Why you shouldn t buy this car: Chevy s new Vette is still plastic craptastic, and the Vette s image remains resolutely down-market. Amongst the sports car fraternity, the model still identifies its driver as a muscle head who doesn t know any better, or a middle-aged man who desperately wants to shag a woman younger than his first wife.

Why you should buy this car: Buy a new Vette if you want to drive like a maniac (on smooth, dry pavement) and enjoy every damn second of it.

Suitability Parameters:
Speed Merchants: Yes
Fashion Victims: Yes
Treehuggers: No
Mack Daddies: No
Tuner Crowd: Yes
Hairdressers: Yes
Penny Pinchers: Yes
Euro Snobs: No
Working Stiffs: Yes
Technogeeks: No
Poseurs: Yes
Soccer Moms: No
Nascar Dads: Yes
Golfing Grandparents: No

Vitals:
Manufacturer: Chevrolet
Model tested: C6 (hardtop and convertible)
Model year: 2005
Price as Tested: approx. $60k
Engine type: 6.0-liter V-8, aluminum block and heads
Horsepower: 400 bhp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 400 lb-ft @ 4400 rpm
Redline: 6500rpm
Wheels and Tires: Cast aluminum; Goodyear Eagle F1 SC; F: P245/40ZR-18, R: P285/35ZR-19
Drive type: rear-wheel-drive
0 - 60: 4.2 seconds
1/4 mile: 12.7 sec @ 113 mph
Top speed: 185mph
Fuel economy city/highway: 18/25
NHTSA crash test rating front/side/rollover: not tested

[by Robert Farago]

Related:
Jalopnik Reviews: 2005 Chevrolet Corvette C6, Part 1; Part 2