Don't take this as anti-Corvette but...

I bought a boat several years ago and investigated buying it through Costco, similar to their car program. When I asked the Boston Whaler dealer in my area about the Costco deal, the salesman said I could but that the transaction was based on higher prices and that I would end up paying more than dealing direct. Of course, this could have just been salesman talk. I investigated dealer cost and noted that the dealer made a fair, but small profit (IMO) over what I paid. It stands to reason that if Costco is going to insert themselves into a deal, they are going to want to make money, and the money is going to need to come out of someone's hide.

 

You buy cars based on where there dealership advertises them? What a bizarre world we live in.

 

I wish I could buy my cars at Costco. They have much better return policies than any high-end store I've ever bought anything from...

 

Having had a few my only issues with vettes are different. the older ones really had crap build and felt like used tupperware way to soon. From the c7 on the build is Gm competant which is not bad, but still sorta chevy,a nd I drive a chevy daily, strong good car

The bigger issue for me is conceptual, the sitting just in front of the rear axle while all the action happenes up front. i have the same issue with a viper.

If the mid engined vette comes and its anywhere near as good as the current one, but with mid engined dynamaics, why wouldnt you buy one.

Go to a track day, there are 4 types of prolific cars, vettes, older Bmws E30-E46, Loti, and some proche. That tells you a lot. Newr Vettes tend to be the front runners, and appear after some relatively minor mods very economical to run, because they are both relatively light, strong and powerful.

 

I know I shouldn't be like this; but, I'm a slut for the looks of the C5. I like simple. I like flowing lines. I don't like cars that look like angry insects on LSD. Is there any hope for me?

 

Simple is better. I like the C5 Z06 best.

 

You guys are comparing a Louis Vuitton hand bag to kid kids pack pack they take to school. The pack pack (vette) is far more usable and in many ways better and faster to pack. The Ferrari requires care and concern and attention to detail to get the lunch bag in there. The back pack..stuff it and go.no worries.

One has become a fashion accessory, the other has managed to stick to its roots since 1953.

 

I think you should take another look. This picture is of my C5Z05 racecar. I'm was rebuilding my stock engine for my race class. You can see the steering rack. That is also very close to the front axle center-line. You will note that the engine is behind the front axle centerline. We call that "front mid-engine". Add that to a transaxle gearbox with torque tube like the Ferrari 550 maranello and you get this amazing weight balance. The car is only nose heavy 52%. You can see near 50/50 left to right balance and 50% crossweight with only 1lb front wheel difference on a 3500lb corvette!! That is why this car brakes amazingly and handles amazingly.
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Yes including the "corvette hop" and transverse leaf spring!

 

Agree

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Uh, you were in a Costco? not much cachet to say "I was at Costco...."

 

Are you adding ballast/person to get that weight ? That is about 400# more than stock.....

 

Yes ballast in legal passenger footwell, and I have a race class completed weight minimum and full fluids with 1/2 of fuel load. I scale and align my own cars. Those would be tough numbers to get on any Ferrari, even a challenge car. My car is in a stock class with minimal mods. restricted motor, delrin bushings, stock transverese T1 leaf springs, dot race tires, bigger brakes, and safety gear

 

I have a '15 Z06/Z07/M7....and it is an amazing car. The performance is very similar to my Speciale and F12. On the roads there is no difference, if anything the Z06 feels faster. Of course the Ferraris are more of an event to drive, certainly more special and refined....they should be...I could have purchased ~8 Z06s for the price of those two.

 

I've liked Corvettes since I was a kid. Back in grade one (1978-9) had a kid in my class who's Dad had a 67 427 convertible with side pipes. Its still one of my favorite cars for looks. I even like all the other versions up until now. My problem isn't performance. I was kind of spoiled growing up. My parents mostly bought European cars. My Dad had several Porsches, including a 930, 951, several 928's, etc. So I tend to compare cars to the European cars I grew up with. GM tends to dip into its economy car parts bin too much for my tastes. I considered a new Vette in 08. But for less money, it might have been slower 0 to 60, but a 928 any version was just a better built, more solid car. Or for the same money at the time you could get a nice 930 P-car. Vette was just too cheap feeling.

 

Ha ha ha, using a 928 as an example of higher quality than a Corvette. You mean the same 928 with rattly,squeaky dash warping, massively unreliable electrical system? Hahaha. I won't even get into the water pumps, steering racks, leaky intakes, etc. There is a reason most 928s are nearly worn out and worthless.

 

I am not complainign about the overall weight distribution on a vette, I its a front midegined car.

Its more a factor of where you physicaly sit, and power off an apex.

On a traditional mid engined car, the driver passenger sits just behind the front wheels and the engine just ahead of the rear wheels. That means your shoulders are at or slightly past the mid point or the pivot point of the car, and your hands and feet very close to the front wheels. You sit up front with the action.

On vette, the motor sits behind the front wheels and you sit just ahead of the rear wheels. That means your body sits behind the pivot point of the car, and your hands and fett far behind the front wheels. Yes due to overall weight distribution the car can perform on a corner s well as a mid engined car, but the driving sensations and feedback is very different.

In fact theoretical performance too is altered. Most mid engined cars have something like 60% of their weight biased towards the rear wheels and with a lot of hp you can put more power down commign off the apex, or brake load and pivot the front going in. Its one of the stated reasons why the c8 will be mid engined, because even with lengthenign the weheelbase as on the c7 you can only put so much hp down with a front engined setup.

I use the word theoretical a lot, because engineers are very good over decades at working around package drawbacks, as witnessed by sucessive 911s, or audis handling, so its no surprise that with focus and workign on one essential plaform c5-c7 the engineers have come up with a car that makes no excuses and is dynamicaly argaubly best in class. But a true mid engine, ie engine behind the driver ultimately has more potential, and can be more "fun" to drive on twisties, at least for me.

 

I've never had the problems you list in the interior. Water pumps are not really a problem, most do preventive maintenance and change the pump with the timing belt.

Its 100 times better then the fiberglass POS with Chevette interior parts Corvette.

 

You're saying a 928 felt better built than a 2008 Corvette?

 

You just obliterated any objectivity that you were weakly attempting to project. No problems with a 928 interior? Bahahahahha. Warped and split dashes, disintegrating seats, incredibly unreliable electronics-go ahead take a look at any random ads for an average 928-always issues. They are also easy to find on CL for next to nothing in poor condition. Interference engines that need regular belt changes, most came with an automatic trans, more leaks than a British car, etc. Well, at least it has a Porsche badge-small comfort as most Corvettes destroy a 928's performance as well-at least the 928's that still run.
A well cared for, pampered 928 GTS isn't bad, but they are few and far between.

Finally, how did a car "you admire" suddenly become a fiberglass POS? What are you, 12?

 

Personally I avoid places with a lot of people (not a big fan of dressing up in your sunday best to look at a machine), so I have never been to a concours or a Costco, maybe they should have the Concours' d Costco. I do know a bit about cars (and yes I have ASD new term for us rainman types), but to me they are only just machines they start out being something those with some imagination and ingenuity can (like the C5 racer on this thread) make them even better. When I get bored (which happens often ) I buy another one to play with. To assume a cars status is determined by the venue it is shown in, well to me at least is somewhat foolish. I don't remember much past the last 25 years (a little less every day) and I could care less about the cars of yesterday, the whole whats is it going to be worth is just another way to make an old car be worth more than it should be. The same people who complain about the infotainment system not having car play will pay 100 times what an old piece of crap is worth because someone perceives its value to be high does not matter that it is an old pieve of crap and a modern mazda will out handle it. You see seeing things from simply a logical way (I'm incapable of emotion with the exception animals and three humans ) can have its advatanges to see that cars are just machines like my blender (I have 11 blenders for different uses) some a bit better than othesr, all could be made better, all have at least one purpose. None are perfect!

 

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What? Seriously, what?

Its a sports car, produced in relatively high numbers, that sells for $60k range. Its for driving enjoyment, not parking and posing. (That's why Ferrari's exist.)

Cachet...ugh. Pet peeve of mine that cars are status symbols to so many, rather than tools for driving enjoyment.

 

Lol. I owned a new porsche 928. Trans broke 12k miles just after warranty. I was so made I sold it on the spot for big loss.

 

I think I better grab one of those paragons of German excellence before they are all snapped up:

1980 928 Porsche

porche 928 1986 parts

1982 Porsche 928 Super Sharp Rare Car!

PORSCHE 928 S

1982 Porsche 928 hatchback

Porsche 928

as you can see, some even sort of run, all have issues and all are cheap as hell-wonder why? If the kid had used his Mom's 911 as an example of German excellence it would have been a lot tougher to find them at near scrap prices-the 928? bawhahahhahah
I've owned a lot of Corvettes and Porsches(even 928s). Unless you have a pristine GTS, you couldn't give me one of those things.

Ton Cruise had the right idea:
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