OT: New Vette Road Test

It's still a pos vette. ;-)

I ** HATE ** the Mustang vs. Vette discussions, but since this is marked as OT, I'll throw my hat in the ring. I'd love to have the discussion, but hope it doesn't turn into a flame war. My son and I talk about the Ford vs. Chevy thing all the time, but I also tell him the Vette is at a whole nother level, and worthy of respect even from a Mustang owner. I still look at the Mustang as the classic pony car

- affordable for the masses, four seats, leading performance at its price point. I look at the Vette as the cheap, entry level into the 'supercar' market, competing with the Porsche's and other cars in that class.

Mustang MSRP 25K (base - 31K for the GT Premium convertible), seating for five Corvette MSRP 53K, seating for two.

As a married father of two, I'm looking for something to carry my family, or one child and a friend; priced at an appropriate level for a second car; with enough performance to make it fun. The Mustang fits my needs perfectly, the Vette wouldn't.

Where it gets interesting is comparing the GT500 to the Vette, and comparing the upcoming Camaro (Chevy's traditional pony car) to the Mustang GT. The GT500 compares fairly to the Vette, with additional seating and (maybe) slightly less performance. The Camaro seems like it's gonna eat the Mustang's lunch. If the pricing is similar, Ford should be VERY afraid. I hope Blue Oval marketing has an answer.

:>Remember back in the not so long ago past -- I'm talking about the :>1980s -- when factory hot rods began to run 15s in the quarter again? :>The good ones were in the 14s and a few "exceptional" ones would dip :>into the 13s? Then the 90s came along, and 14s soon were expected, :>13s started to be commonplace, and 12s were WOW! Welp, it seems 14s :>will soon become a yawn, 13s are good, 12s are great, but running 11s :>is the only way to make news. Case in point: Car & Driver just test :>drove a new '08 Vette. If you don't already know, a little review, :>Chevy has upped the ante this year to 376 cubic inches, 436 horses and :>428 lb-ft of torque. And this is just for the BASE Vette. Anyways, :>driving it right off the showroom floor, and not tweaking a thing, :>this thing RIPS off a 12.4 @ 116 mph. Okay, that isn't an 11, but :>keep in mind this is Car and Driver magazine and they did it in 83- :>degree weather.

Just FYI a quick list from some of the Corvette Forum members......

C6 Showroom Stock by forum members

I've always mildly respected the vette, but because of price and performance difference, never considered the Mustang to be comparible to the vette. I used to have a co-worker who always ragged about how the vette was, performance-wise, superior to the Mustang and he said you HAD to compare the two, like apples to apples. You know, the old Ford verses Chevy debate. However, when the Ford GT came into the market, suddenly he said that you couldn't compare the GT to the vette because the GT costs so much more and it was in a class all by itself. If the GT was faster than the vette it was because of the price difference.

I feel a lot of vette owners are similar to my old co-worker.

:>On Aug 3, 9:46 am, Jim C wrote: :>> I ** HATE ** the Mustang vs. Vette discussions, but since this is :>> marked as OT, I'll throw my hat in the ring. I'd love to have the :>> discussion, but hope it doesn't turn into a flame war. My son and I :>> talk about the Ford vs. Chevy thing all the time, but I also tell him :>> the Vette is at a whole nother level, and worthy of respect even from :>> a Mustang owner. :>

:>

:>I've always mildly respected the vette, but because of price and :>performance difference, never considered the Mustang to be comparible :>to the vette. I used to have a co-worker who always ragged about how :>the vette was, performance-wise, superior to the Mustang and he said :>you HAD to compare the two, like apples to apples. You know, the old :>Ford verses Chevy debate. :>However, when the Ford GT came into the market, suddenly he said that :>you couldn't compare the GT to the vette because the GT costs so much :>more and it was in a class all by itself. If the GT was faster than :>the vette it was because of the price difference. :>

:>I feel a lot of vette owners are similar to my old co-worker.

I'd like to add my .02 cents to this discussion since I've owned a

Wish I could remember where I found this quote .....

"..... the Corvette is a great performance car. It offers a combination of acceleration, handling, braking and fuel economy you won?t find in many other cars. ..."

" [ Corvettes are for ] dancing down a winding road to the music of a small block V-8. They?re for winding through the gears flat-out when the road turns straight. They?re for transforming high octane petroleum distillates into the most fun you can have with your clothes on. They?re the perfect antidote for ennui, a quicker waker-upper than a cup of Starbucks? best. They?re for entertaining the senses, for restoring your joy of driving, for having a balls-out, catch-me-if-you-can, power sliding good time."

As you say Krause the Corvette is at a whole nother level. Is it fair to compare it to the Ford GT? Not in my opinion. The Shelby? Yeah, ok. The Viper? Ok again although the Viper is really considered a streetable racecar. Our friend had a 650+ hp supercharged 96 Viper which was fast as a scaled dog but the thing rode like a dung wagon. Advantage : Corvette. Porsche? The Porsche might be better than the Corvette in some respects but at a substantially higher price point. For that reason alone comparing these supercars against the Corvette is IMO what makes the Corvette the best bang for the buck on the market.

Would I trade my MACh 1 to put another Corvette in the driveway? Not on your life! I adore the Mustang. There is a something about a Mustang that once it gets into your soul, you're hooked. For me it all started with my mother's 1967 coupe. A Mustang will turn my head quicker than any Corvette. Do most Corvette owners agree with my comments on the Mustang? Those who have owned Mustangs still love them. There are occasional discussions on the Corvette boards about Mustangs and the consensus is most Corvette drivers respect Mustangs and they respect the Mustang history and heritage just as we respect the Corvette history and the Corvettes that went before ours.

So where does it leave me? Loving both the Mustang and the Corvette for what they are, just as you'd love your two children equally because you recognise each of them as unique.

What could be better than to look out and see two of the finest sports cars in the world, each with a long and proud history, parked side by side waiting to be taken on a run? :)

Regards, Sarah

Get whupped by one??

VERY well said/written, Sarah! My only disagreement is calling a Mustang a sports car. Sporty car, yes. Sports car, no. The Mustang has always been a scaled down sedan with optional thumping motors and stiffened up chassis. Sports cars on the other hand come with only two seats and generally have a chassis designed just for them.

Patrick

I haven't. Cause 9 times out of 10 the driver has a bald spot, a gut and skinny little legs. Oh, right, you mean the car.... Sorry my bad.

:>On Aug 3, 3:11 pm, Sarah Czepiel wrote: :>> On Fri, 03 Aug 2007 10:22:21 -0700, Kruse wrote: :>

:>VERY well said/written, Sarah!

Thanks Patrick.

:> My only disagreement is calling a :>Mustang a sports car. Sporty car, yes. Sports car, no. The Mustang :>has always been a scaled down sedan with optional thumping motors and :>stiffened up chassis. Sports cars on the other hand come with only two :>seats and generally have a chassis designed just for them.

You always keep me honest. I agree, I usually call the Mustang a pony car but thought using the term sports car for both in my last paragraph just flowed better. :)

:>Patrick :>

:>

:>> :>On Aug 3, 9:46 am, Jim C wrote: :>> :>> I ** HATE ** the Mustang vs. Vette discussions, but since this is :>> :>> marked as OT, I'll throw my hat in the ring. I'd love to have the :>> :>> discussion, but hope it doesn't turn into a flame war. My son and I :>> :>> talk about the Ford vs. Chevy thing all the time, but I also tell him :>> :>> the Vette is at a whole nother level, and worthy of respect even from :>> :>> a Mustang owner. :>> :>

:>> :>

:>> :>I've always mildly respected the vette, but because of price and :>> :>performance difference, never considered the Mustang to be comparible :>> :>to the vette. I used to have a co-worker who always ragged about how :>> :>the vette was, performance-wise, superior to the Mustang and he said :>> :>you HAD to compare the two, like apples to apples. You know, the old :>> :>Ford verses Chevy debate. :>> :>However, when the Ford GT came into the market, suddenly he said that :>> :>you couldn't compare the GT to the vette because the GT costs so much :>> :>more and it was in a class all by itself. If the GT was faster than :>> :>the vette it was because of the price difference. :>> :>

:>> :>I feel a lot of vette owners are similar to my old co-worker. :>>

:>> I'd like to add my .02 cents to this discussion since I've owned a :>> 97GT , now own an 04 MACh 1 and we also have a C6 Corvette. When :>> discussing the Mustang versus Corvette there is really no comparison. :>> The Mustang is a raw far less refined car. It doesn't have heated :>> seats, fancy HUD, keyless operation, etc... that one would find in the :>> Corvette. The Mustang cannot compete with the Corvette in :>> performance. The Mustang is a get in, buckle up, outright fun car to :>> drive. And with a MACh 1 you always attract a crowd. :) The :>> Corvette is a true sports car with a lot of luxury features thrown in. :>> It has balls to the wall torque, and an almost 190mph top end. Me, I :>> love the Corvette's removable targa top. :) Gas mileage ? Far :>> better in the Corvette. And t take on long trips? Again the :>> Corvette wins hands down just for creature comfort alone. :>>

:>> Wish I could remember where I found this quote ..... :>>

:>> "..... the Corvette is a great performance car. It offers a :>> combination of acceleration, handling, braking and fuel economy you :>> won't find in many other cars. ..." :>>

:>> " [ Corvettes are for ] dancing down a winding road to the music of :>> a small block V-8. They're for winding through the gears flat-out when :>> the road turns straight. They're for transforming high octane :>> petroleum distillates into the most fun you can have with your clothes :>> on. They're the perfect antidote for ennui, a quicker waker-upper than :>> a cup of Starbucks' best. They're for entertaining the senses, for :>> restoring your joy of driving, for having a balls-out, :>> catch-me-if-you-can, power sliding good time." :>>

:>> As you say Krause the Corvette is at a whole nother level. Is it :>> fair to compare it to the Ford GT? Not in my opinion. The Shelby? :>> Yeah, ok. The Viper? Ok again although the Viper is really :>> considered a streetable racecar. Our friend had a 650+ hp :>> supercharged 96 Viper which was fast as a scaled dog but the thing :>> rode like a dung wagon. Advantage : Corvette. Porsche? The :>> Porsche might be better than the Corvette in some respects but at a :>> substantially higher price point. For that reason alone comparing :>> these supercars against the Corvette is IMO what makes the Corvette :>> the best bang for the buck on the market. :>>

:>> Would I trade my MACh 1 to put another Corvette in the driveway? Not :>> on your life! I adore the Mustang. There is a something about a :>> Mustang that once it gets into your soul, you're hooked. For me it :>> all started with my mother's 1967 coupe. A Mustang will turn my head :>> quicker than any Corvette. Do most Corvette owners agree with my :>> comments on the Mustang? Those who have owned Mustangs still love :>> them. There are occasional discussions on the Corvette boards about :>> Mustangs and the consensus is most Corvette drivers respect Mustangs :>> and they respect the Mustang history and heritage just as we respect :>> the Corvette history and the Corvettes that went before ours. :>>

:>> So where does it leave me? Loving both the Mustang and the Corvette :>> for what they are, just as you'd love your two children equally :>> because you recognise each of them as unique. :>>

:>> What could be better than to look out and see two of the finest sports :>> cars in the world, each with a long and proud history, parked side by :>> side waiting to be taken on a run? :) :>

:>> Regards, Sarah :>

Interesting this topic just showed up. I happen to drive an 08 Vette (auto) for a few minutes on Thur. The car only had 350 miles on it, but the first gear to redline wasn't as impressive as I expected. I am using the seat of the pants comparing this to an 98 Cobra (manual). The only thing I could guess was the Traction control was on, but I detected no wheel spin regardless.

Anyways, the question is, what kind of HP loss due to the auto tranny do the Vettes have?

Nah. Sorry, it's just a knee-jerk reaction. A friend at work has a nice, low milage '96 and he talks incessently about the thing. I respond with the above and it shuts him up for a few minutes. He can't help himself so he usually starts in again soon enough. I do really like his car but I can't tell him that, can I? Being a Ford guy and all...

:-)

Don't know but I suspect that with the new ones not much. Those '08's with the exhaust upgrade haul ass, auto or no.