I dunno how to say this - I love the vette - but after owning a Lexus - I feel let down by GM - My car is in the shop much more ofter - I do not get the same attention from the dealer and interior is on par with my Maid's Chevette (hmmm)

I mean really - the stock radio is the same one in many GM cars and trucks and the rest of the interior plastics are blah... A Nissan Sentra has a nicer interior - I only wish GM would stop worrying about the bottom line and put some pride in the vette - otherwise I really like the car..

Ps: One last gripe - 1997-2004: 8 years and they all look EXACTLY the same (save for the wheels)!! What happened to product development?

 

I think most here would agree with the quality issues but I don't know that you'll find alot of support for the product development comment. Most of us love the C5 lines. With the C6 coming out I for one am not overly impressed. I'm sure some day I'll end up with one but I'm not like alot of guys that go over it. Check back with me in 3-4 years and you'll probably find a C6 in my garage but for now I'm very happy with the C5 styling.

 

For the price of a C5 Vette you get PERFORMANCE....yup, you give up some finish quality, yup they draw from a generic parts bin but look at it this way; find a Chevette that runs sub 5 sec 0 - 60's.....find a Lexus that goes and stops in even remotely the same class for that price.

There's only so many ways to stretch a car dollar.....any other car which can do (stock) what a Vette can do will be in a whole 'nother price range

 

I agree with the styling department - they got the lines right on the C5 - Its the interior that should have seen some mods - I mean come-on what happened to adding side Airbags - The vette is so low that getting T-boned by anyhting other than a Miata can cause serious injury - It would be nice if they installed side-airbags a few years ago (1998 - like the rest of the Germans and the Japanese) - The new model has them as optional?! and what happened to adding Side curtains? I also would really like to see some sort of height control (you know +/- 3 inches would be nice)..

Also, the new model looks like mix and match between a C4 (rear panel) and a C5 (Midsection front) with a Viper front end - C'mon Chevy, you can do better than that

Ps: I feell in love with the vette at the age of 12 - and through the eyes of a lusty 16 yo it was a dream..

Sadly, as an adult (and an Engineer) I can see that someone cut a few corners here and there - a few too Many - I think Zorba will be rolling in his grave if he ever saw the C6.

Mechanically - I feel that the C6 is the best ever - and yes finally they have some decent options - but where are the stereo controls on the wheel ? How come cheaper chevy tin-cans have em? The vette should not be an economic venter for GM (that should be secondary) This is an American Legend (granted the guy was Russian) but still - this is a piece of history - its a chevy flag ship - C'ommon, lets get some decent stylests behind this car - I feel it can be so much more! Why are we always a generation or two behind the Japanese?

 

Last I heard some Ferarri's don't even come with carpet, CD's or AC..
How much are they?
How often are they in the shop?
Can you go down to the local discount autoparts and pick up a new MAF for one?

The Corvette is a two seat dream sports car that you can work on yourself.. Learn and buy the tools to computer tune it (and have options on that.) It isn't a Lexus, or BMW, or Benz.. Those are for people who want a car that says, "I had some extra money.. might as well... ehh.. blue shirt/ red shirt... ehh.."

The Corvette is for people who don't say anything.. they don't need to.. they just get the attention from the people driving those Lexus' or the BMWs because the cute girl is in the Vette.


You ever see a guy in a Lexus while fueling up have some young girls come up to him and chat or ask for a ride?

I park my Vette in front of a club and they like it there while a Lexus would be asked to move.

It's the dream of the youth of America for 50 years and when you get one you have got the REAL American dream.

 

ps: sorry for the spelling mistakes - I get passionate when I am writing

 

Because.. they are on the stereo?

 

Raedon,

With all due respect - I bought the car for the looks and the engine - The gals I know dont care what care I drive

Still, I respect you view - and that's what this is all about - sharing thoughts - Btw - at $54,000 (The price I paid for the convertible) - it isn’t cheap - Dare I say that it was more $$$ than the LS400 I had b4 it?! All I am saying is that we have the talent and the creativity to make this beast world class - but when accountants (I assume) drive car development then the bottom line is something that is not the best it can be - Lexus does not have the best styling in the world - but drive a GS430 and you will see that it is light years ahead in some areas and for the same price - why? I don’t know..

Ps: I very much a vette fan and very mechanically inclined, and that is why I know this car can be so much more..

Cheers!

 

You know what I am talking about - the sterio controls (volume, channel on the steering wheel) a nice to have! Its in many GM cars and trucks - Ps: These were out in the 80's - I had an 88 GTA with steering wheel controls for the sterio and the climate *****

 

First off it is a sports car not a luxury car. Second, it is a Chevy not a Cadillac. If you want all that luxury, attention from dealer, etc, then go and pay a lot more for that type of car, and it will be one with no soul.

 

There is no doubt that the 'vette is built down to a price. And I am very grateful for that - if it was on a par with foreign exotics I would not be able to afford one.

It has ****les, but for a hands on owner that is part of the fun of ownership. If anything I would say it is too sophisticated in places . .

A friend of mine owned a Ferrari, I forget the number. He belonged to club who took their cars from London (I'm based in Europe) to Nice (South of France, about 2000 mile round trip). There were 12 of them; 7 cars came back on trailers because of mechanical breakdowns.

Now that is rubbish quality. At least with the 'vette I can be reasonably confident that when I turn the key the engine will start.


I love my c5

 

Vozin, What's the point. Corvette is the number 1 true American Sports Car. Period. I would not drive anything else. Never have since 73. Every year they just keep getting better. With all your complaints you are not a true Corvette owner or Lover. Period. You are in the wrong place to knock Corvettes, especially C5's.

 

Yep, looks great, drives amazing!

You sure? I mean, did you meet them while driving a 1993 Taurus?

A FOAF in Dallas has this new Benz with all these bells and whistles.. never seen so many.
He showed up for a party and all he did was invite people out to show them all these gizmos and noise-makers.. hit a button, and a motorized screen pops up in the back to keep the sun out while you shop. Hit a button and air shoots threw the seat cooling your back.

I sat in it played with some features, he drove me around the block talking about this and that on the car..

All I remember thinking was here is $90,000 of stuff that only adds the illusion of amazingly decadent comfort. My mom's old lady american car has leather seats more comfortable and the ride is the same but she could have got it and a vette for that price.

You are correct though. Got to respect because he thought it was the greatest thing ever.

Worst thing about a Vette is the no backup dirty LAN system imho.

I have two ways of thinking about "features"

One is that some are cool. Like GPS and moon roofs.

but on GM cars in general, features = stuck on the road. Fill a Vette full of standard GM created electronic gizmo's and people will REALLY hate the Vette.


If it has a code, it will throw it.

 

you claim to love your c5, yet keep coming up with things that suggest contrary.

I agree it's got a pretty high price tag, but how can you babble about money when you're driving a corvette.

So the interior is made with plastics, when you put armorall or whatever chemical you use, it shines. And so what if you dont have stereo controls on the steering wheel, turn down the tunes and realize your car is singing much better than any song ever can.

Overall, my C5 kicks the living sh*t outta the C6 .. hands down. Because the C6, came from my C5s loins.

 

Vozin, I agree with you--the Vette could be nicer on the inside and it's great under the hood and on the outside. I have a 1998 Monte Carlo for a work car, and it's the low end model, no options at all. The stereo looks the same as the one on the Vette and sounds better!
But, when you step on the gas in your Vette, you better be looking out the window instead of the interior.
Maybe the C6 has a nicer interior?

 

Well put!

 

Get over yourself! :mad

 

I've never seen any manufacturer produce a 100% perfect car and we could find something to gripe about on all of them. I'm sure they could all stand improvement in one area or another.

Cars used to significantly change with each model year. Re-tooling and manufacturing costs simply went through the roof. And you had a much more difficult time finding parts for a one-year vehicle than a multi-year car because suppliers would have to keep so much in inventory.

For me, it seems all my "I wish they had done this" or "Why didn't they change that" thoughts simply dissappear as the throttle is depressed.

Bottom line - like everything else - if your complaints exceed your enjoyment then why did you buy the car? I wouldn't take all the Lexus vehicles produced for my Vette.

 

It's a sports car not a luxury sedan. Sports cars were always sparse, just the bare necessities. I have an Acura TL and when I first drove the C5 I was amazed by the luxury appointments, (dual temp, memory, HUD) and how well the car rode, bumps, pavement cracks, all handled without transmitting themselves to my spine. My first impression was that the C5 Vette was indeed a luxory sports car that had legs and could run with the big dogs. So what we have here in the final analogy is a high performance luxury sports car that kept it's weight off, (remember the 240Z vs 300Z) provides an excellent ride, doesn't rattle and shake, and handles, brakes, and accelerates along with cars costing twice as much. Hmmm, I guess I can live with the Playschool interrior. Do I like it? It's adequate and I forget all about it once I depress the clutch and start the engine.
Hey, if you really have a maid, I imagine your pretty pampered, and these cars are probably not for you. They evolved on the race track with lots of grit, grease, and fire in their belly. Lexus has an excellent overweight, hard top convertible, two seater with an interrior to die for at a commensurate price $$$. Of course their drivers can't compete with Vettes, Porches, and a slew of others, but they are secure in their knowledge that only the finest leather touches them. It's all about priorities, costs, and compromise. The Vette does a great job of finding balance.