I test drove an '04 Vette a couple weekends ago. What a Rocketship that is!! Like an out of the box race car. Went from 0 to light speed in 5 seconds!! I am seriously considering selling or trading my '80 450sl and a couple other cars in my fleet to get one. Anyone else out there have any experience with the newer Vettes?

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Plenty of cars out there can do 0 to lightspeed nowadays. Heck, even a Honda Civic can do that if you soup it up with nitric and all. It all goes back to what you want from your car. I heard the built of the Vette, though, has been much better, still has some work ahead. Not to mention resale value of a Vette. You can pick up one pretty much for a song.

I sat in a new Vette and found it too much plastic for interior than I would care. After all, a Vette is still a Chevy. Saw the same analogy used by the World's Most Amazing Car Shows at Speed Channel - the subject being Dodge is selling the Viper in Europe. The commentator said, besides price point, comparing with Ferrari and Porsche, a Dodge? It's a hard swallow for someone who is name brand aware.

All in all it's your money, spend it on whatever tickle your pink.

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95 R129
04 Infiniti G35.5 BS
10 X204

I would be inclined to agree with Elau. Is the C5 the best 'vette ever? Yes. However, GM didn't have to aim very high to do so, and their history has always been that of looking for the bar, and then aiming below it.

I have had five corvettes and all of them have been more reliable than the three porsches I have owned. The corvettes were not as well finished, but considereably more reliable. If your coming out of a 450SL, which is a great car, then the relative crudity of the vette will not matter as all current cars have long since surpassed that era's best, like your benz. You most likely will love the vette, and get a good buy on one right now ('04).
The biggest problem with the vette right now is how the populace incorrectly views the car. There are alot of smart, influential, people who claim car knowledge who know very little about cars. They know so little that they generalize into stereotypes what they do not understand. Beware this group as they will say you have made an incorrect decision due to their unfound prejudice.

PS For the last two years the C5 was JD Power's highest rated sports car for initial quality. Ranked ahead of the Boxster, SLK, and Z3/4.

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???????????????????????????????? I would never dare to call the Boxster, SLK (besides the AMG version, but the majority on the road are not) and Z3/4 sport cars. SPORTY CARS, yes.

So if you have to compare a C5 with a sporty car, how can you claim the C5 is better. Why not compare the Enzo with a Hyundai?

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95 R129
04 Infiniti G35.5 BS
10 X204

Same price, same seating, same MPG, same size classification. The gov't rates this way, and so does JD Power. BTW I had a SLK32 and loved it. It was as dependable as my last two vettes, but no better. At least all of these were better than the 911's I have owned.

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The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!

I am not disputing your analogy on the Vette. I am sure it is a pretty good car. I am just saying for the money, I would rather buy something more on the exotic line.

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95 R129
04 Infiniti G35.5 BS
10 X204

I agree with elau. I used to be impressed by speed. Now, everything goes fast. The interior of the new vette and even 05' is substandard compared to your 450. It's all whatever turns you on but in a year or so from now, if not alraedy, they will make another subby or something that leaves the vette in the dust anyway. 450? Never loses it's appear though!

"Is the C5 the best 'vette ever? "

Yep, if you don't mind driving around with a chevy malibu steering wheel.

I don't think you realize how slow a WRX is in reality. It is a car for those who know about cars through magazines and books. It is a joke of a car for those who restore, race, and wrench their own rides.

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The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!

I'd buy a nice 60s/very early 70s Vette instead -- a MUCH sexier body style, much more personality -- and spend the extra money you'll have left over restoring/perfecting/hot-rodding it.

Mike

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Don't do it.....please.

Well, thanks for all the input so far. I'll give you some background into why I looked at the Vette in the first place. I have two daughters who will be graduating from college in May. Both will be bringing home cars that will eventually be given back to me, since they have expressed the desire to buy new cars. My daily driver is a "91 Ford Tempo. I use the SL on nice days from March through November. Now, looking at replacing the Tempo with something new, and trading/selling/donating two or three cars, which because of age and mileage, I don't expect to get more than a thousand dollars or so, I was thinking along the lines of an Acura TL or Volvo S60 or something in the $30K range. So I was thinking, if I have to finance $30K on a car, do I want to finance it on an Acura or do I trade/sell the Benz and finance somewhere between $20 and $25K and get a Vette. The big question is, "Do I want to have this as my daily driver?" The guys on the Vette Forums will all say, "Absolutely!!" But I thought I'd get a little less biased opinion. Further comments are welcome!! BOB

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I asked the Lord for everything so that I could enjoy life. He gave me life so that I could enjoy everything!

I suppose that I am a bit confused on the purpose of a vehicle that can go from 0 to lightspeed in several seconds. The benefit of such a vehicle can only be felt when one has fairly unlimited space and very little traffic. I've been through Wilmington several times and the traffic there is not all that much better than what I have here in NY. You really cannot get from here to there any faster than I can in one of the diesels.

Now, of course, you can drive it like some of the jerkoffs around here and try to weave in and out of traffic to gain two or three minutes. But, what are you going to do with the two or three minutes that you have saved?

The vehicle is a nice looking vehicle, and, I'm quite sure that it attracts its share of women. But, no vehicle can give a person character or substitute for problems with ego.

If you intend to race the car or be involved with it where you can utilize its speed in "creative" endeavors, then, by all means, go for it.

But, to purchase a new one as a daily driver, pay the heavy insurance, and watch its resale value plummet

It is even easier now that we understand your intention. The answer is NO. Regardless of what people tell you, that is not a car for daily use. No more functional than you SL. You cannot go grocery shopping with it, higher insurance cost, hight fuel cost, and higher maintainence cost. Have you check how much is one of those 18" high performance tires is gonna cost you? And they only last no more than 15K miles?

If you are itching for something new, I would recommend you seriouly look at the Acura instead. Thats why my SL is for weekends and special occasions. I drive a more functional car, the 300E during the week and grocery trips.

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95 R129
04 Infiniti G35.5 BS
10 X204

Sorry to disagree but the WRX is not slow @ 14.3?..quarter and the STI and Lancer both run around 13.0..STOCK. Turn a bolt and your deep in the 12's or even faster.

The 04' vette is nice, but reviews say not as well refined as the 05.' I wonder about this when the latest reviews regarding the 05' complain about the creaks and rattles it is plagued with and the cheap plastics. However, that is the only bad I have heard. I also hear it gets great gas mileage with the 6 speed tranmission. If you want shot-gun like acceleration with no lag you picked the right car, not to mention exterior is very attractive. My point is that I wouldn't buy the car based on speed alone anymore. When I buy a car, I look at all these factors. Just my- o.