RE: PH Heroes: Chevrolet Corvette
Discussion
h and I spanked it!the older C5 vette can be had for as little as 12k, LS1 V8, reliable great fun and stunning looking.. had my heart set on one, even found a mint one in torch red with 32k on the clock for only £14,000. Was all set to buy it and then by fluke cames across a 2001 Trans Am Ram Air with the same LS1 V8.. (except it had supercharger conversion and 600 bhp!).. Had i not seen it i would have a red vette in my garage..
hesnotthemessiah said:
Love the 58! Still an amazing car. I don't think they have made a bad one (IMHO). Even the big lairy 80's ones.
I'll 2nd that. The 58 in cream/red is a beauty and easily one of the best looking cars ever in my opinion.That said, I'm quite a fan of the C4's too, L98 with a 4+3 for me please
anything fast said:
the older C5 vette can be had for as little as 12k, LS1 V8, reliable great fun and stunning looking.. had my heart set on one, even found a mint one in torch red with 32k on the clock for only £14,000. Was all set to buy it and then by fluke cames across a 2001 Trans Am Ram Air with the same LS1 V8.. (except it had supercharger conversion and 600 bhp!).. Had i not seen it i would have a red vette in my garage..
I hear you on the TA... the late model ('97+) Camaros and TransAms both come with the LS1 and are amazing value at under £7.5k for a tidy one and not a whole bunch more for a minter300bhp/ton said:
carl0s said:
err, but they've only got 1950s technology haven't they? 
Certainly do, well no, probably more like 1920's that all sounds like its from the 1850's not the 1950's
Z28fan said:
anything fast said:
the older C5 vette can be had for as little as 12k, LS1 V8, reliable great fun and stunning looking.. had my heart set on one, even found a mint one in torch red with 32k on the clock for only £14,000. Was all set to buy it and then by fluke cames across a 2001 Trans Am Ram Air with the same LS1 V8.. (except it had supercharger conversion and 600 bhp!).. Had i not seen it i would have a red vette in my garage..
I hear you on the TA... the late model ('97+) Camaros and TransAms both come with the LS1 and are amazing value at under £7.5k for a tidy one and not a whole bunch more for a minterG4HKS said:
BLUETHUNDER said:
I love my Vette. It must be one of the best cars i have ever owned.Cheap to run and great performance. I will be trading up for a later C6 or possibly a C6 Z06 some time next year.....
I have to say Mark I do like the look of your C5 - even with its fat arse rear end! Still, I can talk - look what's turned up next to the Vette in my garage?!
At least it's black with 500BHP+ and a manual gearbox even if the steering wheel is on the wrong side...
Edited by G4HKS on Monday 20th September 23:47
Does anyone know how much it costs to rent a 'Vette Stateside? Have always fancied a drive round the country in one of their sports cars, although the drive from LA to Vegas is pretty dull - I did it the other way round (in a Chrysler Sebring Cab!) with the sun low in the sky blinding me and got lost in LA ending up near Hollywood Boulevard, not that I had any particular destination in mind - happy days! :-)
Iv'e had both C4 and now C5 Corvette. Brilliant, Value for money or "bang for your buck" as they like to say. Take no notice of Clarkson , take a look on Youtube's Fith Gear edition when Tiff Nedell took the C6 Corvette ( ZO6 ) on Test in the U.S. Now, Tiff is a good driver. He really rated it. He really spanked it too.
as far as I am concerned there is nothing not to like.
ps: try getting two sets of golf bats in the trunk of an Italian Jobby !!
as far as I am concerned there is nothing not to like.
ps: try getting two sets of golf bats in the trunk of an Italian Jobby !!
anything fast said:
300bhp/ton said:
carl0s said:
err, but they've only got 1950s technology haven't they?
Certainly do, well no, probably more like 1920's that all sounds like its from the 1850's not the 1950's
I'm not a happy T56 owner I have a further shim to add if it's not raining this weekend, then it's time for rebuild kits
badgerracing said:
I had a convertible Mustang booked for a couple of days with Hertz for a trip from LAX down to San Diego last year. When I arrived the clerk excitely uttered the words "can I offer sir something a little more interesting?"
In my jetlagged state I mumbled a vaguely positive response to which he followed: "Well it would usually be $150. To you sir, $80. No, $50." without even saying what the upgrade was. I wasn't in the mood to make any hard decisions, so just agreed.
He led me out to a yellow convertible Corvette. Best £35 I've ever spent, even if it was gridlock traffic most of the way.
Any talk of rental cars immediately clears jetlag..it is one of the most anticipating times i have experienced. Last rental car i had was a Prius. Was travelling with family and mum had booked a Mondeo. Mad thing with its auto park feature.That steering wheel swirling on its own has to be seen. Took me several minutes to get it moving as well. Not really a pistonhead favourite but i quite enjoyed the tech.In my jetlagged state I mumbled a vaguely positive response to which he followed: "Well it would usually be $150. To you sir, $80. No, $50." without even saying what the upgrade was. I wasn't in the mood to make any hard decisions, so just agreed.
He led me out to a yellow convertible Corvette. Best £35 I've ever spent, even if it was gridlock traffic most of the way.
`
In all fairness the ride is completely different. The Vette is a lot lighter,and the handling is in a different league.lighter???
C5 Vette apparently weighs 1480 kg, a 2001 trans am weighs 1560 kg.. hardly an elephant!!!
the WS6 Ram Air trans Am has a limited top speed at 165 mph, 0-60 in 4.9
C5 vette 175 mph 0-60 4.7
My one 0-60 in 4.0 dead, no speed limiter, no idea how fast it will go but with 585 BHP will easily do more than 175, mine has the standard WS6 pack but with a full upgrade on springs, shocks, bushes, anti roll bars, pan hard rod, trailing arms etc (will easily out handle with similar age vettes)
both standard cars have a bone shaking ride, on flat road they are fine, go over a bump and you can feel the back end bounce and i have driven plenty of corvettes, a standard TA is nicer to drive as its a more softer set up... mine is something else as it is set up for handling which compromises ride quality...and has very very hard ride and little give in the suspension but it does corner very well now..
BLUETHUNDER said:
Z28fan said:
anything fast said:
the older C5 vette can be had for as little as 12k, LS1 V8, reliable great fun and stunning looking.. had my heart set on one, even found a mint one in torch red with 32k on the clock for only £14,000. Was all set to buy it and then by fluke cames across a 2001 Trans Am Ram Air with the same LS1 V8.. (except it had supercharger conversion and 600 bhp!).. Had i not seen it i would have a red vette in my garage..
I hear you on the TA... the late model ('97+) Camaros and TransAms both come with the LS1 and are amazing value at under £7.5k for a tidy one and not a whole bunch more for a minterC5 Vette apparently weighs 1480 kg, a 2001 trans am weighs 1560 kg.. hardly an elephant!!!
the WS6 Ram Air trans Am has a limited top speed at 165 mph, 0-60 in 4.9
C5 vette 175 mph 0-60 4.7
My one 0-60 in 4.0 dead, no speed limiter, no idea how fast it will go but with 585 BHP will easily do more than 175, mine has the standard WS6 pack but with a full upgrade on springs, shocks, bushes, anti roll bars, pan hard rod, trailing arms etc (will easily out handle with similar age vettes)
both standard cars have a bone shaking ride, on flat road they are fine, go over a bump and you can feel the back end bounce and i have driven plenty of corvettes, a standard TA is nicer to drive as its a more softer set up... mine is something else as it is set up for handling which compromises ride quality...and has very very hard ride and little give in the suspension but it does corner very well now..
badgerracing said:
I had a convertible Mustang booked for a couple of days with Hertz for a trip from LAX down to San Diego last year. When I arrived the clerk excitely uttered the words "can I offer sir something a little more interesting?"
In my jetlagged state I mumbled a vaguely positive response to which he followed: "Well it would usually be $150. To you sir, $80. No, $50." without even saying what the upgrade was. I wasn't in the mood to make any hard decisions, so just agreed.
He led me out to a yellow convertible Corvette. Best £35 I've ever spent, even if it was gridlock traffic most of the way.
Lucky you, I got an 'upgrade' to a Mecury Grand MarquisIn my jetlagged state I mumbled a vaguely positive response to which he followed: "Well it would usually be $150. To you sir, $80. No, $50." without even saying what the upgrade was. I wasn't in the mood to make any hard decisions, so just agreed.
He led me out to a yellow convertible Corvette. Best £35 I've ever spent, even if it was gridlock traffic most of the way.
4.6L ford V8, slower than my 1.2 Polo !
Still, the boot was huge and we would have struggled a bit to get the luggage in the compact and the air con worked well.
Gary C said:
badgerracing said:
I had a convertible Mustang booked for a couple of days with Hertz for a trip from LAX down to San Diego last year. When I arrived the clerk excitely uttered the words "can I offer sir something a little more interesting?"
In my jetlagged state I mumbled a vaguely positive response to which he followed: "Well it would usually be $150. To you sir, $80. No, $50." without even saying what the upgrade was. I wasn't in the mood to make any hard decisions, so just agreed.
He led me out to a yellow convertible Corvette. Best £35 I've ever spent, even if it was gridlock traffic most of the way.
Lucky you, I got an 'upgrade' to a Mecury Grand MarquisIn my jetlagged state I mumbled a vaguely positive response to which he followed: "Well it would usually be $150. To you sir, $80. No, $50." without even saying what the upgrade was. I wasn't in the mood to make any hard decisions, so just agreed.
He led me out to a yellow convertible Corvette. Best £35 I've ever spent, even if it was gridlock traffic most of the way.
4.6L ford V8, slower than my 1.2 Polo !
Still, the boot was huge and we would have struggled a bit to get the luggage in the compact and the air con worked well.
It's listed here at 7.5 sec 0-60mph http://www.carzunlimited.com/carz-style/specs/merc...
Edited by 300bhp/ton on Wednesday 22 September 13:07
anything fast said:
`
In all fairness the ride is completely different. The Vette is a lot lighter,and the handling is in a different league.lighter???
C5 Vette apparently weighs 1480 kg, a 2001 trans am weighs 1560 kg.. hardly an elephant!!!
the WS6 Ram Air trans Am has a limited top speed at 165 mph, 0-60 in 4.9
C5 vette 175 mph 0-60 4.7
My one 0-60 in 4.0 dead, no speed limiter, no idea how fast it will go but with 585 BHP will easily do more than 175, mine has the standard WS6 pack but with a full upgrade on springs, shocks, bushes, anti roll bars, pan hard rod, trailing arms etc (will easily out handle with similar age vettes)
both standard cars have a bone shaking ride, on flat road they are fine, go over a bump and you can feel the back end bounce and i have driven plenty of corvettes, a standard TA is nicer to drive as its a more softer set up... mine is something else as it is set up for handling which compromises ride quality...and has very very hard ride and little give in the suspension but it does corner very well now..
I'm sorry but i have to disagree. Ive driven both. And they both feel completely different. I have never had a bone shaking ride in the Corvette. The ride is a hell of a lot more compliant. The T/A feels a big heavy car. And it shows in its handling. You cant throw them in to the bends like you can a vette. Ive tried. As for top end speed. I have managed a flat out 183mph from mine. A little more than the manufacturers stated figures.BLUETHUNDER said:
Z28fan said:
anything fast said:
the older C5 vette can be had for as little as 12k, LS1 V8, reliable great fun and stunning looking.. had my heart set on one, even found a mint one in torch red with 32k on the clock for only £14,000. Was all set to buy it and then by fluke cames across a 2001 Trans Am Ram Air with the same LS1 V8.. (except it had supercharger conversion and 600 bhp!).. Had i not seen it i would have a red vette in my garage..
I hear you on the TA... the late model ('97+) Camaros and TransAms both come with the LS1 and are amazing value at under £7.5k for a tidy one and not a whole bunch more for a minterC5 Vette apparently weighs 1480 kg, a 2001 trans am weighs 1560 kg.. hardly an elephant!!!
the WS6 Ram Air trans Am has a limited top speed at 165 mph, 0-60 in 4.9
C5 vette 175 mph 0-60 4.7
My one 0-60 in 4.0 dead, no speed limiter, no idea how fast it will go but with 585 BHP will easily do more than 175, mine has the standard WS6 pack but with a full upgrade on springs, shocks, bushes, anti roll bars, pan hard rod, trailing arms etc (will easily out handle with similar age vettes)
both standard cars have a bone shaking ride, on flat road they are fine, go over a bump and you can feel the back end bounce and i have driven plenty of corvettes, a standard TA is nicer to drive as its a more softer set up... mine is something else as it is set up for handling which compromises ride quality...and has very very hard ride and little give in the suspension but it does corner very well now..
I like the the T/A. But as a drivers car it has no appeal for me. Great all round cruiser. But something i couldn't turn up at the track in and enjoy.
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