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For the most part, I'm a Porsche guy. I'm on my 5th Porsche, a 911 Turbo (991), having a couple of 911's and Cayman's before that. I also have a special needs son, my kid was born 2.5 months early and suffers from Cerebral Palsy really bad. Kids like him need a lot of motion, and we don't have a lot of amusement parks or traditional "rides" around were i live, so i used to take him Go Karting at a local place. Unfortunately, he has outgrown the tandem seats in Go Karts so he no longer can ride in them. So car rides are the next best thing, and even though he can't speak, he uses his speaking device to ask to "Go for a ride" many times a day. So at least once a day we go for a nice drive around town, and he fits amazingly well in the small cramped rear seats of the Porsche 911. He can't hold himself up, so he needs a tight fit to feel comfortable. Its sort of a match made in heaven for him.
Here he is with my Turbo:
I love the Turbo, excellent car, great quality. I only have two issues with it. 1) its so rare around where i live that I've actually had people follow me home when i was out driving it, and 2) I cannot fit my son's foldable wheelchair in it very well (wont fit in the frunk), so i can't use it to take my son on a weekend road trip, where we might stop and stay overnight in a hotel somewhere.
So i started looking for other options for an additional sports car that hopefully could accommodate my needs without attracting the level of attention the Turbo does. This car would then take the place as my year round daily driver. The Turbo is actually AWESOME in the winter and i had been driving it in snow just fine, it's all wheel drive, but I know that the right tires make most of the difference. So on i went looking for an older model Porsche, probably a 911 Cabriolet (997), as i could load the wheelchair parts in the back seat of that thing if the top was down pretty easy, and then put the top back up, assuming i could find a way for my son to be comfortable in the front seat, and i was looking for a manual transmission to just make it more different from the Turbo.
Then I started thinking I needed to focus more on the utility of what i needed and perhaps should look at alternatives to Porsche. I remembered that Vetts were hatchbacks of some sort. So i looked and found that one was actually on sale nearby, so i went to check it out. Took my son, and his foldable wheelchair with me, and WOW, this thing was a perfect fit for us. The hatchback storage is HUGE, and very easy to access, and the bolsters on the front seat were good enough to hold my son in place. Here are a couple of more pics.
And so i bought it on the spot. Got a great deal on a very pretty, well cared for Racing Blue C7 (2014) with just over 10,000 miles on it. I've driven it enough these past two days to be really impressed with how comfortable this thing is, and while i have always considered the Porsche 911 the most "useful" sports car, I have to admit, the C7 Vette is more useful for me and my son. I'm keeping the Turbo, can't pry that away from me, but this is the car we will be making father/son memories in, and it will get the vast majority of my time. What a car! So here i am, hoping to learn from all of you. First thing will be getting the previous owner's little named plaque off the inside and replaced with whatever should be there, and second will be cleaning up the front as i have removed the front license plate holder and the nose of the car is scruffed up quite a bit from it.
Here she is, cool pic at an abandoned weigh station and some other parking lot.
Great story! My Dad had cerebral palsy, though it was mild enough (a relative term) and primarily on one side, so he was able to walk and talk and drive.
I think it's important for people to understand that Cerebral Palsy is a MOTOR problem with movement. It does not affect cognitive ability (of course some people have other issues at the same time, even stemming from the same injury, but not from the CP).
So when you've got Cerebral Palsy, most of the time, you're "stuck" in a body that has a mind of its own almost literally.
Yes. My son's is severe, but his organs and body functions still work well. But he can't see well, can't talk, can't walk or even roll himself over. So we carry him around when he needs to be moved. He is surprisingly cheerful, and really, just loves the things that are truly important in life: family, friends, simple pleasures, car rides! He has no use for social media, television, computer games, etc. (although he likes watching me crush some iRacing in my full virtual simulator)
We were fortunate enough to build a house which meets his needs well, an elevator, open floor plan, roll in shower in his bedroom, etc.. He is fine cognitively, although its hard for people who just meet him or even his teachers to realize it, until he surprises them. He uses a Dynovox to try to communicate and has been able to figure out how to use it pretty well. His fingers don't work well enough to type or do sign language, so we constantly try to figure out what is best. However, through a few Echo Shows placed around the house, i have been able to allow him to drive his big chair (427 lb motorized chair) over to an Echo, and start a video call with relatives. Its pretty fun to see them interact, since from their perspective, this little boy "face-times" you and then sits and smiles at you from the other end, just wanting to hear your voice. He goes through his device then to ask some simple questions and, if its my dad on the other line, ask him for a ride, and then sure enough, the Mustang shows up a few minutes later and they go off on their routine. My son has taught everyone who knows him about the things really important in life.
I'd give up everything i have and ever could have, for just an opportunity to have a real conversation with him once. But barring that miracle, we will just be the best parents and caregivers we can be. Don't take the quality time you have with your kids for granted. While i have my son at home with me everyday and forever; life can change things for any of us at any point. Go do that thing, that trip, whatever it is, with your family and kids as soon as the opportunity exists.
Welcome to the forum. That is a very touching story. Tell your son for us that the Corvette Forum says hello. I'm glad to hear that you and he found a car that you can make many many memories in together.
PS - I love your 991 too and like you, I wouldn't give it up either.
St. Jude Donor '12-'13-'14-'15-'16-'17-'18-'19-'20-'21-'22-'23
Great story!
If you are referring to the dash plaque just in front of the shifter, a factory option (RPO code BV4) was available where an ordered car could have a custom plaque applied in lieu of the standard dash plaque. Also museum deliveries had a custom plaque.
Several forum vendors here offer replacement plaques, or you can have your own custom plaque made. So your number one item will be an easy fix.
Blank dash plaques are a GM part, P/N 22891838. It just has the logo. You can have it engraved with anything you like at a good trophy shop. I suggest you and your son's names There are also a couple of generic ones available here: https://accessories.chevrolet.com/se...ories?sortId=2
get the cargo shade/nets if you don't have them, too. They will help secure the wheel chair You could also use bungee cords with the net hold downs too
And enjoy the car and your time with your son in it.
If you are referring to the dash plaque just in front of the shifter, a factory option (RPO code BV4) was available where an ordered car could have a custom plaque applied in lieu of the standard dash plaque. Also museum deliveries had a custom plaque.
Several forum vendors here offer replacement plaques, or you can have your own custom plaque made. So your number one item will be an easy fix.
Yes! and absolutely I'd like to have a custom one made. I'll be looking around for where to order that unless you have a direction suggestion.
Nice story. So how does the C7 stack up to the 911 turbo regarding performance and ride.
Very unfair to compare these two examples (and difficult), they could not be more different from each other and still be sports cars. But here is some context and comparison.
They are both current generation cars for their makes. The Turbo has more Horse Power and more Torque (520/490 vs 455/460), delivered via a rear-engine 3.8 liter flat 6 with two large turbos VS of course the monster 6.2 liter V8 up front for the Vette. Porsche only comes in the auto-magic PDK, vs the Corvette 7MT. The Turbo is only offered in AWD vs the Corvette's RWD. So again, these could not be two more different interpretations of a sports car. This is also Porsche's top model vs Corvette's base model.
I've driven the Porsche a lot and the Vette very little. but initial impressions are as follows:
The Porsche is faster no doubt (it should be), however the Vette "feels" faster. The AWD and PDK mated with 500+ horsepower delivers very smooth acceleration by comparison. You never run out of Torque, no matter how fast your going. The Vette feels more vintage to me by comparison, it's certainly more in the muscle car realm than the 911 is, the 911 seems to go out of its way to NOT be a muscle car, but rather something more subdued and elegant. The Vette is MUCH louder. The Vette is just FUN, all around FUN, everything about it is FUN. I forgot how much i enjoyed rowing my own gears, and the rev-matching on the Vette is done rather well and will save me from screwing up the clutch. Both have great reputations for reliability, and ease of ownership. I'd also say that on the highway the Vette has more of a cushy and comfortable ride. I think that is coming from the 18/19 wheels/tires though vs the Porsche's 20's on ultra high performance tires. The Porsche is also a larger car, didn't expect that, its larger all the way around. The cabin of the 911 is much bigger and more spacious than the Vette, with a lot more headroom, etc.. Vette scrapes the ground a LOT more due to the front air dam. The 911, cleverly raises its dam until the rear wing is deployed and then the front air dam deploys as well, so it has a lot more ground clearance, which is nice. The 911 is purposely spartan on the inside, which I like, where as the Vette purposely tries to wrap itself around the driver, which I also like.
I have tracked my Porsche's before, never done it with a Vette. On the track of course, this would be a really unfair comparison, as the 911 Turbo would best match up with the Vette ZR1. I didn't buy this Vette as a track car, i wanted the base, the smaller wheels, more options for all-season tires, etc...
Two great cars, nice combo to have as they are complete opposites of each other. Value for the money, the Vette stands alone, obviously (MSRP for the Porsche 911 Turbo was 4X that of the base Corvette's). I can fit my entire family in my 911 though, which makes for fun outings to Sonic or DairyQueen. Couldn't do that in the Vette. That said, I can take my son on an overnight trip in the Vette, can't do that in the 911.
My 8 year old daughter likes the Vette better, all because of its little hidden storage spot behind the screen and she gets to sit in the front. My son likes all sports cars equally and also loves my Dad's new 2018 Mustang GT (Which has even more horsepower this Vette)
Love both. Like the variety. Happy to be here. Life is good.
The later generations of Corvettes provide great utility for a sports car. Welcome to the dysfunctional Corvette family, and thanks for sharing your story! Your son looks like a great kid!
Blank dash plaques are a GM part, P/N 22891838. It just has the logo. You can have it engraved with anything you like at a good trophy shop. I suggest you and your son's names There are also a couple of generic ones available here: https://accessories.chevrolet.com/se...ories?sortId=2
get the cargo shade/nets if you don't have them, too. They will help secure the wheel chair You could also use bungee cords with the net hold downs too
And enjoy the car and your time with your son in it.
Great story! For the plaque I would even suggest getting in touch with Shane or Lori of the Delivery Department of the National Corvette Museum. I can guarantee that they will be glad to help out for such a great cause and make something special for you and your son!
Last edited by CandyRed77; 03-26-2018 at 04:42 PM.
03-26-2018, 12:42 AM
Unexpected new member - short story
There are also a couple of generic ones available here: https://accessories.chevrolet.com/se...ories?sortId=2
