chillin014

Yeah same boat. I'm almost 30 and I feel like I would have been much more engrossed about 10 years ago. But now, like you, I'm less enthused to do the 3-car/1-garage shuffle among other things. It's not that I don't think the car is an awesome performance machine, I just don't know that it's worth all the trouble otherwise.

You are likely correct. I wasn't even considering Corvettes when this one became for sale through a family friend. I thought I might grow to love the car, and I did, but it wasn't unconditional. As others have said, if it turns out I want another later, that'll be an option too. And part of me hopes for that.

For the record, I purchased the car with all of the modifications, knowing full well that it had a lot of power. I loved getting such a great deal on what was the prior owner's extensive investment (simply because the transmission was broken). The kid in me thought the awesome performance would compensate for the impracticality, but it just never did.

I sure hope I can find a good compromise. There just aren't many manual trans, performance/daily driver friendly cars that fit my criteria.

You know it's weird because I was about as heavy a gear-head as anyone until my post-college years when my only vehicle ended up a little beater Infiniti. For about 4 years I literally disconnected from the car world. Since I've owned the C5 I have watched myself return to almost an obsessive level of concern and interest with all performance related aspects of my car, other car specs, horsepower to weight ratios, etc. I am amazed at how the gap has closed between some of the entry-level performance offerings and the big dogs. But still I have an appreciation for the C5 and later generation vettes that makes it really hard to let go.

I was expecting some push back as well! Lmao. But to your point, I don't race the car ...we have quite a few drag strips in the Houston area and I haven't even attempted to take the car out in all 3 years. When I was younger I would even take my Maxima to the tracks so I feel like that is kind of a telling sign that things have changed for me.

My C5 has almost 500 whp and if anything it just gets me into trouble. 90% of my driving is literally city/ traffic driving and there is simply nothing more power could do to make that a better experience (unfortunately). I know the Golf R is a far cry from the Corvette but the reviews I've seen regard it as one of the best all-around daily driver performance-oriented cars. When you're looking for a manual transmission, newer car with a backseat, the options are extremely limited. I'm not quite sold on European vehicles for reliability just yet however.

calguy

The simple answer to this is, if you don't love the car for what it is, then you obviously should not own it.

Bob.

mark4cam

I know drag is big around here, but if that's all you do then you've experienced maybe 20% of what the car is capable of. These are sports cars, with tremendous braking, cornering, balance, oversteering fun. Give autocross a shot sometime, and then you might thing about doing an HPDE event. So much fun.

chillin014

I completely agree with you. But the problem is I don't really have the time to partake in those kinds of events. And if I did, it might be once a year, not frequently enough to justify owning and driving the car every day. That is the realization I have come to. Back when I drove my Camry I used to laugh at the guys sitting in traffic alongside me with their expensive top performance trim Porsches, BMW, etc. Now I'm basically one of them. I'm totally a car guy and I appreciate great driving dynamics, connecting with the car, etc....but when your commute is like mine, the only benefit you can really reap is the "cool guy factor". And it kind of gets old.

As a side note. More often than not when I find the opportunity to do a spirited drive, instead of the car putting a smile on my face for being blistering fast, I actually come out of the experience frustrated. Either I miss a shift because the clutch and shifter give me some issue resulting in an embarrassingly rev to redline in neutral. Or traction control kicks in and holds me back, or if it's turned off and the car gets too out of control.

fake

Buy one of each of your choice and pick one to drive each day, thats what i do! But i would not sell my vettes to hard to replace unless the price was right. Every car i sold in the past i regret except the Pinto.

Tsumi

How about giving the Chevy SS a look? LS3 powerplant, available with a manual, and decently priced sports sedan. It just lacks the level of luxury and prestige a Cadillac, Mercedes, or BMW has.

I thought the C5 Corvette was a great practical daily driver, the trunk has so much room, especially the coupe. I have hauled things in it that people wouldn't be able to put into a sedan, the only thing it lacked was the rear seats. Being single, that doesn't bother me. The only reason I am not driving it is because I received a company car and don't have the option of driving my own car.

chillin014

I check in on the Chevy SS's about once a month but they are holding onto their value! I just can't afford a ~$30k+ vehicle right now unfortunately. But this kind of vehicle would fit my needs perfectly.

I actually haven't experienced any cargo-related issues. I agree the coupe has a surprising amount of room and I've done my fair share of home depot runs for long pieces of wood and trim that had no issue fitting in the vette. Most of my issues come from a lot of less obvious inconveniences. Any time we are running errands, we are doing it in my wifes car. Any time we are visiting family, it's in my wifes car. We have a dog and all dog-related activities require a backseat and a comfortable ride. I have enough of these situations that it's like I am struggling to find the perfect scenario that allows for a drive in the Corvette. It starts to become a bit ridiculous and makes me feel silly to hold onto something when the scales are tipping towards inconvenience. None of this is necessarily a surprise to me, it is what it is. I have come to know "Corvette life" as one where priorities are a bit out of order.

dbgoodwin

chillin014

dbgoodwin

Tsumi

How about a first gen CTS-V then? I know they have their fair share of issues, and don't really live up to the Cadillac luxury brand, but they did get the engine and driving dynamics right. The only problematic thing is that weak rear differential. Look hard enough and you can find a fair number of them at/below current C5 prices.

I find my F45 equipped C5 to be fairly comfortable. It's as comfortable, if not more comfortable, than the Toyota Camry I got as the company car.

jpm995

In a way i'm lucky. I only rarely drive mine so it's always special. I bought it as a weekend fun drive because i always wanted a vette and i reached a stage where i could afford it. It's automotive art as well as a great road car. Hopefully i won't lose the feeling as the op did, but agree with others at some point another car may appeal to me more. Change can be positive at times. My grandson just bought a '05 tricked out Audi a4 and it's a blast to drive.

chillin014

chillin014

mark4cam

I used to commute from the Atlanta northern burbs to downtown every day, 30 miles in the worst traffic in the country (yeah and I know NY and LA, and Atlanta is worse). And I did it with multiple sports cars, all manual transmissions. The last couple years in a 1990 ZR-1. And while the clutch sometimes got heavy, I always loved it because after a soul-sucking day in the office I could get in the Corvette and feel good again. Even in stop and go traffic, I loved it because I was in a Corvette and the poor sap next to me in the Camry was still getting his soul sucked out.

Ok kidding...mostly. It's up to you, but to me any trip in a fun car is better. I did commute in a vanilla lemming-mobile for a little while, and I was miserable. I let it run off a cliff as soon as I could and got back into something interesting.

chillin014

wdcraig

"Granted these cars are worth twice what I'd expect to sell my C5 for, but I have kept meticulous track of all my upgrades, repairs and modifications + purchase price and my total "investment" is creeping uncomfortably close to those newer car prices anyway."

"For the record, I purchased the car with all of the modifications, knowing full well that it had a lot of power. I loved getting such a great deal on what was the prior owner's extensive investment (simply because the transmission was broken). The kid in me thought the awesome performance would compensate for the impracticality, but it just never did."

dbgoodwin

chillin014

chillin014