I love the new C7 vettes.. But those new vipers are just sex.. No where near as common and just great looking cars.. For the price you can't really beat vette, but man.. I'd love to own a viper.. I've always been fascinated with them.. From the first prototype to the TV show "Viper" all things viper I love.. But honestly only got to see one up close twice.. Once at sema last year and once at a sports car race at Laguna..

Cheapest one is still $87k. Considering the Z06 will almost certainly be cheaper I'd say it's still a pretty tough sell.

Having said that though, if I was going to drop that kind of coin on a car I can't really enjoy on the street, well, the Viper has near exotic status for most people whereas Vettes are a dime a dozen.

Still a tough sell maybe, but enough of an incentive for those who may have been on the edge.. Even if you can afford the Viper, 15 grand is a lot of money and can be the difference between sale or no sale.

Viper vs. C7Z vs. GT-R vs. Z/28

That is a comparison I'd look forward to.

How are the new Corvettes getting on in the US in terms of sales? I'd ask about the Viper too but clearly they aren't great.

I've seen one Vette in London in a dealership, you can see why they don't sell over here!

^The C7 has been selling VERY well. Since going on sale over 30,000 have been sold, making it one of the most successful sales years ever for the Corvette.

Tom, why don't they sell in the UK?

Go to cars & coffee Saturday morning. There's usually at least one or two there.

http://lasvegas.carsandcoffee.info

Yeah I'm a bit shocked that someone living in Vegas has only see 2 Vipers, ever?! That's ridiculous :P

I live in a pretty expensive part of California and I've only seen the new Viper once or twice. I like the car, but it seems like you're just buying it for the prestige these days.

I see a few older ones and a new black one from time to time.. I see Ferrari and lambos all the time.. I've even see Mayweather and his white Bugatti once.. But I've only got up close twice.. I mean sit in them touch them, that kind of thing..

For one thing they have to be imported, which involves lots of extra cost. Plus they're only left hand drive, which will put a lot of people off.

Also, they aren't exactly refined, poor interior quality etc. The whole idea of cheep power doesn't sell very well here. You get the odd car nut who'll buy a VXR8:

http://www.evo.co.uk/images/front_pi..._260871_25.jpg

I'm not sure if you have those over in the US (might be labelled a Holden). It's essentially a Corvette V8 in a saloon chassis and not much else (literally not much else).

Plus, with a little math. A base Corvette is $54000 which today converts to £33,500. If we add VAT at 20% that goes up to £40,200. With options and various other taxes it's going to be around £50,000. That's M3/M4 money which is a better badge (if that matters to you) and overall better car for most.

Sorry for the essay, but that's my input on why. It'll be very interesting to see how the new Mustang sells here as it's being sold right hand drive through dealerships with no customs/duty to pay on top.

Calling the new Corvette unrefined with a poor quality interior makes me believe that you haven't seen one in person. The older ones, yes, sure, by all means. The new one is worlds better.

Worlds better than what though? Almost anything is better than the older cars. Maybe quality for the most part is different from person to person. Given, by looking at it you can tell they've put some effort into it however, digital clocks are cool.

Of course, quality is subjective, so ymmv.

I'd put it up there equivalent to anything else within its price bracket, honestly. It's not Porsche quality, but you're also not getting a 911 for 60 grand.