Corvettes Rule!

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The Corvette will live on because it's still a moneymaker for GM. The Bowling Green Assembly plant is very efficient, one of the best plants GM has, and even though the car never sells much more than 35-40,000 units per year, it doesn't cost them very much to produce.

And like others have said, it's the kind of car which draws people into Chevy showrooms, and GM knows that, and wouldn't be so foolish as to get rid of it.

Remember when Ford tried to change the Mustang into front wheel drive? (the Probe was originally supposed to be the new Mustang) That created enough of an uproar that Ford reconsidered. If GM were to try to get rid of the Corvette, you'd see an even bigger uproar from the Corvette community. Believe me, us Corvette owners are EXTREMELY PASSIONATE about this brand, and we would not let it die without a massive fight!
 
As one who has driven Vettes since 1970, I like them.

They aren't ALL trouble free, but the C-5 established a real record of longevity and the C-6 seems even better.

They get terrific gas mileage, and minor bolt ons make them wicked fast. They are kinda small though.

The only people who speak against them are usually extremist car nazis who hate anything that is not "Green".
 
Originally Posted By: ShiningArcanine

It is not safe to drive above 100 mph in just about any car on public roads. The highest design limit of any highway that I know is 85 mph. Above that, no vehicle is guaranteed to remain on the ground. If you drive over a small hill at 100 mph, your car will likely lift off the ground. If the road is curved, that will cause your car to fly off the road. At that point, the design of the car in terms of performance becomes irrelevant as far as safety is concerned.


Wow, thanks for the helpful input!!!
I guess I'll have to start wearing a parachute whenever I tackle a twisting two lane or road course.
Do to have a particular brand that you recommend?
Sad to say, none of my cars are all that fast; two struggle to hit 100 mph, two can barely top 130, and the only borderline fast car is all done at 160.
 
Originally Posted By: ShiningArcanine
It is not safe to drive above 100 mph in just about any car on public roads. The highest design limit of any highway that I know is 85 mph. Above that, no vehicle is guaranteed to remain on the ground. If you drive over a small hill at 100 mph, your car will likely lift off the ground. If the road is curved, that will cause your car to fly off the road. At that point, the design of the car in terms of performance becomes irrelevant as far as safety is concerned.

You missed the point.

The point is, no mater how likely a Corvette is to lose control, most other cars are more likely to lose control. Thus, no matter how unsafe a Corvette is at high speeds, most other cars are worse.

This applies to any speed, not just to >100 MPH. A car that can hang on at those speeds -- and despite what you're saying, 100 MPH is nothing to a Corvette -- can hang on far better at 65 MPH and below.
 
Originally Posted By: d00df00d

You missed the point.

The point is, no mater how likely a Corvette is to lose control, most other cars are more likely to lose control. Thus, no matter how unsafe a Corvette is at high speeds, most other cars are worse.

This applies to any speed, not just to >100 MPH. A car that can hang on at those speeds -- and despite what you're saying, 100 MPH is nothing to a Corvette -- can hang on far better at 65 MPH and below.


Good points. It was no coincidence that Detroit built its most under-braked and sub-par handling cars during the period that the US was saddled with the asinine 55 mph speed limit. I ran a 1984 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe as my work beater during the early 90's. The brakes were good for exactly ONE complete stop from 80 mph. If you tried it again within a minute or so the pedal went to the floor...
 
Originally Posted By: ShiningArcanine
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
On the contrary: it's MUCH safer to be in a car that is designed to go fast than to be in one that isn't. Those cars can swerve and stop in situations that would cause other vehicles to spin or flip, and their safety cells tend to be very strong.

A good sports car like the Corvette is a comprehensively engineered machine. It's not just an average car with a big engine. It has the brakes, handling, and structural rigidity to match the horsepower.

Almost any car can crack 100 MPH these days. Keeping it under that speed is a matter of driver restraint no matter what car you're in.


It is not safe to drive above 100 mph in just about any car on public roads. The highest design limit of any highway that I know is 85 mph. Above that, no vehicle is guaranteed to remain on the ground. If you drive over a small hill at 100 mph, your car will likely lift off the ground. If the road is curved, that will cause your car to fly off the road. At that point, the design of the car in terms of performance becomes irrelevant as far as safety is concerned.


Not really.
On a given crest that will loft an average car that is traveling too fast, a Mercedes W123 will keep all four on the ground, for example.
It was always entertaining to see the looks on the tailgaters' faces in the rearview when they figured (incorrectly) that anything the 240D could do, they could do. Not over an abrupt crest, and not in a corner, as a few learned the hard way.
Performance depends very much upon the car.
Most cars (other than 240Ds!) will readily exceed 100 mph.
Some cars are comfortable at these speeds, while many are not.
A Mercedes W201 is comfortable at over 100 mph, while a Honda Accord of similar vintage is less so.
To revisit your example of flying over the crest of a hill, a car with adequate travel and good damping will do so only at some speed greater than the average car.
A car capable of doing well on a track day has margins that will help the driver on any road at any speed.
These margins also allow for faster travel at a level of safety equivalent to an average car at some lower speed.
The Corvette has enormous reserves of braking and cornering ability, which can only help the driver.
Yes, the Corvette is capable of quickly reaching lethal speeds, but any decent driver should be able to match speeds to the surrounding road, traffic and weather environment.
Those who can't probably wouldn't be safe in a Tata Nano.
To steal a phrase, we all know drivers who are unsafe at any speed.
 
I don't know how quickly my Corvette can achieve lethal speeds, I've never tested it.
grin2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: ShiningArcanine
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
On the contrary: it's MUCH safer to be in a car that is designed to go fast than to be in one that isn't. Those cars can swerve and stop in situations that would cause other vehicles to spin or flip, and their safety cells tend to be very strong.

A good sports car like the Corvette is a comprehensively engineered machine. It's not just an average car with a big engine. It has the brakes, handling, and structural rigidity to match the horsepower.

Almost any car can crack 100 MPH these days. Keeping it under that speed is a matter of driver restraint no matter what car you're in.


It is not safe to drive above 100 mph in just about any car on public roads. The highest design limit of any highway that I know is 85 mph. Above that, no vehicle is guaranteed to remain on the ground. If you drive over a small hill at 100 mph, your car will likely lift off the ground. If the road is curved, that will cause your car to fly off the road. At that point, the design of the car in terms of performance becomes irrelevant as far as safety is concerned.



But you gotta a better shot at crashing under those conditons in a maxed out econo-box than a Corvette just at 50% of its capabilities. So the car DOES play a role in the safety at those speeds - in that they will handle the speed whereas the lesser car cannot. That's pretty much a fact. Now for the idiot behind the wheel....can't control that factor LOL!
 
The Chevy may perform well for a year or so...see what happens after it has a few miles on it...The Porsche will drive and feel tight as new even after 10 years. And there is much more to a cars overall performance capabilities than a Car and Driver test will ever show.
 
Originally Posted By: oliver88
The Chevy may perform well for a year or so...see what happens after it has a few miles on it...The Porsche will drive and feel tight as new even after 10 years. And there is much more to a cars overall performance capabilities than a Car and Driver test will ever show.


Did you miss Patman's post about his vette? I lurk on the Corvette Forum... a lot. His car is not some fluke of GM. The C5 and C6 vettes have a great track record... pun intended.
 
Originally Posted By: xlt4me
Originally Posted By: oliver88
The Chevy may perform well for a year or so...see what happens after it has a few miles on it...The Porsche will drive and feel tight as new even after 10 years. And there is much more to a cars overall performance capabilities than a Car and Driver test will ever show.


Did you miss Patman's post about his vette? I lurk on the Corvette Forum... a lot. His car is not some fluke of GM. The C5 and C6 vettes have a great track record... pun intended.

I have stop arguing with folks like this, it is just a waste of your breath.
 
I plan to pick up a Cayman S or 911 one one of these days; I have no interest in buying a Corvette(or any UAW built vehicle for that matter). But having said all that, I'll simply note that I participate in HPDEs on a somewhat frequent basis and I have yet to see any evidence that a C5 or C6 is any less durable or reliable than a P Car of the same vintage.
 
Originally Posted By: ls1mike
Originally Posted By: xlt4me
Originally Posted By: oliver88
The Chevy may perform well for a year or so...see what happens after it has a few miles on it...The Porsche will drive and feel tight as new even after 10 years. And there is much more to a cars overall performance capabilities than a Car and Driver test will ever show.


Did you miss Patman's post about his vette? I lurk on the Corvette Forum... a lot. His car is not some fluke of GM. The C5 and C6 vettes have a great track record... pun intended.

I have stop arguing with folks like this, it is just a waste of your breath.



I almost started...but saw your post and you are right.
 
Alright I'll be the first one to bring this up. In the original post it was mentioned that for ONLY $60K you can have a new one. Well for under $30K you can have a new American made sports car that goes 0-60 in 5 seconds flat. I love mine even if it doesn't brake, handle, or accelerate quite as well. And I get the awesome build quality that I am used to with Ford.
 
Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
Originally Posted By: Barkleymut
I love mine even if it doesn't brake, handle, or accelerate quite as well.


Well you do get what you pay for....
smirk2.gif


And you can get new Corvettes that does brake, handle and accelerate well for well under $60k.

Corvette Coupe under $50k... Everyday price

Bill


You can get them for quite a bit under MSRP. In 2007 you could get a base model for a hair under $40k. Shouldn't be much higher than $44k now if you look around.
 
If you really examine the Corvettes that race in the American Lemans Series you will see that they are really not Corvettes at all...they are semi-tube framed purpose built cars manufactured by Pratt&Miller. Porsche runs a production based car with many of the same components that you'll see on the street driven 911 GT3 RS. The Car and Driver articloe should have used a GT3 RS as a comparison. We race Porsches (I admit it, I'm biased) in near stock configurations. Vettes cannot compete unless they are thoroughly "massaged". And they end up costing a heck of alot more than a Porsche by the time you get them race worthy.
 
Originally Posted By: Barkleymut
Alright I'll be the first one to bring this up. In the original post it was mentioned that for ONLY $60K you can have a new one. Well for under $30K you can have a new American made sports car that goes 0-60 in 5 seconds flat. I love mine even if it doesn't brake, handle, or accelerate quite as well. And I get the awesome build quality that I am used to with Ford.



A Mustang is NOT a sports car, by any stretch of the imagination!!! Pony car, muscle car, secretaries car,but not a sports car like a corvette or even a Miata
 
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