sharkthehunter77

One thing i notice about "corvette" is nobody currently feels ready to tnagle with it at its rpesent $50,000 price point. Not that i car or could aford a $43,00 base price two seater, but i'm surprised no other company tries to compete at that price. I bet Ford could have and missed an oppertunity with there GT. Why not try and deliver a $55,000 GT at more like 425 ponies or so! Dodge, nope they wanna offer a big block for almost thirty mroe grand.
Is it the fact that several japanese makes got ther butts handed to them about a decade ago trying this exact same thing? I know this sounds like a post ,..for another forum but i'm curious about vette peoples on this issue because the price point of the vette is one of its chief sellign pionts for most vette ownes. Obviously the GT wold not have 500 hp at the lower price ( i am guessing ) but doenst it make more since to sell 30,000 plus cars and maske a bigger profit then try to sell only a few hundred or a few thousand just to have a halo car? Do you think you'd se yourselves buying what the competition offered if the hp and price numbers were closer? It just amazes me that GM can offer this much performance at this price and no one else ca get there zit together enough to even come close!

steve burns

Looking at a 350Z Roadster... Acceleration 0-60 at 5.5, about 1.2 seconds below Corvette. Heated seats, navigation, 18 inch wheels, reliability, low cost service, great handling, great sounding exhaust... Priced about 14k less than Corvette Roadster.

StanNH

A fully optioned BMW Z4, a Porsche Boxster S, the new MB roadster, a loaded 350Z, etc. all compete in some way with the Corvette. If you look at some of GM's own comparison tables, they will show several Euro and Japanese cars as competition. The C6 was, I believe, developed partially to steal some of the sports car/roadster market away from foreign manufacturers. The C6 targeted the size, performance, and price of its competition very well and offers better performance at comparable pricing.

If the quality and reliability of the C6 turn out to be as good as GM hopes, I think many buyers of foreign cars will be taking a serious look at this car.

Stan

Jinx

It's not that nobody can compete... it's that nobody wants to compete.

Corvette is a juggernaut in this market. Huge brand loyalty, huge name recognition, production volume, bespoke engineering, and a significant investment from a company with vast resources.

Most importantly, it is GM's flagship, the car they're most proud of, the one that shows them at their best. Somebody might come along and surprise them, and GM is not the quickest organization to respond, but GM will not cede Corvette's market to anyone.

I'm sure if another $50,000 <8-lb/hp elite-handling two-seater showed up and either clearly beat Corvette in public performance or sold any significant volume, within two years we'd have a brawnier base Corvette that bludgeoned it.

Indeed, the Z06 is a preloaded warning shot. "Our base model could have 475hp next year; could yours?"

Somebody might stretch their car to nip at Corvette's heels -- Mustang Cobra comes to mind -- but nobody's gonna go toe-to-toe with Corvette.

.Jinx

D-Train

I was ordering a 997, planning on going to the release party and all that when my wife suggested I take a look at the new C6. I would have never purchesed a C4,or 5 however the new car has the performance and styling that works for me. Plus I think the C6 is more of a sports car rather then lux, ala Jaguar. I feel the same way as the orig post author I have no idea why other car cos cant do what chevy is doing, 50K is quite a bit of $$ for a toy. Also I dont know how Porsche is going to sell any of those new 997. One other thing when I was still struggling with which car to buy I was talking with the Porsche sales man (nice guy btw) going over the #s for both cars and expressing by struggles, he said to me "you know there is more to owning a Porsche then just the preformance #s". I said this is a sports car were talking about right, if you dont look at the #s then what do we look at, he said well you would be part of the Porsche community. It was right then I knew that his product was not for me. I am spending mid 50s not mid 80s and have a car that should be compettitve if not out perform his product.

RichieRich

Man, what a dumb response. What he should have said (and this would be an honest answer) is that there's a level of refinement, quality and there's the overall driving excitement that is not reflected in numbers. It's why people buy Ferraris even though many aren't any faster than Vettes.

With Porsche, though, my experience has been that although they are very nice cars with excellent performance, they didn't even excite me as much as my C5 does. So it's certainly not worth paying more.

I've never driven a 360, but the thing is so gorgeous and I imagine the driving experience is absolutely intoxicating.

ALMS21

.....not to mention that every Porsche owner I have ever talked to bitches about the ongoing REQUIRED maintenance on the 911's etc..just my opinion, but for the money the Vette is currently unbeatable....This is an unbiased view as I am the owner of a 2001 BMW M3....................albeit it is on its way out the door as I just orderd my c6 last week.

ZoSo

When you get the C6 please post a review (when you're ready) and also a comparison with the E46 M3. Thanks.

ALMS21

I certainly will

lager99

HARVEY T.GLUCK

I presently own a 350Z Red/Blk Roadster.. Besides Lacking Power and the fact that I don't like the 6 Speed Transmission--I still THINK its a HELL of a CAR......In every other respect it Rivals the Corvette(mind you I have had 32 New Corvettes dating back to my First one in 1965 a Satin Silver Convertible --$4200.00)..People still Stop me and ask what it is and my Wife Loves it more then any Vette I ever had......Also it seems to Attract Female Lookers as well as Male.......By the Way its FOR SALE---VETTE TIME AGAIN. Harvey T. Gluck ..HTG39@AOL.COM

sharkthehunter77

Harvey, not to be an zit-head man. But, if you've had 32 vettes going back yerars maybe your justa little vette burned out. The character on the 2 cars maybe different enough for you to feel,... more fresh in the 350Z. I'm not taking anything away from the nissan, it does what many nissans do and thats provided a younger feeling hipper tighter package then GM is able to offer. The japanese car companies seem to often be more flexible on trends.

joemoia

In a perfect world Ford would put the Shelby GR-1 concept car into production as a direct competitor to the vette. Competition improves the breed.

K-TownMike

UGH, that thing is not attractive, but I do get what you are saying.

TedG

Price is not a consideration to me when it comes to a car for me(well up to a point). I buy what I want. I look at many things in a car, and the C6 does it for me. There must be a combination of luxury and performance, dependability,and looks as well as ease of maintenance. Something about a Vette has fascinated me since I saw my first one. Give me a Viper, I would sell it and buy a Vette. I seem to migrate toward American cars. Although I love Japanese bikes, most European cars never did much for me. Aside from Ferrari and Aston Martin.