Edmunds: Please GM, Fix the Corvette

[Curacao]

This semi-regular column is written (in his own blood) by an automotive sage and noted malcontent, known as The Mechanic. Mercilessly beaten as a child with rolled-up back issues of old car magazines, our free-spoken hero developed a unique "for your own good" take on cars and the auto industry, along with an unfortunate habit of setting himself ablaze. Later, after a distinguished career as an automotive journalist and magazine editor, he cast off the reins of his musty oppressors, carved out his superego with a plastic spork and became The Mechanic.

Before I begin, let me say that the following is not an attack on the people who buy Corvettes. They are good, clean, patriotic car lovers, and I think they should all be applauded for buying American.

I mean it from the bottom of my heart. Every barrel-chested baldy (sorry, retirees) and stripper (sorry, Bambi) who bought a Corvette recently deserves our respect and admiration for spending their hard-earned cash on America's sports car. God bless them all. I hope they enjoy their cars.

This column is not about them. It's about the Corvette itself, which sucks.

Truth is, I'm not really sure when it began to suck. I must have been watching my new Girls Gone Wild DVD and missed it, but it does suck and I think we should all be mortified by its suckiness.

Sure it performs incredibly well, but the Corvette as a relevant performance car has lost its way. Instead of being the everyman, all-American supercar it once was, the Vette has become too expensive, too extreme and too cheesy.

Chevy has blown it by allowing the Corvette's price and performance to get out of hand. And it continues to wrap the Vette in a dated package that is driving America's young car enthusiasts elsewhere. Do you realize that the base price of a new 2010 Corvette is $48,940? That's 50 grand for the cheapest Vette Chevy will sell you. The days of a kid graduating from college, getting a good job, saving up and buying a new Vette are long gone.

This is a problem.

But price is only part of the Corvette's demise. The sports car's image is another issue. Maybe it was all those butt-ugly Indy pace car editions over the years, or maybe it's the chrome wheels on the ZR1, but the Corvette's image is now more hillbilly than Beverly Hills, more Vegas than Victory Lane.

And it might be too late to save it. From where I sit, the Corvette has already been displaced as the attainable dream car for America's youth: displaced by the Infiniti G35 Coupe and the BMW M3 (E46). These two cars (and now their succeeding models, the G37 Coupe and the BMW M3 (E92)) are what the kids desire and aspire to. They've become "the Corvette" for the next generation of enthusiasts that have not yet hit the big four-o.

Sure they're slower than a C6, but they represent a far more modern and upscale interpretation of the everyday performance car. They represent what today's car lover wants: speed, style, quality and a nameplate that says he's successful and he knows what's cool. The Corvette just goes fast.

But these days everything goes fast. Guys realize they don't really need a car any faster than an E46 M3, which runs low 13s in the quarter-mile. Sure the C6 runs 12s but nobody really cares. These days, guys want a more balanced package.

And so the Corvette is being squeezed from the bottom by cars like the Infiniti, and it can't really compete with the upscale stuff (Porsche 911) because of its shoddy interior, questionable fit and finish and 1985 profile.

Unfortunate. The Corvette is one fine driving machine. Especially in Z06 and ZR1 trim. But I wouldn't buy one. Not unless I was the richest guy in Bowling Green. Or I owned a few Chevy dealerships. Or I was a stripper in Bowling Green and my sugar daddy owned a few Chevy dealerships. Otherwise I would ward off the Corvette like a sober night of karaoke, and I would do what every other well-educated cultured gentleman with taste and money does. I'd buy myself a Porsche 911. Make it a GT3.

And now to make matters worse, there's the Corvette Grand Sport, a new model recently reviewed by the great Dan Pund on this very Web site. It's basically a standard Vette that looks like a Z06. Market research must have showed GM's product planners that there's an untapped poser market. A big block of gold chainers clamoring for a slower, cheaper, inauthentic version of the Z06.

Come on, Chevy. Stop going in the wrong direction. Nobody ever asked you to make the Corvette the fastest car you could buy or the fastest car for the money. Nobody needs the Corvette to win Le Mans or pack 600-plus horsepower and cost over $100,000. Of course we want it to perform well, but we also need it to be affordable, insurable and durable. And we want it to be cool.

And today the C6 Corvette just isn't cool.


Come on GM, give us a Corvette we the people want today, not the Corvette you thought we wanted in 1989. -- The Mechanic, Inside Line Contributor

E-mail me at themechanic@edmunds.com.

Link: http://blogs.insideline.com/straightline/2009/10/please-gm-fix-the-corvette.html?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..2.*

 

[Lou G]

For the last couple of months I have had a mental battle as to whether to buy a new Vette or do a few more mods to my '06 Vert (Looks great, has a few bling mods, 13k miles).

If I were to buy another C6, what would I get different? The car would look basically the same, have a couple of new doo das, would cost me another $30 or $35K and it would lose a few thousand in value the moment I drive off the dealer lot. I don't think this is a smart option.

I priced the Grand Sport and the GT1 (Mucho bucks). At this time in my life (retired) and the way the economy has tanked, this one is really not a smart option.

Unless I win the lottery or the DOW moves up three thousand points, I am keeping my '06 C6 and do a few mods next spring.

Corvettes have gotten too expensive. The Mechanic is correct. I don't see how young people can afford them anymore.

 

[Pres712]

Agree?

I'm not sure I agree with all he says but one thing is for sure; young people are not buying Vettes. I was 27 when I bought my first Vette and I've owned one since. My '67, '69 and '86 were all bought new. The '86 was leased as I couldn't afford the payments otherwise. When I bought our '03 it had to be used. A new one was WAY out there. I belong to a Corvette (and have since '67) club and I would say the average age is now over 50. When I started a club in Ohio, in '67 the average age was high 20's low 30's. I also belong to NCCC and they have approached the problem by having a FCOA, future Corvette owners association. Age 0 to 16. Get your grandkids, nieces, nephews, etc., interested. They have had some success with those kids buying Vettes and joining but it is a downhill struggle. What is the answer? Make them cheaper? My first '67 cost me $3,800. What is that in today's dollars? Anybody out there know? I do know that I had to get a second job to make the payments! Do kids do that today?

 

[als2052]

Next thing you know we will be hearing about geriatric autocross events the way things are going...

 

[Lou G]

Next thing you know we will be hearing about geriatric autocross events the way things are going...

:lmao::lmao::lmao:

 

[thebeepster]

"The Great Recession" (which we're still in the middle of) has really changed the way a lot of us think. Over the past few years we have been indoctrinated to think its OK to spend $50-60M on a car when in fact that whole idea is absurd. Many are still without jobs, we're stuck in a war that can't (or won't) be won, the house you live in has lost 40% of its value, the value of our dollar is sinking daily, and worst of all, our leaders are clueless as to what to do next (and the rest of the world knows this). Unfortunately, unlike a headache, this will not all pass when we wake up tomorrow AM. In the face of the worst market in decades, GM has a price increase...go figure.

Seems to me the car companies better figure out how to make a car the people want for $20-30M or they will be toast. Like it or not (and I don't) the world has changed.:banghead:

 

[Mannings]

Nice Vette.........my C5's paid for and suites me just fine. :thumbsup:

 

[Rich Z]

Actually I faced this same music VERY recently. Had sold off a good chunk of my gun collection and had some money to spend on something completely frivolous. The way I was looking at it, I had the opportunity to trade one hobby for another. In effect, trading guns for a brand new Z06. I knew exactly what I wanted and burned up the internet looking hard for it at a price I wanted to pay. I settled on $70K out the door for a 2009 Cyber Gray 3LZ Z06 with spider chrome wheels. Even though dealerships were closing their doors and every one I went to had NO foot traffic through them, none would sell me a car for this price. I looked for a few months, then finally gave up. I decided to put half that amount into my current C5Z and pocket the change. No doubt I will be just as happy, if not more so, with my choice.

And GM, well you just lost a sale. I will probably never be in the position to buy a brand new Corvette ever again in my lifetime. Perhaps that's the reason your business model is against the ropes. Probably a lot of people are tightening the purse strings and looking a lot harder at these kinds of purchases.

But you just go ahead and keep on implementing price increases, you hear? Soon the dealers will just stop putting them on the lots, because they will get tired of seeing them sitting there for months and months on end with people looking at them, but just shaking their head at the price tag on the windshield.

In the meantime, I'll just be enjoying riding around in my super C5 and feeling that wad of money still in my pocket afterwards.

 

[road pilot]

There were alot of good things said and I agree with alot of it. If you
remember GM tried the cheap route with the Hardtop ( not the C-5
ZO-6) and no one would buy it. Frankly if I wasn't goofy for vettes I
would buy the Nissen Z-car. A great car I had a Z-350 when new-WOW.
This will be a problem for GM now ,the cost go up and so does the
average age of the buyers. Pretty soon you will see 90 year old geezers
as the average buyer age. (Not a bad thing) ,but it's the youth that
will take the vette into the latter 21'st century.
OK I hate the thought of a 6-cylinder vette but I am from the last century.
The truth is the vette needs to be trimmed down and maybe reduce
the options.
The C-7 maybe alot more changed than we think. We older guys will
hate it but the future is for the young.

 

[shakedown067]

I don't think corvettes have gotten to be over priced, EVERYTHING is now overpriced and/or we are all underpaid. Younger people aren't making nearly as much comparatively as they did is the 70s/80s. People are having to work longer in their lives as expenses go up and it keeps the younger people from getting better jobs sooner...not that a lot of them/us deserve them anyway. Quit complaining about the corvette. Hell quite complaining. Damn, now I'm complaining about someone complaining. Everything is going to hell anyway. Spend the money, go into debt, and have fun. Oh wait, that's how we got into this mess.

What where we talking about? :lmao:

 

[Shadow]

I don't think corvettes have gotten to be over priced, EVERYTHING is now overpriced and/or we are all underpaid. Younger people aren't making nearly as much comparatively as they did is the 70s/80s. People are having to work longer in their lives as expenses go up and it keeps the younger people from getting better jobs sooner...not that a lot of them/us deserve them anyway. Quit complaining about the corvette. Hell quite complaining. Damn, now I'm complaining about someone complaining. Everything is going to hell anyway. Spend the money, go into debt, and have fun. Oh wait, that's how we got into this mess.

What where we talking about? :lmao:

:rofl1::rofl1::lmao::lmao::thumbsup::thumbsup:

That was priceless!!!!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[Shadow]

"The Great Recession" (which we're still in the middle of) has really changed the way a lot of us think. Over the past few years we have been indoctrinated to think its OK to spend $50-60M on a car when in fact that whole idea is absurd. Many are still without jobs, we're stuck in a war that can't (or won't) be won, the house you live in has lost 40% of its value, the value of our dollar is sinking daily, and worst of all, our leaders are clueless as to what to do next (and the rest of the world knows this). Unfortunately, unlike a headache, this will not all pass when we wake up tomorrow AM. In the face of the worst market in decades, GM has a price increase...go figure.

Seems to me the car companies better figure out how to make a car the people want for $20-30M or they will be toast. Like it or not (and I don't) the world has changed.:banghead:

What?:shrug01:But the administration said we were on the way out of the recession:lmao:

Man, you make some great points, as does Rich and the rest of you. :thumbsup:

First and foremost, I can't (even if I had the expendable income-which I don't) justify the kind of $$ these knuckleheads are asking for a vette, especially in this economy.:thumbsdown:

I looked at the GS model as a possibility for that last hurrah as I never buy new any more. But after seeing the car, realizing what they "really" did, and further realizing that all of that can and will be available aftermarket in a year or 2 (if not already?), I decided against it as well.

It doesn't seem to have the pizazz of the original Grand Sport

The side gills (a-la C4:thumbsup the engine, suspension....IDK, if you want a turn key performance car with a convertible ro targa (think Z06 topless:thumbsup then it's certainly the way to go...but you better have a friend in the banking business.

Or, you can buy an older C6 (they're getting cheaper by the year, mod the hell out of the engine, have the factory targa/convertible already there, do the body kit & paint match, add the side gills and for probably the same $$ or less, have a car that performs better.

The beauty of doing it this way, as Lou, Rich and some of the others have implied, is you do it on your budget, with your PAID OFF Corvette, and when it's done, not only is it PERSONALIZED, but it's PAID FOR!:thumbsup:

As for the C7, they'd better make some major body mods to justify the prices. The vette is getting plain looking compared to some other models on the block.

Hell, I never thought I'd say this, but the more I see it on the road, the more I like the new Camaro's styling over that of the vette.

There are cars out ther today, that have more "mass appeal", more utility (4 seats. easy entry and exit, and a real trunk for travelling) that are just as fast if not faster than the off the floor vette, and have the styling charachteristics the younger market want in a car.

Unfortunately, you guys are also correct agout the stereotype

The vette has become the retirement car instead of the "I made it!" car
Something has to be done or the product line will be severely limited in years to come.

A six (6) cylinder vette?

Why not?

There are some 6 cylinders out there that will hand the average vette it's ass. If GM uses turbos/superchargers, and new engine technology, they could keep the performance of the vette, and still meet EPA fuel and emissions standards and have a car the general public can afford:thumbsup:

Before anyone goes:thumbsdown::thumbsdown:to a 6 cylinder Corvette....remember the beginnings......

 

[shakedown067]

Before anyone goes:thumbsdown::thumbsdown:to a 6 cylinder Corvette....remember the beginnings......

Yeah, and from what I read, the under powered v6 almost killed the vette before it took off. With all the technology GM has, they don't need to use an I6 or V6. They just don't sound right and are too small. I do hope they downsize the car closer to the C4 though. I parked next to a C6 the other day and mine looked like a compact car next to it.

I'd like to see them actually produce the shut off half the cylinders when at idle system like they did with the cadillac sixteen. That and try to ditch around 500lbs off the car.

I'm really interested in how they are going to pull off the split window. They ditched that last time due to it being a hazard.

 

[Rich Z]

I'd like to see them reduce the size to the C2 again. Heck a retro look wouldn't be bad at all.

As for better gas mileage, well it can be done. Check on a feature known a "lean cruise". It can cut down the amount of fuel substantially when at cruising speeds on the highway. The drawback is elevated exhause temps which can affect the catalytic converter. So here we have a case of one government regulation adversely affecting the ability of car manufacturers to meet another regulatory requirement. And we get caught right in the middle.

Heck, all these government regulations likely add 50 percent to the cost as well as a similar percentage to weight and bulk. Yeah, safety features are nice for those folks who want to ride in an armored vehicle, but damn.... make them optional for those folks who don't feel the need to be mother henned to death.

 

[Rich Z]

You want a perfect example of the lame brain perspective of GM, watch this video and take a GOOD look at that Corvette model and tell me it just doesn't get your blood pumping..... And they say this will NOT be a production model...

Hell, they come out with something that looks like that and I'll be breaking the damned piggy bank....

 

[shakedown067]

You know, at first it looks like it's just too much, but the more I see it the more I really like it. But I did do that with the C6 too. Could be fairly close. I'd be cool with that. I like that just about all the generations are represented in that ride (although the C3 really stands out to me).

 

[Rich Z]

You know, at first it looks like it's just too much, but the more I see it the more I really like it. But I did do that with the C6 too. Could be fairly close. I'd be cool with that. I like that just about all the generations are represented in that ride (although the C3 really stands out to me).

I can't wait for the movie to come out on Blu-Ray. I'll probably watch it a dozen times just to eyeball that car........ The more I see it the more I think "Now THAT is a CORVETTE!"

I can't believe the numbskulls at GM don't see the potential in putting something like that into production. Look at all the advertising they will already be getting from the movie. :banghead:

 

[shakedown067]

Look at all the advertising they will already be getting from the movie. :banghead:

This is more true than you'd think. They won't do it though, other wise they'd never have gone chapter 11. Makes me wonder why I'm such a GM fan... :banghead: