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I think the C5 is one of those classic designs that will never age.
Still looks fresh and will continue to for many years to come. People still ask me if my '99 Coupe is new. I agree with others who say the C5 design is timeless. The C5 is the best looking car on the road.
I'm a student at UCF and my colleagues are all shocked to find out the cars 8 (going on 9) years old. I'm amazed at the way they hold up against the years..
+ However many. Most of the public has no clue. They just know its a Corvette and its beautiful.
I'll tell you what, i was getting ready to pull the trigger on trading in my mag red 04 on a 06 Z06. But everywhere i go, i get looks, and comments about how new the car looks, and how it sounds and runs.
After putting my car along side of the silver Z06, i couldnt keep my eyes from pulling to the C5.
Outdated...as in it is an 04...yes. Looks...NO.
a couple things you can do to freshen up the look is to change out the lights.
many new cars come with HID projectors and LED tails. those 2 mods alone make the car look like a fresh design.
I agree! Swap out the lights and upgrade the interior to include a NAV screen and the C5 is pretty much on par with the C6 in terms of style. I always thought the C5 interior lines (grab handle, gauge cluster etc.) looked better than the C6 interior lines. I agee the C6 has better interior options, colors, etc., however you can fix that in the C5 with all the great after market products available.
When I saw the first C5 back in 1997, my response was I have to get one. When I saw the C5.5 (or C6) back in 2004, I did not have the same response.
With that said, I would not hesitate to move into a C6 in the event something happened to my C5, however my drive and trade plan for my C5 has now turned into a keep as long as I can plan and hopefully add a C6 Z06 to the stable.
If by dated you mean that it does not look like a carbon-copy waterbug design like every Japanese/Korean/European sportscar then yes. If you mean dated as looking old and out of date, then no.
I don't think so at all either. Every time I take mine out I get at least one person asking if it's for sale or where I bought it from. I also get is it a 08 or 09 model as well.
Based on the reaction of my coworkers, strangers, and family members, I'd say it does not look dated. I've also been asked on several occasions, by complete strangers, if the car was new...and mine is eight years old.
Corvettes have always tried to look sleek and modern, at least since 1963, in my opinion, that gives them a longer shelf life.
Usually, the people calling the looks of the car "dated" on car boards simply do not like Corvettes.
There's nothing dated about the performance, either. I mean, I was reading Car and Driver the other day about the new 370Z. $30k, 330 horsepower, 270 lb-ft, and weighs 3200 lbs, something like 13.4 in the 1/4 and front heavy compared to the C5 (56/44 vs. 51/49). An 11 year old C5 should be able to outperform it.
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IMO, the C5 does not look dated - it has styling that will appeal to many for a long, long time. Of course the newer generation gets more publicity - that's just the way things work.
First time i saw a C5 on the road i about snapped my neck turning around to watch it go by. I have never got that with any other car. Don't get me wrong the C6 Z06 is a great looking car but it will never give me that same feeling as when i saw the first C5. But to answer your question: Do i think they look dated? NO
Don't get me wrong, I love my car. I just see so much more information on the C6 and the C5 is starting to look dated to the public. IMHO
Over the past 2 years, there are at least 100 people that have asked me if my car is the "new" Corvette, or if I had just won the lotto to afford the "new" Corvette. So no, the C5 is not dated. In fact, I would almost say the C6 looks dated in comparison to the C5. The C6 has very limited visual appeal, though it is a solid car with many great improvements that Corvette owners asked for. I've seen pictures of the C7 "stingray" which looks more like a C5 again, but it just depends on which direction (if any) Chevrolet will go on the next Vette.
However, the look of that "Transformers" C7 would force me to dump the C5 in a second, since that is the perfect Corvette IMO.
I think the condition of the car is what the general public see, a well maintained C5 will pass as new everyday to the general public. Hell my 04 still smells new
Same thing happened with my '93 all the time. Just picked up my C5 on Saturday so heck yes it looks new to me!