Paul:
Quite a rant - except for one thing; you're DEAD WRONG!
The latest generation, the C-5, the model like I have is a wonderful car.
This comes from a guy who has been on both sides of the fence with this
issue. You must be out of the loop with the C-5 version Vette information.
This car has received rave international plaudits in virtually every area.
My Vette though still the currently version, is a 1999 model, almost FIVE
years old now, not just four as you exampled, and it has 37,000 + miles on
it. It is as tight as any car can get. Perfect. Looks, feels and drives just
like a brand new car in every way. I fully rebuilt my B twice and while I
loved it, it NEVER felt/drove this good. I sold MGB's new for a few years in
the late 60's and early 70's and they never felt this good either. I've been
around B's for much of my adult life and while they are wonderful cars for
what they are, I have never seen one to compare to this C-5 model Vette.
That's just being honest, from an MG lover. Some things are just undeniable.
The Vette IS made of fiberglass and aluminum (the hood) and those materials
do sound a little different from the metals and plastics of other cars.
Maybe that's what you are referring to when you say "they rattle and creak
and groan" which of course my Vette does not do at all. Vettes weigh 3100
lbs, with 345 or 405 stock HP, depending on model. If you really abuse one,
with all that HP, I'm sure it would take a toll on it, but if driven
reasonably and sanely, they'll last a LONG time. As proof of that, there's
still a plenty of them around.
My brother just purchased a new Mercedes Benz SL 500 ($102,000 MSRP)
retractable hard top model and his car is NO tighter and only a little
quieter. My car is as fast/maybe faster and goes around turns better, at
half the price new (not that I would mind having his MB!). By the way my
brother is the rich one, not me! I blew my wad on this Vette.
When someone runs the Hell out of a Vette and reams it out, as many do to
Vettes, of course it is going to suffer and feel reamed out. Maybe you have
seen those. A decently treated Vette is a great car though.
Incidentally, GM sells every single Vette they can produce. That alone
speaks volumes.
On your "300D with almost 300,000 miles on it, and the thing is tight as a
drum!", I say to each his own. I wouldn't have it. Can't stand the smell of
diesel and talk about rattles! That engine is the noisiest thing on earth.
Who cares about the rest of the car! I never keep a car that long anyhow.
Other than that, been to an MB dealer lately for repairs? Talk about high
cost of repairs!
One Caveat. I am NOT speaking up for ANY other American built car. They can
fight their own battles. Just the Vettes.
A million different people, a million different opinions. Such is life.
Jerry
Jerry Erbesfield
Was - 73 Black beauty MGB roadster
Now - C-5 Black Beauty Vette roadster
E-mail: jerbesfield@mindspring.com
Website: http://jerbesfield.home.mindspring.com
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-mgs@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-mgs@autox.team.net] On Behalf
Of Paul M.
Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2003 12:23 PM
To: Dean T. Lake; MG List Postings
Subject: Re: Two Super Supercharged MGB's
> The notion that a Corvette is a lead sled
> slapped together from the GM parts bin no
> longer applies
Yeah, but you know what always makes me sick? Go out
and drive a four year old Corvette. They rattle and
creak and groan. All the trim is going to hell and
the shifter feels loose and the car will feel like it
has 750,000 miles on it. Granted, they go like stink,
but they're still built like crap. It sorta makes me
angry.
I mean, that car is supposed to be GM's BEST SHOT.
Their biggest gun. Why build them with the
short-sighted slapdashyness of a cheap Saturn or
something? And it's not just GM's fault. It's pretty
much all American cars I've driven or owned. We have
a 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited that my wife drives
(many of you helped me sort out a perplexing brake
problem on this vehicle...) WHAT A PIECE OF CRAP.
The darn thing cost over $30,000 just a few years ago,
and it's already going to pieces. The leather is
losing it's dye everywhere, the trim is breaking and
creaking and groaning. It only has 50,000 miles on
it, and this is Jeep's highest-priced luxury SUV!
Their best effort!
As a comparison, I also have a 1983 Mercedes-Benz 300D
with almost 300,000 miles on it, and the thing is
tight as a drum! Every switch and light and doodad
works perfectly and feels like it will go another
twenty years without breaking. It literally runs and
drives better than the Jeep. My sister has a five
year old Toyota Camry with twice as many miles as my
Jeep, and it feels awesome too. Tight, precise,
perfect.
Corvette, Jeep, Mustang, Viper... they're sloppy,
sloppy cars. Until they get their act together in
terms of build quality for the long haul, I couldn't
care less how fast they are.
=====
Paul Misencik
1971 MGB Vintage Race Project
www.sopwithracing.com
Huntersville, NC USA
www.paoloroman.com
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