Airbase

First, a warning... this is a long post! It may take some time to read... if you have the time, welcome.

My 02 vette that i've had for a week now is the first american car i've ever owned, and so I'm posting my thoughts on the interior quality. Just putting what i think out there, i'm not bashing either chevy or the vette, or any people here.... just want to see the response/discussion from this. Knowledge is addictive.

In this thread, i'll be mentioning imports. That is because i've owned them, its NOT because i want to start a import vs domestic argument. Its simply because that is where my own personal experience is, so that's what i can talk about.


I've owned a 3000GT VR4 (twin turbo) that was 7 years older than my vette, and the interior was far superior in every way. The build quality was higher, the fit and finish was perfect (literally), and the stereo was of superior quality to my C5. I've owned a 2003 Miata, and the same story there, except the stereo was cheaper, but the overall interior quality was worlds ahead of my c5.

Now as far as what features are included, quality aside, the vette has a nice number of them, but i find the ones it does have are of lower quality/usefulness than any other car i've owned. The closest to compare with for me personally is my VR4.

The VR4 (mark2) came out in 1994, and it's prime competition was the C4 corvette. I think about the C5 is ahead of the c4 in interior quality, and the fact that the VR4 was superior to both, and still is... even the replacement/upgrade to the VR4's competition (c4) had an inferior quality interior 5 years after the VR4 stopped production in 1999. That's right, in my opinion a "new" C5 has a poorly assembled interior in comparison. I said it.

I have to say, i am extremely disappointed in my C5's interior quality. I have seat springs poking my buttcheeks after 68k miles. No import i've ever owned ever had a seat fall apart like that, which includes a Miata with 172,654 miles on the original 17-year old seat.

One thing that surprised me, i suppose because i have little prior experience with domestic interiors, is the fact that i can move the panels/bezels by pushing them with my finger. No other import i've ever owned has been that flimsy. In the VR4 you'd break your finger off your hand before ANY interior panel would creek/move/feel cheap.

The vette has a cheap interior. Cheap, cheap cheap. Poor workmanship, extremely low reliability, and even the center console and cig.lighter doors feel like crap when i open them. On the vr4 anything that moved "felt" like it was dampened by a hydraulic hinge for smooth, solid feeling movement.... it felt strong, like you could pull as hard as you could and it wouldn't break or budge. In the vette, i'm afraid to LOOK at my interior, it just might be enough to break it.

Now I am comparing mostly to the VR4 because it is in the same price range, but even my 03 miata has the same fit and finish, just less gadgets. My Infiniti/Nissan also had superior fit and finish, and was 12,000 USD cheaper bran new than a new vette.

What is everyone's opinion of the c5's interior?

I will also say that the interior of my dad's 1996 Silverado is equally as ****ty. I have to roll the window down to get out of my broken seat by pulling on a malfunctioning handle. Uh.... What?

I love this car, after all i bought one! I do like the interior, i'm not saying that i dont like it. What i'm saying is that i'm blown away by how cheap it is compared to both equal and significantly cheaper priced imports.

This post takes no regard for interior maintenance, because i've seen the same quality differences no matter the maintenance. GM interiors simply are not as reliable and are cheap and poorly assembled.

I'm basing my post based on ownership experience with these cars:
1995 3000GT VR4 Twin Turbo
2003 Mazda Miata
1996 Infiniti i30
2001 Honda Integra
2004 Honda Accord
2002 Corvette Coupe Targa

Now i will say that i buy cars to drive, and this corvette does that very well, so i'm satisfied with my vette. I didn't buy it for luxury, although i'll admit it is pretty luxurious. I do love my vette and have no outright complaints. If i didn't like it, i wouldn't have bought one!

Again, this thread is just a "philosophical" or "meaningless talk" thread, for no other reason than to talk. I do not regret purchasing a corvette.

also, a note:

do not start wars about import vs domestic or anything like that. This thread is not about a "better car". It is just a expression of my opinions, and i hope to gain insight from those of others. If you are here to "throw some hate" then just dont post, otherwise lets hear it!

jon c

If you dont like it dont keep it sell it and by something else, these cars are built to drive and handle and that they will do better than anything you have owned

Airbase

it handles better than everything i've owned except for the miata, it still handles better. It is gutless, however, and has a loud chassis. It was made for slower mph racing than my vette thats for sure!

Alaskanpilot

I do agree that the interior could be much better; however I don't think they are horrible. They're just... not as nice as some of the others. But, that is fixable, for a price.

Look what DS Vettes did with their project C5:

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c5-g...es-inside.html

I overhauled my own interior as well; though not to the extent shown above. But, I did get new seats, higher quality leather, and leather-wrapped *****, boots, and steering wheel. HUGE difference!

It does seem like GM focused more on performance than on the interior, and that's fine by me. If the interior was equally outstanding, somehow I don't think the Vette would stay in its present price range.

jaygood

Imports Suck

just my .02

Airbase

That last point is a good one... i suppose perhaps the interior VS drivetrain production investments within it's limits lean heavier on the drivetrain side than most, maybe?

Airbase

many of them do, i'll certainly agree. Actually no, MOST of them do suck.

There are, however, a select few imports of legendary status that i love and am impressed by. Not surprising that these legendary imports are not the "popular" ones in america. All the popular ones are the crappy ones... and u see em everywhere, lol.

Hey, what's A4 mean in vette-lingo? also, what are those two solid stripes above your driver front wheel for, aside from looks? I see identical ones alot, is there a significance other than appearance?

jaygood

A4 is automagic in vette lingo. The stripes add 10 rwhp each, at least that is what they told me

Mr.Bill

Agree or don't post.
Kinda one sided ......

Airbase

I am not asking you to agree with me, i'm just asking people to agree not to start a war that will lead to anger, because anger leads to hate, and hate leads to ... the dark side! At least thats what a little green man told me once.

i did word it kinda angrily, i think i'll reword it. Good call, thanks. I didn't mean to be so offensive, i think i have become accustomed to a few other very VERY aggressive boards... suppose i need to break the habit

Virtual Geezer

Welcome to the C5 family. I suggest you buy and read "All Corvettes Are Red," an excellent book that gives you a blow-by-blow description of the development of the C5. It was a long and difficult journey.

The C5 was (and continues to be) the most all-new Vette in the history of the marque. New engine, new hydroformed frame rails, new electronics -- new everything. Virtually nothing was carried over from any previous generation. So while the interior is a bit spartan (even cheesy), there is so much greatness and innovation built into the C5 that I feel you'd be hard pressed to find a finer all-around sports car -- especially when you consider the price tag.

Best wishes -- and enjoy!

2000lambovette

After owning several (or should i say many) imports I agree that the interior is kinda cheap in the vettes. However I enjoy this car to any of my past cars. The day I bought my first vette I was trading in a 1991 300zx and i loved that car the interior was great. I went to get a new 350z and test drove it along with an 02 vette. After driving them both for several hours and having much more fun and attention in the vette I bought it and am on my third one now. Im not quite sure why you posted this in a vette forum except to maybe make people aware of a fact most already know. I have added CF and suede to my interior and am very happy with it now. Enjoy this true sport car for everything else it has to offer and know that it has exotic car performance at a great price!

c5blkvetteguy

I dont how a short wheelbase and skinny car with skinny tires (miata) can handle better than a c5. Anyway, the c5 interior is not the best thing about the car. I personally think gm spent the money in the car where corvette owners want it. Like in the performance and handling. Take a look back at all the other corvettes, none of them had an interior that was outstanding. Corvettes are not about how the interior looks as much as they are about how they perform, and they do that very well.

DeeGee

I guess I've driven many imports in my time being a Brit. The Vette was my first US sports car. Mind you my first Brit sports car was an MG Midget so an interior doesn't get much more basic than that.

with Vitual Geezer. Read All Corvettes are Red and some of your criticisms will be put in context.

The designers had a challenge. In short they had to exceed the performance of the C4 at the same price. Quite a task after a C4 run of about 13 years. Also keeping the weight down became a driver.

I'd say in order to protect the amazing performance of this car they made a number of compromises. Also to keep the cost down so its affordable to us regular motorists and enthusiasts meant they compromised on quality, particularly in some of the components; cheap not the best.

All that said, I've seen worse. It's easy to modify the interior and fit after market parts to your own taste. In my case I went with a leather console and colored accents. One of these days I'll be able to justtify a set of new seat covers.




The flash washes out the color a tad. Its darker than it appears here.

BTW, this is a gentlemanly Forum and there are some great folks here. No one is afraid of opinion and you'll always get a healthy debate. Like any Forum there are some eejits but they're in a minority. It's also very well moderated.

Welcome aboard and I know you're going to love this car.

2000lambovette

1 more thought, Ferarri has made many of thier cars without air, radio, door panels etc, and lotus in the early days didnt put radios in them. It was all about performance and driving experiance. My suggestion is if you dont like the interior, change it there are ltos of easy quick ways to top off our cars and I for one love to mod a car to my liking. Have fun and enjoy your cars.

Quick Shot xMLx

The interior does suck. I find the seats to be pretty comfortable and offer plenty of adjustment possibilities but the quality of the leather is laughable. The sun visors are pieces of **** that always fall apart, the fit of the dash and it's trim pieces is pretty crappy. The finish in my 02 GT felt superior. The door panels are pretty solid though IMO. That said it's still the nicest car I've personally owned inside(I've been through a few different vehicles).

I'm no bitch(interiors are for **** and wives) but the quality is typical 90s GM. I didn't buy the car for the interior, I bought it for it's performance capabilities(potential and pre-existing) and it's exterior looks. I'll take a mediocre interior, nice exterior and a Gen III SBC before a 350Z or something similar(better quality interior, VQ is a piece of **** compared to the LS1 when modding, egg shape car).

rezenclowd3

IMO, if I could have a car that was SOLELY based on performance but street legal, I would buy it. I don't want an interior. I want mine to look like a track car.

Alex1217

I don't understand why people complain so much about the C5's interior. To me, the C5 came with a very nice interior, very ergonomic with buttons easily within reach while you're racing around a corner or going at high speed. Sure the leather wasn't of the greatest quality but I had my seats for 6 years before upgrading to Caravaggios and the stock seats still looked like new.

I wonder if alot of the complaints are due to people buying used C5's and the previous owners beating up on these vettes. I bought my vette brand new and after 65,000 miles, it still looks like new.

Granted, there are places where things could have been better, that's true with any vehicle but when considering the overall package and the price of a C5 when it was new, I think GM really did a great job with the interior. I like it even better than the C6 interior which seems kind of bland, yet, the materials used there seem more durable.

Dominic Toretto

I wouldn't say it "sucks" rather, it could be better. I do understand your post and agree but, not to the extent that I would say it sucks. The seats in my car with almost 80k miles are extremely comfortable and supportive. I am one of the VERY few that actually likes the stock bose radio/stereo system. I actually think it works very well. I do however hate that the fitment is poor. There are huge gaps in between panels that a little bit more time could have fixed.

Not sure what other features you are referring to that have "lower quality/usefullness" but, mine has almost all of the features.

Memory package I think is AWESOME.
F45 suspension, again, awesome.
Heads up display, awesome.
Dual zone climate control, awesome.
Tilt/power telescoping steering wheel, awesome.
Competitive Driving mode, double awesome.

Not knocking your VR4 but I would like to hear what you think worked better in it than does a C5. You may prefer the interior quality better, and that is fine but, what features actually worked better in that car over a C5?

-Alex

homewrecker

It's a Corvette, enough said. I have many other cars too, some better made than others, but at the same time, I could be driving down the street in my Miata and no one could give a damn, but if I drive my vette...You know what I mean.