Okay, the Corvette has been my dream car my whole life (all 25 years of it) and I now have and opportunity to get one. But I put about 25,000 miles per year on a car. The Corvette would most likely be my daily driver and I would be driving it in Atlanta traffic.

What are your thoughts on this? Good, bad or indifferent?? I'm possibly thinking about keeping my CLS as my daily driver but I'm not srue yet. We'll have to see how it works out.

Thanks in advance.

 

can u drive the vette in the winter??

 

Mechanically the corvette can take it. I'm glad the Corvette is one performance car that is not a fragile "kit" car.......that along with a Porsche. I know several people that use the Corvette as a daily driver. However, I'm sure not sure on the space and height and stiffness of the car. How will those issues affect you on bumpy and hilly ATL streets?

 

the vette has been my dream car as well for many years. if i were you, and if you can afford it, i'd get the vette and keep the cl. i would love to have the vette as a weekend and project car, i just can't afford it now, as i am in school and unemployed. good luck.

 

darrinb - not to much winter to worry about in the atlanta area, when it snows half an inch and whole city shuts down anyway.

JokerABC - You make some good points, I am a little worried about how low the car sits, do you think I will have problems there?? As far as the stiffness and ride, I think I will be okay with that. And for the space, it should be fine for the long weekend trips, I'm actually impressed with the amount of space that is in the coupe.

I am having trouble finding the color that I want. I want the Spiral Gray Coupe but every dealer that has one inbound has already been sold!!!!

 

Get the 'vette!

 

If you can pull it off, keep the cl and get a vette slightly used. You'll be tempted to take the vet out more than just for the weekends, but its good to have a sensible alternative car like a CL.

 

I was driving my old 240SX for 75 miles per day and it was killing my back and knees. Plus being so much lower than all those soccer moms in the SUVs and mini-vans was annoying. I-4 is too much a pain in the ass for a sports car. Keep the CL for daily driving and get the Vette to walk all over punk-ricers on weekends.

 

I'd get a year or two old Vette.

Let someone else eat the depreciation!

 

I had a 99 Vette 6spd, it can be driven everyday without a problem.......but I couldn't (too small).

 

It's very low to the ground. You have to approach ramps and curbs with TLC! My friend has a 98 C5, it scrapes on all sorts of shit. You have to baby it around town, especially if it's bad roads.

 

 

what should you do?? STOP DRIVING SO MUCH!!! seriously though, 25,000 miles is insane to be putting on a new car every year, it will be worth diddly shit in a few years, youre better off keeping the CL and driving that as the daily driver, drive that thing into the ground!! and get the vette for weekends, fun, etc....if you cant afford to have both, then get rid of the CL, get a shitty Civic or something for daily driving and again, use the vette for weekends and stuff.....think about it....in the year 2006 when the new vette is out, who in their right mind would want a 2003 vette with 100,000 plus miles on it?? now on the otherhand, if you use the vette only a little bit, you will have a mint vette with like 30,000 miles on it in 2006...thats what you want to have, not a beat up, daily driven, high mileage vette...

 

Do what I did. Buy an ol' piece of shit Explorer, drive the bejesus out of it, and save the other car for cruisin'.

 

go 4 it bro! im in the same boat as you. i LOVE corvettes. no promise of tommorow so get the vette!!!!!

 

This is what I would do. Sell the CL-S and get the vette, but save about 3-4K off the CL-s and get a 4 cyl Ford Ranger or something to eat up all the miles and then drive the vette for fun. If you keep the CL-S and Vette you'll be paying out the wazoo for Tags and taxes for a couple of years, not to mention insurance. Just my advise, go for the Vette though. You won't regret it. Good luck

 

I think I'm going to get it for sure, and try to keep the CL for the daily driver, but we will see. My insurance on the vette is only going to go up around 100 bucks, so I will be paying less than 2k for both cars per year if I went that route. Heading home for the day, thanks for all the great info, I will post pics once I get it.

 

ahh, but you forget the extra $500 per year in Georgia's lovely ad valorem taxes that you will paying.

 

The Vette gets em wet.

 

The Vette gets you in debt.

 

Our Vette is a daily driver...however it's only 8k miles a year. I would seriously consider if you want to put that many miles on a Vette - depends on how long you intend to keep it. If only for a few years, do it! If not, maybe do what others have suggested - get one a few years old and drive a couple days a week.

It handles fine in the snow/ice/weather, just don't get hit by crazy SUV's...

The ride is much smoother than it used to be, still rough and jarring by Acura standards so be prepared for that. Interior noise is loud, you are right on top of the exhaust and the wide tires. Also, be prepared to spend $$$$$ for tires as they don't last long.

But, driving it is SWEET

 

NoleCLS - What options do you plan to get?

 

If you plan on putting 25K/Year on the Vette do not do it. Additionally, stating you are in Atlanta but putting that many miles on a car will hurt you. Where do you drive to/from for work?? Do you have more than one car??

BTW, I would have a Z06 in garage but my driveway doesn't permit it. But in truth, I am sure my short 6 miles up I-575 is more pleasant in the CL-S (albeit 6-Speed)...

 

I had a friend that had a 98 Vette for a daily driver, and after about 25K miles, it turned into a rattle trap and shit started breaking........so he got rid of it. I'm not saying that all Vettes are going to be like this, but I do think when they designed the Vette they didn't intend for it to rack up the milage. Think about it, how many Vettes do you see with over 50K miles

 

I think I'm going to get the 1sb package, body side molding, polished wheels, maybe the roof package, not sure about that one yet.

I'm going to try and work a deal today over the phone and hopefully be able to keep my CLS. If not, I think I'm still going to get it, trade in the CL and plan on getting something else as a daily driver down the road. As it is right now, I do have a second car, it is a 95 Lincoln Continental, but it has 135,000 miles. Well the engine only has about 50k on it as the original one went at 80k. So I'm thinking about driving the vette 2 or 3 days a week and driving the lincoln the rest of the time for work.

I just know I will regret it if I don't get the vette now. I may never have another opportunity to do it!!!!

OH and I think someone asked about my drive, I live in gwinnett of of sugarloaf so my drive is basically 85 straight into the city, I think it is just under 30 miles one way.

 

Definitely get the 1sb package - it has all the really cool stuff. Just a friendly thought on the roof package...if you park outside all day (in the hot South) you may not want the glass top. The sun takes a toll and can ruin it if you keep the car for a long time.

I hope it works out to where you get to keep the CLS - 2 great cars!!

 

I've owned a number of Corvettes in the past. The first thing you have to understand is that any Corvette ever made is a high maintainence car. Something always breaks or doesn't work the way it should. The dealer or garage will get to know you by your first name.

You probably don't get much snow or ice, so you don't have to worry too much about that, because 'Vettes suck on slippery ground.

I used mine for a daily driver during spring, summer and part of the fall. Living in MA at the time, I didn't trust driving them in our bad winters. It took some used to driving with such a racked back seat, but I loved it anyway. Expect your back to hurt on long drives. Otherwise, just watch out for women driving SUV's. I stay far far away. Also, remember your getting in and out of a low car. If your thin and young...no problem. If you fat and old (like me), you'll have a bitch of a time. One more thing that you are already aware of, but should be part of your decision is...IT'S ONLY A 2 SEATER. Also, if your like me, you'll park far away from crowded spots in a parking lot, so be prepared to walk more.

Power. You can't touch it with any other car. The "G" force you get when you step on the gas leaves your face looking like a deer in someones headlights. In the "Vette, the gas pedal is not called the accelerator...it's call the EXZILERATOR!

Good luck with your decision. Pappy
PS: I'm still struggling with my own decision about selling my 2003 CLS and getting an S2000.

 

Pappy: Thanks for the reply. I have considered pretty much everything you touched on and I keep coming back to the fact that I may never have a chance to own one again. I know they are not the easiest to get out of, I'm am 6'2, 220 so parking farther away and walking more won't hurt me any. The two seater thing may be an issue, but for now I will have a second car, lincoln continental.

I had my eye on one and actually called the dealer to make a deal on it yestered but someone bought it not more than 20 mins before I called. I was so pissed. So now I'm probably going to have to order it and wait 4-5 weeks to get it!!!! unless I want to settle on a different color. I will continue to keep you posted. Thanks again for everyone's input!!! ACL.COM ROCKS!!!

 

I got rid of my '01 CL-S and got a 2002 Quicksilver/Black A4, 1SC, etc., a couple of months ago and use it as a daily driver; in fact, just got back from a 600-mile trip.

Some thoughts:

I lurked on Corvetteforum.com for a while and read about all the problems and complaints; that let me go into my deal with my eyes open.

No one so far has mentioned the worst problem with the Vette - MOD FEVER. I had my Blackwing before I even got the damn car and a whole bunch of other little goodies followed in short order.

The Blackwing air filter is a must and I heartily recommend the frame savers (aka training wheels) and rocker rails. You do sit low but with a little care and common sense you won't have any problems.

The car is wide and you should get the Window Valet to let you raise/lower the windows from outside the car to get the glass out of the way - makes ingress/egress much easier.

You, of course, must have the rolled stainless steel exhaust plate and you'll be looking at aftermarket catbacks right away.

The Vette folks are just like the folks here. Nobody likes the Bose system (in truth, not as good as the Acura's), most everybody likes Zaino adnd there is much discussion on which lift to get for your garage.

You will be blown away at the amount and variety of go-fast stuff available for this car. Six grand gets you a good head/cam package or you can drop 9K and get a nice blower setup. It never ends!! Mouse pads, cups, beach towels, wall paper (for walls!), every trinket that can get a Vette logo put on it somewhere.

Your Vette will break. The nice thing (I guess) is that you can post your problem and 15 people will respond with what they did about it. My ds headlight started making a noise after it lowered and, sure enough, I had the "actuator motor gear" problem. I got all the info I needed to tell the dealer exactly what to look for.
I'm watching my gas gauge in case that problem shows up. The transmissions do not fail, however.

Like others have said, the tires are noisy and the ride can be rough at times but at 170 who cares!! It's amazing how all the problems fade into insignificance as soon as you turn the key and that engine rumbles to life. Then, when you're on the road, you really will get sore cheeks from smiling all the time!!

Oh yeah, if you're considering an automatic, which I got for the daily drive to/from work, get option G92, the 3.15 rear end. It makes all the difference. (Of course, some get the 2.73 and swap it out for a lower one - more choices!)

Also, from what I've read, the F55 (I think) magnetic shocks is a must -have.

Good luck with whatever you get and enjoy the hell out of it!!

(Sig below may be out of date)
Bill

 

THE BEST ADVICE I CAN GIVE YOU...BUY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY.
BEST REGARDS AND ENJOY, PAPPY.