When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
well, test drove my first C5 on Saturday. It was a cool looking car for sure. Standing next to it, amazing how small it looks, but i fit in it (i'm 6-4).
Driving-wise, it drove very nice, it only had 62K miles on it. it certainly accelerated to 70mph very fast, probably the fastest production car i've driven (the '85 i drove last fall had a 600hp engine-it was scary to drive!). It was a hot day, the AC worked nice. i think the one thing i missed in it was the glass top and the diffused light that comes through w/ the glass top. i thought the seats were not great, but ok, but my wife thought they felt great. overall it was a great driving car, every bit as fun as the few C3s and C4s i've driven, but with all new modern conveniences that work. Considering it is a car that is 16 years old, it didn't seem like it. We actually started working on paper work for it, but the dealership wouldn't move on their price, so we walked away, which i was fine with.
after thinking about it for a few days and talking things over with my wife, i sort of realized that i think the corvette is more of a dream for me than something that will become a reality. the reality is if i get one, it will be my main car (our older son will be driving next spring and we'll need a 3rd car). and part of that reality is in the mid-west we can have pretty bad winters, so not sure in the end it's really going to be a practical car for me/us. our first car when we were married back in '87 was a '79 mazda RX7...it ran ok in the winter, but not great.
so i guess in the end it was fun to dream about, and fun to test drive the few C3s, numerous C4s, and the one C5....but i guess it's time to move on.
thanks to all the folks here who gave me some good advice for the various questions i had.....it was fun to dream....
St. Jude Donor '03-'04-'05-'06-'07-'08-'09-'10-'11-'12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-
'20-'21-'22-'23-'24
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
Only you can decide if the car would work for you. I live in the Midwest too and there have been times where there is no way a C5 would work if it was my DD. But with those few exceptions, a C5 would be just fine for a DD - it's comfortable, roomy, gets good gas mileage and is fun as heck to drive. In the past I have bought a cheap beater car for my bad weather driver - worked well for me.
Even if you don't get a Corvette now, hopefully you'll keep the dream alive and will eventually be in a position where you'll be able to get behind the wheel of one that permanently resides in your garage.
you know, the funny thing for me is thinking of the view down the hood looking front....that view in C3s and C4s looks very similar...so to me it is interesting that the designers have kept some element of the front hood in all the years that i've driven (can't speak for C1,2,6 or 7).
Daily use...i know, i've thought about the days of: if there was a lot of snow...our other 2 cars are 4wd suvs, which navigate snow very well...and i'm sure i could make things work....maybe i'm over thinking it...which i tend to do....i appreciate folks here who have been honest and who's thoughts/ideas have made me think a bit about certain things....
Everybody has their own opinion on whether or not to DD these cars...so to each his own.
I know that when I bought my first one last year I had planned on only using it up to around 5K miles a year...if that.
The more I drive it (coupled with what I read here in the forum) I've come to realize a few things...
I bought it to enjoy it, not stare at it. Mine has higher miles (92K now...bought last year at 84K). Reality is that it's not gonna be worth a whole lot even if I try to keep the mileage down...so there really is no point in trying to do so. I've said it before: I know how I am. If I had paid a few grand more for a lower mileage car I would be borderline afraid to drive it just to keep the miles off. Frankly, I'm getting to the point where I'm glad that it's not perfect...it allows me to have more fun!
So...I'm going to drive it as much as I can, store it in the winter (winter SUCKS here in Michigan) and fix whatever breaks.
Most importantly, I'm going to enjoy the crap out of it as much as I can!!
I admired Corvettes from afar, for a long time, but with kids, it just didn't make sense. Our last kid left the house two months ago, and last month I finally was able to give myself permission to buy a C5. I wanted a C6, but for ten grand less, I am very happy with what we got.
I wouldn't have bought mine as a daily driver. I drive the C5 to work a few times a month, when the weather is permitting, and we take it out every weekend. We try to get in a big road trip at least once a month (Bowling is scheduled for 8/20 ) . I'd love to drive it daily, but more miles mean more repairs and more maintenance. I next dream is a C6 if I can limit the expenses on the C5.
But for Indiana, I'd never get out the driveway with after the first big snow fall. That's what the Suby is for. But the good news is kids grow up very fast. Before you know it, what was impractical will now be practical.
there was this post in the C4 section a few days ago (thread was C5vsC4s):
Just My opinion, I bought a new 04 and drove it as a DD for 10 years and 165K trouble free miles. While it was a great driver and very comfortable I just viewed it as just a car, I did not hesitate to sell it last year and buy another C4. The C4 has a much better sports car feel then the C5 touring car feel."
i'm trying to keep this in mind, maybe i'll think about it over the next few months...and see where i am with my thinking in March of next year....
I always wanted a c6 grand sport(love taking the top off), which I could afford, but modding the c5 on a friendlier overall budget was the way to go...I am still a young guy, but as I age, and I loose friends and family, I don't want to go out with regrets... buying a corvette is not practical, or a smart investment(unless its a mind split window..mmmmm), but I wanted one, and got one albeit a compromise from the original plan...will not be my last FOR SURE unless I meet an early demise. make your dream a c7 z06 or some exotic and bring the vette dream to reality...shes a purdy girl...
well, test drove my first C5 on Saturday. It was a cool looking car for sure. Standing next to it, amazing how small it looks, but i fit in it (i'm 6-4).
Driving-wise, it drove very nice, it only had 62K miles on it. it certainly accelerated to 70mph very fast, probably the fastest production car i've driven (the '85 i drove last fall had a 600hp engine-it was scary to drive!). It was a hot day, the AC worked nice. i think the one thing i missed in it was the glass top and the diffused light that comes through w/ the glass top. i thought the seats were not great, but ok, but my wife thought they felt great. overall it was a great driving car, every bit as fun as the few C3s and C4s i've driven, but with all new modern conveniences that work. Considering it is a car that is 16 years old, it didn't seem like it. We actually started working on paper work for it, but the dealership wouldn't move on their price, so we walked away, which i was fine with.
after thinking about it for a few days and talking things over with my wife, i sort of realized that i think the corvette is more of a dream for me than something that will become a reality. the reality is if i get one, it will be my main car (our older son will be driving next spring and we'll need a 3rd car). and part of that reality is in the mid-west we can have pretty bad winters, so not sure in the end it's really going to be a practical car for me/us. our first car when we were married back in '87 was a '79 mazda RX7...it ran ok in the winter, but not great.
so i guess in the end it was fun to dream about, and fun to test drive the few C3s, numerous C4s, and the one C5....but i guess it's time to move on.
thanks to all the folks here who gave me some good advice for the various questions i had.....it was fun to dream....
Don't wait 62 years like I did for my first Corvette! Do it now and enjoy it!
there was this post in the C4 section a few days ago (thread was C5vsC4s):
Quote:
Just My opinion, I bought a new 04 and drove it as a DD for 10 years and 165K trouble free miles. While it was a great driver and very comfortable I just viewed it as just a car, I did not hesitate to sell it last year and buy another C4. The C4 has a much better sports car feel then the C5 touring car feel."
i'm trying to keep this in mind, maybe i'll think about it over the next few months...and see where i am with my thinking in March of next year....
This would have everything to do with the suspension of the C5. If you drive a base suspension car (FE1), and then a Z51 car, you'll feel the difference. My C5 had an FE1 suspension when I bought it, and while it was the first/only (to that point) Corvette I'd ever driven, it did have a bit of a "touring car" feel. I drove a friends Z51 and it felt completely different. So I took care of that by putting a Z06 suspension under mine, and wala! a completely new car!!!
If I had a coupe, I would have no reservation about driving it all year round. I drive my convertible roughly from April to December. Leaving the suspension stock height and some snow tires would work wonders in the winter. You would only be limited by ground clearance.
I had a friend who daily drove his C3 for years rain snow and shine. Last I knew it had 170,000 miles on it.
08-04-2015, 10:08 AM
Test Drove a '99 on Saturday...
) . I'd love to drive it daily, but more miles mean more repairs and more maintenance. I next dream is a C6 if I can limit the expenses on the C5. 
