+1963

 

Well said. I also like the new C7 and very much look forward to seeing and driving it when it arrives at dealers. I have driven Porsches for the past 25 years and have really enjoyed them. I have also owned Corvettes in the past, but none since the 1970's, which were not the brightest days for the Corvette. I also don't wear a gold chain or have excessive hair on my chest, although there is still some there because at my age, it just doesn't matter to me.

Porsches are great cars. I see no need to get defensive when another car like the C7 is brought up as a comparison. I love sports cars and don't exclude any because of snob factor. As another poster said, the Chevrolet dealership experience might keep me from buying a C7. I don't expect royal treatment from the dealer, but I do expect them to be able to service the car properly. I remember when the C6 came out, and this still might be the case, many dealer's service techs would not use the lifting pads on the lift when servicing the car and would place the lift directly on the rocker panels and crack them. You would think Chevrolet would have instructed the dealers on how to properly lift the car, and maybe they did, but many owners ended up with cracked rocker panels. That type of stuff is inexcusable.

 

The new Vette looks awesome... and the price is just right... I wonder how it drives because the my 991 SC's ride and handling is just to out of this world to describe..

 

I think it is a little interesting that you (all) are saying that the experience in a car dealership that sells $15 - $80K cars with $29.95 oil changes is different than your experience where the used cars are $70K and an oil change is $400. Its like saying the diner we stopped at for breakfast didn't treat us the same as the restaurant that served us a $70 steak and a $20 glass of wine. It doesn't mean the diner is bad but you are in a different establishment. If you are a Porsche owner it also means most of the places you go, nice restaurants, the country club... are in a different league and charge accordingly. Set your expectations correctly and they will be met.

As a point of reference I spent 10 years as a factory rep for a domestic manufacturer and during that time I was in and out of hundreds of dealerships over a wide portion of the country. I know a little about car dealership sales and service and a Porsche dealer has more budget, plain and simple, their margins are impressive.

I am pretty sure the new Vett over time will be a home run. Honestly it is not that hard to accomplish. I love my Porsche and I don't desire a Vett but I am sure this one will be a party to drive and the things the media hated about the old one are fixed.

The New Vett is a great value because the (performance) competitors are such a poor value. Is a Porsche going to be twice as nice? I don't think so.

I have seen a dozen on the road. Sometimes multiples same color being factory test driven with equipment obviously on board. It looks sharp, it performs well, don't ask how I know that.

Where I live there are LOTS of Corvettes on the road. That is the main reason I would not consider one but they were and are impressive.

I am sure I will get flamed for this but thats OK. I am American and I am rooting for them.

 

What you are really saying is set your expectations low for certain brands. Why?? The whole point of what others are saying is they don't want to or have to.


My comment is in direct response to yours. I have no idea what the service is like for a Corvette since I have not been in a Chevy dealer for 25 years.

 

I was not directing my comments at you specifically, there seemed to be a theme. I think you would be pleasantly surprised at the quality of service.
Don't expect a free loaner, not enough margin in service for that.

 

Tony Stewart drove the new Vette in this month's Road and Track. He advised he was able to make this car respond to foot and hand input better than any other street car he's driven. This one clearly seems to be on the ball to compete with Germany's best. I for one am glad to see the car quite possibly being a true competitor. Good for GM!

 

The side and front look nice IMO but the back is horrible and the interior design is not good though the quality looks improved. I also have no interest in a car with 2 valves per cylinder, pushrods and leaf springs. Chevy can make a Corvette that I would buy but apparently Chevy thinks their core market would no longer like it.

 

But you are interested in a car with the engine hanging out the rear? If the design works it works.

 

The 991 weight distribution is now very near mid engine. I have a 13 Boxter (wifes car) and have owned an Exige and prefer the handling of the 991.

 

Pushrods have a design purpose as do leaf springs. You mention them as if they are terminally flawed technology.

I am going to guess that on a track the numbers are going to be close how do you reconcile with that?

 

I have driven a Nascar and it was fast but it doesn't mean I like it.

 

I have had Porsches since 1973. Air cooled mid and rear engined, water cooled mid and rear engined. Torsion bars, struts and coil-overs. I have looked seriously at 'Vettes each time I purchased my next Porsche. Porsche's technologies have been as least as strange as transverse springs, pushrods and iron lumps under the hood.

Over the years around racing, I have found that "better" is useful only as a comparison for achieving a purpose. I have also found that among all the reasonably similar sports cars, 911s and Corvettes have consistently been neck and neck at being better for the purposes of their owners. But for me, 911s have been worth what I regard as an affordable premium (even if it is financing the development costs of the 981s).

 

Whether I buy one or not, I too am pleased that GM seems to be producing a very fine product. Gotta root for the home team. I find it more than a little ironic that the car's strength (value pricing) might make it undesirable to some because it's too common. Yogi might say "no one wants it because there's too many on the road."

 

High price does not guarantee a positive experience . For example a Ferrari and a Mclaren cost much more than a porsche 911S . If one faces a repair with a Porsche the technician manuals are very organized and parts are readily available . This is not always the case with the cars that are priced above Porsche nor is it the case with a Chevy priced below. In short one pays a bit for the Porsche but the car ownership experience DOES deliver for most . Now that's not to say that porsche is the only company who is capable but it is the one which offers the vehicles which meet my needs as well as my expecations .