The Official C8 Corvette Thread...

[NomisR]

I completely get this. Somebody needs to build me a mid-engine 4 cyl 2 seater for under $35k. Before anyone says Elise, those fuckers were over $60k up here, and the cheapest used ones are in the 30-40k range.

I think you can find an used Pontiac Fiero within that price range

[Payman]

I think you can find an used Pontiac Fiero within that price range

Well, I just scored another NA Miata, and I'm always on the lookout for a cheap but good MR2 Spyder. I still might spring for a nice Boxster in the high teens, 2005+. Not a fan of the earlier ones.

[Payman]

Yeah, like I said I was shocked. When the 350Z came out in 2002 base price was $45,000 (CAD).

Yeah, I remember seeing one at the dealer ('02 or '03) for $51,000. I had no idea such a deal can be had on a 370.

[93JC]

I associate the entire idea of the 370Z with being old, outdated, and far too expensive. Can't shake that perception. I don't even care that it can be had for $30,500 now: it's irrelevant. Too little, too late.

[FoMoJo]

Well, I just scored another NA Miata, and I'm always on the lookout for a cheap but good MR2 Spyder. I still might spring for a nice Boxster in the high teens, 2005+. Not a fan of the earlier ones.

Planning to build a bigger garage?

[MX793]

Looking at car prices in Canada and current exchange rates, I'm very tempted to run north to Toronto or Kingston and snag a new Mustang GTPP2.  Works out to $33K US.  Same car in the states is $45K!

[Payman]

Planning to build a bigger garage?

I can just jam a Cabrio, Miata and Spyder, but there'd be no room to do anything. But no, not planning to build a bigger garage at this property, but I may build a 30x30ish one when we downsize. 800 sq ft house, 900 sq ft garage. 

[12,000 RPM]

Have you driven one?

It drives like shit.

I test drove one but I have like 4 years of ownership experience with the FM platform

Pretty much everything about that car feels like it's from 15 years ago (because, well, it is).  The interior looks worse/more plasticy than a base Mustang.  Viscous LSD is weak sauce (needs a Torsen or eDiff).  And it's kind of heavy.  For the same money as a 370Z Sport (which you need to get any kind of limited slip, base models are still open), you can get a Mustang Ecoboost Performance pack w/ Magnaride dampers.  Nicer cabin than the Z.  More usable trunk/interior space.  Only about 100 lbs heavier, slightly less power but way more low/midrange torque.  Torsen differential instead of that junk viscous unit in the Z.  Better suspension than the Z.  Much better daily driver while being every bit as capable on the track.

Interior is debatable (I prefer the Z). Like I said for a couple grand you can fix all the Z's problems. Get the Sport for the stock BBK and seats... swap the stock 19s for some meaty 18s (they fit- my G had the same brakes on stock 18s), get a proper mechanical LSD, and whatever aftermarket suspension you want. For ~$1500 you can get Tein coilovers with adaptive damping. Z still has a double DIN slot so infotainment is no legit complaint either. FWIW I thought the VLSD was OK on the street. It was spent on my Z (fair after damn near 200K) but it really tied my G down

Plus there's stuff on the Rustang you can't fix. 2.3EB... YUCK. I'll trade some low/midrange for a big, high revving, naturally aspirated V6 any day(which nothing else but the Camaro has... next sports car with an N/A 6 is the 718 GT4). Z is more like 150-200lb less, and more importantly 7" & damn near 2 feet shorter in wheelbase and length. That makes a difference. All aluminum multilink suspension vs the Ford's mix with steel & struts up front (though the Ford does have dual pivot lower ball joints). Obviously if you need 4 seats the Z is no go but again its only unfixable issue is age which I'm not squeamish about. It's own worst enemy are used low mileage ones going for 1/2 MSRP

[Payman]

Looking at car prices in Canada and current exchange rates, I'm very tempted to run north to Toronto or Kingston and snag a new Mustang GTPP2.  Works out to $33K US.  Same car in the states is $45K!

Shit, really? Car prices are a friggin enigma up here. Some are cheaper, most are hella more expensive.

[FoMoJo]

I can just jam a Cabrio, Miata and Spyder, but there'd be no room to do anything. But no, not planning to build a bigger garage at this property, but I may build a 30x30ish one when we downsize. 800 sq ft house, 900 sq ft garage. 

30' x 40' so you can have 3 doors and park cars nose to tail.  That way, up to 6 cars will fit.

[MX793]

I test drove one but I have like 4 years of ownership experience with the FM platform
Interior is debatable (I prefer the Z). Like I said for a couple grand you can fix all the Z's problems. Get the Sport for the stock BBK and seats... swap the stock 19s for some meaty 18s (they fit- my G had the same brakes on stock 18s), get a proper mechanical LSD, and whatever aftermarket suspension you want. For ~$1500 you can get Tein coilovers with adaptive damping. Z still has a double DIN slot so infotainment is no legit complaint either. FWIW I thought the VLSD was OK on the street. It was spent on my Z (fair after damn near 200K) but it really tied my G down

Plus there's stuff on the Rustang you can't fix. 2.3EB... YUCK. I'll trade some low/midrange for a big, high revving, naturally aspirated V6 any day(which nothing else but the Camaro has... next sports car with an N/A 6 is the 718 GT4). Z is more like 150-200lb less, and more importantly 7" & damn near 2 feet shorter in wheelbase and length. That makes a difference. All aluminum multilink suspension vs the Ford's mix with steel & struts up front (though the Ford does have dual pivot lower ball joints). Obviously if you need 4 seats the Z is no go but again its only unfixable issue is age which I'm not squeamish about. It's own worst enemy are used low mileage ones going for 1/2 MSRP

Yeah, a few grand and a completely voided warranty later.  Not to mention no longer "stock" class legal for those of us who do Auto-X or whatever.

LOL, those Tein "adaptive" dampers aren't nearly on par as a proper set of Magnerides.  It's cheap because it's one of the most ghetto "adaptive" systems I've ever seen.  For starters, they aren't taking readings and adjusting damping based on suspension inputs (they physically can't with the hardware they have, nor adjust damping quickly enough even if they could).  They look at vehicle speed (using a GPS module) or inputs from an accelerometer and stiffen or soften based on how fast you're going or what G forces you're generating.  They're basically little servo motors that turn the rebound adjustment screws on the dampers.  No way in hell that will react like a Magneride system, which is monitoring actual suspension motion at around a kilohertz sample rate and constantly adjusting both compression and rebound to react.  Hit a patch of choppy, grooved pavement with Tein's system and, unless you change your speed, the damping will stay the same despite changes in surface chop.  A magneride will soften the damping to adjust for the increased suspension activity caused by the choppy pavement.

And having flogged a number of cars well smaller than mine through an auto-x (Miata, M-Roadster, Celica, 944, couple of Mazda3 variants), I can soundly say that the length difference really isn't big of a factor.  Width, yes, but length, not so much.  You need to go much longer (like full size truck) before it starts making that much of a difference.  FWIW, difference in full-lock turning radius between a Mustang and a Z is 2.5 ft.  On a track, or even something tighter like an Auto-X course, that's nothing.  I don't even recall having to put much more steering wheel input into the Mustang to account for all that extra wheelbase (it probably has a faster rack ratio).  All I really noticed with having a shorter wheelbase was that when a car starts to step out of line with oversteer, you need to be much quicker to catch it when you have a shorter wheelbase before it's too late to save it.  That's not necessarily a good trait.

[MX793]

Back to the Corvette, is it just me or did the car that Leno was showing not sound all that great when he fired it up?  Maybe it was just the sound recording equipment he had, but it sounded kind of like a van...

[ChrisV]

Give me an Elkhart Lake Blue with red interior, body colored accents, Z71 package with the high wing and some aftermarket wheels. Probably HRE P101s, not these) but just about this:



Hard to justify anything else under $200k.

[ChrisV]

Back to the Corvette, is it just me or did the car that Leno was showing not sound all that great when he fired it up?  Maybe it was just the sound recording equipment he had, but it sounded kind of like a van...

They sounded great coming up on stage. Maybe it was just the recording equipment he was using.

[MX793]

Give me an Elkhart Lake Blue with red interior, body colored accents, Z71 package with the high wing and some aftermarket wheels. Probably HRE P101s, not these) but just about this:



Hard to justify anything else under $200k.

Yes.  I also think this car looks really good in white with all of the trim pieces, spoiler/wing, and roof in black/CF.  Silver/Black fender stripes, maybe.

[CaminoRacer]

I do notice my long car on some tight sections of autocross courses. My region likes to make tight start gates that can be a bit troublesome

[Eye of the Tiger]

I do notice my long car on some tight sections of autocross courses. My region likes to make tight start gates that can be a bit troublesome

So u have a long car now

[MX793]

I do notice my long car on some tight sections of autocross courses. My region likes to make tight start gates that can be a bit troublesome

You also have more wheelbase than a Crown Vic and an even larger turning radius.  You have the same wheelbase as and a few more inches in overall length than a Chevy Tahoe.

Looking at the results from the SCCA national championships the past couple of years, the fastest indexed (handicapped) "stock" class car both years was a C6 Corvette with its massive 105.7" wheelbase.  And there was a Street Prepared class 4th gen Camaro (which has a Z-esque ~101" wheelbase, but a massive 193.5" overall length) up near the front as well.  It was the second fastest indexed time for a vehicle that was based on a production car.  Followed close behind by a pair of G35s (112" wheelbase, 5" longer than a Mustang).

Short of parking-lot-tight maneuvers, wheelbase isn't that much of a factor when we're comparing something like a Z and a Mustang.  And overall vehicle length makes no real difference in handling characteristics.  That only matters if you are concerned with street parking or have a very shallow driveway or garage.

[NomisR]

I like this with the body colored wings, side panels and mirror.  I like the lighter color blue more too.

[Payman]

Mine. 

[Galaxy]

Does that bronze color look more bronze or brown?

[Payman]

Does that bronze color look more bronze or brown?

Dunno until I see it in the flesh. I imagine it depends on lighting. Brown in the shade, bronze sparkle in the sun.

[CaminoRacer]

You also have more wheelbase than a Crown Vic and an even larger turning radius.  You have the same wheelbase as and a few more inches in overall length than a Chevy Tahoe.

Looking at the results from the SCCA national championships the past couple of years, the fastest indexed (handicapped) "stock" class car both years was a C6 Corvette with its massive 105.7" wheelbase.  And there was a Street Prepared class 4th gen Camaro (which has a Z-esque ~101" wheelbase, but a massive 193.5" overall length) up near the front as well.  It was the second fastest indexed time for a vehicle that was based on a production car.  Followed close behind by a pair of G35s (112" wheelbase, 5" longer than a Mustang).

Short of parking-lot-tight maneuvers, wheelbase isn't that much of a factor when we're comparing something like a Z and a Mustang.  And overall vehicle length makes no real difference in handling characteristics.  That only matters if you are concerned with street parking or have a very shallow driveway or garage.

Haha yeah I have a 116" wheelbase and 208" overall

[Payman]

Haha yeah I have a 116" wheelbase and 208" overall

100" hood, 100" bed, 8" cabin.

[MX793]

Dunno until I see it in the flesh. I imagine it depends on lighting. Brown in the shade, bronze sparkle in the sun.

So like the sparkly stink pickle that follows after Fido eats a bunch of glitter?

[CaminoRacer]

I think a used C8 might be my 1/3 life crisis car

[Raza]

https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a28413258/2020-chevrolet-corvette-c8-colors-trims-features/

This is all pretty crazy. GM knocked this over the moon. I'm thinking now that they made every other $50K+ sports car an irrational purchase. Why pay $300k for a Huracan? $180k for an R8 or NSX? Only the Boxster/Cayman and low end 911 still remain viable options.

It's kind of the Miata of supercars now, the way the NSX was in the 90s.

[Raza]

Other than weighing 3400 lbs, having 20" wheels (again, "affordable" performance tires are all 18" or smaller), and not being able to see a damned thing out of it.  Although I suppose the trunk space limitations on the Camaro are about the same as a mid-engine car...

Give me something like a Lotus Evora at half the price.

Oh yeah, I love the Evora. That's my kind of car.

[Raza]

Can someone explain why the 370z isn't on anyone's radar

It's only flaw is it's age. A couple grand fixes all its problems

Old. Ugly. Not that good. For me, the convertible is automatic only now. And I think you can only get a manual on the coupe on the lowest or two lowest trims now. It's a dead model that was never that good.

[Rich]

I thought it was cooler at 3300lbs. But that's dry weight. It'll be 3600ish?