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I wonder what the die-hard Vette guys think? I bet some are just loosing their minds with the mid-engine thing. I wish Porsche had 'announced' the next-gen 911 was going to be front-engine on April 1. Would have loved to see some reaction to that.
The Corvette C8 reveal is on July 18, and about the only certainty is that it will be mid-engined , NA, and have a DCT. The speculation is that the base price will be under $70K, and that its engine will produce around 500 HP and around 490 lb-ft of torque. A 700 HP Z06 is rumored to be released within a year of the base C8. The price for the C8 Z06 is rumored to be around $80K. The C8 will almost certainly have a curb weight that will exceed the GT4 by at least a couple hundred lbs, but having nearly 200 lb-ft more of torque should easily offset that weight disadvantage.
I appreciate that many Porsche owners wouldn't want to be caught dead in a car with a Chevy badge, but there are at least a few like me who are more interested in performance than badges. No question that the 718 GT4 is an outstanding sports car, but it has gotten too pricey for me. In my case I can't really come up with a build that will be under $120K. It will be interesting to see how the C8 and GT4 do in the inevitable head to head match ups.
IMO, the Corvette will be a better value. I too ended up at $115-120k on the configurator. First year Corvette may have quality issues. Your prices of $70k and $80k seem low, but I am so used to Porsche prices that I am probably just in shock.
IMO, the Corvette will be a better value. I too ended up at $115-120k on the configurator. First year Corvette may have quality issues. Your prices of $70k and $80k seem low, but I am so used to Porsche prices that I am probably just in shock.
I agree about the first year quality concern, and if I did buy a C8 it wouldn't be until year 3. One year to identify the problems and another to resolve. Moreover, they'll be discounting them by then.
I love Porsches but the prices are getting obscene, and maintenance costs are also getting ridiculous. My wife for example complained about the $960 she paid for Audi Care for her S8. Can you imagine paying less than a $1K for four years of maintenance for a Porsche,
If you're only looking at performance options, I don't understand how you get a GT4 spec up to $120k. You must have some creature comforts in there which will either be upcharges or unavailable on the Corvette. The price gap is still there, but a little narrower than you're portraying. In any event, two very different cars which not many will cross shop.
The new GT4s start at $96k in the US. You surely don’t “need” to add $20k in options.
The problem with the Corvette is how cheap the interior is. I briefly looked at a C7 but one look at the Uber-cheap plastic trim from a Chevy Cobalt made me run for the Porsche dealer.
It’s not about being a brand snob - I would love to drive a US car with a Chevy badge. It’s just that the fit and finish and quality is not up to the world’s best - far from it. But it’s cheaper to buy, so there is that. Right now you can buy a brand new C7 Stingray with a 6.2L NA V8 for $44k USD in Canada. If that’s not a great price to value ratio, I don’t know what is.
The new GT4s start at $96k in the US. You surely don’t “need” to add $20k in options.
The problem with the Corvette is how cheap the interior is. I briefly looked at a C7 but one look at the Uber-cheap plastic trim from a Chevy Cobalt made me run for the Porsche dealer.
It’s not about being a brand snob - I would love to drive a US car with a Chevy badge. It’s just that the fit and finish and quality is not up to the world’s best - far from it. But it’s cheaper to buy, so there is that. Right now you can buy a brand new C7 Stingray with a 6.2L NA V8 for $44k USD in Canada. If that’s not a great price to value ratio, I don’t know what is.
I'm going by the prices specified in the 981 GT4 forum which specifies a base price of $99,200 and $1200 for delivery for the 718 GT4. There is a thread "GT4 Build Specs" which has a lot of detailed GT4 prices and three configurations: Basic, well equipped, and fully equipped. Are you saying that the info is inaccurate? The well equipped option comes to $121,480 but I was able to reduce it to a tad under $120K. I suppose I could cut another $5K but it would be a challenge for me to go much below $115K and have a car that had the options I wanted.
Corvettes offer three trim packages on the base C7 from the 1LT for buyers who want the least expensive car to the 3LT which has an interior which IMO is comparable to that of a Porsche. A coworker of mine has a 2019 C7 Z06 with the 2LZ trim and its interior looks great to me, but maybe your standards are higher than mine. His Z06 has 650 HP and 650 lb-ft of torque, so it's a serious track car, especially when equipped with the Z07 option which my friend's Z06 has.
If the C8 is going to look like this then it is gong to be pretty awesome looking car and being mid engine it should handle like a Maclaren and with DCT it is going to shift very nicely. I'm sure Corvette have got there stuff better sorted these days not like the old days. I mean even the GT4 had its issues like broken strut housings and gear box failure.
Personally I like something a bit more subtle but if you are a Maclaren or other supercar fan then this is for you.
donR - you hit it on the head. Porsche and Corvette have inherently different appeal aesthetically- subtlety vs. flash. I get both, but tend towards the former. I think most people have a leaning one way or the other in this regard, which largely explains why few cross shop the two cars. The mid-engine C8, if it looks anything like the rendering above, will be a formidable competitor in the low end supercar (I know, an oxymoron) space. If I were in that market, I''d save my bucks and get a Z06 C8 and pocket the $ 125,000 savings over a McLaren 570S laughing all the way to the bank.
donR - you hit it on the head. Porsche and Corvette have inherently different appeal aesthetically- subtlety vs. flash. I get both, but tend towards the former. I think most people have a leaning one way or the other in this regard, which largely explains why few cross shop the two cars. The mid-engine C8, if it looks anything like the rendering above, will be a formidable competitor in the low end supercar (I know, an oxymoron) space. If I were in that market, I''d save my bucks and get a Z06 C8 and pocket the $ 125,000 savings over a McLaren 570S laughing all the way to the bank.
The rumor is that the C8 Z06 will have 700 HP and 700 lb-ft of torque. No one knows the price, but most guesses are that the base car with no options will sticker under $90K, which would put it in the GT4 range. I have never driven a car with anywhere near 700 lb-ft of torque, but it must be awesome. Couple that power with a mid-engined setup, DCT, and Cup tires and you have the makings of a serious track car.
The rumor is that the C8 Z06 will have 700 HP and 700 lb-ft of torque. No one knows the price, but most guesses are that the base car with no options will sticker under $90K, which would put it in the GT4 range. I have never driven a car with anywhere near 700 lb-ft of torque, but it must be awesome. Couple that power with a mid-engined setup, DCT, and Cup tires and you have the makings of a serious track car.
Agree. That kind of power for that price is a bargain.
I cross shopped 718 CGTS, Corvette Grand Sport and 981 GT4, as many have. I did end up with the CGTS, primarliy because I have a steep driveway. I would have gotten a 981 GT4 with paint to sample green or orange otherwise.
As a former Vette owner and now a P owner, I'd say to wait a year or two on this new C8. Even normally you'd probably be best served to wait at least a year on any new gen Vette, but now especially with the C8 being a mid engine design...brave new territory for the Vette.
As a former Vette owner and now a P owner, I'd say to wait a year or two on this new C8. Even normally you'd probably be best served to wait at least a year on any new gen Vette, but now especially with the C8 being a mid engine design...brave new territory for the Vette.
Yep, it seems to be a consensus even on the Corvette forum to delay purchase for a year or two, but there are those who have to be first and are willing to be guinea pigs.
04-29-2019, 09:34 PM
