Bill Dearborn

There are a fair number of old codgers that kill themselves off in their Vettes. Other than young people taking more risks than older people it doesn't really matter what the age is. Age doesn't make you a technically better driver. There were a fair number of drivers in their late 50s or early 60s who took their buddy out to show them what a great car their C6Z was and ended up killing both of them because they didn't know how to handle a car that responded that quickly.

Bill

AustinVettes

Young or old, it's nobody's business what someone else decides to give their child or buy for themselves. People should worry more about themselves and not what the other guy is doing.

Personally, I'm more afraid of seniors in Corvettes than young guys. I bought my first Corvette with my own money at 26, and already had three years of auto crossing and performance driving training under my belt. Thirteen years later, I have more track days under my belt than the vast majority of old people here. I also see more young people at events than I do old folks. So unless there are special and super popular AARP track driving days that I don't know about, I'm thinking that more young people are prepared to drive the cars than seniors.

VINDIC8R

jhninkin

I disagree! I'm 23 and have had my C7 since June, worse thing so far is a chip on the bumper after almost 8000 miles. As people have said its not the age of the driver its their maturity and level of stupidity.

Mfserge

For those of your using 'maturity' as your defense I sure hope the majority of corvette owners (old and young) are more mature than the small sample size found on this forum because this place is bereft of maturity.

LIStingray

It is all about the learning experience - most of today's youth don't get that because the cars of today are very high performance with all types of driver aids: as a result when it goes bad, it tends to go very bad.
I had the fortunate/unfortunate luck to come of driving age in 1981 - the apex of underpowered ill performing cars, and I got to learn on the family's 1979 80 hp Pontiac Sunbird (0-60 in 1/2 day), gradually working my way up to the first performance beast I ever owned (a car with more than 200 hp), a new 1988 Mustang GT; and while it seemed quick in its day, it really isn't compared to the Corvettes I have had since - but to give it its due, in any type of slick conditions, as light as the rear was, it constantly lost traction and drove like a drift car (especially in the snow).
The big thing I learned as I progressed through high performance vehicles was to master their handling and braking as the level of performance went up - and that has helped in the track driving I have done over the last 20 years as well; likewise track driving helps on the street because it teaches you to focus further ahead.

Motohead279

This is not specifically an "age" issue, but a maturity and experience issue. I was racing professionally by he time I was. 18.

Immaturity and recklessness can come with any age. Also, for older drivers the same can be said with vision/awareness/reflex issues.

pwj155

Absolutely a corvette is too much for most young drivers. that's why my father wisely made me buy a '63 tr4 when I was 17 instead of a '59 vette much to my disappointment. I still had a blast with the tr4.

Jay_Davis

I don't know, I did pretty well my first day out.

Of course, if you drive in the New York City area, driving on the street and the track is two different skill sets. On the track, its performance driving, on the street, its combat driving.

need4speedmotors

Depending on the age then yes !

I8URRICE

There is no age restriction on stupidity,i see young and old,male and female driving family sedans and minivans like complete idiots. If you are going to have a high performance car,at least have the common sense to invest in some proper driver training. Respect our roads and the innocent people around you.

stevebz06

I think the average person regards Corvette ownership alone as a sign of immaturity.

ColJack

Stop disrespecting me. I may be old but I, I, I uhhhhhh. crap, I forgot what I was going to say but you get it any way. If I could find my glasses and my hearing aid I would call you up and give you a piece of my mind, I have Alzheimer's and I can't remember what I was pissed about??

65 Hardnoks

Latter??
On a QWERTY keyboard the T is far from a D.
Please notify me when you are going to be driving.

65 Hardnoks

Take it to a deserted parking lot. Turn and break the tyres loose and then steer to correct the spin while letting OFF the petrol... See what happens.
You are in a large parking lot and your Vette won't roll but you will get the message.

Beachhz

I've driven my fair share of vette's and I'm still in my teens. It's not that the driver was too young, it's just they were most likely inexperienced and too immature to handle such a car.

Robert 2000

Got my C5 corvette in my senior year of high school at 18 years old. I have done just fine! I get mad when people generalize young and bad driver with Corvettes. My car has also been supercharged since I was 20 years old(now I am 24). If all goes well my Corvette will make 1k rwhp before I am out my twenties and I dont see where that should be an issue.

ShinodaVette

Love this response and completely agree! I've had fast cars since I was 16. Never had an accident until last year when I totaled my C6 at 39 years old. Freak accident while going the speed limit of 45 mph.

VetteGirlMA

My daughter is 21 and has driven both vettes, although she prefers driving the C7. This isn't the first performance car she has driven either and I doubt it will be the last. She drives responsibly, acts accordingly in public and wants to work in law enforcement. So she is someone I feel I can trust with the cars.

She was only ever involved in 2 car accidents both times she was hit by distracted drivers playing on their cell phones, her only crime being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She also wants to go to the corvette racing school with me. Like mother like daughter

rcooper

No poop here! Driving carefully and being mature are not the same. The older person who thinks that they are being safe with their driving can be overly cautious and create a hazard on the roadways, younger drivers with their better reflexes have a chance to recover from a minor error in judgement. And it seems as though the maturity level is only in the minds of those stating such. Same as posting here, older posters, for the most part, take their time to say what they want, younger posters many times are quick to flame. Now this is not always true as some of the younger members are quite good at posting and have a good knowledge of autos. I enjoy those posts, same for the old geezers ( like me ).