Again, it's been a great car overall. It's needed a few small repairs (every car does). Nothing major, but even the small stuff has staggering price tags attached to it.
I wouldn't feel entirely comfortable driving it (the way I do) without a warranty of some sort.

 

All Euro: Maybe my comments concerning the vettes were a bit too generalized and I regret aggravating any present or future vette owners. My experience with the mark was with the '68, '76 and '80 versions.
The '68, (bought it new) was a 427/390 4-speed coupe and was a fire breathing monster. It wasn't particularly crappy, just high maintenance. The '76 and the '80 that I had were just plain junk, bought the '76 used-(dual break system kept failing) and bought the '80 new, (auto transmission had to be replaced within 3M miles). I traded the '80 in on a couple of '86 Jeeps when I finally got everything working. I had to keep the cigarette lighter hidden in the back of the vehicle because when it was pressed in, the fuses would blow. (Always pitied the poor guy that bought it).
To me, that body style, as well as the previous ones were the only ones that screamed "CORVETTE!".
The later versions appeared to be designed with an Italian flare in mind, (never have liked that style) pretending to be something they were not, and the price shot up 100%, as I recall.
The later cars might have been just lovely creations, and a great deal more dependable, but I noticed that the major parts after-market catalogs for Corvettes still list every expensive internal part that can go ****-up.
As far as intimating that vette owners are fuddy-duddies, that was not my intention. My purpose was to indicate that if one were to buy a new vette, they would have to have "arrived" and not be inconvenianced by having to raise and educate kids and entertain high-maintenance wives.
And yes, I realize that there are readers of this forum that have more money than God and can afford most anything, but to mere mortals, buying a Corvette off the showroom floor verges on the impossible and hints at insanity.
Now something funny, (to me at least). Whenever I'm in one of my XF's, and see one of those $60M vettes on the road or turning in front of me. I never make an issue of looking at it or the driver, preferring to keep my eyes staring straight ahead, (almost). I do, however, notice out of the corner of my eyes that most of them take a long hard look at the beautifully styled XF they are passing.
One of those guys wasn't you by any chance, was it?

 

That 68 you owned sounds like a monster! It would probably be pretty fun to play with now as a weekend car. But the other vettes? Everything from that era was junk! Vette or not. Wasn't when all the horrible smog equipment was put on cars and choking V8 powered cars to like 200 hp and zapping any sense of reliability. I still find it hard to understand how you can make a blanket statement that all Corvettes are junk when the newest version you owned is 30 years old and were arguably some of the worst corvettes one could buy (minus the 68). They aren't perfect for sure. And in the newest issue of car and driver, they rated the z06 to be the second worst handling car in their group---only ahead of a fwd GTI. Meanwhile, a boxster was about 6 cars ahead and in first place. So yeah, vettes have a bit of an issue with precision it seems, but they are still decent cars. Every C5/C6 I have seen at a track day has been an absolute monster.

When hasn't this been the case? I don't recall corvettes ever being a budget option. They are the quintessential american sports car. Sports cars aren't typically cheap, nor are they for people riddled with responsibility that precludes the use of a car designed strictly for performance. However, for the $42k I see regular vettes going for by me (Kerbeck Chevy), you can buy any number of low end 3 series BMWs, C class Mercedes cars, or A4 Audi's--all of which are pretty common.

Unfortunately, I don't own a corvette of any sort, but I do enjoy checking out a nice crossfire, despite driving one daily. I feel like I can appreciate any number of nice cars however. I know it's shocking, but I will also check out vettes and Porsches as well when I see them. I almost caused my GF to get into an accident when started almost seizing after spotting a 959 on the road.

 

Man, you nailed that on the head. I don't care how awesome the newer Vettes are. I don't care if they cost a dollar and are the most incredible performance machines ever built in all of history - if it doesn't look like a Vette, it doesn't matter.

The early body styles had a shape that seemed influenced by a woman's body. The curves and lines we unlike those of any other car. My favorites are the 68 to 73 style.

The newer Vettes just don't have that.

 

JJ, The new vettes may be OK, but they look as if they are lubricated with Marinara sauce and are fueled with Prego.

 

Why not get a Viper? They are way cooler than vettes.

 

Keep the Crossfire.
Get a Vette
Get a Viper
Get a Lambo, a Ferrari and a Bentley
Get 3 or 4 bikes
Get a really big garage.

You only live once & any money you don't spend before you die is just missed opportunities!

 

HEY!!! Here's the car that got all this started. The private seller decided to trade it in at a local dealership. He had in craigslist for $15K which was rediculous. I wonder what the dealer is trying to get out of it??? 1996 Chevrolet Corvette 2dr Car CORVETTE

 

That has to be one of the most boring Vettes I have ever seen.

 

Yeah that thing is attrocious! I like vettes, but definitely not all of them. If I wanted a convertible to just cruise around in and didn't want a crossfire, I'd probably go with a lexus SC430 or the newest SLK that I could afford. I might even be crazy enough to check out a Volvo C70 convertible.

 

2 each his own. The only thing I didn't like was the saddle colored top and interior. I would want to find one with black.

 

if it was a c5 vette maybe but a c4 rides like a brick and is just ugly. a modded 6 will give them a hard run and win most times. resale is also in the toilet. mecham auctions have been selling them for 10 k

 

That is so funny, the last Vette we owned (18 years ago) was a 1986 red roadster with a tan leather interior, and a tan top.
I purchased it with 44k miles on it, drove it for a year, never had one problem with it, and sold it for a profit to a dealer by 9:00 AM on a Sunday morning with just one day ad. (He sold it in less than a week).
Not bad for an attrocious and boring color scheme, but it was the "fastest" selling car I ever sold.

+1 on buying a Viper.

 

Technically, the Vette hasn't been in continuous production, they never sold a 1983.

 

But they did MAKE 44 of them, right?

 

My understanding is they wanted to release the C4 in 83 and they tried making a few of them but they were so riddled with problems, they never made it to market.
If a private owner actually has one, it's worth some cash.

 

Not sure how many 83's they made, but I think they were all considered "Test Mules".
I was one of the "FOOLS" that bought an 1984 when they first came out.
I kept the car for 6 months. Replaced it with a brand new 84 Honda CRX.
I've owned a 78,80,81,84,85, and a 87. I enjoyed them all, and never really had any problems with any of them. But after having a couple 280 ZX's, the 84 Vette just didn't measure up. It was slow, road like a truck, and was destined to have all sorts of electrical problems and recalls with the dash board and such. The 85 was much faster, and rode better.
Style wise, (of the one's I had) I liked the 78/80/81 the best.
But as I mentioned before, I'd love to have ANY 63 thru 67 Coupe. Especially a 67 or a 63.

 

My XF is modded to 265hp. My 85 Vette was modded to about 275hp. It's hard to tell which car was faster.
The Vette certainly sounded the part. With that flowmaster exhaust, people were running for cover when I floored it. The XF sounded a little rice-burnerish until the cai was installed. It has a little more presence now but still sounds like a small engine.

 

There were 44 made. Yes, they were all basically test mules to work out the bugs, which took considerably longer than originally anticipated. 43 of them were destroyed. The only remaining 83 is in the Vette museum.

 

In America, we have definitely been programmed to equate "fast" with the roar of an 8 banger, and the feel of the torque slamming you back into your seat. The Europeans have been making cars that just go like hell, without making a lot of noise and without stuffing a bunch of cubes under the hood. It's difficult for some of us to deal with. : )

Personally, I think I'd rather keep my smaller motor quiet - the whole bumblebee thing is just too annoying to me.