This is not meant as a bash against the newer Corvettes. It's just the observations, ramblings and opinion of a long time (first one was back in 1987) Corvette owner / loyal fan, mumbling my thoughts.

We recently purchased a 2004 Commemorative vert. Before that we had owned several C4's, including a highly modified dedicated track car, three C5's and a C6 GS vert. Then we ordered a 2015 C7 Z51 just the way we wanted it. I thought it would be my dream car.

Never fell in love with it. Great car, no doubt about that. Better ride, better handling, faster, quieter, more tech, better fit and finish, etc., etc.

In 18 months we put about 1,500 miles on it then sold it for about a grand less than we paid. (We know the dealer and got a good deal and we used the credit union discount that GM offered at the time).

People said I was crazy to go back two generations. I started to think I was. Then I was talking to a friend of mine the other day who recently went from being a long time Mustang guy, including several special Roush cars, to driving and restoring old English cars. We talked about the decision to sell the C7. He knew what I was thinking and the thoughts I had but couldn't put into words. The C7 is a great car, no argument, but it just doesn't seem, to me, to have any soul. It's cookie cutter punched out and it feels like it.

My wife gets a kick out of it that I go out in the garage now and look at an old C5 where a C7 used to sit and I just love the car. Yes, it rattles a bit and needs some work and some performance enhancements and yes it's not perfect (37,000 miles), but I love it.

It's not the fastest thing out there and it doesn't have Bluetooth or Sirius radio or a backup camera or any of that.

But I love to drive it. That's all that really counts, isn't it? Or am I crazy to have sold the C7?

Have a great day and save the wave.

 

Some things, and not just cars, have that ineffable quality that draws you to them. I feel the same way about high end stereo equipment. Certain tube amplifiers have more "soul" than even the most expensive solid state designs. It can't be measured, but it's there.

So I know how you feel about your C5. It's a subjective thing, but you like what you like. And you love what you love. Enjoy your car for what it does for you.

Shakey

 

Same here, the Black C5 I purchased last year is my first Corvette. I just think the lines of the C5 are simple yet aggressive and timeless. I can't stop messing with it a little something here and a little something there. It's black and it's beautiful.

 

I agree with the OP. I have driven every generation of the Corvette but the C1 and my 03Z is like a raw go cart on steroids. Its like the beautiful model that will only wear torn blue jeans lol. I am really looking at the new GS because its like a newer copy of the "original" C5Z. My C5 is a permanent family member at this point.

 

I had an 04 vert but had to sell during a relocation. I then bought a 10 grand sport coupe. Never liked it. Now I drive an 02 vert. Just a really nice cruiser.

 

I thought many times I could buy the next latest and greatest Vette which showed up at the dealership....BUT in reality they never lived up to my C5 and I just can't give it up. Do I feel any regret? Never! My C5 is the best car I've ever owned and will drive till I die.

 

I think the feelings and observations you have about the C5 are the same as many of us that own one right now. The cars are not perfect and the technology is certainly not up to the level of the newer cars (heck, some less expensive cars can give the C5 a run for the money when it comes to performance). But there is just something about the design and bang for the buck driving experience that makes it a hard car to beat.

I've owned two C3s, four C4s and now three C5s plus have driven a C1 and a C7. It still puts a smile on my face when I get behind the wheel of my C5 and start the engine, back out of the garage and take off down the road. Perhaps it is the rawness of the car that makes it such a fun experience. Plus in over seven years of ownership with my current C5, I have had ZERO issues with the car - only maintenance requirements.

Perhaps some day I will make the leap to a newer generation Corvette, but for now the C5 still gets the adrenaline flowing.

Congrats on coming back to the C5 family and hope you get many years of driving pleasure from the car.

 

I also did not like the looks of the C 6 or 7 when I bought my 99, as many here also love my C 5 !!

 

Heck yeah you're crazy! Get into a qualified therapist soon (or better yet just get in that C5 and rip it for a few 100 miles)

Funny, I was just at a vette show yesterday and taking a serious look at the C7...your post is making me remember appreciate what I already have.

Its human nature to never be satisfied!

 

Welcome back to the C5 wing of the asylum...we've been saving your spot for you...

 

I've never driven a C7 but expect to own one -- several years from now. Meanwhile the C5 is a great car and, in my eye, more beautiful than anything that followed. The C6 - hate the headlights. C7 - hate the rear (but LOVE the rest of the car).

I did upgrade the electronics this year to add a backup camera and Android Auto. Having voice recognition and Google maps at my disposal - and podcasts and the other goodies that are available -- is a plus. The minus, going to your love of the original, is the loss of push buttons to select radio stations. Its the simple, tactile mechanical buttons that I miss. Not enough to regret the change, but something is lost in the modernization.

 

Just my own observation.
I think the C7 is one of the ugliest vehicles ever produced.

I wouldn't have one if it were given to me.
Oh wait, I would take one as a gift, and sell it immediately.
My 04 convertible is all the corvette I will ever need.
The design makes it (in my opinion) the best looking Corvette, of all the generations of Corvettes.

Bob.

 

Would be nice to see some pics of your 04' C5.

 

I'd love to see a C7 with pop-up headlights and C6 tail-lights