I was hopping that you guys may be able to give me some insight and help me decide if I may be making the right choice, or guide me in the right direction.

I am going to purchase a new car within the next few days, and this vehicle will be my DD. I am interested in a few cars, and just can't seem to make up my mind.

I had a 04 SRT-4, but now am ready to upgrade.

My choices are:

1997-99 C5 Corvette
2004-2006 Mitsubishi Evo
2003-2004 Mustang Cobra
2005+ Mustang GT
2004+ Pontiac GTO
Or maybe another option I am over looking.

Keep in mind this will be my Daily Driver, however, I drive maybe 10-20 Miles a week, with the occasional trip of 50 miles once everynow and then to see my Girlfriend.

I am 18 Years old, a student, with a full time job. I appreciate all the advice I may receive.

 

Bump for Insight.

 

The results you get asking this in C5 General most likely will be biased toward the C5. You're more likely to get less biased results asking this in the Other Cars section of the Forum.

Good luck with the decision.

 

Insurance and resale value - you are a student and it will be a daily driver. Don't forget the cost of tires if you stick with runflats-$1200 to $1600. Non runflats cheaper but still $800.

 

OK....I'll do it......get the C5

 

I'd say a C5 is a good upgrade from a Neon.

My advice:
Drive a C5. See if its for you. I can tell you that a Corvette is different for me that other cars in that it has a "presence". When I'm around a Corvette, I feel like I'm not alone, like the car is more than just metal and composite. It's hard to explain.

 

coming from someone that has owned both the evolution and the mustang gt you mentioned, go with the C5. Hands down.

IMHO, the mustang GT really isn't all it was made out to be, and the Evo is a fun car, dont get me wrong, but neither are anything like the Corvette.

Go with the Evo or GT now, get tired of either, then trade in for the Corvette, or save yourself the trouble and go with the Vette now. I know from experience

 

go with Mustang. I see too many vettes on the road now. I kind of like the feeling of exclusivity.

 

I really hope you wouldn't be taking a Corvette to school. The other thing to consider is cost of upkeep. If you aren't a shadetree mechanic, then stay away from any thing that has expensive components. For example, an EBCM replacement can set you back $1200, a water pump, $800. When I bought my 68, I was 21 years old and even though I was working full-time, I could not afford both repairs and insurance. I decided to forgo insurance and suffered plenty for it. Don't do what I did.

My advice: Go to school full-time and be a security guard during the weekends. You should be able to do your homework (as I did), while earning money. After you graduate and get a much higher-paying job, then by anything you want. For the time being, get something that is inexpensive to own and great on gas - a Civic si or Mazda 3, perhaps.

Don't get me wrong, I am a Corvette guy, but I learned the hard way about buying cars that I really couldn't afford.

Good luck!

 

Test drive the cars you really like and then buy the one you like best.

 

I'm not sure this will be a totally unbiased opinion

 

This is a corvette forum, I don't even need to look at the poll to see which one will be higher. Honestly, the C5 is a great car as long as you only need to move one passenger. It has the best gas mileage out of all those you mentioned, cheaper to insure, reliable, and ALWAYS looks good. If you get a coupe you also have a ton of storage space and a targa removeable roof. The C5 will always turn heads and with a few mods, will be the best handling out of your choices. The corvette has always been the bench mark "my car is (faster, better handling, better looking etc etc blah blah) than a vette."

For the other cars you mentioned:
Evo: Basically the same car you have, but a little faster and AWD... not really a step up.
Cobra: Good car, great straight liner with lots of mod potential, but as a DD not as good on gas... insurance $$$
GT: Mustangs are me-too cars... everyone has one. If the 03-04 cobra is on this list, I don't know why the GT would be too. It will be hell to insure.
GTO: Nice car, good power, but to me it just looks a little blah.


Personally, I wouldn't own a C5 if I didn't have a garage. It attracts attentions from jealous ignorant people. My buddy parks his outside. It's been vandalized twice, and the rear window broken once already. Granted this is just one case... but if you are looking for something a little lower key, but similar performance, my second choice would be the LS2 GTO.

 

You have your whole life to have great cars. If you go with something easier on fuel and insurance you will have more to do other things that a starving college student enjoys...

The Mustangs or the Vette will eat a male of your age alive in insurance alone... Then you will need to fix it from time to time...

There is always another car... Any car that takes everything you have to maintain it will be an anchor around your neck and I promise you will end up hating it...

 

Thanks for all the advice guys, I really appreciate it.

However believe it or not, the Vette is cheaper to insure than the Evo, SRT-4 and Cobra.

Also it is cheaper to repair than the Evo, but more expensive than the Cobra, I believe.

As far as fixing it goes, I have a great friend who can hook me up with amazing prices, and two Vette performance shops very local.

Being 18, and a Male, I love the attention a Vette would get, however I understand Attention is not always good as haters are every where but that could happen with any car.

 

Kind of like going to Green Bay and asking if the the Bears are the best team.

 

ACURA you'll love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Go with a KIA and be done with it. NOT!!! C5 all the way baby!!!

 

Your kidding right?
You come to a C5 forum and ask what you should buy...lol.
Sure most are going to say C5.
You go to a Mustang forum and they will say Mustang.
You go to a EVO forum and guess what......You got it. They will say go evo...
Only you know what you want, or maybe you don't.

I would say test drive all the above cars and see what you like, Not what others like.
Also why only a 97-99 Vette?

Seeing you are a Student and this is going to be your DD I would say get a used Toyota, Honda or some other car in that class, I feel being a student if you get a Vette you might just bite off more than you can chew with insurance and all and 91+ fuel.
JMO.
Bill

 

Why are you only looking at 97-99 Corvettes. You can get into any C5 for the price of the other cars. Heck you can get a C5 Z06 for what you can get an EVO or Cobra for. I just bought a C5 Z06 and I am 24, almost a year out of college. I would have loved to drive this car in college, but now I realized it wouldn't have been very smart if I did that. While going to school I drove a 1999 V6 Camaro. I always wanted a fast V8 car but looking back the Camaro was probably the best choice for me. Get somthing economical or keep your current car and get finished with school. That can be stressful enough without having a $400-$500 payment hanging over your head. Now if somehow you make a bunch of money and go to school then go for it, I know I couldn't make enough money while going to school to afford any of those cars. You said you work full time, are you making decent money of is that a just over minimum wage job? If it's the latter I would wait.

 

I bought my C5 when I turned 21. I had at the party house on campus for 2 years in college. No garage or anything, it was wide open. I never had one problem and it was a blast to have down there. Go for the C5 you won't regret it, but make sure you are fully covered insurance wise just in case