Mopar Jimmy

Very well stated and I you pretty much hit the nail on the head with the way you feel, espesically the rear end which looks like such complete crap to me also, that it kills the entire exterior looks of the C7 for me. Now, the only difference is that I LOVE the 08-10 Viper Coupes, with their super aggressive race car American design, and 600HP from the factory, most still within their factory warranty so you can take out many more years of extended factory warranty out, and they are so exclusive you just don't seen any on the road at all. That being said no surprise that I just bought a 2009 Viper Coupe and LOVE it.

I to have owned 7 corvettes the last 20 years but I am done with them for now, and my C6 Z06 was traded in towards my Viper, as the Viper is bullet proof and I am tired hearing about LS7 vales dropping.

For you I would get a C6 ZR1 and don't look back. The car has awesome looks and still is the King of the Hill, the fastest Corvette ever built!

Michael A

Then don't buy a Porsche. You can't turn them completely off. You can with the Corvette, other than ABS.

Michael

JustinStrife

I wonder why this was moved to the C7 section. No need to see posters who aren't interested in the car and are looking for alternatives. Maybe move it to Other Cars instead?

TTRotary

Amen. I feel the same. In fact, I feel like the rear insults my intelligence, or what little of it I have. It is all the more disappointing because the rest of the car rocks in every way. But I'm not ready to give up on it yet. I hope they will see the error and do a "refresh" in a couple of years. In the meantime, I encourage all to voice their opinion and ignore the small group of whiners who want all dissent squashed.

All of the above said, the C7 appears to also be a winner performance-wise and the Z06 or ZR-1, or whatever it is called, will be a stunner. And all Corvettes have represented immense value for a long time. So what else to get? I suspect personally that I will end up in the next Z06/ZR1.

If I don't, I will have to go to the next level up, which is really the $130+ range, since there is nothing below that. Porsche is out for me. The Boxster is a rip-off, and I have driven enough 911's to know that I don't like their handling. I was hot on the Viper, but it gets killed by the ZR1 - the Laguna Seca drive with Randy Pobst was a real eye-opener, and not in a good way. My wife and I both like the Astons, but I suspect they are still an exercise in frustration. My favorite car in this segment is the Gallardo, so that will probably be my next stop. One day I will own a 458, but I just can't countenance spending that much coin on one right now. Just seems like a waste.

radstom

mnavarro

c6 ZR1. You can get one at an amazing price, and all you do is have to paint the ic window

Checkmarks

JohhnyMac,

I am in the same boat. I have not owned Corvettes all my life, as I haven't had the cash to buy expensive sports cars my whole life, but I did wind up owning 3 C6s, which I adored. I do honestly consider the C6 widebody one of the finest looking automobiles I have ever seen. At any price. And far more handsome than a whole lot of Italian metal and any German car this side of the Carerra GT or possibly BMW 8 Series.

I wound up swallowing a modest deposit check, made more than a year before the reveal of the C7 Corvette, as I simply cannot tolerate the aesthetic. It is a remarkably try-hard and overstyled car, almost as if no opportunity was ever spared to add a crease or a line or a contrast. And that's ok, the 288 GTO had a huge ton of inlets and bends and such, but each looked as though they had a purpose. The C7 is defined by styling traits that have no purpose, the black painted vents, the peculiar taillights, the narrow stripe of painted bodywork when you view the car from the rear, the huge fake diffusers, the "kid with braces" chrome strip in the mouth which makes absolutely no sense. And on and on.

In real life there are a couple of angles that I did like about the car. In photos there are basically none. The interior is a bit of the same - too try hard. Just plain copy the black top of dash / tan interior pattern of a Ferrari. Its beyond classic. Instead the inside looks very nice, but also reminiscent of a 90s era Supra with fairly odd choices of where teh colors go.

I think the choice of black everything (vents, fake diffusor) and the places that the color winds up on the interior are both simple cost-counting measures. It all winds up looking strange.

I have read every thread, from Keeks, to Blue Ox's amazing pre-reveal reveals, and I've gone from shellshock over the looks to hope that it would work out well, back to basic disappointment. And I have the exact same question... If the C6 Z cars were flawed in their difficulty to handle, they were eminently blessed with looks. The C7 if flat awful to look at, IMO. I cringe every time I see pictures of it. I cannot think of a sports car with more styling features that were for no purpose.

I will say it sounds flat out awesome. The E-Diff is a bit second rate, just open/shut, no torque vectoring (ala say, a Mitsu Evo, which has torque vectoring), I'm sure the active handling will remain the best in the business (even the C6 was, at least from 08), the AFM can just go away, please. Its nice it has better tires and more focus on controllable handling, but I'll go my healthy liver and one kidney against a grand that it still won't be a Boxster/Cayman in this regard. And its sure gotten heavy. Porsches got lighter...

I'll end my diatribe, which I accept is simply my opinion, and offer my thoughts on what to get instead, as I have been pondering the exact same decision.

997 GT3. No need to go buy a new GT3, if you haven't had a 997 GT3 yet, as by all accounts the 997 GT3 was an unbelievable car. If you want to get a Z06, a rawer car, this should be every bit as fun or more, and who really cares if its a bit slower on track, not 5% of new C7 buyers can drive either car remotely near their limit, so it'd always be a drivers race. And i'll guess it'll be cheaper to own with an extended warranty, or existing warranty, or certified used. The C7 is a new, first year Vette, which will get serial-killed for depreciation over the next few years as they improve it. The 997 GT3 will always be the last stick-shift GT3. I doubt they will lose nearly as much value.

A 911 Turbo, and I'm thinking 996 + warranty. Metzger motor, easily tunable, and a bit of a blend between an old school 911 Turbo and a modern one. Some of the old funk, lag, twitchiness (if you loved a C6Z you are ok with twitchiness). If you have had a 996 or 997 Turbo, or a 997 anything, this isn't the place to start, but if you haven't I'd say it'd be quite a thrill. And you're setting yourself up for being able to have a "new" (to you) 997 Turbo in the future... then a 991.

Or alternately honestly any 911. Its one of histories all time classics. The 986/996 cars are fairly uncivilized on the road, but they are also just as special as a Vette. And my old 986 got mid 30's (actually, consistently) on the interstate -vs- high 20's for a C6.

Beyond that a Maserati GranT. Epic sound, exotic looks, great leather smell, not that great to drive, but probably a really fun ownership experience as most everybody will think its awesome (EXCEPT dedicated car guys).

A GT-R. Its more money, but my neighbor just got one, a 2013, and I traded him my Ferrari for a week and I swear to all of you no Corvette or Viper or maybe even Ferrari ever built (maybe the latest generation Ferraris) drives like that. Its truly awesome. I would honestly be willing to call anybody that posts on the web how they "hated" a 2013 GT-R either a moron or a liar. And the extra cost is likely offset by the very modest depreciation those cars have shown.

Or, and I think this is a really great choice, a BMW M3. Not the new one, the last one, the E92. Its no faster than the C7, but its cheaper now, its likely to hold value just as well, and its a totally different beast. High revving motor, tons of exhaust options, 4 real seats, luxury car in its days off. And its, again, like a 911, just as much of a classic as the Vette, just as much of an Icon, is the M3. And, again, not 5% of first year C7 buyers could drive either car to its limits so its still a drivers race.

An Audi S something (similar case to the M3 wo the history), an AMG C63 (CHEAPER, more power, far more luxurious, got 2nd place in MTs drivers car of the year).

I'm not into muscle cars, but if I was a ZL1 or GT500 would sure be tempting relative to a C7. Not nearly as weird looking and much more powerful. And beyond that frankly the new Cayman/Boxster are absolutely beyond gorgeous, and no matter how much they have improved the C7's drivability, I sincerely doubt it will approach the every day twisty road joys of those cars.

I love your post, and I am sorry for my long winded reply to it. It is a topic I ahve thought about literally 1000 times since I first saw the C7 in person, and realized that I found it appalling to look at.

I think it boils down to just adjusting your options mentally. Most Vette buyers probably never even considered an M3. Maybe those of us who just can't stomach the childish styling of the C7 should. I'm going to make it a point to go drive one of the probably last naturally aspirated M3's ever made. I doubt it will lose more value than the C7 over time.

Sin City

I think the amount of hate on this forum about the looks of the C7 proves that Team Corvette did it right.

They weren't designing it for you.

If they were, they would have warmed over the C6 for another 3 years.

Sin City

I think the amount of hate on this forum about the looks of the C7 proves that Team Corvette did it right.

They weren't designing it for you.

Checkmarks

Dear Sin City

I'm not very old, lol, and thats young for a Vette buyer. Its really young for a Ferrari, Lambo, Porsche, BMW, and classic car buyer. I am these. I had 3 C6s, so I'm a low-class "previous Vette owner" compared to alot of these guys.

I thought they said they were building it for me? They failed, it looks ridiculous.

This is only my opinion, but I do have a tuned up EVO, among my modest (very modest) collection of cars, and I as a result sometimes hang out with the tuner-kid crowd. To be honest, they think the C7 looks silly, from the feedback I have heard.

BTW, a tuned up EVO should be added to the list of "other things to get" I attempted above. Its pretty much sweet, oh, and you can drive it 12 months a year even if you lived in Montana.

I would very, very politely, as I realize you are one of the C7 "fanbois" vs the various C7 "haters" that post in recent months, what exactly about the design do you love? The contrasted vents, the fake diffuser, the orthodontists chrome strip, the try hard taillights, or the excessive use of angles? Its over-styled, I don't know how anybody could deny that.

If you or anybody truly just loves it, then god bless. But there are a fair number of people who just don't. I'm one of them, and I used to be a Corvette apologist. ... you know, the guy who would deny that the C6 Z06 on GoodYears was dangerous. etc.

FWIW, my Z06, C6 Z06, none of those kids have had anything but love for it. The lady and I have cruised with them a few times. They are very excitable, but nice.

Again, if you love, YOU love, the C7, so be it. That doesn't make anybody who doesn't wrong. And you bear the burden of explaining about 2 dozen styling choices, like the fake diffusors and the contrasted vents. And at least 2/3 of the creases have no function. I read a post from a C7 fan once that claimed that the gap in the rear spoiler increased downforce, which is somewhat looney tunes.

You go ahead and love it, I do not begrudge you any moment of joy, but I cannot own a car that looks so silly.

Peace.

JustinStrife

And that's fair Checkmarks. But for every person who thinks the car is silly, several more like it. The circle of people you surround yourself with, are quite different than the ones that I do. So we'll leave it at that.

IowaGuy

Tom Peters

‘I’m gonna let it loose. Nothing is sacred.’” One result was the radically altered rear end of the redesigned seventh-generation Corvette, which he sketched at a Texas event.


http://www.autonews.com/article/2013...M03/305209972#

I really like the C7 and will likely buy a lightly used one in '15 or '16 but the nothingis sacred quote annoys me.

mirage2991

I think I'd buy a 2014 Mercedes C63 AMG Edition 507 Coupe, for about the same price as a fully optioned Z51 C7...about the same specs performance wise, a little slower quater mile (still in the mid low 12's I believe) 4 sec 0-60...big brakes, 7 speed auto trans and no ugly rear on that ;-)

Waytofastvette2006

I'm pretty much who they targeted for this car. I'm 30 years old have owned 4 corvettes I can afford to purchase a 50-60k car now.

I'm sorry the c7 just doesn't do it for me. I mean it looks alright but between the crappy GM build quality and the fact that it just doesn't really impress me. I plan on buying a 10-11 GTR with 20-30k miles for 60-65k next year

Pluss I believe GM should have gone bankrupt and that still has me ticked off that they received special treatment.

Big Dan 427

I am going to look at the new Viper this week but mostly just to satisfy my curiousity, having owned them before I know what they're all about driving wise but I want an upclose look at all the upgrades in the interior and overall design. I can easily be swayed into buying one but in all likelyhood I will be waiting for the new NSX seeing how I can get what will be a very high demand 480hp hybrid for invoice b/c I work for the company!

hyteck9

Perhaps they will make an XLR out of the C7 that would be worth waiting for? Same great new firm chassis and technologies, but perhaps with a classier look?

b4i4getit

Don't make the mistake of driving a new 911 S with PDK. You will want one. Guraranteed.

b4i4getit

I find it a little unsettling that the Pontiac Aztek chief designer was Tom Peters and he was the chief designer for the C7 as well. That might explain some of the C7 design issues that a few of us take exception with.

travisnd

Also from that article...

travisnd

So you're going to fault the guy for the one car (he says that design was taken away from him at the end) but not give him credit for his other work?