Most Popular Sports Cars

I first went “online” back in ‘90 when I checked out the free AOL disc I got in the mail. AOL-land was fun for a few years, but in ‘95 a friend said to me, “You don’t need AOL to surf the net.” Honestly, I didn’t know that back then. A few days later, I said good-bye to AOL and “HOWDY!” to the information superhighway. People that previously had zero interest in PCs flocked to computer stores so they could be on the internet and get e-mail.

Back at that time the Internet was really different. Just about everyone was on dial-up, so sites and web pages were simpler. The net hadn’t yet been taken over by commerce sites so it was easier to find “information” then. Chat rooms and forums had been around since the early ’80s, but they were difficult to use. AOL’s interface helped make it much easier.

Blogging began around 1994; it didn’t really take off until ‘99 with the beginning of “blogging tools.” When the political pundits embraced the blogs on ‘02, the blog-o-sphere really took off. There is a blog for everything now; this is good news and bad news. For researchers like me that conduct research, we have discovered that nearly half of the links are for product, services, auction listings, books and blog or forum comments. Initially, I was sort of annoyed with the Corvette forum links, because searches often linked you to things such as, “I like side-pipes too.” I was pleasingly surprised to find a comprehensive source of information when I took some time to go to the Corvette forum’s home page.

There is a Corvette forum called SmokinVette.com. The thrill and excitement of Corvettes is huge because it covers a 57 year lineage of cars in six unique generations. SmokinVette has Corvette forums for all of the six generations. Upon entering your Corvette’s generation forum, look around and check out all of the topics. All of the forums are distinctive, so take your time and glance around at the numerous links, controls and drop down boxes. It like entering and searching around a home improvement store. It can be a little overwhelming at first, but you will learn to find everything you are looking for.

I am sometimes in the mood to look at Corvette pictures, and SmokinVette has an enormous collection of them. What would a high-testosterone topic like Corvettes be without an assortment of Corvette Girls? The answer is it would be boring! However, you will not find anything too over the top, as they are classy pictures at SmokinVette, but you will find a lot of SmokinHot babes. And the last comment is only a compliment, ladies.

Being a Corvette owner is not as expensively challenging as owning a pleasure boat, however you could spend extra cash on personalizing or refurbishing your Corvette. In the SmokinVette forum’s “Vette Parts” section you can find anything from a crate engine or supercharger to a little ole LED lights and even used parts. Corvette enthusiasts are extremely creative. You will locate Corvette parts that you didn’t even know was being offered.

But don’t just be a voyeur. After you go through the free registration, you can add your two-cents to any of the forums, start a new forum topic, and ask a Corvette question, or post photos and images. Corvette people are VERY helpful. When you own a Vette, or are an enthusiast, you’re a member of a uniquely American club. The whole “Save the Wave” thing got started as a way for Corvette owners to acknowledge one another on the road. Corvettes aren’t just “cars.” They’re something more, something intangible that you don’t begin to “get” until you drive one. Driving a Corvette is a uniquely sensual experience. You don’t just “ride” in a Corvette, you DRIVE a Corvette because they are designed and made to be DRIVEN. I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve read or heard a new Corvette owner say, “I never really understood this car until I drove one.” That’s the “GOTCHA!” moment.

Create some time to get comfortable, and view some Corvette forums, such as SmokinVette.com. It is very educational, engaging and a really good way to meet like-minded people that “get” the passion for the Corvette. Enough said! -KST

This article was written by K. Scott Teeters, an editor for Alex Schult of www.SmokinVette.com and a freelance columnist and artist with VETTE Magazine. His monthly column, “The Illustrated Corvette Series” has been running consecutively in VETTE since 1997 and can be found on the very last page of every issue. You can find reproductions of his Corvette art at: www.IllustratedCorvetteSeries.com

For further info or queries in regards to a Corvette Forum please see us at www.smokinvette.com