Should I sell my Mustang and get a C7 Corvette ?

[Zissou]

After driving a C7 Corvette I'd say go with that if it's going to be a track toy, especially if OP can swing a Grand Sport with dry sump as it should handle the abuse a little more. But heck even a stingray Z51 would be great on the track.
I'd also give the C6 Z06 a serious look, along with a Porsche Cayman and Lotus Elise. Those would be killer track cars.

If it were me personally I'd daily the Mustang since it's an excellent Grand Tourer, and get something cheaper for the track like a Miata, FR-S, Integra Type R, or S2000. But I don't have the track experience or skill that would have any business putting a Corvette or Mustang on a track. Plus, more money to spend on tires!

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[ANGST]

After driving a C7 Corvette I'd say go with that if it's going to be a track toy, especially if OP can swing a Grand Sport with dry sump as it should handle the abuse a little more. But heck even a stingray Z51 would be great on the track.

I am looking at a Z51 ( dry sump and diff cooler ) If I decide to spend more I am going to skip the GS and go Z06

 

[1sml]

There is never a reason to buy from Garbage Motors

 

[ANGST]

There is never a reason to buy from Garbage Motors

Well other then they took a government bailout . The quality from GM is about as good as FCA or Ford if you average across the model line. My parents has a 2012 Fusion that was a complete nightmare (transmission issues)

 

[Zissou]

I am looking at a Z51 ( dry sump and diff cooler ) If I decide to spend more I am going to skip the GS and go Z06

Oh whoops I didn't know the Z51 has the dry sump and diff cooler - that might be the way to go!

 

[shogun32]

If you're getting 30mpg in a Corvette, you're doing it wrong.

I get better than 30mpG in my 2+2 Corvette aka Camaro SS/1LE. granted that's at steady state on interstates and regional highways.

If you can get past the looks (I like mine though) the SS/1LE is equivalent to a Z51 with all the options, or a Grandsport minus the dry sump and wide track. And it's 1/3 cheaper and you can find wheels for the SS all the live long day. Not so much with Corvette's bizarre bolt-center.

The Mustang GT is a sport(y) car if you define the GT350 as a sports car or the SS/1LE likewise. Both are too heavy though in my book to meet the strict, purist definition. OP has his GT decked out with suspension mods so it's knocking on the GT350's door.

 

[1sml]

Bankruptcy and getting money is two different things last time I checked

 

[9secondko]

As I am at the track more and more and have another car for a DD , I am wondering if I should get a C7 , or buy a new set of tires and a diff cooler for the Mustang and send it .....

What to do ?

get what you want. Be happy.


Sounds like you are already leaning toward the vette. A part of you wants that car.

there are other options for a pure track car. But vette is what comes to you when you hypothesize a change.

I could list other cars to look at, but that would be MY thoughts.

do you like the c7? Does it speak to you? Would it feel like Christmas if you got it?

can you afford it? Would it not cause marital strife (if you’re married)?

Get it! And enjoy.

just be sure you drive it first and still like it and plan financially for insurance and maintenance.

 

[Balr14]

GM, Ford and Porsche DI engines are those least affected by carbon buildup on the valves. Even if they were not, carbon buildup doesn't usually occur until about 50k miles and just reduces performance. It isn't a reliability issue. If anything DI, is more problematic in that a bad injector can spray in such a way that it will wash the cylinder, causing bore scoring. Also, DI injectors really limit performance upgrades.

 

[9secondko]

GM, Ford and Porsche DI engines are those least affected by carbon buildup on the valves. Even if they were not, carbon buildup doesn't usually occur until about 50k miles and just reduces performance. It isn't a reliability issue. If anything DI, is more problematic in that a bad injector can spray in such a way that it will wash the cylinder, causing bore scoring. Also, DI injectors really limit performance upgrades.

Ford invested in doing DI right with port and direct. Ford has the best DI setup out of everyone right now.

 

[CrashOverride]

DI is affected by blowby, so managing it properly mitigates DI issues. Using a real AOS like a Provent or pulling the blowby using venturi in the exhaust works quite well. Of course if you do it right (Toyota/Lexus/Gen 3 Coyote) and mix port and DI injectors. Some people report good results with a methanol injection system as well - at least when I had my N54 135i. As far as fuelling problems, you can get cams with updated lobes to push more fuel. If that isn't enough, you can add a supplemental fuel system (The big turbo n54's do this) which is basically a port injector add-on.

The C7 is one heck of a car. Truth be told, if I had the extra scratch, I would have bought it instead of my Mustang. Lighter, more power, more torque - hard to lose (On paper) discarding brand loyalty and aesthetics. Nevertheless, someone above mentioned a Lotus Elise. I have had the privilege of driving a Exige (Supercharged Elise) at the "streets of Willow" and it was insane. My buddy let me daily drive it for a week as well. Other than being a fat guy with a bad back, it was a lot of fun. Getting in is hard to put it lightly. But once you are in, you don't want to get out. Manual steering, and around 2000# makes it the way cars should be. Although, if I had to find a fault, the shifter is as bad as a 1982 ford escort I bought for $400 back in college. The cable linkage is just abysmal.

I seriously thought about putting off my Mustang purchase to get a C7 on the used market, after the C8 came out. As of right now, I don't see the used market being affected. I think part of it might be that it is the last front engined corvette, the last manual corvette, and you can't actually "get" a c8 right now until the UAW lets GM build cars.

The only thing I hate about the LS engine, is that it sounds too truckish to me. It doesn't have the darn right nasty scream of the Coyote. If you ask me, Ford has always had the best sounding domestic V8's. I've owned 4 camaros, and even though my pair of LT1's (4th gen) could blow the doors off my 89 LX 5.0, I still felt like the 5.0 sounded so much better...Even though they were both pushrod engines.

And the sound of the voodoo...Well, I've contemplated using it as my phone's notification sound I like it so much.

 

[1MEAN18]

When I bought my '18 GT last Spring my buddy had a '15 Stingray with a stick from the summer before who wanted to run me. I toasted his ass easily so he traded his '15 for a '16 that was identical looking but was auto. He then wanted to run me again, which we did, and I still spanked him. He got pissed off, told me what he did and then asked me not to tell his wife that he essentially traded his '15 and an extra 12k to get the '16 with an auto. He then gutted his exhaust and bought a set of drag radials to just compete with my Mustang. In the end, he has 75k invested in a '16 Stingray that still won't beat my Mustang down the 1/4 and I'm into mine for a little less than 50k. So LOL on wanting a C7 because its supposed to be quicker on paper....its just not and you'll end up having more money in that Vette to even try to compete with an A10 5.0 L running on corn with dr's and full suspension. Now he's talking about a supercharger install over the winter.

 

[Hack]

Corvettes are really good driving cars in general. The low center of gravity and good weight distribution make a big difference in driving dynamics compared to Mustangs.

However for me I've found I just don't like the engine enough to love the car. And the cabin is a little too tight for me. Not just lack of head room, I get a little claustrophobic at times. Worst is being tail gated and it feels like that pickup or semi is about 3 feet from my head (because it is).

I bought my Corvette because I loved the chassis and size of my 1986 944. The 944 is slow, but the chassis is really good. The thing is, even as tiny as the 944 is - it has a lot more room inside than my C5. Lots of head room, and the rear bumper is farther away from the back of the driver's head. Generally I just like it better, even though mine is old and junky.

I hate to admit it but I found I actually prefer driving my Fiesta ST over my C5 Z06 in my commute. It's a lot slower, but somehow still more fun to drive. It is a real revelation to me that I can prefer driving something cheap and relatively slow over a Corvette. And yes the newer Corvettes are faster than the older ones, but I didn't find them to be that much more enjoyable to drive. And of course if I still had the GT350 I would probably only pick up the Fiesta key if the weather was crappy.

All would be forgiven if I found the C5 to be amazing on track, but it got hot really fast and the engine is not fun to rev out.

So my advice is to think carefully about what you will use the Corvette for and whether you will really prefer it over the Mustang. I think the Corvette for me is a good cruiser when the roads are relatively empty. The Mustang is better for daily commuting. I think the Mustang is safer in the event of an accident. For road course use only, the right model Corvette could be great. I looked at the pluses and minuses of the last few models of Corvettes and all of the track models have some drawbacks IMO.

 

[Balr14]

The only thing that makes me consider a C7 over my Mustang is the size. The Mustang is a lot bigger than what I am used to driving.

 

[Hack]

The only thing that makes me consider a C7 over my Mustang is the size. The Mustang is a lot bigger than what I am used to driving.

I wish the Mustang were smaller as well. It wouldn't have to be a ton smaller, but smaller would be nice. And I'd love to see a transaxle on it. That would be a great improvement for weight balance.

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