I'm just making up numbers here, but I'll guess that for 90% of the drivers 95% of the time the C6 or C5 will suit the intended driving need and purpose just fine. If the need is to have the latest technology whether it is really used or not and/or the newest car, then, yes, the C7 does "obsolete" all previous generations. The question is how much of that need is perceived vs real, and how much folks are willing to pay for that perception.

Hell, my C2 fills my needs probably 90% of the time, and my C6 probably 99.9% of the time performance wise. The technology upgrades will be an improvement, but I'm not sure where and when I will use the performance upgrades most of the time. I suspect the majority of Corvette owners (not all; there are those who track/race, I only Xcross) are in the same situation as I am.

So, how much is potential worth if you don't really use it? I've got more performance than I use most of the time, so styling becomes a priority on my list.

 

You must be suffering from lack of reading comprehension, not ragging on the cars but their aspirations to pretend there is a european flavor to either vette or viper Now, get a grip on yourself, not like either one of them spend their time on assembly line or on CAD terminal. If I felt either Viper or Corvette were becoming european, I would not be buying them. I guess I'be working on my credentials to earn the right to state my opinion in the meantime. Should I stop buying cars to make you happy?

 

It is quite obvious that some of us have made up our minds that we believe Tadge and Co. and their outright enthusiasm for what they have accomplished, while some others simply will not believe any statement until actual road tests and dynos are performed by neutral parties. Fair enough.

By Christmas we will have all that neutral data and driver impressions.

After listening to the outright excitement of both the head engineer of C7 exterior design and the head of the Corvette Racing Team while they spoke for over an hour and showed previously unseen videos of wind tunnel tests and computer generated flow simulations and actual track footage of the C7, I just don't have many reservations. Their uninhibited excitement was obviously completely genuine and justified in their minds and these are guys that have done it all and not just been "salesmen" or website battlers.

I don't trust easily or blindly and I will speak loudly if it turns out that there has been any deception. Since I am not paying unrefundable cash up front for a new C7, I have no reservations in saying that I will trust until circumstances dictate that such trust is unjustified.

It isn't like these GM guys say the C7 is A+ and the reviewers will later say they lied through their teeth and the car is a B- or simply unworthy. which many are trying to imply in their posts. If these guys are so blatantly telling lies of that magnitude, the C7 will fail and their careers and reputations are toast. And, we will all have orphan cars for which support will rapidly disappear.

As a non-Corvette GM engineer and long time Vette owner acquaintance told me at a dinner a month before the C7 unveiling, he has spoken with Tadge on a number of occasions and has zero doubt that Tadge has one overriding objective. That objective is to be written about by neutrals as the guy who saw to it that the C7 perpetuated the heritage built by all the previous Corvette heads. He full knows that Corvette history will be unmerciful if he failed to deliver on the C7 or lied about his C7 accomplishments.

But, maybe Tadge and his entire team are just a bunch of shucking and jiving carny folks as some on here allude. Don't understand that mentality but, again, by Christmas we will know.

In real life, if we call a man a liar to his face, we either get punched or sued or ostracized for such ungentlemanly behavior. But on the Internet, folks can hide in anonymity and never feel the need to apologize for such behaviors even if ultimately proven wrong. That in of itself is kind of a sad commentary on the Internet based society that we are becoming.

 

details and logic, just what we need in this place

 

I probably wouldn't buy one if it wasn't at least a base Z51. I still haven't decided on a coupe or convertible. Beyond that I have plenty of time so I will have to wait to know the options I really want.

 

For my part, I do not want to call Tadge a liar but due to the series of unfortunate events, he comes across a lot like



Not disclosing details about upcoming car is understandable, however, my patience wears very thin seeing him and others making a series of blanket statements, with absolutely nothing to back them up. Either GM should cool it for now or put the money where the mouth is.

 

Well said. In the video I just saw from Sebring, Tadge also said that the SAE testing is starting and should be done by the end of April.

 

Great post.

 

Wow, I am pretty surprised in the reactions/posts of what Tadge said about "being obsolete". Perhaps it felt more personal to some because he was directing his comments towards the current C6 and comparing it to the NEW C7. Iam guessing that 90% or more of the complaints are from C6 owners. Since I owned my C4 and then upgraded to my C5 I never understood why so many Corvette owners look down upon previous models of Corvettes and disrespect their owners. Same holds true with current model owners having attitude when a newer generation replaces theirs. I dunno...never got it. When it comes to the C6 being called obsolete and so many people saying "no way", "mine is not obsolete" etc, I think it really comes down to how one interprets "obsolete". For me...it means when a product has ended its life-cycle. Plain and simple.

I personally don't think Tadge was off at all to say what he did. Computers are obsolete in 6 months. Your cell phone is usually obsolete in 12 months or less. The C6 that has been around for 9 years (even with improvements over the years)...yes absolutely OBSOLETE. It's life-cycle is over. Sorry...it's the world we live in. Car's will become obsolete even sooner as technology advances at a very fast rate. Now does it make that car bad or a piece of junk? NO! Not at all. Different YES, just like any other model of Corvette. Any car not in the same generation more then likely will be obsolete, but who gives a crap! There are plenty of us using obsolete computers, electronics, or even furniture. Most of the time it's not worth it to upgrade/update. It's part of life folks. Each model Corvette is awesome in it's own way. I loved the way my C4's seats felt and how the controls were on the center console allowing me to control both seats from the driver seat position. My C5 has all the features in it that I want whether they are obsolete or not. There are many things in my C5 that I tried to find in a C6 and just couldn't so I didn't buy one. That was my choice but I didn't show any disrespect to owners of that model year just because I may not like this or that.

The C7 is just another evolution in the line. Of course Tadge is going to push it and promote it over the current model. That's what he is suppose to do. So bottom line...Iam sure Tadge and the whole Corvette Team enjoys every model of Corvette. The people complaining saying how Tadge has disrespected them and has come off rude need to not wear their hearts so gingerly on their sleeves. It's ok, the previous generation owners have always felt a bit of initial pain when the next generation of Corvette has arrived. It's natural and normal. In the end just remember...We are all Corvette Friends here!

On a side note....why in the world do they decide to hold these press conferences at the track with the cars screaming behind them. I have seen 2 of these conferences held this way. Makes no sense to me at all. They waste a good 10 mins just shaking their heads waiting for the cars to go by.

 

Slow day on the forum. 16 pages of pissed off c6 owners, which should come as no surprise. the new vette is better.

 

Not "no way" but instead, WHY and BASED ON WHAT?

 

lol read my post above...it's long but a good read.

 

Pretty much.

XtremeVette is right. The C6 is effectively obsolete. Out of production. Unable to conform to future standards.

Don't see why people think a 9 year old design on a 16 year old platform can't be improved on.

Just like the C4 to C5, the C6 to C7 will be a huge jump.

 

Read the whole post and you will see how it is based.

Why: simple....its life cycle has ended. Everything lives & dies and in between goes obsolete.

Based on What...the definition of obsolete and how you personally interpret it.

Something that has gone obsolete is not a bad thing...I don't know why people get so offended by it? It happens everyday, every minute. Something newer comes along to replace its predecessor.

 

Here is the thing though, only one way any corvette would become obsolete: if the new one could fly and roads were no more. I hope you understand the meaning of my statement.

 

Yep I do and that's perfectly fine. Everybody reads "obsolete" a little bit differently.

 

Well, as long as the next car uses roads, round wheels, rubber tires and internal combustion engine, the previous one will never become obsolete. Apparently Tadge is not familiar with the meaning of the word or otherwise he would be using OUTDATED instead. According to sci fi from the 70's, all cars should be obsolete and we should be flying by now.

 

I could care less about the technology in the car, I want performance!!!

 

 

Everyone seems to have a different understanding of the word "obsolete."

ob·so·lete [ob-suh-leet, ob-suh-leet] Show IPA adjective, verb, ob·so·let·ed, ob·so·let·ing.
adjective
1.
no longer in general use; fallen into disuse: an obsolete expression.
2.
of a discarded or outmoded type; out of date: an obsolete battleship.
3.
(of a linguistic form) no longer in use, especially, out of use for at least the past century. Compare archaic.
4.
effaced by wearing down or away.
5.
Biology . imperfectly developed or rudimentary in comparison with the corresponding character in other individuals, as of the opposite sex or of a related species.
verb (used with object)
6.
to make obsolete by replacing with something newer or better; antiquate: Automation has obsoleted many factory workers.

They should make a Tadge "C6 is Obsolete" T-shirt. Seems to be all the rage now.