Some Corvette owners' wet dream of a Ferrari killer under $100K

Something I read which really resonated.

"For some cars, the ambition is simple: success is attained by meeting sales targets set by a boring suit with a spreadsheet fixation. Others though, others must be capable of the sort of blistering performance or next-level fuel economy that challenges your understanding of the physical world.

And then, there is a separate category of automobile, populated by cars unhindered by either metric. Cars like the Shelby GT350 do not exist because they are practical, or because they can hit 200mph. Instead, they exist to fill a higher purpose: emotional fulfillment."

I find that with ever fewer exceptions, modern cars and sportscars specificaly are missing more and more emotional fulfillment. Yes they impress with outre styling, yes the stats are impressive, yes the price is impressive, but the driving experience besides expolsive power is simply being diluted out. Some of that diluition is because of regulation(eps), a lot is because performance stats and or comfort is being chased uber alles. That is true of pretty much every sportsvcar manufacturer, excpet maybe the Gt3. How fast is fast enough and a;ready faster than useable. How much do we value sound and feel, tactility, a car that speaks to us through the chasiis, wheel seat etc, these are not objective measure, but very much related to drivign enjoyment especialy on the twisty road. I guess thats why I like an older ferrari(no ps, no nannies, live chassis and wheel, sonourous motor), or a lotus(alive and great in every way that counts to drive, besides the vibratey 4cl motor) for my weekend drive. Daily is a equinox, and Im still moving faster than most.

I also think its very dependant on where you live and drive. Was in Fl for a few weeks, cant think of a better car for there than a vette pr porche turbo. Your pretty much never going to find a corner to challenge it, youll never find a string of corners, the ac works, it hides in plain sight(plenty about) so as not to attract too much attention, the styling is appealing its comfortable and acclertaion is explosive in bursts.

 

I come from the camp that considering how bad the 80's/90's American cars were, I hated the Big 3 to the bones, and never ever planned on owning an American sports car. Then I drove the C5Z06 and said to myself, "Damn, this car is good!" And they were dominating in the races also.

Fast forward some time and I have owned 2 C6's over the span of 13 years, have a Saleen 281SC and still own and track the 2008 C6Z06 (dang proud of the Americans!). Just based on personal experience (10 track days per year for ~14 years), but on the track amateur level, the Vette is undeniably one of the best performers and bang for your buck vehicles STRAIGHT OUT OF THE BOX. Don't come to me with Porsche or BMW or anything argument unless they are in stock form for the same price range, and with the same skills...the Vette will run away from these other vehicles, all day long and reliably so also.

Btw, still own and love my 2002 Boxster base, maybe more so than any of my other cars, pure fun to drive.

So, please don't buy into stereotypes and drive as many brands as you can. Just soak it in and you will blissfully enjoy the rides when your mind is clear of any preconceived ideas...

 

The most enjoyable daily driver and track day car I have ever owned was the C5Z06. Had one in the garage for over a 12yr period with 100k mi of daily driving and 4-5 track days a year. Then I moved to a C6ZR1. The best thing about that car were the brakes. Yes I could go much faster down the straight but those brakes allowed later braking which really changed things. But overall the car was not as fun at the track. The saying that driving a slow car fast is better is very true from an enjoyment standpoint. As for daily driving, the C6ZR1 was horrible with all the ground effects. Always scrapping or worst breaking the splitters. So I rarely drove it around town. I am already looking around to bag another C5Z to play with.

 

Yes! The C6 Z06/ZR1 splitters are a pain in the ass!