Corvette question - Page 2 - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Skid Row Joe · #16 11-06-2013, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Idle

So as to not hijack the new Corvette thread.

Older Corvette's are fun to drive, but to me they feel as if they are coming apart with every shift. Is this typical?

Consider that Mercedes are the primary focus of my automobiles, and even those almost fifty years old, such as a 300 SEL, feel tight when stomped on.

Is this feeling a part of the Corvette appeal, something one must live with, or just me?

Do you have any specific Corvettes to cite?

Aside from it's obvious lack of build quality here and there, the Corvette I bought new almost 40 years ago was tight as a drum, including transmission, and did almost everything well, including returning a very good short term resale value.

I'd expect that the Corvette today, would be similar or greater than mine was.

The 06 CDI's ride quality isn't near as good as the '70s MB sedans as I recall.

The Clk Man · #17 11-06-2013, 07:45 PM

I drove a mid 80's Corvette from Lexington Ky back to our town, about a 40 mile drive and it was a rough ride. It felt like I was riding a go cart, it was NOT comfortable at all. They are good looking cars though.

spdrun · #18 11-06-2013, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Clk Man

I drove a mid 80's Corvette from Lexington Ky back to our town, about a 40 mile drive and it was a rough ride. It felt like I was riding a go cart, it was NOT comfortable at all. They are good looking cars though.

Sports car. Not land yacht. My dream car is a Lotus Elise or the Tesla equivalent.

aklim · #19 11-06-2013, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Idle

Older Corvette's are fun to drive, but to me they feel as if they are coming apart with every shift. Is this typical?

Consider that Mercedes are the primary focus of my automobiles, and even those almost fifty years old, such as a 300 SEL, feel tight when stomped on.

Is this feeling a part of the Corvette appeal, something one must live with, or just me?

Absolutely. When you buy a poorly maintained car, it will fall apart. I got mine cheaper and it was poorly maintained and cobbled together. Reason? I was going thru it and revamping everything anyways so it didn't matter. Lots of stuff with stripped screws, etc. Fix it and it is better.

Sure but your 300 SEL will not do what the Vette will.

You have to live with it being harsher. Why? You have to give up something to get something. If you want a smooth ride, go this way. If you want brute force acceleration or something that can be made to go fast cheap, go that way. You want both? No problem. It too can be done if you have the money.

Skid Row Joe · #20 11-07-2013, 02:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

Absolutely. When you buy a poorly maintained car, it will fall apart. I got mine cheaper and it was poorly maintained and cobbled together. Reason? I was going thru it and revamping everything anyways so it didn't matter. Lots of stuff with stripped screws, etc. Fix it and it is better.

Sure but your 300 SEL will not do what the Vette will.

You have to live with it being harsher. Why? You have to give up something to get something. If you want a smooth ride, go this way. If you want brute force acceleration or something that can be made to go fast cheap, go that way. You want both? No problem. It too can be done if you have the money.

Good post. Most ppl wouldn't pony up for both. The new Corvette blows most everything away as is, right off the showroom floor.

Well, then there's this from the believe it or not dept., some guy last week tried to compare his 30 year old clunker W123 5-cyl. diesel, with the new 2014 E250 sedan! -That one took the cake, IMO! I'm still LOL!

link · #21 11-07-2013, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by P.C.

Those T-tops never could seal worth a damn...

...and then there is the beating the kidneys take; the fear driven sweat caused by expensive, failed, and rattling parts; tears due to having to replace tires every 4 months....

Come to think of it, it's kind-of like a British car!

aklim · #22 11-07-2013, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by link

...and then there is the beating the kidneys take; the fear driven sweat caused by expensive, failed, and rattling parts; tears due to having to replace tires every 4 months....

Come to think of it, it's kind-of like a British car!

If you are replacing tires every 4 months, you are doing some serious acceleration and cornering. As they say, you wanna play, you gotta pay. What you seem to want is to have it all and cheap. Not going to happen. I drive my vette because I am ok with the harsh ride. I changed the suspension to poly bushings. It is going to be harsher. I push the car harder. I break the stock rear end. It was designed to take 250HP at the crank. I push 410 at the wheels. It corners better than the MB. It isn't as comfortable, hence the wife prefers the MB. It is noisy but I replaced the entire exhaust system with a free flowing unit. The MB uses OEM and is quiet.

So the question is what it is exactly that you want this car for? If you want a smooth ride, this isn't the car for you. If you want to whip it around corners and slide it in curves and be able to modify it cheaply (relatively), this is the car. Now if you are willing to pay a half mil for a car, again you are in a different category.

The vette is a good platform for modifications. The W210 is a good long distance cruiser. Pick your poison.

Hatterasguy · #23 11-07-2013, 12:07 PM

You guys are talking about ancient history. A C4 is primitive compared to a C6 and the C7. I haven't driven a C7 yet but I suspect its just as refined as a mid 2000's SL, or a Nissan GTR.

The world is changing, the new CTS is a better car than anything the Germans make in that price segment. BMW is now about floaty luxury and Cadillac and Lexus make sports sedans. Mercedes for some reason seems to like charging $10k-$20k more for a car that doesn't look as good, is to heavy, and is slower than a CTS VSport.

Go figure.

Idle · #24 11-07-2013, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

Do you have any specific Corvettes to cite?

Aside from it's obvious lack of build quality here and there, the Corvette I bought new almost 40 years ago was tight as a drum, including transmission, and did almost everything well, including returning a very good short term resale value.

I'd expect that the Corvette today, would be similar or greater than mine was.

The 06 CDI's ride quality isn't near as good as the '70s MB sedans as I recall.

All of them from the early to late 60's.

And from new they should be as tight as a drum. From about 40,000 miles on they feel as if they are coming apart with every bump in the road.

I cannot argue with the resale value, but I was not addressing that feature. I was wondering if perhaps others felt the same or if I was just too picky. Perhaps spoiled by driving Mercedes would be a better description of my impressions of older Corvette's.

Idle · #25 11-07-2013, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aklim

If you are replacing tires every 4 months, you are doing some serious acceleration and cornering. As they say, you wanna play, you gotta pay. What you seem to want is to have it all and cheap. Not going to happen. I drive my vette because I am ok with the harsh ride. I changed the suspension to poly bushings. It is going to be harsher. I push the car harder. I break the stock rear end. It was designed to take 250HP at the crank. I push 410 at the wheels. It corners better than the MB. It isn't as comfortable, hence the wife prefers the MB. It is noisy but I replaced the entire exhaust system with a free flowing unit. The MB uses OEM and is quiet.

So the question is what it is exactly that you want this car for? If you want a smooth ride, this isn't the car for you. If you want to whip it around corners and slide it in curves and be able to modify it cheaply (relatively), this is the car. Now if you are willing to pay a half mil for a car, again you are in a different category.

The vette is a good platform for modifications. The W210 is a good long distance cruiser. Pick your poison.

I think this would sum up my position on the matter. The Corvette is harsh, but it is what it is and makes no promises to be anything else.

It is not the car for me, but the reasons quoted here are the reason's I started this thread. I wondered if others noticed the same thing about the older Corvette's that I did and it seems they have.

Discovering facts need not be difficult. All one needs is to ask a question in a forum where honest answers can be expected.

Idle · #26 11-07-2013, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by link

...and then there is the beating the kidneys take; the fear driven sweat caused by expensive, failed, and rattling parts; tears due to having to replace tires every 4 months....

Come to think of it, it's kind-of like a British car!

Not quite. It would have to suffer multiple and repeated electrical failures to be like a British car.

The last British car I owned was a Sterling made by Rover during the late 80's. A wonderful car with the exception of the electrical systems.

Skid Row Joe · #27 11-07-2013, 05:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Idle

All of them from the early to late 60's.

And from new they should be as tight as a drum. From about 40,000 miles on they feel as if they are coming apart with every bump in the road.

I cannot argue with the resale value, but I was not addressing that feature. I was wondering if perhaps others felt the same or if I was just too picky. Perhaps spoiled by driving Mercedes would be a better description of my impressions of older Corvette's.

Maybe I missed what years of Corvettes you were referring to in your first post? If not, you should have stated exactly what years of Corvettes "early to late 60's" you meant.

Everybody knows that the Corvettes of that timeframe were rickety-azz in how they rode! Without question, they were freakin' rattletraps!

My '70s Corvette bought new was tighter and a much better ride than any of the MBs I've bought, 80s and Up, even from new.

Back to MBs, this CDI I own takes road irregularities worse than any MB I've owned, so MB's ride quality has dropped-off from what it was even from my W210.

I can only imagine how well the Corvette C5, C6 and now the new C7 ride as far as quality.

The Swede · #28 11-07-2013, 06:20 PM

They were rattle traps up until this latest generation. The late 70's motors produced just under 200hp.

Top 10 Worst Corvettes of All Time

aklim · #29 11-07-2013, 06:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skid Row Joe

I can only imagine how well the Corvette C5, C6 and now the new C7 ride as far as quality.

Maybe so but once you start punching up the displacement and making it take corners harder than what it was designed to, your ride is going to suck. I know my C4 was better stock than what it is now. Same with my 3rd Gen F-body. I can only speculate that once you get the C5, C6 and C7 into a shop and do things to it, it is going to suck. What people need to recognize is that it is a relatively inexpensive platform to make it do things. However, you are going to pay the price. The faster you go, the harsher the ride. But is is cheaper to buy a Vette and power it up vs getting an AMG and trying to push it harder. However, the AMG is going to ride smoother. You need the right tool for the right job.