170hp Dodge Avenger. I'm starting to think more and more that I should get something a little less powerful and a little cheaper. That might be the right choice for me right now. For now I'm going to see if I can get a ride with my neighbor in his Mustang GT just to see what 250+hp feels like. I'm not giving up on a C5 just yet, but I am beginning to see how impractical it would be in my current situation. I think maybe I will upgrade to something with more power to the Neon, but less than the C5. Maybe a Nissan 300zx or something that is cheap enough to afford, but also something that I could gradually upgrade to build power and my ability to handle that power. Hopefully if I end up getting something that is foreign I wont be shunned on these forums, lol. Thanks for all of your opinions, and for opening my eyes to my situation and I will be sticking around for sure until my time to own a Corvette comes.

 

haha this is funny, i went from a 05 dodge neon to a vette and im only 18...but then again mine was an srt-4...no issues here, ive handled it fine

 

lol, EllisJuan350, now you are putting ideas back into my head, and I didnt say I was completely giving up on the Vette. Also, what kind of differences did you notice between the handling in the srt4 and the vette? Thanks

 

No clue where you're at but being young myself (22) I think if I were to have gotten my vette in highschool it would've been keyed, dinged or worst. I like my vette being the garage queen that she is. How do I handle the "power"? I just like going around in the vette for weekend cruises so there's no worries on me racing and what-not. The car honestly is quite impractical on a daily basis. It's hard to get in and out, it has a really hard clutch, and I can think of other things. However, as a weekend car it's fabulous. I would definitely recommend you to keep your dodge and get a vette if possible. I paid $15k w/o tax for my 99 frc (6spd) with 36,000 miles single owner a year ago. I also worked at the dealership that took the car in. My old car was an 03 honda civic. my insurance went down too btw by $100 a year then again my deductible went up to $500. On a side note, used car loans are expensive and very hard to qualify for because it has certain restrictions, i.e. 2-3 years old low miles etc. Maybe have your parents by it and pay them back. Just my 2 cents.

Pros of owning a vette:
This forum
Local corvette clubs
Great conversation starter
The WAVE!!!

Cons:
Mod Fever

 

I respectfully disagree

To tell someone that they do not have the skills to operate a certain vehicle is silly unless you know them personally. I was 17 when I bought my first C5, i came under some heavy fire. None of that mattered, because I respeceted and enjoyed the hell out of that car. I drove it for 6 months before i realized i wanted some more power for the track. I am now on my way to a supercharged C5 !!! While I encourage you to go for it, there are plenty of things you have to consider before buying. Heres a few things i planned out before I acted on every teens dreamcar!

Can you afford the car ? I do not encourage you to just let your parents hand you the car without some resposne on your end. Not just the car payments either. Insurance,Repairs,Gas, etc...

Are you an above average driver ? If not, you should probably hold off a bit untill you polish your abilities and make absolutly sure that you can handle such power.

Do you live in a decent part of town ? This may sound silly, but when people watch a youngin step out of a status car like a corvette, they tend to snicker a bit (especially at school) Personally, I rarely drove my vette my last year of high school, as i didnt find it neccesary to flaunt it.

If the answer to these questions are a REALISTIC yes, then go for it ... It is one of the best feelings in the world to be behind the wheel of such a powerful car, and its even a better feeling when its actually your car !

Good Luck Man

P.S. I started off at 16 with a 66 chevy with a 283, then moved to a 95 camaro, and onto a highly modded mark8, so my transition was made a little easier from dealing with a few faster cars.

 

I am 20 and got my 97 coup right before my 20th birthday i went from a 98 durango and i would NEVER go back to non sports car life its amazing but it does take alot of maturity i can handle the car i consider my self a semipro racer I don't think the power is outwardly obnoxious its quick you will love but if you in fact deserve it i know you will respect the car so i say go for it! GOOD LUCK

 

i cant believe this is a real thread.........

 

ziggy9mm, why can't you believe this is a real thread? Is it that you can't believe that people could encourage a 16 year old to buy a fast car? If so I understand where you are coming from, however, fast cars have been in my family since before I can remember, my grandpa and uncle always raced stock cars so I have been basically raised around racing and fast cars. Also, my dad works with a Nascar Truck Series team, so there again is racing in my gene pool.

 

I think that a 17 year old can handle the responsibility of a C5, and drive it with maturity and have fun it in.

However, I would say that trying to have a C5 on <$1000 a month income is probably not the best idea. Particularly without a good bit of savings to back it up. You're talking probably at least $300/mo for the car (if not more), several hundred for gas, insurance is a crapshoot but unless your parents have the hookup it's going to shoot your insurance through the roof. Just having you as an authorized driver on one is going to hurt the wallet. That's a reflection of those "other" 17 year olds out there. So just in essentials, you may be near or at your income. Now what happens when something breaks? Not that I'm saying these cars aren't reliable, but if you don't know what you're doing you can easily make a big$ mistake.

I do think, as suggested, that a new F-body is easily in your reach. The insurance hike won't be as much, the power difference won't be as big, and plenty of people are happy stopping there and not getting a Vette... I thought I was until the wife gave the go ahead for a C5 vert. And yes, other people will be jealous of your Vette. Or jackasses when they mess up. I've been hit and run'd TWICE since I've owned mine.

Best of luck in whatever way you go,
Jonota

 

Im 17. I got my Z06, with the help of my parents, when I was 16. I'm not going to repeat everything that you've probably already heard many times, except for one thing: take it to the track. These cars are capable of so much that you'll never fully know what they can do till you take it to the track, and once you do realize it, you wont even bother driving fast on the streets - it just wont be as much fun as the track. Driving on a road course resulted in a huge change in my attitude towards driving - a bigger change than any speeding ticket or accident could have caused.

 

Spend more time driving BEFORE getting a high performance car. The Mustang GT is a handful in the wet when not equipped with traction control (as in a '99 model year), it is nose heavy, and rear end light. Forget the 'Vette, it's an animal compared to a stock GT. I agree with the other opinions, small 4 cyl car firsrt. My 17 year old son drives a Ford Focus 5 spd, and that little sucker GOES, it's quick. My son admits if he drove my GT it would be in a tree. It takes practice, maturity and a lot of behind the wheel time to be a really good driver. I'm probaby the wrong guy to ask. I'm a High School teacher and PT Driver Ed instructor, and of course, a Dad who has had three teenage male drivers!.

John

 

My father bought me an explorer when I turned 16 and looking back on it now at 22 I am glad he did. I have had many cars since then and finally believe I am ready to get a vette. I drove his c5 to high school a couple times and trust me you can think your a good driver but it is a handful to drive as an inexperienced driver.

 

Being in high school maybe you should look for something with a back seat. Go test drive an srt-4. They are lots of fun, and they will understeer instead of oversteer (oversteer is much harder to back out of in a Vette than understeer in an srt-4). Next year you could be like EllisJuan350 and move up to a Vette. When I was 17 I wrecked a Dodge Spirit R/T (222hp) and if I would have had a Vette I wouldn't be here right now.

A stock previous generation Mustang GT doesn't feel anything like a C5. (260hp vs. 345hp)

 

I have to say, I am very pleased you have taken the time to ask the question, as well as listen to the constructive answers that have been provided.
I'd like to begin by saying that I spend alot of time teaching young people how to drive at an advanced level. Over half the time I spend with a student has nothing to do with the physical part of driving... It has to do with the mental aspect. Driving any type of car without the mental commitment to drive responsibly will result in disaster. It doesn't matter if it is 150hp or 300hp. Now, poor behavior is magnified with more hp because the distance between poor decision and poor result is shorter.
My advice to you is to look at the next six years of your life. You are almost 17, so I will assume that should take you through the end of college. Here is what I am hearing you say... I want a C5, or I will settle for something else. So, it comes down to a decision of whether or not you are going to settle. It could be with a Mustang, or a 300ZX. You can modify these cars to match the power output of the C5. But, in the end, you still settled and you will eventually want that C5. So, if you are going to 'settle', have a plan. Below is my suggestion...

Keep your Neon. Based on your income, I honestly don't think a C5 is even an option (responsibly). Skip the Mustang or any other car and start putting a little money away each month into an interest-bearing account. Over the course of six years, if you did only $100 a month, you would have $7200 (before interest is taken into account) ready to go at college graduation. Then you can go out, get a great job, and start off in style. Heck, you could get a nice C6 at that point for decent money.

I haven't spent much time talking about your inexperience as a driver because you are young. I spend a lot of time with young people and one thing they ALL have in common is that they don't know what they don't know. Does that make sense? In our school we put kids in 'out of control' situations and then challenge them to regain control. Almost every single one of them says, 'Wow, I didn't expect that'. Of course you didn't... you are a new driver. It comes with the territory. There are young people (I was not one of them) who are very responsible and cautious when it comes to driving a Corvette. I would have been dead as a teenager if I had a Corvette. I didn't recognize my mortality. Its not a bad thing... just a normal thing.
You seem like a kid that is ahead of the curve, so that's cool. If you ever come to Indiana I'd love to have you take my course. I think you'd enjoy it.

Take everything you hear and then make the best decision you can. I am honestly impressed that you are approaching the topic with this much thought. The best of luck to you...

Todd James

 

I had a mustang GT before going to my Corvette, in performance there is no comparison (stock to stock). The corvette is better on every level (looks, acceleration, handling). Gas is pretty similar around town (22-23mpg) and the vette is better on trips getting almost 30mpg, the mustang got 25 at best. However the Corvette is much more expensive. You have to consider tires, oil, everything else involved in owning a vette. It sounds like you would be pretty tight on money if you get the vette. As fun as a vette is its not worth the headache that it will put into your financial situation. I would suggest getting a cheaper car and having some money left over to enjoy high school and college. Also just a personal note, I would not recommend financing a car for 60 months because you will always owe as much or more than the car is worth if you sold it in a year or so you may still even owe money to the bank over the sale price of the car (although 2000 down should cover that but you might not get much more or even less than that back after selling the car). Not to mention if you decided to keep the car you would be paying a ton of interest and eventually paying $300+ a month for a 15 year old car. (I'm assuming that for 17500 you are looking at 97-01 C5's).


My suggestion would be get the GT and put the money away that you save from not owning the vette and gain interest on it...then when you get out of school you have the cash to buy a vette straight up, I did this and got my vette at 22 it was well worth the wait. Not to mention you get a step up in performance with the GT and then get it again with the Vette. Of course My real suggestion would be to keep the neon and save up cash to pay for the mustang, or even better keep saving and get a C6 zo6 when you get out of college. If you have 2000 to put down and are not paying anything on the neon you could have cash for a mustang in a year or so. 300 a month when you are getting interest instead of paying interest can get you a pretty nice car.

One last note, I'm Nervous about parking my vette in my company parking lot where several people have corvettes, porches, and other nice cars so it doesn’t stand out that much. I would have developed an ulcer worrying about it all day if I had to park it at my High School or college.

Good luck it what ever you do and I am sure you will enjoy your new car any way you go.

 

^^Before recommending another car, I don't think your age alone should be a reson not to buy a vette. Vette's have a lot of power and while you may think you can handle it the reality is that it is a big step up from what you are driving. Another factor is cost. Vettes are fairly expensive to own and operate, and you really don't have a lot of $$$. Better to invest the few $$$ you have in your education and future, and also have some fun.

In terms of other cars, look at the Chrysler Crossfire. You can probably get a good used one for around $15K. My brother had one of the first ones they made and it was a lot of fun to drive.

One other suggestion. Buy yourself a book on high-performance driving.
Here is one I like.

http://www.amazon.com/Speed-Secrets-.../dp/0760305188

Before I read this book, and I am considerably older than you, I thought I knew how to drive. I learned I really did not know much at all. But I am learning.

Good luck for your future!

 

I just read speedteacher's reply, missed it before my first one....Good points sounds like he is a wise man

 

I won't argue about if you are old enough, but I think financially you are over your head trying to get a corvette.

I am an accountant....here is a sample of buying a corvette...

Price: $17,000
Interest: 6.5% APR
Payment with be $332 Aprox per month for 60 months.

Add Insurance $100 plus per month (I am being consevative here)
Add Gas $200 per month
Add Maintance $50 per month as least, until you have to buy tires at $250 a piece.

You are looking at a minimum of around $700 per month for this car.

I can barely afford mine with my wife and me making $70K per year.
I also had to take the bus for two years to save up.
I have my master's degree, without it I wouldn't make enough to afford one.
Mine is a 2003 for $27K.

My advice to you would be to go to college, grow up a little more, make some sacrifices in your life first....then you deserve a car like this.

If you can't make the insurance payments, car payment, etc. without Mom and Dad helping you to do it, then you are not ready for this car.

I would have liked to do it at 17 too, but looking back I would not be ready for this responsibilty.

Sorry to drop a reality check on you. You sound like a good kid, get your life in order (Job and Education) then get the vette.

 

Thanks for all the positive feedback guys, I really appreciate your honest opinions. There is one thing I really am looking at as a reason to get a vette now. The reason is that my college goals are quite ambitions and if I get into one of the fields that I'm looking at (Anesthesiology, Radiology, Corporate Lawyer, Hedge Fund Manager) I could be in college for up to 10 years. It is true that with the college course load I'm am taking in high school, I will probably have enough college credits by the time I graduate high school to let me skip the first 2 years of college. But I dont know if I could handle waiting another 9 or so years to get a vette. By that time we could be approaching the C8 and C9 era, lol. Also, when I said I would be making about $150 a week I was underestimating slightly, I should be making atleast $200, but I wanted to have a little left over. I really would like something that is reallllllyyyyyy low to the ground, that is why I like lowered vettes and Acura NSXs. I understand that I could all but remove the suspension from my neon and be low to the ground but I dont think that would look very good. So if anyone has a suggestion of a car that is low to the ground, good looking, has some decent power (200-220ish), and is a little less costly, please let me know. I just want to say thanks again for all the great feedback, I really appreciate being taken seriously and not just laughed at for dreaming of a Corvette at 17.