My brother-in-law bought a used, late 1970s Corvette and enjoyed it for a few years until he came across a late 1960s model, which needed a tremendous amount of work. He worked on that second Corvette for a long time in his garage and built it into a beautiful machine. In 1994 he found a brand new beautiful blue Corvette, so he traded both of his original Corvettes in for that 1994 - a straight up trade.
He drove the 1994 model until about 2008, when he finally sold it, because it was getting a bit harder for him to get in and out of. His son was disappointed so he (my nephew) started looking for the Corvette. He thought that perhaps he might find it for sale somewhere, maybe on Craigslist or the local newspaper classifieds. No such luck. My nephew told his dad that he had been looking for the 1994 Corvette, since he had really wanted it.
So my brother-in-law joined the search. It took him about 24 hours to find HIS Corvette sitting in a front yard not too far from his own home. My brother-in-law knocked on the door to nonchalantly last about the car, and he offered to buy it as-is. After he agreed on the price, he told the seller that it was HIS Corvette! He fixed it up and had it shipped across the country to his son. You can only imagine how thrilled my 27-year-old nephew was to be getting Dad's 1994 Corvette!
This is a great story, as far as I am concerned. But that 1994 Corvette was the one that got my interest. I loved Corvettes and decided that I wanted a red one, but I felt that it was necessary to ask my brother-in-law if it was okay with him. His was red and I didn't wanted it to seem as if I was simply copying him. I needed his "permission," which was granted, of course. So I found my perfect Corvette - A TORCH RED 6 speed coupe in Florida.
I drove down from Alabama to take a look at the car, and made an offer. I wasn't leaving Florida without that 2001 Corvette Coupe. WHAT A CAR! Loved driving it every chance I could. But then the Stingray was introduced in January 2013 and I knew that I was in trouble! What a beautiful machine. Once the Stingray became available, I made a point to NOT STOP at any Chevy dealers. I didn't want to take a chance and lose to my willpower. But I certainly drove by those Chevy lots. I never did see quite what I wanted: a Torch Red Z51 2LT until all of a sudden there it was, less than 2 miles from my home.
I couldn't resist. I had to take a look. Besides, it was NEW YEARS EVE 2014. So, I thought to myself, "What a way to end the year, or begin 2015!" There it was, the perfect car. A 2015 Torch Red, 7 speed, Z51, 2LT, Competition Sport Seats, Performance Exhaust, Navigation, Performance Video and Data Recorder, Carbon Fiber, Black aluminum machined wheels, upgraded brakes, with red painted calipers. Will power be damned, that car was going to be mine and now it is!
I'll be headed out to the Ron Fellows Performance Driving School later this year to really have some fun and learn how to drive this beast. And since I will someday be giving this 2015 Stingray to my son, he'll be going with me. A great way to share time with my boy! I look forward to the local car shows to share my Corvette with others to see for years to come.
Still, I'll never forget driving my 2001 C5 coupe to Florida with my beautiful wife. Perfect weather. The top was off the car and we were certainly enjoying the wonderful day in April. I pulled into a convenience store and left the car running with my wife continuing to bask in the sun. When I came outside a very happy lady was sitting behind my wheel, and my wife was just sitting there where I left her. The lady's family was taking pictures of Mom in the car. She was so excited to be sitting in an American Ferrari!
I cut them some slack. I am thrilled that they were enjoying my car so much, but they were from Argentina so they didn't know the difference. All in good fun. Besides, I loved the attention but, wow, talk about attention with this 2015 Stingray! I had all of 80 miles on the car and a guy pulled up beside me pleading with me to punch it. I declined. I have been followed into parking lots just so people can ask me about the car, or take pictures. So many "I LIKE YOUR CAR" comments. The car is great, the people who enjoy this car are great, and Corvette owners are the best! Now remember...SAVE The WAVE!