Greetings, and please have mercy regarding the question I'm about to ask; my Corvette knowlege is quite limited. I've long been pulled in two seemingly opposed directions; between a love of American muscle and of the nimble, tight handling characteristics and feel of European and Japanese imports. It seems that the most reasonable crossover between those two extremes is the Corvette.

I've owned British, German, and now a Japanese sports car and love their driving feel - in particular, the Porsche and my current Toyota MR2 Turbo - but still, there's nothing like the feel of the torque, power, and sound of an American V-8 as it shoves one hard against the seat back.

In my youth, I worked in a garage and thought my Triumph GT6+ and Capri V-6 were pretty quick until a coworker with a '69 Z28 Camaro powered by a '70 LT1 350 took me out for spin. It was amazing.

My other experiences with American Muscle were an admittedly irresponsible, but fortunately uneventful unauthorized drive in a customer's beautiful '65 Corvette (yeah, I know, I'd have killed me too if I were the owner - I was young and foolish), later renting a 1984 Corvette for a weekend, and then a recent (authorized) drive in a current coworker's 2011 Camaro SS. (Fun, but the thing weighs over 4,000 pounds!)

I loved the power and handling of the '84, but the thing was a real rattle-trap. The only way I could get both latches of the hood to release was to stand outside the car and push in the center of the hood while reaching over the door to pull on the release. The car had T-Tops, and drove much better with the T-Tops out, as in place they seemed to be the only things that were trying to keep the body from flexing. In fact, while driving the car one of the allen screws that held the T-Tops in place backed out and fell down my collar into my shirt!

Before my the purchase of my current car, I briefly considered building a 5.0 liter Mustang into a light, good handling muscle car until I realized how much work, time and money would be involved. Basically I'd have to start with a bare shell and even that would need stiffening. Same thing with an article I saw in a magazine on a store newstand with a comparison of a new Camaro and an updated '69. The '69 won - being lighter, more powerful, and with better suspension, but that was after about $100,000 worth of work.

Anyway, I digress. Newer Corvettes I understand, are much tighter, and look lighter and more compact than the '84 I rented, and I find their styling more appealing.

If I was going to rent or test-drive a newer Corvette and was looking for the best blend of tightness, nimble handling, and power, what would you advise? And, for affordability, how old could I go while still achieving those goals?

Thanks in advance for any guidance you can give me.

 

James:

Given your experience With automobiles I would point you in the direction of a 2008 or 2009 Corvette with the Z51 package, or a 2010-2013 Corvette Grand Sport. Otherwise wait and get a C7 which will be available mid 2013.

 

Good luck!

 

good luck and welcome to the forum!

 

Welcome! Keep us updated on your decision...

 

Thanks all, I really appreciate the input. I see that a 2009 with the Z51 package might be able to be obtained for less than the coworker's new SS Camaro, which would definitely be a step up. And, it'd be certainly be nice having something that I could actually fit into with a helmet; with my Toyota I bump against the T-Top frames and I'm only 5'9".

Can you tell me what year the Corvettes moved away from the rear transverse leaf spring?

 

Good luck with your search and welcome to the forum.

 

Welcome to the Forum