Why I Sold the C5

A

Accumulator

Well-known member
On another thread, Polaris asked about my C5 and why I sold it. So:



Polaris- The C5 was a '99 pewter/black 6-spd coupe. Most significantly it was a Mallett 396 package car (serial #99009). Black 18" HRE's, 3.73 rear, etc. etc. Best sportscar I've ever had. If my wife and I were still doing track stuff (just too busy) I might still have it. VERY comfortable long-distance cruiser (but no luggage room). Crappy GM paint, but I kept it VERY nice, even by Autopian standards (as in NO swirls, Souveran on the undercarriage, etc.).



Truth is, it was impossible to enjoy the car on the street. Driving it at 6/10ths meant taking 25mph corners at 70 and at 6/10ths the car was BORING. 140 mph was BORING. Driving it at 8/10ths was FUN, but that bordered on irresponsible and I just couldn't/didn't do it often enough to appreciate the car. It was just TOO competent to enjoy on the street. As in actually ENJOYING the car would've really put my license (and perhaps people) in serious jeopardy. EVERY LEO I went past would radar/laser/follow it. The ground clearance was borderline insufficient (could NOT handle speedbumps, hard to find a gas station/driveway I could pull into without hitting, etc.). Mallett told me to plan on replacing the rubber on the front airdam with every other oil change! It was so low that even with a VERY low jack, each wash included over 15 minutes to put the car up on jackstands and then get it back down again. Couldn't get it on most lifts, either. And with our local dealers' incompetence I had to take it to Mallett (long drive) for everything that I couldn't do.



Traded it for the S8, which I actually like better. Generally speaking, on the street I probably drive it at least as fast as I did the 'vette- and a lot more often. Oddly enough, it isn't quite as comfortable, though. On long trips, I actually make BETTER time in the S8, in part because it attracts less attention. And I just KNOW that the statey who didn't even pull me over last Thanksgiving in the Audi (instant-on when I was doing BIG numbers) would've read me the riot act had we been in the 'vette. Maybe age has something to do with it, but I just LOVE the S8 (silver/black, debadged) and I just didn't LOVE the C5. I sincerely hope its new owner is enjoying it (and keeping it spotless) as it IS a great car. And BTW, Chuck Mallett and Mallett Cars- :up :up :up
 
Heh heh, seeing Ronin had me borrowing my wife's A8 all the time, good thing they started importing the S8! Best car I've ever had, and I've had some good ones. Audi really oughta work on their drive-by-wire though, it isn't nearly as smooth as the A8.



Sorry, no pics of the S8, no digital camera, no photo-posting savvy. I will eventually post some..I'm spending so much time on this forum that I have even LESS time for everything else. Speaking of time, washing the S8 takes me over 3 hours. That's working so fast that it's aerobically demanding, and I'm in shape.



OH, and upon reflection, that "140 mph = boring" might sound awful, but what I meant was that it wasn't fun enough to justify the consequences of getting caught or having an "incident" at that speed (we hit a frost heave/bridge threshold and the car just moved diagonally about 8" towards the bridge wall- no problem/drama but :eek: reality-check!). The car was so smooth/stable that my wife (riding shotgun) didn't think the high-speed run was any big deal, and wondered why I didn't push it higher. Would've been a cool car for the Silver State thing.
 
For us that have never owned a car with that kind of potential, it does seem strange.

A friend of mine had a Viper, and he sold it for the same reason. He felt like he was actually a threat to the general public if he drove the car the way it was meant to be driven and he didn't enjoy just driving it in a safe & sane manner.



Charles
 
I understand your position completely. I drive a sedan daily and will probably keep a sports car for the weekend. Personally, I think the Corvette is not very good looking and has a terrible interior. That being said, in Z06 form, I cannot think of a car I'd rather have for the track. What else is there within $40k of it's price? Nothing really.
 
Accumulator said:
...Heh heh, seeing Ronin had me borrowing my wife's A8 all the time, good thing they started importing the S8! Best car I've ever had, and I've had some good ones. Audi really oughta work on their drive-by-wire though, it isn't nearly as smooth as the A8...
Click to expand...



I have to agree with you on the throttle response and overall smoothness of the DBW motor. I have a '03 VW GTI with the turbo motor, and it is nowhere near as linear as my old '90 Accord. Oh well, the things you sacrifice for boost.



You have an S8 and no digital camera? :rolleyes: -Just kidding.



I'll also have to agree with you on the performance point. If I had a much more capable car, I would get bored with it in a short amount of time. I bought this one because of aftermarket potential, that way once I get accustomed to how the car performs, I can start increasing the performance of the car. Plus, I can't leave any car stock, its like heresy.



Congrats on the cool car.
 
JUSTIN TRW,



NAY NAY !! I do not agree. If you are talking about comfort, the vette is the most comfortable car I have ever owned. I am over 6' and 250 lbs. Some days I drive it 500 miles and make 8-10 sales calls and it's more comfortable than the Concord I had. MY legs go out straight and I love it. If you are talking design, i'll agree it could be a little more modern, and if you are talking quality, yes the leather is krap. But all in all $ for $ it's the best value sports car in America. Just my .02.
 
Yes, I was talking about the quality and aesthetics of the interior, not the functionality or comfort. Comparing the S8 interior to that of the Vette - it is like night and day. I complain about the interior quality of my daily driver, even though it has nappa leather seats. Some of the plastics are not of the best quality. However, some things are forgiven when you consider a car's total package.
 
Congratulations on the new car! :up I can't wait to see some pics of the S8. They are my favorite of all the big german cars.
 
Thanks for the comments. The S8 is really something. The Mallett was too, but in a much more limited context.



CharlesW- Once you drive a REALLY capable car on a track, driving such a thing on the street just isn't the same (unless you're willing to be reckless). Sorta a drag unless you do a lot of track events, but then we haven't bent one since we went to high-performance driving schools, either..



IndigoGTI- The throttle response thing can really bug me, and I drove Audi turbos (the 5-cylinder ones) for years without a problem. Got rid of an ALLROAD and an A6 4.2 because of the DBW before I decided I just HAD to have the S8 (and decided to sell the C5 to clinch the deal). And yeah, I would modify the S8 in a heartbeat IF I was sure it would turn out OK. Like you, I enjoy playing with them and seldom leave ANY of 'em completely stock. On the camera bit, well, I DID buy my wife a Leica R8. Not the smartest way to spend money on photography :p ! Heh heh, I sometimes find it easier to spend money on certain big-ticket items than I do on sensible purchases like the digital. Plus, I'm waiting for the technological advancements to become transparent to me.



jlfrogy and JustinTRW- Well, you're BOTH right :D . I didn't like the looks, even though the wheels and lowering helped a lot, and the interior isn't my cup of tea (I'm an olde worlde style guy). The optional sport seats in the C5 DID make it the most comfortable car either my wife or I have even ridden in/driven (stiff suspensions don't bother us). Yeah, jlfrogy, after a day in that car you feel like you've just left a spa. BUT (just IMO), no car this side of a Bentley has an interior like the A8/S8. Can't see certain displays with polarized glasses on though :( . BTW, the C5's bang-for-the-buck factor disappears when you send it to a shop like Mallett's but...heh heh heh you DO notice where the $ went.



AkronSi- You might catch a glimpse of it even without the pics; I make it through Akron from time to time. It's the silver, "decked" (NO insignias at all on the trunk lid) one, probably flyin' low ;) There aren't too many S8's in NE Ohio.
 
jlfrogy said:
JUSTIN TRW,



NAY NAY !! I do not agree. If you are talking about comfort, the vette is the most comfortable car I have ever owned. I am over 6' and 250 lbs. Some days I drive it 500 miles and make 8-10 sales calls and it's more comfortable than the Concord I had. MY legs go out straight and I love it. If you are talking design, i'll agree it could be a little more modern, and if you are talking quality, yes the leather is krap. But all in all $ for $ it's the best value sports car in America. Just my .02.
Click to expand...



but having owned a couple of Corvettes, and I am a fan, a huge fan, I think the best thing out there now is what I own.. a Ford Lightning.. I am 5'11" and weigh over 250.. its comfortable, got plenty of room, handles well and it can accelerate with a Vette. I have a hard tonneau with a Begrug, so the "trunk" is huge (haha).. you can tow with it as well.. so for the money, I think its the best sports car you can own..

Dana
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top