Coupe or Vert
Drifting
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,387
Likes: 30
I have a coupe but that's only because when I first got the car it was not garage kept and I had to park at the new Carrolton metro station every day to go to work. Its not exactly safe, break-ins happen daily. Now I moved to VA and the car is in the garage and I wish I had the convertible. The coupe does let you hold a TON of stuff though. I don't take my top off that much because it is kind of annoying. Convertible would be a lot more convenient. When I get a c8 in a few years it'll be a convertible. That open air feeling is just more appealing to me.
Safety Car
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 3,680
Likes: 1,040
Convertible? Temps and sunshine are gloriously high today... This is the kind of day in the Pacific northwest a C5 convertible is Top Down and Lookin Good!! Perfect for a drive in the glorious forest up here!..A desert rats dream.. Hay I'm outta here! See Ya Later By!
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 12,861
Likes: 4,664
I'll let the OP digest these last few comments I'll make on the subject. Do NOT judge the C5 convertible on comments from people that "used to have a convertible back in the 60s or 70s". The C5 convertible is NOT your grandfather's cold, leaky, noisy, opaque colored plastic rear windowed, convertible. Most comments on here are pretty accurate. I've been kicked off the dragstrip for not having a roll bar/cage. If ya wanna drag, get a FRC/Z06/Coupe, NOT a vert. If you're looking for a really fast top end C5, for 1/2 mile, or 1 mile racing, get the standard coupe......
Safety Car
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 3,680
Likes: 1,040
Well... One's decision sometimes needs inquiry.... BC, Before Corvette I had no clue about anything C5.... So I Understand why someone's preference would be pertinent to one's discernment of ownership.... MY take, of your inquirie is less road racket driving the convertible... racket is a drag on long trips...
Safety Car
Joined: May 2015
Posts: 3,680
Likes: 1,040
@Wild Blue I live in Sweden, I wanted a vert. I am 6.3 and my head is close to the roof, without the roof, it is much better, I am claustrophobic in any normal car. I drive the corvette all year long, which means more often with the roof than without 
I put the roof down as much as I can. It is better if you have a garage for the soft top...when all weather strips are 20years old.
be aware, the "water fall"of the vert is a "air fall", if the air is chilled, your right arm and passenger left side will be chilled. 3 airplane cabin size luggages in the trunk is what you can get. Prefer soft than hard, you can then squeeze them a bit. If it is too sunny, as said earlier, the cab will be covered, and you will probably uncover during the night, which is an interesting experience also.
smelling what there is to smell is part of the experience, forget about the radio, focus on your engine and/or the birds, all depends on your speed...and rev.
the vert is a specific experience, as mentioned by others.... any Corvette is a great experience.
TCFS
I put the roof down as much as I can. It is better if you have a garage for the soft top...when all weather strips are 20years old.be aware, the "water fall"of the vert is a "air fall", if the air is chilled, your right arm and passenger left side will be chilled. 3 airplane cabin size luggages in the trunk is what you can get. Prefer soft than hard, you can then squeeze them a bit. If it is too sunny, as said earlier, the cab will be covered, and you will probably uncover during the night, which is an interesting experience also.
smelling what there is to smell is part of the experience, forget about the radio, focus on your engine and/or the birds, all depends on your speed...and rev.
the vert is a specific experience, as mentioned by others.... any Corvette is a great experience.
TCFS
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2015
Posts: 3,830
Likes: 394
From: Rocky Mountains
Please post it.....Also, being on the forum a long time or joining two weeks ago has little to do with knowledge. I have NEVER seen 12% difference, which is considerable, posted ANYWHERE. To say the Z06 is nearly 25% stiffer, I wouldn't buy that high of a figure if I was drunk......
The 12% number originally came from GM's press release on the C5 Z05. I remember seeing it a few years ago.
But there are numerous contemporary second hand sources still available. Just search this forum for torsion rigidity specs, and you will find numerous references to the 12% figure.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1551996512
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ml#post3138956
Here's a review of the 98 vert commenting on the chassis between a coupe and vert:
Chevrolet's engineering measurements support these perceptions. The torsional rigidity of the new convertible, with the top down, measures 21.3 hertz. (The measurement of a vehicle's natural frequency relates its structural stiffness to its weight. Higher numbers are better.) That's only two hertz down from the C5 coupes with the targa top in place and well above the 17.0-hertz rating of the admirably solid Mercedes 500SL
.
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...ble-road-test/
If you think a 25% improvement from the vert to the z06 is unbelievable, did you know the FRC/Z06 has a unique frame with elements from both the coupe and vert ?
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
Instructor
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 174
Likes: 51
I passed on my son's 04 targa which had a lot of engine work done to it because it wasn't a vert. The car sounded like a beast and had less miles then the one l bought. I should have swapped motors before he sold her. I can't help it but l think nothing looks nicer when a c5 has it's top down. That's just me.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 12,861
Likes: 4,664
I passed on my son's 04 targa which had a lot of engine work done to it because it wasn't a vert. The car sounded like a beast and had less miles then the one l bought. I should have swapped motors before he sold her. I can't help it but l think nothing looks nicer when a c5 has it's top down. That's just me.
!!
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 12,861
Likes: 4,664
You're not a mechanical angineer I take it ?
The 12% number originally came from GM's press release on the C5 Z05. I remember seeing it a few years ago.
But there are numerous contemporary second hand sources still available. Just search this forum for torsion rigidity specs, and you will find numerous references to the 12% figure.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1551996512
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ml#post3138956
Here's a review of the 98 vert commenting on the chassis between a coupe and vert:
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...ble-road-test/
If you think a 25% improvement from the vert to the z06 is unbelievable, did you know the FRC/Z06 has a unique frame with elements from both the coupe and vert ?
The 12% number originally came from GM's press release on the C5 Z05. I remember seeing it a few years ago.
But there are numerous contemporary second hand sources still available. Just search this forum for torsion rigidity specs, and you will find numerous references to the 12% figure.
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1551996512
https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ml#post3138956
Here's a review of the 98 vert commenting on the chassis between a coupe and vert:
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...ble-road-test/
If you think a 25% improvement from the vert to the z06 is unbelievable, did you know the FRC/Z06 has a unique frame with elements from both the coupe and vert ?
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 3,663
Likes: 361
From: Smyrna/Vinings, Georgia
This was not a Corvette choice until 1963 when they had to complicate it with that darn split window coupe. Only convertible for me. Love the look, top up or down, and love the open air especially ocean roads.
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 12,861
Likes: 4,664
Melting Slicks
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,375
Likes: 426
When I was working and had a 120 to 150 mile a day commute I liked the coupe.
When it was my only car I liked the coupe.
When I shovel snow off of it I liked the coupe.
Now that I'm retired and have another daily car I wish it was a convertible.
Next one will be.
When it was my only car I liked the coupe.
When I shovel snow off of it I liked the coupe.
Now that I'm retired and have another daily car I wish it was a convertible.
Next one will be.
Drifting
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 1,511
Likes: 385
From: Punta gorda Florida
Race Director
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 12,861
Likes: 4,664
Racer
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 257
Likes: 75
For me it was the C5 vert with a 6 speed the perfect Corvette for me.The vert takes a little extra care for the top and should be in a garage when not driven if possible. I live at the Jersey shore all summer so my garage is filled with beach stuff so I usually use a car cover at night to help protect the top.
