Keep the C7 Stingray or back to a Viper?

[Raven]

I did exactly what you're pondering.. Get the Gen V and then buy a C7 Z06 (when it's released) so you can have the best of both worlds!

The base vette (the Stingray) just does NOT do it for me - and I can't imagine it does for YOU EITHER coming from a friggin Gen IV!!!

It doesn't! That's why I'm looking. ;-)

 

[Mopar488]

It is basically the $35K question. Do you have the extra $35K to put out for the base viper over a Vette with the Z51 package? Have you driven them both? I would advise you to drive them both and then ask yourself, is this worth $35K more? Then you will not have any regrets once you have had a chance to experience both. Good luck with your decision.

 

[Raven]

It is basically the $35K question. Do you have the extra $35K to put out for the base viper over a Vette with the Z51 package? Have you driven them both? I would advise you to drive them both and then ask yourself, is this worth $35K more? Then you will not have any regrets once you have had a chance to experience both. Good luck with your decision.

Yep, I drove an Adrenaline red SRT. JAW DROPPING... Worth the extra cost easily in my view.

Looking at a Gunmetal Gray tomorrow. ;-)

 

[Allan]

What I can't believe are the discounts on the 2013s...man o man...., but it would be my 07 SRT8 AND the 03 Viper, plus cash. My financial advisor would disown me...but maybe never an opportunity like this again. I gotta get off these forums...!

You and I are in the same boat.
I am doing my best to not buy one.
Crappy reviews and lame media attention made it easy to resist.
Hearing all the real world reviews from fellow Viper guys that bought the car and understand what a Viper is, has made the temptation greater.

 

[vancouver-gts]

Raven, you've answered your own question already in your first post stating that you like the rawness of the Viper compared to the C7 you own. As a previous owner of a raw [ 66 Vette coupe, 427 with sidepipes and knock off wheels ] and beautiful Vette from yester years, to me Vettes died after the C2's. Bought a 1980 L82 model later [ should have kept the 66,yeah] with Gymkhana suspension. It was a disappointment gutless wonder. Never bought another after that one. Driven the newer models, friends owned them, liked the ZO6 but still wouldn't buy one. My 99 stays as I have no desire buying anything newer anymore [just more electronics and tech thrown in] and my son will appreciate when passing it on to him one day. Like the Gen IV ACR though!
Had 68 Barracuda 4 spd vert, 68 Charger 383 Torqueflight auto and 72 Challenger 340 4 spd, they were all raw Mopars the way we liked them back in the ol' days.

 

[Twister]

Ive seen a few c7s. Didnt seem any diff than the c6 in real life. In pics It looked wild. But in real life just ok. I couldnt even compare them personally.

 

[Paul Hawker]

These cars are supposed to be fun to drive. Buy the one that provides you the most fun.

 

[swexlin]

You and I are in the same boat.
I am doing my best to not buy one.
Crappy reviews and lame media attention made it easy to resist.
Hearing all the real world reviews from fellow Viper guys that bought the car and understand what a Viper is, has made the temptation greater.

My thoughts exactly Allan. Problem is, as you and I have both stated here many time, our two Vipers are worth about a combined $10.00! I wonder if they would take my left, err....

Seriously, I think I'll wait until a few gently used examples come on the market, then make the decision.

 

[Raven]

Raven, you've answered your own question already in your first post stating that you like the rawness of the Viper compared to the C7 you own. As a previous owner of a raw [ 66 Vette coupe, 427 with sidepipes and knock off wheels ] and beautiful Vette from yester years, to me Vettes died after the C2's. Bought a 1980 L82 model later [ should have kept the 66,yeah] with Gymkhana suspension. It was a disappointment gutless wonder. Never bought another after that one. Driven the newer models, friends owned them, liked the ZO6 but still wouldn't buy one. My 99 stays as I have no desire buying anything newer anymore [just more electronics and tech thrown in] and my son will appreciate when passing it on to him one day. Like the Gen IV ACR though!
Had 68 Barracuda 4 spd vert, 68 Charger 383 Torqueflight auto and 72 Challenger 340 4 spd, they were all raw Mopars the way we liked them back in the ol' days.

Yep, I think you're right. For me, the C7 is lacking in visceral appeal, excitement, and what it requires of you as a driver. It is an amazing car in so many ways but for me - and it's just my opinion - while it has all the potential in the world, it just does not grab me like the Viper does.

I thought it would. I HOPED it would. But it does not.

Like they say in the movies, 'It's not you, it's me...'

 

[Twister]

Lol....good one

 

[labtec]

From what I have heard the C7 is a great car....for everyone and this is the problem with it. GM's business model is to make a car that has enough appeal for all the different groups in order to sell as many as possible. If it were more raw or it didn't have heated/cooled seats, blah, blah then they would sell less and that just won’t work for the shareholders. The bottom line is the C7 = compromise on some levels while the Viper does not, at least not intentionally. Even though I can’t currently swing a Gen 5, every time I get into my 04 and fire up the sound system (thanks again Belanger) it puts a big smile on my face. I am very fortunate to be part of an exclusive club, a club without compromises.

 

[Allan]

From what I have heard the C7 is a great car....for everyone and this is the problem with it. GM's business model is to make a car that has enough appeal for all the different groups in order to sell as many as possible. If it were more raw or it didn't have heated/cooled seats, blah, blah then they would sell less and that just won’t work for the shareholders. The bottom line is the C7 = compromise on some levels while the Viper does not, at least not intentionally. Even though I can’t currently swing a Gen 5, every time I get into my 04 and fire up the sound system (thanks again Belanger) it puts a big smile on my face. I am very fortunate to be part of an exclusive club, a club without compromises.

Yes, Corvettes are for people that want a nice American sports car.
Vipers are for people that want a car that's rude and pissed-off.

 

[PeterMJ]

Yes, Corvettes are for people that want a car that looks like an American sports car.
Vipers are for people that want to drive a sports car and know how to drive it.

Fixed

 

[PeterMJ]

From what I have heard the C7 is a great car....for everyone and this is the problem with it. GM's business model is to make a car that has enough appeal for all the different groups in order to sell as many as possible. If it were more raw or it didn't have heated/cooled seats, blah, blah then they would sell less and that just won’t work for the shareholders. The bottom line is the C7 = compromise on some levels while the Viper does not, at least not intentionally. Even though I can’t currently swing a Gen 5, every time I get into my 04 and fire up the sound system (thanks again Belanger) it puts a big smile on my face. I am very fortunate to be part of an exclusive club, a club without compromises.

And that would be mainly people who already bought it, without a single test drive. May have something to do with purchase justification.

 

[Raven]

I test drove my C7 before I bought it and was impressed.

But looking back, I was way more impressed when I bought my Gen IV and drove it from Goergia to NW Ohio - without a test drive first.

Now THAT was a great drive!

 

[PeterMJ]

I test drove my C7 before I bought it and was impressed.

But looking back, I was way more impressed when I bought my Gen IV and drove it from Goergia to NW Ohio - without a test drive first.

Now THAT was a great drive!

Corvette is a car, Viper is a state of mind, at least it should be.

 

[Raven]

Corvette is a car, Viper is a state of mind, at least it should be.

Absolutely.

 

[elanderholm]

I test drove my C7 before I bought it and was impressed. But looking back, I was way more impressed when I bought my Gen IV and drove it from Goergia to NW Ohio - without a test drive first. Now THAT was a great drive!

+1Never drove a gen iv. Bought my acr in Austin Tx drove it back to sf calif. Quite an adventure!

 

[dmann]

Yes, Corvettes are for people that want a nice American sports car.
Vipers are for people that want a car that's rude and pissed-off.

That's so what I tell others lol

 

[Carleton]

Is it really fair comparing the Base Vette with the Viper. I don't think so.
A more fair comparison would be the Z06 when it comes out.

 

[Raven]

Is it really fair comparing the Base Vette with the Viper. I don't think so.
A more fair comparison would be the Z06 when it comes out.

While it may not seem fair on a performance level, the C7 Z51 actually out performed a Gen V in the slalom, on the skid pad, and in braking in the Edmunds Review. The Viper walked it in the quarter, but the handling aspect of the C7 is very impressive.

The new Z06 will be in another league, yes.

 

[PeterMJ]

While it may not seem fair on a performance level, the C7 Z51 actually out performed a Gen V in the slalom, on the skid pad, and in braking in the Edmunds Review. The Viper walked it in the quarter, but the handling aspect of the C7 is very impressive.

The new Z06 will be in another league, yes.

If you looked closer at Edmunds reviews, you would see that the impressive Corvette brakes are good for only a couple of lapse before starting to fade heavily unlike the Viper. No doubt that better tires and magnetic ride give C7 advantage due to strange choices SRT made regarding tires on new Viper. Corvette also has less overhang than Viper which does matter in handling.

With that said, Gen 4 ACR pulled exactly the same skidpad number as Corvette and without any nannies, there is no doubt that Viper would do better with more suitable tires, not to mention the possibility of the tires on the press car being worn out (not like this has not happened before).

As I said a while ago, you should wait for Z06 to come out and make your decision then, seems like you will be back to this dilemma in a few months again.

 

[Mamba52]

That's why I love having both in my garage. C7 and a Gen3 best of both worlds. Couldn't get into a Gen5 as your stuck with 640 crank HP and other reasons. I love speed and could not mod the Gen5 so I went with the C7.

 

[Raven]

Thanks for the reply. I think you might have mistaken my citing the Edmunds review as being so torn. I'm not, but, I do appreciate the abilities that the C7 offers and to do what it can do with nearly 200 hp less shows what kind of car it truly is, performance wise.

Having said that, you should note that early on I said that for all the C7 does, it leaves me - and many others - wanting more. Not more HP - I can get that for less than $10k. Not more grip or looks or anything performance related.

The C7 - and the coming Z06 - in spite of what they can do, can NEVER do what the Viper does, at least for me: make me WANT to drive it.

The Viper has soul, passion, and a ***** siren's call. It's that gorgeous, sinful woman in a red dress your mom warned you about.

The C7? It's boring, it's safe, and it's lacking in personality. It's the smart girl in high school that has it all together but you never notice her in a crowd.

There is no need for me to wait for the C7Z - more HP isn't what I'm looking for. I can have that.

I want the one that will always make me stop and turn to look back and take one more look as I walk away. That - is a Viper.

If you looked closer at Edmunds reviews, you would see that the impressive Corvette brakes are good for only a couple of lapse before starting to fade heavily unlike the Viper. No doubt that better tires and magnetic ride give C7 advantage due to strange choices SRT made regarding tires on new Viper. Corvette also has less overhang than Viper which does matter in handling.

With that said, Gen 4 ACR pulled exactly the same skidpad number as Corvette and without any nannies, there is no doubt that Viper would do better with more suitable tires, not to mention the possibility of the tires on the press car being worn out (not like this has not happened before).

As I said a while ago, you should wait for Z06 to come out and make your decision then, seems like you will be back to this dilemma in a few months again.

 

[Torquemonster]

Based on what you have said how you feel you have to surely buy a Gen V.

I'd really like to see one, as far as I know there are none here (in NZ) yet. I have seen a couple of C7's and I love them, they're an awesome looking car and they sound fantastic, though I'm biased as I have a turbocharged LS3 and love the sound it makes. The C7's were parked next to a Gen 4 Coupe and IMHO the Gen 4 coupe looked dated and a distant 2nd, even though it'd out perform the C7.

I was tempted to be honest, but held off and got an AMG C63 507 instead of either. Wrong forum but yes its a great car, though rides hard.

However I am waiting until the new Z06 comes out. When that happens I owe it to myself to at least try the Gen 5 after all these years of being a Viper fan, but it will have to impress the crap out of me because I'm pretty sold on the Z06 as long as their build quality is there. I've always been a ********* Viper fan, but GM has bridged that gap, and all they need to do now is match build quality.

Speaking of build quality I have spoken to a couple of ex owners of the new SRT8 Jeeps as I was going to get one of those late last year. I got an ML63 instead and love it. There is a vast difference in build quality between the 2 makes, night and day. It saddened me just how many troubles customers had with their Jeeps, like headlights filling with water and stupid **** failing etc.

I'd expect the Viper to be a level above the SRT8 in build quality. Surely?

 

[BenDiem]

^^^ How ironic, I just bought a C63 Edition 507 as well. I traded in a ZR1 for the MB. I have my eye on another Viper as well. Tried the Corvette thing, but I kept missing & wanting for a new Gen V Viper...

The Viper is a beast, the Corvette is a car. Similarly, the AMG versions of MB are beasts...

Cheers/B

 

[Torquemonster]

^^^ How ironic, I just bought a C63 Edition 507 as well. I traded in a ZR1 for the MB. I have my eye on another Viper as well. Tried the Corvette thing, but I kept missing & wanting for a new Gen V Viper...

The Viper is a beast, the Corvette is a car. Similarly, the AMG versions of MB are beasts...

Cheers/B

LOL, that's cool. I find it ironic you call the C63 507 a beast after trading in a ZR1 which has less weight and another 130hp! Don't get me wrong, I won't be selling either of my AMGs for a Vette, but I'm surprised the ZR1 got boring. My wife competes for the keys to the C63 coupe since I got it lol. I was going to get her the CLA45 AMG with 4WD but one look at the C63 with the white and black interior and a drive was enough for her. Thank God, 4 cylinders is like half an engine.

I'm expecting both the Gen V and the C7 Z06 to be better than anything C6 however. As no one seems to be bringing one out to NZ, think I might need to fly over there and check them out, then go to Vegas. SEMA would be a good time