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Wanted to introduce myself after taking possession of my 2000 convertible last month.
I can't believe that I can look into my garage and finally see a Corvette sitting there. Growing up in Detroit (about a mile from the GM Tech Center), almost every dad in the neighborhood worked at one of the Big Three companies.
It was quite common to see Hemi Challenger's, GTO's and all sorts of Chevelle SS's driving through my neighborhood, hood's up on the weekend's cars being tuned. My uncle sold Ford's and I remember him coming over with a new '65 Fastback, 289 Hy-Po 4 speed. The same car my older brother bought and later blew up a month later.
I think it was a middle school field trip to the GM Tech Center that set the bar for a Corvette though. We went into a room where they had driver's seats set up with instrument panels and we all got to sit down and go through the gears, pushing the clutch and just dreaming what it would be like. I'll never forget those two big gauges and that 4 speed in my right hand.
After I got married, we bought a 70 Cutlass Supreme with a 350 4 barrel, 4 speed. It was in Texas and the car was loaded with factory air. I loved that car and brought it back to MI when we moved, but never had the funds to restore it properly so ended up selling it. And it was sort of a straight line car.
I've been into BMW motorcycles for a long time and spent 300,000 miles riding all over the country, the last 30 or so years, but in the back of my mind, always wanted a Corvette, appreciating the handling of a BMW motorcycle and knowing that I wanted a fine handling muscle car, not just a quarter mile burner.
A few years ago, my buddy Mark (GM Engineer) had a new VEtte to evaluate for a couple weeks and he came over for the day so I could drive it. I was blown away, actually driving a Corvette for the first time! Not being able to afford a new one, I kept looking at older models, not knowing really too much about them, like what models were desirable, engine options, etc.
I wanted one that I could drive, rode reasonably well and was reliable. Like my BMW motorcycles, I wanted something that was designed to be used, not just stared at in the garage.
I had a BMW club member, Norm, pick up a 1991 model with low mileage and he drove it over one day and I thought that would be a good one to look for. Tragedy struck a few years later when he contracted pancreatic cancer and his wife offered it to me, but at a way exorbitant price. So, I waited a bit, kept saving my money.
So this past month, I was looking online and found my current C5. In Pewter with a black convertible top and a 6 speed, pretty well loaded. Low mileage and an original Florida car. Took it for a test ride and I was hooked.
Impressions:
Seamless torque and very comfortable Sport seats
Pulls hard like the 350 Chevy in my Tournament Inboard Ski Boat
Exhaust note that is evident when accelerating but not intrusive (I like that)
HUD display (WOW!) Way ahead of it's time
Bose stereo sounds wonderful
Convertible is soooo easy to raise and lower
The interior is laid out well and the use of materials is very nice IMHO
Love the rear glass in the convertible
Handling is tight and exactly what I love most
The waterfall design between the seats should be in a museum, it's that beautiful
The looks. It drips of class, like every Corvette ever made
Didn't know they had big calipers on these cars, so was surprised to see them (Corvette written on the front's is a nice touch)
So I'm hoping to join the Irish Hills club (I'm in the southern MI, Irish Hills area) and start driving this beauty as it was intended.
Thanks for having me,
Rick
Rick from MI
