MosEspa

Me personally, for ownership - it is.

My favorite Gen's as far as looks are C4 and C7 and I have almost bought one of those but I got a C5. Why? It's new enough that it's not hard to work on (LS engine is solid and reliable) and parts are not as scarce as the C4 and it's not as expensive to own as a C7. To me the C5 is the "perfect" Corvette. Circular-ish tail-lights, not so electronic like newer cars / Corvettes, front-end engine, popup headlights (one of my favorite things about these cars) and it still looks like a badass car on the road even 20+ years of existence. I am not one of those people that says if the tail lights arent circular or if the engine is not in the front or if it doesn't have popups its not a Corvette but those are things I love about Corvettes.

C7? Someday - maybe.
C4? 100% I will own a C4 someday.

The rest of the generations are awesome cars but just not my favorites.

six-drums

Mine has to be the C2s. Coupe or vert l love them all. I remember riding my bike when l was maybe 9 years old and saw one parked. My friend and l had to stop, got off our bikes and had a closer look. This was maybe in 1965 or 66. It was a medium blue coupe and l have never seen a car that looked like this. Today living here in Toronto l cannot touch one for perhaps 80 to 100 grand. l live around the corner from a gentleman that has two 65's numbers matching. Simply beautiful.

z edge

C5 & C7 since that is what i have in the garage.

C5 was my first and why i went back to another one when the time was right. Probably my sentimental favorite. And i love the oval tail lights, gas lid, door handles, etc.

C7 was the last new vette i bought and it wakes up the neighborhood on cold start, love it because its exotic looking and still looks like a corvette.

'Shifter

C2's and metal-bumper C3's are my faves, I just can't afford a nice one.

Mr. Black

IMO the C5 will be known as the generation with the most timeless looks for the long haul.

MWWarlord

I LOVE the C5! It's been my dream car since it came out when I was in high school. I may be in the minority, but I also love the C8. I hope to own one someday. However, I will never give up my C5. I think the C5 is the pinnacle of what a front engine Corvette should be. The sleek curved design is timeless. It looks as great today as it did 20 years ago. I don't think the C6 or C7 have aged as well (even though the C7 isn't that old). The pop-up headlights, and the round taillights are iconic. I've always loved pop-up headlights. The C5 is my first Vette, but it is my third car with pop-up headlights. Sure, there are Corvettes that are faster than the C5, but none of them look as good. Plus driving the C5 is a special experience. When I paid off the C5, I considered trading it in for a C7. Instead, I used the C7 down payment to supercharge the C5. I don't regret it for a second. Now I still have the great looks and pure driving experience of the C5 with even more power and speed than a base C7. I love and appreciate ALL generations of Corvette. I hope to own a C8 one day. However, my C5 will always hold a special place in my heart. I love mine, and I'll never let her go.

grinder11

For me, the Midyears, '63-'67. As a kid, riding bikes with clothespins and cards in the spokes to simulate an engine sound all 4 or 5 of us in the group of bikes, we all had "Corvette Stingrays" for bikes. Dream car would be the 1967 427/435hp 4 speed. Actually, that body style was very dangerous at speeds over 130mph. Front end lift......

oktx

C5
C7
C3
In that order.

sayerbloke

C5, for sure. Wanted one since the moment they came out, back when I was in high school. Took me about 25 years in the end but glad to have got there eventually!

I like most years of Corvettes but really, once in the market for one, it had to be the one I’d been wanting all those years.

41bigdawg

C5 is my favorite for sure since that day back in 2001 when my boss, at the time, had us over to his house for a cookout. He had just bought a new Corvette and we all wanted to go see it. When I showed up the car was sitting in the driveway, brand new 2001 Millennium Yellow Convertible, it stopped me dead in my tracks and I knew at that moment that one day I would have one just like it. Fast forward 19 years and the dream was a reality

Stingroo

Nope. A C6Z is my favorite, and ultimate dream car.

But I stumbled into the deal of a lifetime and bought the car. Truth be told, I hadn't really given C5s any sort of look. I went in 100% blind, knowing nothing other than that it had an LS, a stick transaxle, and a bunch of miles.

And I'm still here almost 5 years later.

grinder11

I've talked to a few owners at Vette shows over the last few years, who have bought a C4 after having, or along with owning a C5. Most are disappointed. Not ragging on any generation, particularly C4s. But this is what I've heard. Ride quality, power, handling, legroom, ingress and egress were all rated below the C5. I haven't owned a C4, so I have no knowledge of which is easier to live with. Had a '69 427 4spd coupe (sold for $5,200 in 1982!!), loved the looks, hated the ride. This post is based on things I have heard, not experienced.... .

ChiefBoats

For me, pretty much, on my 3rd C5. Have had C2 thru C7, kind of hooked on the C5. It has the roomiest interior and trunk, smooth easy to wipe down lines, and the run forever LS1, shades of the old 283's of the '50's & '60's.

Mr. Peabody

I like the C2 the best as that's what was "modern" back when I was in HS.

That having been said I am a long term owner of both a 95 and an 04. For me the C4 is much more fun to drive and the handling seems more like a sports car. My wife prefers to ride in the C5 particularly on long drives and mostly because of the improved leg room but to me the C5 feels like you are more divorced from the feel of the road.

If I could afford it, I wouldn't mind owning a C8!

MosEspa

C6Z is another one I would consider. So really a C7 (Stingray), C4 or C6Z. Depends on if I really want to go for performance, looks, or save $ lol. The next one will be one of those three. C5 is just too easy to buy, maintain and drive huh? I kind of fell into one too and didn't know much about Corvettes a few years ago and got a C5 because it's what I could afford at the time and it was in nice condition. I absolutely love it now.

I have driven quite a few C4's with the different engines / interiors (L98, LT1 / Digital dash, figheter jet dash) and I just love them. They definitely do not ride as good and dont handle as good as a C5 and way more cramped in the seat as I am a tall guy I just have always loved their style. Every time I see one I wish I had one. They are going up in price right now though which is annoying because they definitely are the least valuable Corvettes right now but for me, it would be an additional "fun" car. It would not be my primary one. I would not mind one to just work on and drive to the grocery store every once in a while. Will see what the future holds.

It's kind of why I see the C5 as the perfect one. It's not old enough or hard enough to work on or looks old enough to be a classic but it's not new enough to be so dependent on electronics to run good and will last you a very long time.

Stingroo

See, I love my car. LOVE it. It's the best car I've ever had, and actually the second-longest I've ever kept a car. But the C6Z is the one that really captured my interest back in high school. The car was insane for its time (and still is in a lot of ways).

I always wanted a C4 because they were the "cheap" Corvette, but now after owning the C5, I don't think I could ever live with one as a daily. The interior is so much more cramped that it would really ruin the experience for me. Even the C6 interior is worse than the C5 in this way.

Clairvoyantwolf

I can't say the C5 is my favorite generation, but it is definitely the foundational generation. LS engines, Corvette racing (C5R), the backbone chassis (still used on C8), composites, mag ride, all started on C5. Corvette existed for decades before, but it found its definition in the C5 generation.

Vox Machina

The C5 has always been my dream car ever since it was on the cover of Corvette Fever when I was 6. My dad was nice enough to take the poster that was inside that issue and give it to me, where it hung on my wall until I graduated and took it with me (I still have it in a box somewhere). Ever since I've been obsessed with them.

So are they my favorite? Absolutely. Though that doesn't mean I wouldn't mind getting my hands on a C6, 7, or 8 lol.

killain

I have owned a few a C1 , C3 and a couple of C4's, but when the C5 landed I feel in love. It had a, at least to me a much better flow design, but overall it not only looked the part, but even with the total "Plastic Fantastic" interior which I think at this point I can say we all hate the over use of plastics, but to me it was so much more a Corvette even than the C4 which to me was a too angular design, although I still love the engineering of the C4 and when it came out the recorded stop and handling times and stopping distances had to be recorded and a new minimum stopping times and handling specs where of the never before recorded !, the C4 just set new specs on all of the performance vehicles. The C5 did that and reimaged what a American Sports Car could and should look like. All those harsh lines were now really "flowing" and it worked out so well you forgot the crappy interior. Since the C6 left town, at least for me, Corvette design moved into a form I really don't like. I'm assured that Hwasup Lee and Kirk Bennion had to answer to Tom Peters, but for me the whole outer space super angler / edgy onslaught of Harsh lines cutting in and out of the whole design makes me almost seasick just looking at it and personally the C8 ( I realize it's everyone favorite ) But it makes me feel they got a bender on one night and once the sun came up the following morning they staggered in and said "Yeah that's what we were thinking, I guess or maybe not " It just looks like someone lost interest in the design half way through and quit. The C5 is a car you don't get tired of looking at, Why so many of them would up torch red, that I don't know at all. And to be honest here the "Technology" of both the C7 and C8 will over time decide to drop dead one morning and GM just like every time before roll out their usual and say, "NO it is no longer supported at this time !" and or "That part has been discontinued ?" Which is swell if you just ordered a new shiny C8, but if you own a 1997 to 2000 Corvette you just got the rug pulled out from under you. I just got my 03 ABS endless situation fixed after one year and 5 days. And the damn thing would still be broken if not for fellow Corvettefourm member C5 Diag was able to find me a person who this job was made for, and only about 100 miles from here. Fantastic Technician. Took a few days but here found the problem, and that really lifted my spirits so much I can't express how much it has improved my whole outlook for Corvettes. but I don't think I'll trust GM or Chevrolet going forward, maybe older ones, but I'm not comfortable knowing there are 11 more modules onboard the C5, not saying they will work forever, but in the case of the 1997 to 2000 Borsch electrics EBCM, I don't care if it's 20 years old, why did Chevrolet decide that if Borsch wanted to skip any ongoing technical support for the owners of these cars left out in the cold and have to find other ways to try to keep this braking system working as it was designed. It's not like we went in and bought a $50.000 car and pay half now and the other half in 15 to 20 years from now, they accepted the whole amount owed, and once you run into a problem, they say Too Old Too sorry ? and that is BS. Porsche will find a part if you need it for a 45 year old car or have som kind of acomadation made. And that's the difference between the thinking from either companies.

rrwirsi

My first Vette was a '64 Vert auto with a hard top and is my favorite. The C2 and C3 I also owned were 'bare bones' with no A/C/ power windows/power locks and not complicated to work on. I could rebuild the carb's with my eyes closed. No worries about parts not being available anymore. My C5 is nice, but if I had the 'bucks', I would be driving a C2.