Op Ed: Please “Mechanic”, Fix your Perspective

This is a rebuttal to the blog post I read here

I’m not a “Vette guy”. But in my humble opinion, the author is off his rocker. I once thought of the Corvette as the stuff dreams were made of – for guys going through their mid life crisis with their hamburger meat poking out from their bad hawaiian shirt, or meatheads who once had an IROC. Those days are gone in my eyes now. The modern Vette represents something that an actual enthusiast WOULD get.

The Everyman car? Give me a break. What sports car nowadays is the everyman car? The days of a kid getting a solid paying job, let alone affording a sports car, haven’t been with us for a long while now. When so many graduating college do so with $100k + in student loans, I don’t think buying a ‘Vette is top on their list of “must haves”. Their happy to have a Friday night out with their friends and paying the rent on time. So where should we start? Social reform or price reform on a sports car? I’d love to see a real deal affordable sports car that a recent college grad with a decent job could afford. Our business would thrive on such a car. But in todays world, that same college grad is lucky if he can afford an apartment on his own. Your salary is eaten up by alot more things than it used to be.

The Vette doesn’t have a victory lane type image? Victories in ALMS, Le Mans, and several GT class events throughout the world isn’t enough? Does it have a Vegas image? Sure, to some.

For many, perception is reality. Porsche’s convey snobbery to many people. Ferrari’s even moreso. Yet they often get a pass. Image plays a role, sure, but for many of us, the car is a reflection of how we see ourselves, not how we think others see us. Miata’s happen to be neat little cars. Some might say they are feminine. I’d invite those to a Spec Miata race and watch the door to door action, and tell me if that doesn’t look like a helluva lot of fun?

Let’s not forget that GM is in the position now of trying to capitalize on whatever they can. That can sometimes lead to things like the current Grand Sport. Interestingly enough, the previous Grand Sport was very much the same. More show than go. Some might argue the NISMO 370Z is cut from the same cloth.

Is the Vette the greatest thing since sliced bread under $60k? Who knows – that’s subjective. However, from a performance standpoint, it runs with cars that are way out of its price category and that is something it has done nearly since the 60’s. That’s its point. I firmly believe that the guy looking for a performance car is not considering both the Vette and the GT3. They are 2 distinctly different cars for 2 different customers. These are legacy cars. They are cars that cater to the existing ownership base. When the new one comes out, the owners trade up. Higher line models come out, and it’s what many of these owners aspire to get. A C6 customer probably wishes he had a Z06. A Z06 customer wishes he had a ZR1. A Carrera owner perhaps wishes he had a Turbo. And so it goes.

Edmunds – I appreciate your contributor trying to stir the pot, but in this case, I think he’s got it a bit backwards.

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