• December 4, 2023
• By: Steve

I have owned this car for two months so far. After putting it in storage for the winter, I wanted to give my opinions on how I feel about my purchase and what my thoughts are regarding its future under my ownership.

Performance:

I have been really happy with the performance of this car so far. It is easy to control and won’t get you into too much trouble, but I say that like 460hp isn’t a lot of horsepower. To me, 500hp is the new 300hp of yesteryear, and with all of the assistance controls cars have these days, it is a lot easier to deal with for the average driver. Let me remind you that is has been a few years (2018) since I had a V8-powered car, so it was a welcome change. I have kind of come full circle, starting with anemic V8-powered cars from the 80’s, moving on to the legendary 3.8 SFI Turbo V6, and then to a high-revving Honda engine. I am now back to a nice rumbling V8 that fits me.

One thing I have noticed is that everyone wants to race. Loud trucks, imports, and domestics. I think most of it is just people wanting to see what the car will do, which is a trap I don’t fall in since it just isn’t worth it. I am not trying to offend anyone, but Dodge Challenger/Charger owners are the worst out there. They seem to think they have the most untouchable cars on the planet for whatever reason. The Brotherhood of Muscle is full of dopes in my experience.

Maintenance:

It’s a regular Chevy V8 that requires no special maintenance when compared to other cars. Follow the regular maintenance schedule like you would for any other passenger car and don’t get caught up in “best oil” arguments. I don’t feel like the maintenance will be any different than any other passenger car when we are talking about fluids and wear items like brake pads, belts, hoses, etc. I need to make sure I keep on top of this like I do with any other car I have owned since good maintenance will pay you back.

I have not had to perform any maintenance tasks on this car … yet.

Break/Fix Items:

This is where I begin to worry a little when I get to the big ticket items, like the engine, transmission, torque tube, infotainment center, and all of the other electronics that make this car a special car. I told myself I wouldn’t read forums to see what others are experiencing, but I have. Everything that can give you trouble on this car is a big ticket item and the Corvette Tax is a real thing, making labor charges about the same as Euro cars if you can’t do it yourself. I haven’t had any issues yet, but I wouldn’t have expected to in two months. Let’s face it, this is a Chevrolet product and GM is not known for quality.

I think there are two camps on this: Those who buy extended warranties and those who scoff at them. I am on the fence about this but it is only because I have owned Toyotas as daily drivers and have never, knock on wood, had a major problem with them. When you start to look at third-party warranty companies, opinions on them are all over the map, which makes it hard to decide on a vendor. It ends up being an exercise in how to quickly frustrate yourself. I know the typical demographic of Corvette owners is in a financial position to absorb a major repair bill, but these days it seems like the younger population is getting into the Corvette scene much earlier and may not be able to afford repairs on top of an already spendy price tag on the car.

When you think about an engine replacement being 11k, the transmission being 4k, and the infotainment system easily being 1.5k, it is easy to see that you can get into a money pit situation. This brings people to the warranty and all of the risks involved with that too. Is it worth paying $3500 for a 4-year warranty when it is likely that nothing will happen? Is it worth the supposed peace of mind not knowing if a failure will be part of the lengthy exceptions on the policy? There are just a lot of things to worry about, which can seriously detract from the fun of owning the car.

Where do I sit? I am pretty much sitting at 40% yes to a warranty. Until I decide, I have been putting money in an Acorns investment account to cover any big repairs. If I don’t need to use the money, it is still mine as disposable income to use any way I want. Yes, it is a gamble but you have to know this going in. It is a high-performance, technologically advanced car made by a manufacturer known for sub-par quality.

Worrying too much can ruin the ownership experience! Don’t spend time watching YouTube videos on Corvette problems because it will get to you. Just do your best to maintain the car and if things happen, they happen. Easy to say, I know.

Future plans:

I only really plan to upgrade the exhaust system for a Borla ATAK system, but I haven’t decided to go engine back or just axle back. Just the axle back system will be $2500 alone. The sound I want is the only thing I am missing at this point.