RE: Driven: Corvette Grand Sport Convertible
Discussion
I can't help but feel that a lot of people here just go "LHD, ewwwww..." and immeadiately dismiss the car.
Yes its a big jump in price from US to UK but, even if you were to buy in the US, you would still need to pay shipping costs/VAT/duty/lights conversion so the USD amount is pretty much the GBP equivalent.
They look good (IMO), retain value really well, aren't that bad inside, low rent perhaps but certainly not poor quality. Oh and brilliant to drive. I may be biased as I have a Z06 but it puts a smile on my face even when I commute to work. Can't say the diesel BMW does that...
Yes its a big jump in price from US to UK but, even if you were to buy in the US, you would still need to pay shipping costs/VAT/duty/lights conversion so the USD amount is pretty much the GBP equivalent.
They look good (IMO), retain value really well, aren't that bad inside, low rent perhaps but certainly not poor quality. Oh and brilliant to drive. I may be biased as I have a Z06 but it puts a smile on my face even when I commute to work. Can't say the diesel BMW does that...
CrisW said:
They are certainly bargain in the US but I'm not so sure that they are in the UK. As afar as I can see these are US cars which have had the minimum work done to them to make them road legal in the UK. If the car retails for $60k (say £40k) then charging £70k for sticking a car on a boat, doing a little bit for work to the lights etc and then paying taxes is hardly good value.
Now £70k for the car isn't that high a price but does put the car in the same bracket as 911s and R8s both of which can be had with the steering wheel on the right side. If we pretend for a moment that Chevrolet were to sell the car for the same basic cost as the US version i.e. ~£40k + VAT etc then you've got a car in the £50k bracket which really would be a bargain. This could well offset the fact that it doesn't have the steering wheel in the right place. Otherwise I can see these going the same way as the NSX - an excellent car but nobody buys them which is a massive pity.
Think people are missing the great English tax rip-off when comparing US to UK pricesNow £70k for the car isn't that high a price but does put the car in the same bracket as 911s and R8s both of which can be had with the steering wheel on the right side. If we pretend for a moment that Chevrolet were to sell the car for the same basic cost as the US version i.e. ~£40k + VAT etc then you've got a car in the £50k bracket which really would be a bargain. This could well offset the fact that it doesn't have the steering wheel in the right place. Otherwise I can see these going the same way as the NSX - an excellent car but nobody buys them which is a massive pity.
At the moment a good low mile Z06 2008 (facelifted model) go for some where in the mid $50k's
Then there is the cost of shipping and insurance to add on. Then when it arrives 10% duty to add on to the car and shipping costs. Then when all thats totalled up another 20% vat to add on. Then there's the iva costs to add on and then a margin for B Millet to earn a living.....
Having returned from the ring this weekend there were a number of Z06's there (my pics in the corvette forum). 3 were out nearly all day and the blue one was being driven by someone that clearly knew the ring and was easily one of the fastest cars there. He certainly didn't appear to have brake fade
Previous vettes did have poor brakes. One of my first mods was to fit Brembos. Previously when we met up with owners in Germany you could tell all the German vettes as they had brake upgrades. Very few German C6 Z06's have brake upgrades so GM must have got it right this time...
Merle said:
The obvious solution: Buy a new Corvette, then spend 10,000 for new Recaro seats and a visit to one of your fine British leather trimmers for an interior upgrade and you have a superb machine inside and out. It also helps us in the USA with balance of trade payments.
Win/win!
Annoyingly, British drivers expect their cars to be finished at the factory, not by the aftermarket suppliers. As the owner of a Mustang, I know the "rite of passage" that is the buying of a car then replacing half of it with better stuff. Win/win!
Think the main issue with any American car is the fact that by the time it lands here it's total price is so much more than it should be, it finds it's self being compared to more expensive cars/models
But there's nothing really wrong with them inside. It's mostly the Clarkson brigade that quote the crap inside, bendy plastic and pram spring crap.
But there's nothing really wrong with them inside. It's mostly the Clarkson brigade that quote the crap inside, bendy plastic and pram spring crap.
LuS1fer said:
Annoyingly, British drivers expect their cars to be finished at the factory, not by the aftermarket suppliers. As the owner of a Mustang, I know the "rite of passage" that is the buying of a car then replacing half of it with better stuff.
My TVR left the factory in 2004 and it's almost finished :-). I am not a British driver, though....There is more to the Grand sport engine than just being a regular LS3. It also comes with the dry sump setup that is used on the Z06 and ZR1. If you are going to track your car, the Grand sport is definitely the more economical way to go. Yes, I know the Z06 is faster and more hardcore but it will also be a lot more money to run.
Here's a video explaining the dry sump setup on the Corvettes.
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1035909_video-2...
Here's a video explaining the dry sump setup on the Corvettes.
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/1035909_video-2...
I have just bought a brand new Coupe Grand Sport at my home is SW Florida. I traded my C6 for it. The difference is remarkable. The ride is phenomenal and the handling seems to be great but I've only done 600 miles before I returned to the UK. Can't wait to get back to my new baby in October!
PaulFontaine said:
big_rob_sydney said:
Maybe its just me, but I get the impression you're paying for a powerful engine, and not too much else besides.
At £48k, you could get yourself a supercharged VXR8 that has 532bhp, and walk away with change.
http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/FirstDrives/Va...
Hell, you could get a Litchfield Type 25, 415bhp, for ~£40k.
http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/2025...
70k is a lot of money, considering just a few of the options out there, and being LHD only doesnt help in the UK.
Pass.
I get the impression you have never driven one or ridden shotgun in one.At £48k, you could get yourself a supercharged VXR8 that has 532bhp, and walk away with change.
http://www.autocar.co.uk/CarReviews/FirstDrives/Va...
Hell, you could get a Litchfield Type 25, 415bhp, for ~£40k.
http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evocarreviews/2025...
70k is a lot of money, considering just a few of the options out there, and being LHD only doesnt help in the UK.
Pass.
The other cars you've listed are not a comparison to it really. I will also point out that I do understand that there is some sort of modification process to make it street legal for the UK but some where along the way the car jumps in price massively from the trip over to the UK. The z06 should come in at less than 60k GBP and this should be about 50k GBP Yes the grandsport is a specialty variant of the car but for that price the zo6 variant can easily be had with plenty of change left over. I suspect there is serious price gouging going on. The base model which I would choose over the grandsport is even less. And if you want to talk about modified cars well look at what tuners in the US do with this.
To put it in perspective I would say this car is priced evenly or a little less than the Boxster s and the Cayman in the US. The zo6 variant is less than the cost of a base 911. I am not going to even discuss the zr1 version here. While the styling is somewhat polarizing its never been called ugly. Yes I agree with the interior gripes and would toss the seats for some proper racing buckets or if possible the seats from the cadillac CTS-V but again something had to give at this price point.
Plastic body panels yes but so what. They are not going to deform or rust are light and easy to replace of course it would be fantastic with an aluminum body but again look at the price point.
I will also say that this car also has a heritage and a racing pedigree as well and has been in production since the 50's
The z06 has extensive use of more exotic materials such as aluminum and magnesium and just google these cars if you dont have access to someone that owns one. If you get a chance speak to an owner and get the straight scoop from them.
As an american I am a little bias but they are the bargains of the sports car world, especially the higher spec z06 and zr1 models
Edited by PaulFontaine on Tuesday 30th August 14:08
We both laughed, and wondered when tyre technology had come on in such leaps and bounds.
I should say, that the question about whether one car is a relevant competitor to anothr, is entirely up to the person about to shell out their coin, and not necessarily only to you.
Just because one may be a convertible, or coupe, or 4,6,8 or other number of pistons, f/r/awd, is only a subset of the decision making process. Some people buy based on price, and for the better part of £40k, might be asking some tough questions.
Now I know this means you could always compare a shed versus an expensive car, and then talk about bang for your buck. But the examples I quoted are not cheap either, and frankly, if I wanted a quick car, the vette wouldnt be on the shopping list.
Yes I know, this car is a convertible. So what? It rains in the UK so much, you have hardly any use out of it compared to sunnier climes.
big_rob_sydney said:
Yes I know, this car is a convertible. So what? It rains in the UK so much, you have hardly any use out of it compared to sunnier climes.
Suspension has been an issue in the past but fairly recently EVO magazine gave a C6 convertible 5 stars and they don't do that easily. As for convertibles and sunnier climes, you are partially wrong because sunnier climes don't actually like convertibles that much and prefer air con. The UK is one of the largest markets for convertibles hence the proliferation of ageing men with sunburnt foreheads and the sun being such a rare ccommodity means many will savour the droptop option even more. You need only look at the history of British sports cars tom appreciate that.
On your argument, saab shouldn't make their best-selling convertible and Porsche ought to stick to coupes.
kazino said:
I'm glad they save money on the interior, makes these things bargain bucket supercars
Exactly. The whiners are the first people who would whine even louder if the price went up £10k as they stroked their beards and remarked how that put it into a wholly different segment with more expensive competitors. With a Corvette, you get what you see for the price on the windscreen (often less) and the aftermarket lets you custom trim it however you want.Better than Porsche who strip £10k's worth out and add £10k to the price.
big_rob_sydney said:
No, I have indeed been in them. The experience was characterised by plenty of noise, and suspension so hard that it rattled your back teeth. On commenting, the british owner laughed, and told me that yes, the americans think that sports suspension simply means making the suspension componentry out of solid metal, and leaving the preload, compression, and rebound to the tyre walls.
We both laughed, and wondered when tyre technology had come on in such leaps and bounds.
I should say, that the question about whether one car is a relevant competitor to anothr, is entirely up to the person about to shell out their coin, and not necessarily only to you.
Just because one may be a convertible, or coupe, or 4,6,8 or other number of pistons, f/r/awd, is only a subset of the decision making process. Some people buy based on price, and for the better part of £40k, might be asking some tough questions.
Now I know this means you could always compare a shed versus an expensive car, and then talk about bang for your buck. But the examples I quoted are not cheap either, and frankly, if I wanted a quick car, the vette wouldnt be on the shopping list.
Yes I know, this car is a convertible. So what? It rains in the UK so much, you have hardly any use out of it compared to sunnier climes.
You claim it was hard riding, which version of the car did you drive/ride in?We both laughed, and wondered when tyre technology had come on in such leaps and bounds.
I should say, that the question about whether one car is a relevant competitor to anothr, is entirely up to the person about to shell out their coin, and not necessarily only to you.
Just because one may be a convertible, or coupe, or 4,6,8 or other number of pistons, f/r/awd, is only a subset of the decision making process. Some people buy based on price, and for the better part of £40k, might be asking some tough questions.
Now I know this means you could always compare a shed versus an expensive car, and then talk about bang for your buck. But the examples I quoted are not cheap either, and frankly, if I wanted a quick car, the vette wouldnt be on the shopping list.
Yes I know, this car is a convertible. So what? It rains in the UK so much, you have hardly any use out of it compared to sunnier climes.
LuS1fer said:
Exactly. The whiners are the first people who would whine even louder if the price went up £10k as they stroked their beards and remarked how that put it into a wholly different segment with more expensive competitors. With a Corvette, you get what you see for the price on the windscreen (often less) and the aftermarket lets you custom trim it however you want.
Better than Porsche who strip £10k's worth out and add £10k to the price.
Sadly, GM didn't save much on the interior. As Lutz said about the first CTS interior. It WAS expensive. It didn't look expensive but it was. The C6 sadly suffers the same way.Better than Porsche who strip £10k's worth out and add £10k to the price.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff