Keep the C7 Stingray or back to a Viper?

Raven

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I had an 08 Gen IV Coupe for a season and loved the car but fell in love with the C7 Stingray and traded late last fall. I got a black C7 Stingray coupe 7 speed and it's an awesome car.

But I miss that Viper soul. And I REALLY miss that raw, brutal power.

So I'm looking to trade my C7 for either a low mile Gen IV coupe or, preferably a new Gen V. There are some real deals out there for the Gen V ( especially on some '13s!) but I do love the Gen IV's looks a bit more mainly because I owned one.

Then - I saw a Gen V in person. Wow. Now, I'm torn!

Any advice? Keep the Stingray or get snakebite again? Is the Gen V that much better than the IV? It looks incredible.
 

Mamba52

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Both great cars. Gen 5 you won't see them every day but your C7 could be like mine for $10g. 591 RWHP with a supercharger but hey your on a Viper forum.
 

Bruce H.

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Maybe take a Gen V for a spin. Lots of Gen IV owners didn't get excited about the V...well, that is until they drove one! That's probably the only way you'll know what appeals to you most, and that's the only opinion that matters. Good luck!
 

Allan

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The C7 is probably an amazing car I'm sure.
But the gen V Viper is on a whole different level in every way.

If you have the means to trade up to a gen V, don't even think twice.
 

08viperviolet

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Had 3 gen 4 two being Acr and will tell you the gen v is a better car only the best track driver in heavily modified gen 4 will do better times. Love my ta. All were daily drivers also. Good luck get a snake again
 

hou99gts

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You will not like the Gen IV compared to the C7 if you are used to the current techology in the C7. C7 and Gen V are both great cars, but a big price difference between the two. I have driven both and prefer the Viper, but for the price difference the C7 should be considered.
 
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Raven

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You will not like the Gen IV compared to the C7 if you are used to the current techology in the C7. C7 and Gen V are both great cars, but a big price difference between the two. I have driven both and prefer the Viper, but for the price difference the C7 should be considered.
I have the C7 now and traded a Gen IV for it. Love both for different reasons. The Gen V seems to offer the best of both.
 

hou99gts

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I have the C7 now and traded a Gen IV for it. Love both for different reasons. The Gen V seems to offer the best of both.

I agree. If you are good with the price difference, go for it. The Viper should hold its value better as well.
 

PeterMJ

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If you had Gen 4 and genuinely think that C7 is a better car, you should forget about getting a new Viper and wait for Z06 to come out. Otherwise, you will have another thread like this one in a few months.
 
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Raven

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If you had Gen 4 and genuinely think that C7 is a better car, you should forget about getting a new Viper and wait for Z06 to come out. Otherwise, you will have another thread like this one in a few months.

I never said the C7 was a better car than a Gen IV. Just different. Some things are better, yes. But the Viper has its real advantages too.

Two completely different vehicles when you compare a Viper to a Vette.
 

PeterMJ

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I never said the C7 was a better car than a Gen IV. Just different. Some things are better, yes. But the Viper has its real advantages too.

Two completely different vehicles when you compare a Viper to a Vette.
In this case, better or different is a matter of semantics. I simply pointed out to you that there is no reason for you not to apply this logic again when Z06 comes out. You may be better off waiting when Z06 comes and make your decision then, makes more sense to me, not to get hosed twice.
 

05Commemorative

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Isn't this a pretty simple problem to solve:
1) which car looks better to you?
2) which car stirs more emotion for you when you drive it?
3) which car better suits your needs? (daily driver, weekend warrior, track car, car show guys, just like to brag, etc, many purposes exist)
4) price point - how much you want to spend?
5) when you park it, which car are you more likely to turn back and take a last look with pride?

At the end of the day, should be pretty simple to decide based upon above. I don't know why the Gen4 is even in the equation though. As stated above, if you appreciated any of the modern tech in the C7, how could you go back? Personally, if you can afford it, I think the GenV is the obvious choice unless this is your daily driver and you want the easier access, better mileage, etc, but seems like you already determined you those were not super valuable to you if considering a change.
 

orlanderlv

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Raven, perhaps I am uniquely qualified to chime in with somewhat of an "expert" opinion in this matter. I purchased a 2014 Corvette Stingray with z51 package and 3LT and all the bells and whistles at the end of January. This past week I traded in that very same Corvette for a new base SRT Viper and haven't regretted it...not...one...bit!

I haven't driven the Viper enough to create a thorough review however I do have somewhat of a list of pros and cons for each. I'll try my best to be succinct.

The primary reasons I decided to trade-in the Vette and purchase the Viper (sight unseen, I might add) are for starters, I really wanted the Viper to begin with. I just happened to head down to a local Vette dealership and checked out the inventory they had. I saw a Velocity yellow Vette and fell in love. It's such a hot color and with the black and carbon fiber accents this car just screams speed. The local Dodge dealerships had nothing...well, they had a red one and I wasn't interested in that color. The price difference between the two was also something that made me immediately discount the Viper. Well, that and the following...

1. Vette reviews were simply out of this world positive and uniformly negative for the Viper.
2. Price point of $70k for the Vette versus the Viper's $125k with what I felt were necessary options.
3. Local dealers (all but one, anyway) were selling new Stingrays with z51 packages at MSRP. No dealers in my area had Vipers I could be interested in.
4. My purchase was spur of the moment. I walked in the dealershp and walked out having reserved a Stingray just 2 weeks away from delivery.

The day after I purchased and took ownership of my Vette my name was put on the list for the z06. I felt the Vette just left me wanting...more. More acceleration. More torque. More noise...just more. A week after that and the color just started to look...blah. I just fell out of love with the Vette and the color. Interestingly enough, I was on a Corvette forum when I heard about the troubles the Viper were having. There were several threads about the plant closing down and the seemingly tons of left over new 2013 Vipers just sitting on dealer lots, collecting dust. Once I got a wiff of how much some people were getting off MSRP on both left over 2013 AND 2014 I decided to start seriously looking.

Three weeks later and my new baby girl is sitting in the garage. I found several dealers willing to give me close to MSRP on my Vette and my particular deal I worked out with CarlBurgers was over 20% discount. A couple other deals I got from other dealerships were over 25% discount for 2013 GTSs. I ultimately went with the base model.

Over the course of the first 4 days of ownership here are my impressions (versus ownership of the Vette):

Viper PROS:
1. Styling (it's such a wonderfully designed car. In my opinion, it easily beats the new C7 design.
2. Exclusivity (In the two months of owning the Vette I saw countless new Stingrays, everywhere. Most didn't have all the options that mine did and while I did enjoy watching them as they passed by, I felt I was starting to see too many too quickly)
3. Sound (My Vette had the performance exhaust and while it sounds awesome, it just doesn't sound as raw, threatening, and threatening as the Viper. Yeah, the drone is a little much but man do I love the rumble that breaks it up)
4. Interior (My Viper has upgraded leather and man is it superior to the Vettes. I love the cockput styled interior of the Vette and the sound system is top notch and full of decent base but the leather felt cheap and many other areas of the dash, seats, etc felt thin and like Chevy was trying to save money. Also, the interior stunk. I don't know why...it just smelled bad.
5. Power (the extra horse power, extra torque, wider tires and everything else makes the experience driving the Viper completely different and totally better. The power is just...there and its ready at a moment's notice. There's so much there that it can scare you. You feel like the Viper will break loose at any moment but it doesn't and no matter what your speed is, there's torque right there to take you to the next level)
6. Exclusivity (I immediately felt like I was in possession of something raw and special, like a diamond. It's a feeling that everyone is looking at you and if they aren't they should be. Each day driving my Viper I see at least one new Vette. I've yet to see another Gen 5 Viper. That matters to me.)
7. Speed (Best I could do in the Vette was 4.2sec, 0-60, and I tried numerous times on closed roads in different parts in town. On the second attempt in the Viper, I hit 3.9sec in a 0-60 and I was just playing around. It is and just feels that much faster than the Vette)

Corvette Stingray PROS:
1. Efficiency (man does this car have it down. It does an excellent job of making you feel like you are driving something raw and at the same time like you are driving a top of the line economy car. It's so good at switching from 4 cyclinders to 8 and back again. The new Vette can teach you to be a better driver and save money.
2. Amenities (The C7 Vette does a good Porsche impressionation. The heated seats are there. The cooled seats too. Power seats are at your finger tips and man is it cool to have the Vette's seats move back by themself when you want to get out and when you get it they move you right back into the position you were in. The HUD is crazy useful and effective. The different driving modes are not just for show.)
3. Comfort (The C7 is just plain more comfortable than the Viper. There's more room for both the driver and passenger. It feels like an inspired design and is a superb attempt at being ergonomical, comfortable, useful. Passangers having their own controls is useful benefit)
4. Value (There isn't much else that can touch it here. Th CTS-V, maybe. Boxster S or Cayman S, perhaps. Even with the massive discounts being offered on unsold Vipers, not much can touch the sheer value you get for your money when you purchase a new Stingray over any of the competition).

Corvette Stingray CONS:
1. My Vette had already gone into service 3 times in less than 2 months. Issues like broken door buttons, deteriorating steering column finish that needed fixing and horrible orange peel coupled with bad, uneven paint areas meant my Vette was away from my garage for nearly a week for repair.
2. Too much torque and not enough weight/tire. I had never seen a car that broke loose so much. Can the Vette corner like it's on rails? Sure it can...unless it looses grip and slides out from under you. It was bad enough I knew I would have to buy better tires and soon.
3. Design. Ultimately, the design and paint color just got on my nerves. Sure everyone loved my Vette and gave me tons of compliments but I knew there were tons of Vettes out there and soon to be spinning their wheels on the streets. I guess I just apprecaited exclusivity more than I thought.

I hope this helps. I didn't realize I wrote so much. Got any specific questions about the Vette or my experience with it or either car?
 

Mopar Steve

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You are asking this question in the Vipers forum, ask this on a Corvette forum and you will get very different answers. I think by asking it here You might have already made up your mind.
 
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Raven

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Orlanderlv - that was exactly the type of response I was hoping for. While all have been very helpful, yours resonated with me because you had a Stingray. Your assessment of the Vette is dead on and your reasons for trading are exactly why I'm looking.

While the C7 is all you said, it just leaves me wanting more, especially the power and exclusivity. While I considered putting a blower on it, bigger tires, etc, it will still not be a a Viper.

Sounds like your buying experience and reasons to buy the Vette were almost identical to mine. And while my name is on my dealer's Z06 list, having put my name on there in the first place was telling for me.

The Z will be a monster, no doubt. But I am 99.9% sure it will not evoke the emotion the Gen V does...
 
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Raven

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You are asking this question in the Vipers forum, ask this on a Corvette forum and you will get very different answers. I think by asking it here You might have already made up your mind.

I believe you are correct sir.
 

Nine Ball

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Chevy was trying to save money. Also, the interior stunk. I don't know why...it just smelled bad.

This statement made me laugh. I know exactly what you mean. Celery. C6 and C7 Corvette interiors smell like celery to me. I don't even like it on my salads. Has to do with the glues they use. Really gets strong after sitting in the sun with the windows up.
 
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Raven

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This statement made me laugh. I know exactly what you mean. Celery. C6 and C7 Corvette interiors smell like celery to me. I don't even like it on my salads. Has to do with the glues they use. Really gets strong after sitting in the sun with the windows up.

That is very true. The interior, while initially impressive, is nothing like the Gen V's. The car is very refined though and it's efficiency as well as the electronics are impressive.

But it just leaves me wanting more. Maybe it's the respect factor my Gen IV made me feel? The C7 always feels so... Safe, so sterile, so much so that I know I don't really have to be fully engaged if I didn't want to be. I can just point, shift, and steer and the Vette will do it all and do it very well.

A lot of people love this. Me? It bores me.

The Viper demands you drive it. You not only have to be engaged, it makes you WANT to be engaged.

In my Gen IV, I never listened to the stereo. Partly because of the louder cockpit noise but mostly because I wanted all my senses to be immersed in the drive.

In the Vette, I've had the awesome stereo on a lot. But it's because - for me - it is an emotionless drive.

You pretty much can just ride along in the Vette; my Viper made me WANT to drive it.

And THAT is what I miss.
 

Bruce H.

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Interesting discussion. Some of Orlanderlv's well-articulated points are differences that many prospective buyers are aware of, but maybe don't place enough importance on when being lured by price, hype, mpg or whatever. GM priced the Stingray right for their mass production targets, as do other manufacturers of high volume cars, and those volume efficiencies always give buyers an awful lot for the money. It just costs an awful lot more to build any more exclusive, low volume, hand built car...and to some that represents the best value of all.
 

swexlin

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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...!
 

Paul Hawker

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I enjoy threads like this, as it always seems to come down to the unique driving experience that is Viper. That big displacement naturally aspirated V-10 hooked up to a manual transmission, and supported by a locked down, big tired suspension seems to give a direct connection to the car that is missing in many other high performance cars.

If you take away the numbers, as other cars can make as good or better numbers, it is the driving experience that the Viper offers that makes it such a desirable car.
 
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Raven

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I enjoy threads like this, as it always seems to come down to the unique driving experience that is Viper. That big displacement naturally aspirated V-10 hooked up to a manual transmission, and supported by a locked down, big tired suspension seems to give a direct connection to the car that is missing in many other high performance cars.

If you take away the numbers, as other cars can make as good or better numbers, it is the driving experience that the Viper offers that makes it such a desirable car.

Precisely.
 

Nsane1

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Sounds like many of you get the car, I had no idea the C7 smelled like salad, reason #25 why I don't want one :)

If it were a Cesar salad, MAYBE
 

FLL-B/W-GTS

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Your financial adviser need to make you more $$$$...Buy you a viper if you was one,life is short...
 

DingDong

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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!!!
 

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