fahren affair

i'm in the que for a 997S, but speculation about the forthcoming z06 keeps me intrigued. i'm thinking of waiting now till jan/feb '05.

http://www.digitalcorvettes.com/foru...threadid=25433

Tse-Tse

I suspect (with confidence) that the vette will be a rattle trap like most American cars. Every decade, I try an American car to see how the quality has changed (Taurus SHO; Chevy Suburban in last 10 years) and am disappointed. We just can't build a tight, quiet car.

tnunnery

Did anyone catch the Discovery Channel(?) show about the development of the new Vette? They couldn't figure out why the rear hatch wouldn't close unless the door was open. Not exactly an engineering "stumper" to figure out. That's scary.

TVN

GrantG

I understand your interest. The new Z06 should be an incredible performer for the money - good track car. Especially if it has dry sump and Brembos (to go with the 500hp) as advertised. Much quicker around a circuit than a 997S...

rss997

I am not so sure I would dump 80-90k into a new 997s. Buy the vette and then dump it in a couple years and get a deal on a 997s then after the depreciation hit has been taken by 1st owner.

qirex

its kinda hard to justify the 90K price of a 997.

Beautiful car, but damn, the vette is bristling with high tech stuff.

ANybody know what the profit margin is on the 911...i hear its HUGE.

Its just so hard for me to take the depreciation risk with this new car - espec in light of the 40th ann 996 and reg 996 *hits*.

rss997

qirex, you are right on...The 997 is wayyyyyyyyyyyyy overpriced for what it is.

My 996 was my first P-car and while I have the money to buy new, I was lucky a friend enlightened me to the depreciation issues with Porsche..

The only way to buy these cars is used, one owner who pampered it to death and lost all his cash in the process....

nyca

well, 997 issues aside, GM is making better cars. I've test driven the new CTS, its solid.

all high priced cars, except Ferrari, depreciate heavily the first two years. if you plan on keeping the car for many years, I think it evens out. I always fear the risk of finding that "pampering" owner as opposed to an abuser, you never really know.

tarpon1

let's just keep pouring salt in the wound guys...ok so we're going to take a beating if we turn around and sell our new 997's right away but if we hang on to them for a while that at least takes some of the sting out of the drop. there is something to be said for the excitement of driving one of these newly redesigned beauties as well. while i don't have a Z06; i do have a 2002 vette convertible which is a great car for ripping around in on a sunny day but it's a completely different animal from it's german counterpart. i thought it was and still is the best value for the money. it is clearly a heavier feeling car than the porsche if that makes any sense. the 997 is like driving a slot car while the vette feels much longer and "boatier". if you're racing than it becomes a tougher choice as the Z06 is a formidable competitor.

nyca

one thing to consider is that the "value" proposition on the 997 is likely to change, perhaps for the 2007 MY. we've all seen the conjecture - more power, the 3.8L engine becomes standard, etc. basically, more "stuff" for 90K, or an 80K base model that has more.

but then what happens, how many people who bought the first two years of the 997 run, and who have the cash to burn, flip their 1-2 year old 997s for the upgraded models? that's when the pre-owned prices really drop, when this flood of cars hits the market.

RonCT

I've owned US cars, Japanese cars, and then German cars. Once I went to the German "feel", I can't go back. It's not all about the money and depreciation - it's about what you want. If you can afford the 997s and that's what you want, then get it and don't look back. When I was younger, I thought it was great that I was "saving" by buying something cheaper than what I wanted, but I didn't have what I wanted and regretted it every mile - now I just get what I want.

The margin is about $10,000 on the 997 from what I can tell. If you don't like the deal you got, then shop it. I do with every car I buy, even allocated ones. I send out a request for proposals to the 5 closest dealers and I always get a deal. The last one was my M3. NO DISCOUNT was everywhere 2.5 years ago when I ordered, yet I got a $2k package from a dealer who wanted to move a car($1600 cash off and $400 of free dealer-installed options).

My current business lease is up in 12/05 - so I have some time. I do figure that there will be more room to negotiate in 6 months (when I'd order) than right now - unless of course the economy heats up and the rates stay low.