Is the Corvette an Old Man's Car?

The corvette is a midlife crisis car.

the camaro is for young people that like to PAAAAAAAAAAAAARTYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lol... I sort of concur... I mean the corvette is still cool, for anybody. The bottom line is who is driving the car. I have a feeling that as soon as the new Camaro comes out, a bunch of OLD guys are gonna be driving that too. The bottom line is that cool cars turn into old guy cars because old guys are the only ones who can AFFORD cool cars..us youngons are stuck with old Buicks.

autophile, that is true unfortunately haha

but for those kids with rich parents im sure most of them would go for the camaro, and im sure most old guys would choose a corvette

The Corvette is a right-wing Republican, old man fart-mobile. The driver is over 50 (but never drives over 50) with garish Tommy Bahama shorts through which you can see the outlines of his Depends adult diapers, calf high black socks with bright leather sandals, a floral print full sleeve shirt, and a cheap cigar smoldering in his sunburnt face.

The Z06 and upcoming Blue Devil/Z07 are impressive machines but the bodies?

no.

no world war 3 because no one really cares for the corvette on this site

True, but Vette's still have one of the most loyal fan-bases in the auto industry. Try & convince them that the Vette's an "Old Mans Car" whose time is up!

You are missing a few bolts and bobines Machine. ou are in the wrong site if you think people here dont like them. Corvettes are one of the only American cars that can compete against some of the best from Europe.

'Drueling'? WTF?

Come on 001.

Yes the Vette is an old man's car blah blah....next story please.

wow.

I always use to say that. "Fisher Price" interior. It's a joke.

The reason why most of these remain to be "old man" cars is because they never evolved into anything exciting (IMO) in the 80's and 90's, and therefore, GM, Ford, etc. had to use retro designs with modern cues.

Look at today's Mustang. Why couldn't it 'evolve' into that design? A look at the previous generations and they dont even look like the same car.

I generally associate all American makes with older drivers (45+) ...and people in the South.

bimmermike-

The stang always offered a V6 affordable to the masses. Not to mention that it was quite a small car in 60's (for the standard in that day)
Not that what you said isnt true...just making a note of that.

Every nation has its mid-life crisis car. Here in Europe we have the Porsche 911, Americans have the Corvette.

The 911 is a poplular mid-lifer choice in the states as well.

See I don't find Porsche to really fall under the mid-life crisis category...You buy a 911 for yourself, not necessarily to flaunt your wealth.

That's the whole point of a midlife crisis.. to feel young again. lol

The Porsche 911 is (IMO) not only a work of art but a multi decade piece of automotive racing history .
To be fortunate enough to own one as a young person is perhaps less common as pricing can be a deterrent .

As a seven time Porsche 911 owner who began buying them in my early thirties I am glad to say that I have captured a part of this vehicle's evolution. My sentiment about the car had nothing to do with self image .

I would not care if a majority of any age category liked or disliked the car because my perceptions are not based on the opinions of others .

The Camaro will always be a mullet car.

$37k? Really???

I'd just have more fun in a EVO, but, I'm also 23.

I'm in total concurance and I'd even go one step further: The 5th Gen. Camaro is more beautiful than it's big sister (corvette) and wayyyyy more beautiful than it's competing model (Ford Mustang). Not sure why GM has is waiting so long to re-release the Camaro.

If you even thought about going for girls half your age I would have you arrested!

I loved the camaro in the movie... looked fantastic!
But I dont agree with you, the vette isnt for old people, its just starting to look dated thats all.

agreed. however, the Z06 made it interesting.

Definitely an old mans car. Around here the only people you see driving them are bald mid 50's guys with leather jackets and pony tails. NOT A GOOD LOOK!!! It was the car to have when they were kids...now its the car to have when you get old.
T

I never liked these (Retro,muscle...etc) American cars.

Give me a 3 Coupe,CLK or S5

JUGNU

G37 Coupe,350Z...etc

JUGNU

G35 (now G37) coupe is popular with tuners (younger, males in their 20's) and those in their 30's and 40's. Likewise with the 3 series.

I think what may have really stereotyped American Muscle cars to be for 'rednecks' was the 80's, the last time they really existed, (remember the IROC Z?!) The culture at this time was, well....you remember...big hair, mullets, rock 'n roll.

Muscle cars didnt exist in the 90's (with the exception of the corvette and the at-the-time lame mustang)

...all just an opinion

Begin Rant:

Sure alot of old men drive Corvettes. And why the hell is anyone surprised by this. When they were growing up the Corvette was THE car. All i know is many of my friends in the 21-26 group love the Corvette and all
would love to buy one in a few years when our finances are more stable over pretty much any other car in the price range.

Its of no surpise to me that the majority of the people here would rather have a G37, some lexus, BMW, Merc or Audi. Times have changed, in America the Corvette is no longer THE car to aspire to. Where the older generation sat reading about the Vette and dreaming of one in there driveway, now people dream about putting in a BMW/Audi/Merc/lexus/Infiniti.

Not a bad thing, just different generational appeal.

Corvette may not be the peoples choice here, but the Corvette has one of the strongest fan bases in the country and even the world. The Corvette IMO is way more than a car. Its a part of American Culture, freedom and a legacy to all of the great Corvettes before it. If 50+ crowd living in Middle America are the only ones who grasp this and care about what the Corvette means, then call me old fashioned.
You can have your Infiniti, lexus, BMW, Mercedes. Ill take the Corvette every single time.

Oh not to mention stock the Corvette can go 0-60 in low 4 sec, a top speed over 180 and beats cars quite often worth 2x as much.

Back on topic, Camaro looks great. But its no Corvette

PS. This is not a knock on BMW/MERC/AUDI/LEXUS or any other cars mentioned. I DD a 01 330ci.

Thank for your insightful commentary which helps to offset the ignorant and stereotypical comments that have been posted so far.

I’m sure there are plenty of Corvette buyers who buy the car simply for its looks and its ability to make them reminisce about the time when they first wanted the car but couldn’t afford it. I’m also sure that there are those that buy it because it performs so well and for a value price.

After reading some of these posts I can’t understand is what so wrong with being “old” and enjoying something that you’ve worked so hard for and probably deserve. This article was nonsensical at best and only proved that people are still willing to segregate and demean those of different demographic. You can pick at traits that might seem typical of the average Corvette buyer as easy as you can pick out frying pans in the sky at night. The same can be done for any typical automobile today. For example, I guess then it would be okay for me to talk about the typical tuner/ricer being a high-school dropout/hoodlum who probably has a kid already, lives at home with mommy because daddy ran away when he was 1 years old. Or, maybe he’s some Asian kid whose daddy has 4 Chinese restaurants and a laundry mat and he’s trying to fit it with the rest of the other Asian kids. Give me a friggin break. Grow the f@#k up!

Not only is the Corvette popular worldwide, but so is the Mustang. There are cult-like followings in Europe, of which I would never have guessed existed until I saw them with my own eyes. (Speedvision...)

001 has nothing else to post today ... corvette is a great performance car for it's price, but it's still expensive. Not everybody makes money doing nothing 001, not every young guy can afford a 50-70k car.

When country music is cool, the Camaro and Corvette will be as well.

So no, they will never be cool.

I don’t know about Corvette but Sucxus..err..Lexus definitely is a old geeser car! Brah ha ha!

NO, because there is no such thing as an "old man's car".

First: show respect for your elders. Let them drive whatever they wish, be it a Roadmaster, Miata, ES350, or 911. They all accomplish about the same thing in the big scheme of things.

Second: every male older than you are could be considered an "old man". This usually also means he is more experienced and probably therefore makes wiser decisions in general. His judgement is vehicle purchases is probably more refined than yours, especially if he has the additional savings to afford it. Fanboys: shut up, watch, and learn.

corvettes arent bad cars, like its z06, but its flashy. I'd stick to an evo, or 335i

Saying the Corvette is an old man's car is retarded! So you do not see older men driving BMW's, 911's, Ferrari's??? Give me a break! The C6 is the best Corvette yet and yes it still more refining to be concidered refined as a 911, but the performance cannot be dismissed. Z06 shames the 911 Turbo in performance but not in drive feel and the 911 is generally more fun to drive.

Typically people who buy the Corvettes are either rich kids or men who finally have all of their kids graduating college and it is more affordable.

Formula
If you can buy a "brand new" Corvette for 37K my advice to you is:
1. Borrow as much money from your mommy as you can.
2. Buy as many "brand new Vettes for 37K" as you can.
3. Find a vacant lot
4. Sell them to all the old men you can find for $39,604 or more (The actual invoice cost of a base 2008 Vette)
5. Drive to the nearest VW dealership with your earnings.

Market value has little to do with the cars perfomance. Yes The Porsche has better resell value becuase they sell much less cars than GMs Corvette. Beleive it or not Porsche actually reduces factory output if resell values are dropping too fast! It is rediculous to say a car is rubbish for resell value alone.

Of course it is definitely something to consider when purchasing a new vehicle.

yes everytime you see a corvette it has a old man in it.

I live in Monterey, CA and we have lots and lots of every nice car. They are almost always driven by middle aged and older men, or women of slightly younger age to old age. Sometimes I'm amazed that the trophy moms can work the iDrive in their new 7 series.

From what I've seen and heard, Corvettes hold their values very nicely. Porsches often have the highest resale values of any brand in the world, so the comparison is a bit unfair. But Corvettes, just like Vipers and Ford GTs, have and will hold their values well. At least until the Baby Boomers die off in large enough numbers.

For Corvette, I don't think it's fair to look at any model other than the Z06. Just like it's not fair to say much about a C2 or non-S Boxster. given how much greater the GT3 is for about 25% more, it's not worth discussing any other Porsche model. The GT3 is clearly one of the greatest cars on earth: designed for the track, with RWD and 400 high-RPM non-turbo HP. While looking oh so bad.

That said, the Z06 is almost as good of a track car as the GT3. Maybe a little less composed mid-turn, but probably able to keep up with or beat a GT3 around the Nurburgring. Corvettes has suffered less bloating than almost any other sports car in the world. Before you compare it to a Lotus, remember that is does have 7.0l of engine and sufficiently-stout drivetrain, and imagine what those enormous wheels and brakes must weigh.

I grew up with the C4 at it's prime when I was in my teens. Even then it was hideously inferior to the near-supercars of the day. But the C5 blew away all industry expectations, and the C6 has taken that excellent formula and refined with more HP, smaller overhangs and more contemporary sharp detailing and no-flip headlights. OK, so the interior might be a little cheesy, but at least it beats the STI and Evo. The Z06 once again goes one further, this time reaching pretty heady MSRP, but one look at the spec sheet and it's obviously a bargain. How about the upcoming supercharged SS Corvette? That thing is going to spank a Viper in a straight line, and then run away from it in the turns. Maybe the baddest front engined car since the Ferrari Daytona.

The Camaro is a nice looking car and will no doubt compete with the Mustang for ownership. However, Interesting that a car capable of posting a sub 4 second 0-60 and out handling almost every car on the road is a "Old Man's Car". Obviously there is an inherent lack of appreciation of speed and control in the current generation's opinion of what makes a car desirable to own. Rice Burner's are just that no matter what modification's you make. Unfortunately the current generation seems to value impressing friend's and family with a BMW or Lexus if they can afford it. As for price of the Corvette, you do have to shop around, a friend just bought a 2004 Commemorative Edition with 20,000 miles on it for $31,000. Bottom line the Corvette is still the only TRUE American Sports Car. With 505 HP and great gas mileage call it an "Old Man's Car" if you want.. I'll take one any day !

The Corvette for anyone that wants a great American sports car and has the money.

Most young punks don't have any money.

This is interesting. Sports Car Market, the collector car realm's must-read for those who are serious about buying, selling and collecting have identified a strong niche in Corvette. The prices at the five top collector car auctions have showed strong increases in sale figures over the last three years. Now it is not uncommon at all to see a Corvette on display sitting side-by-side with a Ferrari, a Jaguar, a 'Cuda and a Duesenberg. SCM will probably put out the first intelligent magazine about Corvettes and they see the car as the perfect crossover bridging sports and exotics with muscle and sport. They call the magazine Corvette Market Magazine and it's going to be a quarterly...www.vettemarket.com. Maybe the younger generation will sit up and take notice and we'll see classic split windows with tuners going head to head with Scions on Saturday night! Their Corvette will probably go up in value while the Scion...well, not so sure.

You saw the transformers movie. Did you bring your bot bot along? Did your mommy pick you up at the movies when it was over. Did the bad old man in his Corvette speed by you and mommy on the way home. All popular cars evolve my under-developed friend. The 911 is the most obvious example. The Camaro pictured above is not a fresh young design. Its a good looking retro design based on the very first Camaro from decades ago. People who buy Vettes and Porsches and the like are all in the middle of their life (they have money). Its for the younger people and toddlers like yourself to aspire to great cars like these.

For sure it is an older person's car. I still like it a lot. But it is a less prestigious mid-life crisis car than the 911. I think of the Corvette as a 'blue-collar guy who turned 45 car and the 911 as a white-collar guy turned 45 car.

How can you say that a car that's modeled after a 40 year old design "looks modern, fresh"?

Seriously, the Corvette is just a better, faster car. Genuine RPO performance features--like 4-wheel independent suspension, fuel-injection, 4-wheel disk brakes, aluminum heads, etc.--always appear first on the Corvette. Even in its last and possibly highest performance incarnation, the Camaro still had a solid axle, and handled like sh*t on anything but perfect road surfaces.

And to 'E34M5', the ZR-1 Corvette was every bit as fast, if not faster, than virtually any european supercar of the day--including the Turbo Porsche, Testaross, etc.--cost about half as much to acquire, and could be properly maintained without taking a second on your Pebble Beach mansion.

Lastly, FWIW, when was the last time that you saw anyone under 50 years old in a true exotic?

LOL with its hardly "impressive" performance, the camaro is the car for the guy who couldnt afford a corvette. You camaro guys try...but in the end ur just getting a good look at my exhausts. Cheers.