We’re not a bunch of middle-aged men

I take great exception to the article written on Sept. 8 by Michael O’Leary regarding the Corvette. First he states “2002, the 50th anniversary of the Corvette.” The Corvette’s 50th anniversary is 2003. The first Corvette was built in 1952 but not released until 1953 and all the anniversary celebrations will be in 2003.

Secondly, Mr. O’Leary’s assumption of just who is buying Corvettes today is a very degrading stereotype of middle aged men. My husband and I, who are in our early 40s and 50s, own a 1994 Corvette. We belong to a large and very involved Corvette club whose owners are in the same age bracket. We interact with many other Corvette clubs from Montana to Oregon to Utah and in all the hundreds of Corvette owners that we have met over the past several years not one is, and I quote from Mr. O’Leary’s article, “Middle-aged men, with heavy gold chains, out looking for trophy wives.” Yes, we are middle-aged, and yes we can finally afford a Corvette, and yes the Corvette is the dream car of our youth, but we are not looking for trophy wives (husbands). We have raised our children, put them through college, given many good years to our careers and employers and now we can reap the benefits of our hard work.

Sounds to me like Mr. O’Leary is slightly jealous because he has been unable to own the cars of his dreams, a Corvette and a 1966 GTO, both of which my husband and I own and enjoy.

Mukilteo