This is being discussed in the C3 forum......C5 and C6 guys might want to jump in....I've had issues for about a year now with a smattering of folks who own newer vettes, when we wave to them, just turn their heads.This has happened so frequently now, that i make sure that they see me..hell, i even beep to them to get their attention..Some still don;t wave..(maybe they think I'm a NUT!!..LOL)

Whats up with that guys? Yeah, maybe I am opening up a can of worms, but stop on over the C3 forum..

Andy

 

I think that most new vette owners that know about "the wave" are happy to oblige. But don't forget, there are a lot of new owners out there that are not vette nuts like us and probably have never heard of "the wave." We just need to educate them.

 

I wave to all corvettes I see. Thus far I think I've seen about a 20% response rate no matter what the generation. Although I think the C4's have been the least responsive.

 

If I see a fellow corvette driver, I wave!

 

I wave to all Vettes -- always.

 

As a 4-time vette owner, I wave to all vettes, but I think we sometimes make too big a deal about those that don't wave back.

 

I think you hit the nail on the head. I get about 50% response to my "waves".

 

The creature comforts of the C5 and now the C6 have made for many first time Corvette owners. It has all the options some folks feel they need and is more user friendly. If the GF/BF or wife/husband find the car easy to get in and out off plus they can fill the hatch or truck with stuff easier makes many feel the car is more than a week end 2-seater. Easier to convince themselves we need one of those.

But I feel most of these first time Vette owners don't know anything about Corvette history and traditions nor do they care to.

At shows I'm shocked at how little some new Vette owners know about the car they drive. Know how to start it, take the hatch off or lower the top. Know how the Nav works and figure they are good to go.

The "wave" as we old timers know it is in trouble.

 

Okay...lets make it official:

WAVE = Corvette Enthusiast, has been, always will be.
NO WAVE = Mainstreamer, doesn't know an F55 from an F350!

 

This bugs me too! I wave at all corvettes even when I'm in my Saab. You should see some of the blank stares I get. I don't get a very good response rate even in the C6. I would say more like 40% wave. Oh well, I just keep waving and hope they'll catch on. It's true some of the new owners buy corvettes for status and look down on other corvettes......whatever, they're the ones missing the point and the fun.

 

.. I believe the first 3 or 4 generation of vettes the owners were mostly real sports car people. They appreciated the uniqueness of their cars and wanted to acknowledge other vette owners. You have very different set of demographics involved with buying a Corvette now. We just had someone post they ordered their “FIRST” vette with a MN6 and didn’t even know how to drive a standard. That simply would have NEVER happened 20 or more years ago. I’m not suggesting it’s wrong but the people buying them are very different from the hard core vette owners of yesteryear. How many of us had our vettes as our DD as opposed to now? When I had my 67, 68 and 69 most of the people that owned them were pretty young but all were sports car nuts. There was a special fraternity of people that drove them. We looked for other vette owners to talk with about our cars. Now it’s mostly the internet for information and not a lot of direct interaction. My wife had NO CLUE about waving at other vettes until I told her so it was my fault because I assumed she knew about the wave! We also live in a extremely self absorbed society that is all about.. ME.. ME and more ME! I honestly believe in some instances people are to self absorbed to wave at another vette owner. They don’t care about things unless it directly affects them. Lets face it… you really had to love the older vettes to drive them! They were a bear to handle for most people, required frequent repairs, expensive to insure and limited space! If it was your DD (like me) you had to really want to own and drive one. Now it’s simply a weekend play toy for many people. I believe the people on this forum are the exception as owners not the rule when it comes to these cars. For many of us our vettes are a passion and a hobby that encompasses every facet of ownership. I submit that for many vette owners it’s simply a nice car they drive but that’s it. For many forum members our vettes are a way of life including mods, trips etc. Part of the problem is that the vette has reached the upper limits of what working works can afford to pay for a new car. I was a state cop and could still afford to drive some of the older vettes. If I was still an active LEO today that wouldn’t be the case unless I wanted to make other sacrifices. I’ll continue to wave because it’s ingrained into me from so many years of driving one. All we can do is educate others and hope for the best. sadly my suspicion is that the WAVE will quietly slip into the pages of Corvette trivia as the years go bye.

 

I always wave.every Vette, no matter the Generation. I must say one out of every 10 waves back. most of them look at me like I have "I'm a Retard" written on my forehead.......others just look at me like...."do I know you?" I don't see a whole lot of Vettes in my town, or while I am out and about, but when I do cross paths, I wave. Now, having that said, on the other hand...I got stopped at a light one day last week, on my way home. Beside me was my cars twin only it had a transparent roof, and I have the colored roof. So, my window is down, and his is too....I wave, and smile and tell him...."Nice color"....he looks at me, says ..."yes, indeed it is........so wanna go for some coffee?". I guess this guy thought I was flirting with him, and took the compliment in a diferrent direction. Most people look at my car, then peek inside, to see who's driving it.....and I guess I disappointed a lot of women, and shocked a lot of men....but I NEVER stop the wave.

 

I'm a first time Vette owner and I don't know how to drive a manual but I reconize what a special car it is . When most people shovel out 50 or 60K for a car nine times out of ten its either a luxory sedan or a SUV because they want to fit more than two bodys for that price. A vette is an american legend and you can't help but wave to a fellow owner.

After I bought my C6 I was in a parking lot and a C5 owner started talking with me. We ended up talking for about 30 min or so and as we parted company a realized no other vehicle in the world would have had two total strangers talking in a parking lot about their rides for over 30min.. In fact , he is the same guy who told me about the forum.

 

When I spot another vette on the road, I flash my lights at them. Seldom do I get a response back.

 

I wave to all Vettes I see. Unfortunately, I hardly ever get a wave...and almost never from earlier generation cars. This is especially frustrating when I have the top down because I know I can be seen.

 

WOW..What a great response..Thanks Guys!!!! I guess the answer is in a few replies from different folks here on this thread.

Yup, I'll continue to wave.......

I've run into that as well..talking with an owner who has a NEW C6 or so..Some are very knowledgable..others not as much...But then again, we start somewhere......

Now, if only I had my avatar sitting next to me in a BLACK C6 Z06..think we would get a few waves!!!!

 

I've had the C6 for about 1 1/2 months now and have yet to receive a wave from a fellow C6. I've had one wave from a C5 and one from a C4 out of about a dozen encounters.

 

My first car was a 1960 Triumph TR3 and that was in 1964. We British sports car fans waved at any British sports car, not just our own marques. A lot of time has elapsed since then and I haven't owned or driven many cars since that merited a wave, but I'm glad to see that cameraderie still exists in the Corvette world. I've been flashing lights and waving since I got my car 6 weeks ago and will continue to do so.

 

 

i wave. and i concur that the C4s are the biggest offenders of not waving back.