He's 19. He's an adult. That means making his own decisions.

When I was in my teens and living at home, I had a succession of beaters of every type and my mother hated all of them. The OP's only issue is what is the downside to annoying his mother? Will she chuck him out or get used to the idea? Only he can decide.

 

Hello Tim and welcome to the forum. As I sat here reading through the responses to your thread, I tried to put myself in your shoes by remembering back when I was 19 (almost 40 years ago now).

I know your reading a lot of responses you probably didn’t want to get, but most of us are likely many years older than you and have many years and life experiences to draw upon. Please understand we are hard core Vette guys and love C5 Corvettes, but most of us realize at 19 we really were not in a position that owning a Vette made any sense for so many reasons. Your mom understands all of these things, trust me. She’s only wants what’s best for you and I understand her concerns about your safety. Be honest with yourself, why would she not want you to be happy? It’s not that, she just realizes it’s not a practical car, not as safe as many others, and regardless of how safe and conscientious you may be, it’s still a low riding plastic car with a lot of power and potential for trouble.

I was 50 when I bought my first and current Vette. I fell in love with Vettes as a child, but it just wasn’t a practical car for me earlier in life, for all of the reasons already listed, and more.

I’m not saying I would have liked hearing these things when I was 19, but understand, it’s advice being freely given here by folks that don’t have a dog in the hunt, and are looking at this from a lifetime of real world experience.

I love my C5Z, but if I could only afford to have one car for all of my transportation needs, it would not be a Vette.

 

Way too my much buzz-kill around here...
I bought my first Corvette when I was 18, and I
already had a '59 El Camino with a 396 sitting in the driveway. I would not change those decisions for the world!

Maybe this young man could attract more hot chicks with a Subaru Outback. I hear they are quite practical during your early portfolio building days. I don't think so...

I'm not suggesting throwing all responsibility to the wind, but certainly a proportional amount considering you're only 19 for a very brief time. If I could turn back the clock I would buy that vette in a heartbeat and enjoy the time. If money gets too tight or it doesn't work out for whatever reason, then sell it...its just a car after all.

 

Cars aren't dangerous. Bad drivers are.

 

Back in the day at 19 my wheels were a MG TD, yes it is hard to see sports cars in mirrors (black paint) but are maneuverable in Bay Area traffic at commute time... Yes a bit difficult for trucks to see ya!.. Be on guard young man! Drive with an alternative move in mind when around amateur or pro drivers... You can do it! and Yes... Moms are moms.

 

Thankfully this was said before I had to say it
Ok, as a young enthusiast like the OP I see where he's coming from. I actually had a revelation yesterday as I was driving and being driven in my brother in law's ATV side by side. I always criticized him for spending his money quickly but I understand why, it's more experiences and more ways to have fun while you're here on this planet. He's not bankrupt or poor, but he uses his money to buy his toys instead of investing or saving, and that just allows him to have so much fun during his life. Get the freaking car, if that's the car you want, if you can afford it, just get it. The most dangerous part of the car is the nut behind the wheel, so just dont do anything stupid and watch out for the other nuts on the road, cars are temporary, memories are not. Don't listen too all these people telling you that you need to get your priorities straight, they all wished they had the opportunity to have a corvette when they were younger, but we do have that opportunity. Have fun with your new car, in terms of safety info it's actually pretty safe in terms that it had advanced electronics for its time, it is still a high performance sports car, so just be careful.

 

First of all if you have minimal driving experience the car can kill you. You may be the problem if you get careless with it. After owning for 24 years, I have never felt unsafe in my car. In my opinion a corvette is noticed on the road. I have my car on the interstate just about every time I take it out. Never have been run of the road because I went unnoticed. There are a lot worse car on the road when it comes to safety. You should always listen to your mother.

 

Welcome to the Forum.

IMHO - Listen to ALL Opinions - including your mothers, (and if possible - get the rationale behind the opinions) but make the decision yourself. You are the one who will be buying the car, and driving it, and working on it

The C5 frame is strong - the car's chassis is designed to handle - and is far more rigid than most FWD econoboxes.

I would however recommend checking insurance pricing before you buy - irregardless of if YOU are a safe driver or a nut - there are a Lot of younger drivers that are not ready for the capabilities of a car like a Vette, and Insurance companies do rates based on averages...

And ... speaking as someone who lives in the Northeast - understand that even with traction control - a car like the Vette is NOT viable as basic transportation when there is snow on the road. (Remember traction control does NOTHING to improve the cars grip - all it does is reduce power / apply braking to try to stop wheelspin). Yes - the C4, C5, C6 and C7's are "better" in snow than C2's & C3's, but wide, low profile rubber and snow are NOT a good combination !!! Going up a mild hill with snow on the ground will be extremely difficult - if not impossible unless you run dedicated snow rated rubber. The car will effectively become a snow plow with about 3 1/2" - 4" of snow on the ground. Ever notice you don't really see Vettes (or other low ground clearance "sports cars") on the road in Dec / Jan / Feb in areas that get snow ????

 

Geez guys cut him some slack. He’s a grown man (over 18...) he knows what he wants and he will live with the consequences and/or enjoy what he’s accomplished. ***** it! If Mom is not going to boot you for the purchase of a ‘Vette than do it!!! Just an owner of a FRC myself hoping to see a younger generation taking the baton...

what if this was a Miata forum? What would you guys tell him?

 

Here's all these old farts who own Corvettes trying to talk someone else out of owning the very same car ...

Hope the OP can sift through this and find some info to help him get his car.

 

I grew up with Firebird Trans Ams and Camaro Z28s. The Gen 2 F body cars (Firebird/Camaro) were about 50.4 inches high. The C5 is 47.8 inches high. That's only about 2.5 inches difference. I don't recall anyone saying Camaros and Firebirds were too low to be safe. I've never felt unsafe in any of them. They are big cars for what they are. My C5 Corvette is only 4 inches shorter than my SUV. The C5 Corvette is only one inch narrower than my SUV. The C5 Corvette has a lot of crush space in an accident, and that a big determining factor for safety. For a 2 seater car, the Corvette is huge! If you told your mom you were getting a Miata, then I would side with her. I would not feel safe in a Miata, or any small car for that matter. If you want to be more visible, get one in red, orange or yellow.

Also don't drive in people's blind spots, or next to them, especially on their right side. You could also get a louder exhaust so they can hear you, although I have never found this necessary.

Do I feel safer in the SUV or Corvette? About the same. The SUV is more visible due to height, although that hasn't prevented people from running into me anyway. Also the SUV has more weight. The Corvette is a lot more maneuverable (braking, cornering, accelerating), and less prone to roll over. Rollovers can be deadly. That's an accident I would never want to get into. The C5 has better outward visibility to avoid an accident. You might not think acceleration can get you out of an accident, but I had a situation on the freeway, where it was raining, and someone to my left in the carpool lane starting skidding and hit the center divider. I was in the next lane over. He bounced off the divider, and was heading towards my car. I floored it (in a Cadillac ATS at the time), and he just missed the rear of my car and slid all the way across the freeway to the right shoulder.

Now if you are accident prone, reckless, or getting it to race people on the street, then don't get the Corvette. Things can turn deadly in a hurry in a Corvette in the wrong hands. Wait until you have matured.

 

Okay, so you've gotten a range of advice. I love my C5 and feel that its low center of gravity, handling, and braking help make it a safer car than many of the overweight, lumbering, behemoths on the road. However, it is a high performance car with 350 HP, rear-wheel drive and can get an inexperienced and/or impulsive driver into trouble really quickly. While I would have loved to have something like this when I was 19, the middle-aged adult/father in me realizes that would have been a bad idea - the time I took a wet curve too spiritedly in my '77 Dodge Aspen and slid it into the side of an earth-mover parked at a construction site is still fresh in my memory, 40+ years later.

Insurance costs, maintenance costs, Mother-related hostilities, and the challenges of having to rely on a two-seater as an only car are all points against. As a car guy and a father, I see that there are plenty of interesting, exciting, fun options for you - Subaru WRX and VW GTI are two that come immediately to mind. Maybe a Hyundai Veloster Turbo or a MazdaSpeed 3 or 6? My daily driver is a BMW E91 (the "Sport Wagon"), which, with the 330i intake manifold and tune, is a bit of a hot-rod station wagon and can haul the dogs to the park (a must have for me), so I think an E90 (sedan) or E92 (coupe) might be an option for you - the 328i is sporting but not really fast, put a 330i 3-stage intake manifold and tune (easily can be done under $1K) and it becomes a real sleeper. Or, go for the 335i - just make sure all the trouble points (turbos, waste gates, high pressure fuel pumps, water pump) have been addressed or be prepared to address them. With any of these cars, you will need to become a shade-tree mechanic, but then, that's part of the fun, right?

Mentioned in an earlier post, the Camaro is a possibility - although I've never cared for the styling of any Camaro except for the 1st and 2nd generations. I far prefer the Mustang. Yes, I just said that on a Chevrolet/GM forum. Those are two options with lots of availability and possibilities.

Good luck to you, whatever you decide. Keep us posted.

-K9Leader

 

A lot of good advice here. That said, I have been steadily driving Corvettes since 9 days before I turned 19 years old and I m 61 now. If you are a responsible person you will be fine. If you are reckless and undisciplined you will get bad into trouble. A C5 Corvette is a safe car for many reasons such as such as having a strong hydro-formed structure and being a great handling and performing sport car. However the great handling and performance characteristics can also get you into trouble. You must respect the car and drive defensively like you would when operating a motorcycle. If you live in an area that doesn't get a lot of snow then you will have safety concerns in heavy snow and icy conditions. There is no other car I would rather be driving than my Corvete.

 

There are a lot of dangerous cars out there, but with the Vette being fast, crashes don't go in it's favor. I remember a friend saying when he bought his 99, a few years old, that it was one of the safest cars out there at the time, but can't find anything out there now supporting that. My son is 25, bought his first car at 20, a 2010 Ford Tauras SHO. I tried talking him into a Corvette, but he wanted something more practical and not a WRX like all his friends. He learned to drive a manual trans in my Vette at 17 and we auto crossed together with it also. He probably didn't want to buy one since he could use mine, lol. Ford was mighty quick for a big car, he did come drag racing and auto crossing with it with all my Corvette friends. The SHO got totaled on his way to work, some person blew a red light, they met in the middle of an intersection. His dash cam, very highly recommended, told the truth. Person said my son blew the light and lawyered up, surprise, surprise. No one was injured which was good. If he had a Corvette, the Lexus SUV that him, might of went up on to it, who knows. He has an Acura ILX for a daily driver now and bought a S2000 for his fun car. Probably a good move since I think that car is appreciating, where a modern Corvette would do the opposite. What I'm getting at, is maybe get a decent fun daily driver for now, show Ma your responsible and get the Corvette as a second fun car. Good luck with your decision and your future. On a side note, a friend of mine still has his 72 Corvette that he bought right out of high school, 350,000 miles on it and it looks like the day he bought it, except for a whole lot more HP.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...94Y3NI-ols7Ko3

 

The C5 has gotten me out of at LEAST 2 potentially FATAL car wrecks because of the handling and acceleration. Without going into details, when you whip the steering wheel to avoid an object in the road, especially at highway speed, then your best chances at keeping control....is a car lower to the ground. Also, the sheer punch that these cars have, has gotten me out of situations that only quick acceleration would have saved the day.

 

If it's not your mom, it can be a girlfriend or wife.

I've been with my girlfriend a few years, and her mom's boyfriend passed away, old man was over 80, her mom said I could have Jay's motorcycle, and I had never seen it, figured it would be junk.

Buried in garage and pulled it out is a almost brand new looking blue cruiser type bike with chrome, covered in dust.

Got it started and it sounded great loud pipes that sound like a V8 muscle car when you rev it, it's not worth much (1992 Suzuki Intruder 800 but low miles and in excellent shape other than dust)but I got all excited and planned to take motorcycle riding class and get it on the road, get new tires and battery, other maintenance.

Girlfriend told me she doesn't want me to get killed so please don't start riding it, I was pretty bummed.

She said "you already have your Corvette and truck and I feel better with you driving them"

The truck is a 1965 Chevrolet C10 shortbed, bought it at 17, had it over 25 years, gas tank behind the seat, no ABS, no airbags, only a lap belt that may or may not be put in by factory.

The old truck should be much better in a crash than the motorcycle, and C5 Corvette even more so with better seat belts, air bags, anti lock brakes.

18 years ago when I got the C5 Corvette convertible I was living in California and called my mom in Texas to tell her, after she said congrats, she told me to be careful, there are people that will kill you to steal your car, told me a story she heard in Texas where someone killed a guy to steal his new Chevy pickup, I rolled my eyes and explained that if someone carjacks me with a gun or knife I'll hand them the car.

Moms always worry, even when you're older, it's just what they do.

In a bad wreck you can get killed or seriously hurt in any vehicle, even the safest rated brand new vehicle, which I don't even know what it is.

Maybe take a defense driving class to make her feel better.

If it snows where you live I agree you need another vehicle and keep Corvette parked in garage if possible.







​​

 

So much depends upon your driving habits and experience and skill level, the roads you travel, the weather and sadly, the increased distraction and inattention of other drivers. I grew up in the NYC area and drivers were (are) notoriously aggressive but not as reckless as what I experienced in Boston for four years and certainly not the level of reckless dimwits that drive in Florida. Add the preponderance / escalation of larger vehicles, SUVs, trucks and one truly needs to be vigilant. I almost envy you guys and gals that have winding backroads to escape on. I love driving my vette and know each time I go out, to pause at red lights and looks everywhere at all times.

 

Florida's problem is that we are a melting pot of bad drivers from every other state, and they're all a unique level of bad that doesn't mesh together. I hate traffic here. lol