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Originally Posted by BullittSVT
(Post 769058)
Hence the muscle car was born! Performance on a budget!
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Corvette did not usher in the era of the Muscle Car. Not with its 6cyl, 2spd auto configuration in its first two years. And it sure was never "on a budget".
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Originally Posted by Blacdout96
(Post 769075)
lol, absolutely, I believe dollar for dollar, the Evo or Subaru blow the Vette out of the water. They are more track prepped (road racing/auto-x) they can be used year around, are accepted world wide as far as fitment on the road and handling, and comfortably carry 4 passengers, and yet they come almost 10K less.
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Dollar for Dollar? An Evo and STi are 40k+ per, with a Corvette coming in high 40's. Dollar or dollar...they are the same dollars. Id pair an Evo vs a Corvette GS and see who comes out in the end as being better. Evo is a great car, and is way more adaptive than Corvette is, and to be honest, it would be a tough choice between the two. Id say the power of the Vette GS would take the Evo on a track by a good margin.
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Originally Posted by Blacdout96
(Post 769059)
Well it's not exactly an exotic car when more then 1.5 million have been made. Might want to give it an image where a younger generation will appreciate it, and continue to produce an interest for it.
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Not an exotic, but at its limited numbers, its exotic for GM. It needs to maintain a level of not only performance and design, but also be an car to desire. Corvette was, untill the Volt, usually the car that displayed brand new technology first. Adaptive suspension, heads up display, DOHC V8, carbon brakes, fuel injection, IRS, transmission, etc etc.
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50's and 60's, it was a symbol of America's sports car, those baby boomers whos fathers, or themselves owned one are a large portion of current owners. By the 70's 80's it became more of a status symbol with poor performance numbers (sans ZR1) By the 90's and 2000's, those baby boomers now are the symbol of Corvette. Bald or white head, a bad porno mustache, sporting a Corvette shirt, hat, AND jacket at the same time, and recently divorced from their wifes thanks to their mid life crisis. Unfortunately while that was going on, a new era of the car culture emerged, which is imports. They are affordable, and cheap to maintain with a great aftermarket support, and for some reason, excite this generation since a 18-24 year old is more prone to buying a new Honda Civic, VW, or if their pockets are big enough, but still 10K+ less then a Corvette, a Subaru or Evo.
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70's had poor performance everywhere, but the 80's the Vette jumped back into the ring to try to become a world-class sports car again. It became the image of rich old people buying it because 1) the 80's were the era of "Me" and 2) because the car's image of the 60's was regained by making the C4 one of the world's best sports cars, and not just an flashy image. Unfortunatly, the Corvette was stagnate by the 90's with little refreshes, and with GM's roller coaster adventures of that time, it lost more and more respect and lost more and more ground to the Euros and now Japanese.
Just due to sheer numbers, the Civic and other Japanese compacts had a much better chance of becoming popular with kids who wanted a change of pace from the muscle car years before them. Corvette's price was never going to change that. You dont see Porsche's popularity change because F&F said to put a fartcan on your Civic.
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Does this hurt Corvette now, hell no, they have a demographic right now that's swarming the Corvette, and with their line up, give some great choices. Down the line though, this generation is more prone to looking for that WRX or genesis they had during those "fun times" then when daddy left mom and spent a wad on an automatic Corvette that he kept in a climate controlled garage under a silk sheet.
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Again, the Corvette's image should never, ever, ever have to rely on 18 year olds buying one 10 years from now. Ever. That 18 year old wants a Corvette, and thats why he might buy a Camaro because its cheaper, and mod it to make it fast, so they can post in some race board "I BEAT A CORVETTE TONIGHT!!"
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Sorry, but people ( at least a majority) don't use the Corvette for it's intended use anymore, except to parade at the local car meet, and raise their noses to anything less then a twin version that bob from down the street bought after seeing yours, or to tell you what is and what is not Corvette original on your car. Sorry but you say if you can't afford it too bad? I say if you can, but baby it for fear of it looking less then show room ready, then too bad for you, you've wasted a perfectly good car. It would have a more fitting end wrapping it around a tree or guard rail because it was driven in anger during a track event, then to forever to never exceed 55mph or become a trailor queen.
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Who cares what they use it for! You can say that about Ferrari, Aston, Porsche, the GTR, Lambo, so forth and so on. Flooding the market with cheaper versions would only destroy the brand image that Corvette has continued to fight back since the 70's. People will do whatever they want if they have the money, and want to own one. Corvette is more than an engine and some fancy body work. Its an image, its a history, its more than just owning a car.
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I say if these people aren't going to use the car for it's intended purpose ( namely it's speed), no need to put a big engine in it, when a smaller displacement, better fuel economy, and a price tag that could raise a few eyebrows. not only that but for the younger generation, it would give Evo/Subaru shoppers a third option. If so then I say go for it. Leave th e ZR1, GS, and Z06 to the older and more financially situated buyers.
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No, it would not give Evo/Subbie guys another option. People looking to buy that type of car are buying it because it is NOT an Vette!
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You say stop trying to make it an everyman's car, I say you're exactly the type of person that holds the Corvette back from it's true potential in the market.
Now Al, let me say, I'm not saying all this to argue with you. I expressed my interest in the Corvette's possible turn to using alternative ways to produce power, and this is my reasoning for why I support it, and why I dissagree with your anser to me, but like I said, I'm just voicing my opinion. No internet battle will be taking place lol.
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Originally Posted by sweetbmxrider
(Post 769136)
The corvette is gm's single most successful car, ever. Somehow your logic says otherwise. You= Teh Crazy :lol:
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True potential in the market? What would be its target in this market? #1 in sales? Has that. 50+ years of history? Got it. To be a Miata with more power? No. So what exactly is being held back from? From being rally car? From being a muscle car? From being a hybrid?
The C6 has had the most focus on the goal of becoming a proper world class sports car. C7 needs to take that focus, and tune it up by making the car demand the 50k price tag. with GM's advancements in interior design and materials, I expect something really cool for C7.
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Originally Posted by Frosty
(Post 769254)
Another thing to consider about the Corvette...GM doesn't make much $$$ on them as it sits now...lower the price any and they LOSE $$$. Lower the price and use lesser parts means you have a 2 seater Camaro(in terms of quality)....no thanks. Pass.
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Eh, they make decent amount of money. They were happy to have Caddy share some of the C6's costs, which help open up some more money for all that aluminum/mag chassis stuff as well as all that suspension an engine jazz
Corvette transcends all of GM's brands, and it needs to be treated as a brand within a brand. Having a twin turbo 3.0 V8 would be great, but it just is not going to happen. Would have to be shared with Caddy or something, and a brand new engine program would light off tons of red flags.....****, bonfires that GM is working on limited number, brand new V8 engine program. At this point in the C7's gestation, it would have leaked out a long time ago.