I may have to keep your wife away from my wife. We both would probably save a bunch of money.
LOL!!!!!
Base vettes are slow. Z06 are pretty decent for speed. You can get a C7 z06 pretty reasonably. If she is going to do track days, the camaro ZL1 1LE is a hard car to beat for the money. Its around the speed of the Z06, but more set up for track. Probably about the same speed around the track due to the z06 being lighter. If you can find a track package z06 (aka z07) for your price range then that is an amazing car. Vettes are fun cars, but they are built quite cheaply so they don't feel as nice of interiors as other similar cars, but those similar cars cost a lot more. If speed from a light is what she wants big engines are hard to beat, but if corners are her thing (track) then lotus is a car to throw in the mix. The new Emira seems to be an excellent car, but too new to know. I don't know anyone with one yet, but I do know 2 people with them on order. Unfortunately I don't know them well enough for them to let me drive it. Otherwise if you go a little older, McClaren 720, porsche cayman, etc are all fun little cars.
Everything you are describing points right to the C7 Z07 vette which already has the track package on it and is putting out 650 HP and 600 ft/lb of torque. My friend is an instructor at VIR in Virginia and runs that car. It is freaking fast right off the show room floor. You also get the targa top so it's practically a convertible. The vettes offer so much even at the base model for a fun car that is ready to hit the track or date night.
I did not know you could get a low mileage z07 for under $80k. found what looks like a nice one
You also claim the vettes are built quite cheaply and I can tell you after owning one that is not the case.
Fit and finish of them does not feel as good as other cars that it competes with. But this is a general case for most american cars. Would it stop me from buying one, NO. They're actually one of my favorite cars, but there are a lot of people who do care about fit/finish and I do not know what the OP's wife would care about, so it is something that shouldn't be ignored. I personally love how much performance you get from a corvette. But again the vette's competition is all more expensive than it. Porsche, mcclaren, etc are all significantly more expensive and that is understandable that they should also feel higher quality.
I can tell you from first hand experience that the fit and finish of the C7 is tight.
I think a new C8 is a perfect car but hard to find still unless you can wait? It would be my first choice if a new car is a priority. Coupe or Vert.
