[Car] Chevrolet Corvette

For next year, as my first car I'm thinking of buying an '02-'04 Corvette. They are in almost mint condition with 50K mileage. The newer ones go around $50K, but these are only $20K-$25K. It looks fuel efficient enough for me, with 24 highway mpg.

What do you think? Get a more recent car for $25K, or get a used, but great condition Corvette?





edit: I will buy the car in my moms name, so the insurance is lower.

 

its a great car, awesome car! You can't get a better one for the money IMO, I want one of those some day.
An 02-04, WOW, is all I can say! This has been my dream car for so long. I'm going to buy one someday from the States because their so expensive here in Canada.

I have a Camaro now, I'm a chevy guy.

 

Heh, yea. For some weird reasons, I'm in love with American cars like Corvettes, and Mustangs. A Mustang would be my 2nd choice.

 

AND the Viper, thats an awesome car too. Not so much the mustang. I like the 80's mustangs, the new ones I see to many old people driving. I LOVE the new Cobra.

 

That is one beautiful car.

 

Doesn't having it your mommys name kinda neutralize the playboy image?

kidding....cool car, but consider getting something with really good mileage.

 

The "best mileage" I can get is 0. Yup, you guessed it... a new car. A new Corvette would be way out of my budget.

 

I would go with the older Vette. Corvettes are classic and will never go out of style...

And talk to Mia. He just bought at Corvette too...

 

pretty cool and rock .......


i love it .......

 

More pictures!

 

Do you live where it snows? If so you are most likely going to want a second car.

Is $1,200 or so too much for you to pay for a new set of tires? The fronts and backs are different sizes so you can't rotate them. And you aren't going to find high mileage tires (nor would you want them) in the sizes the Vette requires. I doubt I could get a set to last a year.

I really doubt you will get 24 MPG. Does the Vette require higher octane gas? Gas prices aren't going down and the gas bills pile up quick because the car will be fun to drive.

With 50,000 miles you are going to have to consider the maintenance that will be required. For instance, call and check the price of a brake job, including rotors, you probably will want to be sitting down.

Do you like speed? If so you will get frustrated on the streets because you won't be able to find the limits of the car, you will have to go to the track. I spent close to $5,000 on just tires and rims the first year I started taking my car, similar to a Vette, to the track.

I have owned a lot of high performance cars. They are a lot more expensive than most people think.

Take it from someone who has been there. Don't buy a high performance car like a Vette unless you KNOW you can afford it.

Tom

 

Wow, thats for the information!

No, it does not snow here in So California. Are you serious that the tires don't even last a year?! And shouldn't maintenance twice a year be good enough?

 

You are lucky to be able to drive all year!

I never get tires to last more than 20 to 25,000 miles on my fun cars. But I have a pretty heavy foot. I don't abuse the cars or tires, I just drive them hard. Your mileage may vary.

Maintenance varies. I do oil changes every 4 or 5 thousand miles with synthetic oils. Brakes are another thing that will wear depending on how hard you drive. But above 50,000 miles there are other things that will start going bad on the car, those are hard to estimate and can be quite costly. And if you don't know who owned the car before you may buy one that was driven by someone like me who took the car to the track 15 to 20 times a year.

Don't let a car break you financially. There is a reason that so many Vettes are driven by old men.

Tom

 

Heh, I guess I'll have to 'reserve' $5,000 a year for car maintenance.

 

Cool car. You will be paying thousands each year for maintenance. It's great that you'll be able to drive it all year in SoCal, but the downside is Corvettes are everywhere in SoCal. A Corvette turns heads where I'm from, but in SoCal you've got to have at least a Viper for anyone to notice. That's why I like the older muscle cars. They have enough power to scare you while driving them, and they're rare enough that people will turn their heads and watch it go by. They also tend to be really loud, like they're demanding your attention.

 

If you do get one, be sure to come join us here: http://forums.corvetteforum.com/

I just picked up a 1979 Vette myself recently.. $24k is about the going rate on the one you posted.. Myself, I like the older ones..

 

With that budget range I would much prefer a high end German car to an American "sports car", no matter how much I like the looks of the Corvette.

A BMW 3 series coupe, maybe? Nice car, you can get a 2005 for that money.

 

The American car is going to be much cheaper to service though...