I dropped my first post and then got underway for a while so I missed a lot of the colorful responses. Cut all the fat and bullshit what's left is a couple of members that don't like Vettes because it's not their "style". That's fine some people like fucking fat chicks:ugh:. A two valve modular motor GT is the automotive version of fucking a fat chick. A 20 year old 5.0 that can't go under 2.0 on the 60' with drag radials is a fat chick with a broken leg:poo:.

As far as a Mustang keeping up with a Vette at the track? It's possible. I was wrecking shop at California speedway in the 5.0. Just don't forget that the C6's came off the lot with Goodyear F1's that are no comparison to the Pirelli's on the Boss.

Finally, there are more +50 year olds at any given open track day then there are 20-35 year olds. It's a matter of economics.

What's also a matter of economics is the rather steep decline in sales I didn't realize. Corvette has a lifespan average of around 30k units/year but has dipped down to around 12k units. How much of that is the economy and how much of that is demographics I don't know, but I think demo plays a very significant long run role, and the C7 is clearly trying to address that with younger buyers in the US and international buyers abroad.

I don't know if GM would keep Corvette as a halo car if it wasn't bringing home at least a little bacon. By no means an immediate problem, but the trend is deadly serious and they know it.

It's the driver. Not the car. I'm sure if you took some of your badass out of your c6 and blessed my old fat nasty chick that I've churched up at the cost far greater than buying a c6 it would likely cut much better than 2.0 (which was strictly at my last outting)

I'm sure badass accounts for a factory clutch slipping so bad a fan spray of sparks with any heavy load of acceleration... Where is the roll eyes smiley?

Economics. Lol. I can point you to 100 guys in my small town that invested more into terrible mustangs than it would cost to buy a vette. It's style.

Ben,
Much of that decline is due to the fact tht the C7 was less than a year out and there are tons of mint c6's available used.

The fact that more old men go to more open track days than 20-35 year olds is 100% economics. You are clearly speaking with a lack of experience. The purchase cost of the vehicle and the cost of performance upgrade is a small faction of the cost of maintenance and replacing wear products.

I was not implying that you or any of the other Mustang guys cannot afford a Vette. A nice used c6 can be had for much less than a new GT. However, clutch and fan issues are either a sign of poor economic responsibility or a complete inability to perform automotive maintenance.

Your comment of "style" is why I have a New Mustang and a Vette versus having two Vettes. I used to own a 1996 GT that was Procharged (P-1sc), with PI heads, and a Sean Hyland block. It was a POS.

False. The decline is from 2009. See production numbers.

2008 - 35,310
2009 - 16,956
2010 - 12,194
2011 - 13,596
2012 - N/A but around the same as 2011

Obviously this is tightly correlated with the economy, but has not rebounded at all. The C7 won't be hitting lots for another six months as I understand, so that'll affect 2013 numbers of course. But I'd say if they aren't back to >= 30,000 units by the end of 2014 Corvette has a more serious problem.

Lol. Poor maintenance. Once again it's my style. I don't replace something until it breaks. It clearly was not sufficient. It's been replaced with a spec stage two and a tko trans for safe measure.

I literally laughed at a vette guy calling a mustang a pos though.

So the entire economy tanks, unemployment skyrocketed, and new car sales drop across the board. Lots are full of luxury items for cheap. Which include all sorts of sports cars. The release of every new generation Corvette has always had a negative effect on sale of the previous model. Most people will agree that the economy just started to turn last year. The C7 hype started two years ago.

You're underestimating Corvette's position, which I base on GM's own marketing and press conferences. There's a reason the C7 design and marketing has gone the direction it has. When your average buyer creeps up in age with each generation, now at 58, you have an issue you have to address and that's where they're at. Further consider how bad the fundamentals are for their historic demographic. The reality is a LOT of people who bought Vettes are not actually rich by any means, but sort of middle-middle to upper-middle class (they ain't the Ferrari crow) and MANY of these guys have lost their moderately higher paying jobs and their houses are no longer ATMs. . .and that is NOT coming back to them. Corvette has a tough road ahead, though I certainly think they're making the right moves overall. Whether it's enough to put them back into a sweet spot or not, I'm not sure. No way in hell as many guys in their 20s and 30s are as hot to get a Vette when they're in the 40s and 50s as used to be the case. There's just WAY more competition for one thing, and tons of these younger guys grew up in the import era, not the domestic/muscle car era. On the flip side with more styling, interior refinement and RHD models, they may start selling much better around the world as novelty. Unfortunately Europe in particular has brutal import tarrifs that sort of wreck the performance value of a Vette. Japan doesn't though and they've bought way more C6s than any previous generation. The C7 might do relatively well there and of course Australia. China could be an interesting case as they have an exploding middle class and in some ways a culture similar to Americans . . loud and brash. They love their Cadillacs and Buicks that's for sure.

Again, do you or have you ever owned or driven a Corvette? Have you ever raced any car competitively? I have owned two Mustangs. They don't compare. I can understand your confusion though, because driving a car that "sparks fly under heavy load" is your style.