2009 Chevy Corvette Convertible: An Affordable Dream Car

What's New About the 2009 Chevy Corvette Convertible:

For the 2009 model year, the two-seater convertible, which is basically a carryover, continues to roll on, after fifty-six years of being in production. While GM debated over eliminating the Pontiac, Saab, Hummer and Saturn brands from its portfolio, the Corvette (Vette) was never on the chopping block unlike its competitor over at Chrysler, the Dodge Viper.

Must Have Goodies:

If you can afford to swing the $73,000 asking price of the roadster we reviewed, it could be worth the $19,000 in options added to our vehicle. Our test vehicle was equipped with Chevy’s top level premium package, which consisted of heated seats, a power telescopic steering wheel, side impact air bags, Bluetooth phone connectivity, a power convertible top and six-way power adjustable sport seats with leather inserts. The premium package was also equipped with a Head-Up Display system, which allowed the driver to keep focus on the road - viewing the speed and other driving functions on the windshield.

Moreover, the Vette was also outfitted with a $1,700 set of chrome wheels, a single-disc CD/DVD player integrated in to the navigational system and a $1,200 dual mode exhaust system, alerting neighbors of your grand entrance into the neighborhood. Just in case you’re seeking a little more discretion when rolling into your neighborhood, you should probably avoid the enhanced exhaust system. And for sports enthusiasts yearning for the ultimate sports car ride they can opt for the $1,700 Z51 Performance Package, which includes stiffer springs and stabilizer bars.

What Rocked:

In addition to providing respectable fuel economy (15 city/25 hwy), the throaty ragtop we reviewed had great road manners, whether you were driving in the city or on the open roads. The optional 18-inch front wheels and 19-inch rear wheels coupled with the form fitting accommodating sports bucket seats in our street racer made the Vette great for short drives or cross country road trips.

And, the $2,000 Magnetic Selective Ride Control System enhanced the comfort level of driving the Vette, too. Unlike some sports cars, the Vette doesn’t provide a jarring ride nor will tall occupants have difficulty fitting into the low-riding sports car even with the top up. Furthermore, because of its size, surprisingly, the convertible offered a respectable amount of storage space, when the easy-to-use power top was hid-a-way.

Moreover, this speed racer on wheels could serve as the perfect date vehicle, too, on warm summer nights. The vehicle could be easily converted to a drive-in movie theater underneath the stars, after inserting your favorite DVD.

As you can imagine, there is nothing like driving a Vette, especially when you drop the top, while cruising around town or on the open roads. Lastly, the dramatic effect of the optional yellow paint job screamed excitement.

What We Hated:

It's too bad the Vette roadster we reviewed didn’t come equipped with the car’s standard six-speed manual transmission. Although our Vette was equipped with a $1,250 six-speed automatic transmission, with paddle shifters on the steering wheel, which serves as a clutchless automatic, it doesn’t have the same effect as driving a true manual transmission.

Furthermore, we hope the Corvette engineering team considers adding a rear-view back up camera and air conditioned seats in the near future.

Any Juice:

Of course it has juice, it’s a Vette. While the hardtop Vette is available in a variety of engine configurations, the roadster is confined to the 8-cylinder with a 6.2-liter engine, which pushes more than 430 horses from underneath the hood......


For comparison sakes, this is just 50 horses shy of the Porsche 911 Cabriolet, which has a base starting price of $140,000. If you opt for a Corvette coupe, you can step up to 505 horses or even the 638 horses available in the super powerful ZR1.

Verdict:

The Vette is still an American icon. No matter what folks think about American vehicles, there isn’t a person alive or dead who wouldn’t want to spend time behind the wheel of one of the world’s most affordable sports cars. Unlike the coupe, which is available in several trim packages, the roadster is only available in one trim level. To help keep the price down during this recession, buyers can opt for the manually operated convertible top. A base convertible starts at around $54,000 and can easily climb to $76,000. With all of the problems facing the domestic automakers lately, this still has to be one of the best sports cars on the road today.

Other Competitors: BMW Z4, Dodge Viper, Nissan 350Z Roadster, Porsche 911 Cabriolet

View our New-Vehicle Pricing Guide on the right side of this site.