buying a corvette...
 

so, rlsh700 made the comment that if i love the vette so much, why dont i get one...

im not made of money, and ive only EVER owned mopars...but it comes down to bang for the buck, for me. so, i put together a short list of the premium performance car, and most affordable performance car from the big three.

ford:
affordable-Mustang GT
premium-GT500

GM:
affordable-C6 Corvette with performance package
premium-the Z06

DCX:
affordable-300C srt-8
premium-Viper SRT10
concept-dodge challenger

to lighten the mood, ive added my mirada as well..:D

https://dodgechallenger.com/forums/u...4348F9676C.jpg
Lows in blue, highs in gree.

Mind you, I am a huge Dodge Fan, but I am not a fanboy...I recognize a good deal when i see it. While something that costs 70,000 is seldom considered to be a good deal, compare it to the other two "premium models". It does have a bit less power and torque than the viper, it also costs 14,000 less...the GT500 is a bit of a waste here, but I didnt want to exclude ford. the GT500 is more of competition for an srt8 product, mostly due to its weight. If you want a dyno queen, at 3900+lbs, the GT500 needs some power to compete with the viper and Z06.

the reason that i made the comment about the corvette should be obvious. i want a sports car, and the corvette is the all american sports car, GM or not. the LSX series engines from GM are among the best running motors ever built in the US, and responds EXTREMELY well to modifications. I would rather have a challenger, dont get me wrong, but ive heard more than one person say that theyve talked to a dealer rep and we should expect an MSRP of around 50,000...thats 3,000 more than the corvette with the premium performance packeage (which is a road race package). sure, the challenger has a back seat, and more horsepower and torque, but at a curb weight of almost a THOUSAND pounds more, the challenger will be hard pressed, stock for stock, staying close to the base model vette...now, if the challenger is priced more like the charger srt8, around 39,000, thats a whole different story...but the fact of the matter is that if someone wants a fast car, the challenger is not the best choice...hell, the GT500 is a better choice, but i would never go that route, unless i won one...


the odds are good that if the challenger IS priced like that, and my Dodge connection cannot do anything to get that price down, we will not get one. we will most likely go with a 300C srt8, or an evo...as it would be nice to have a sedan, but at 50,000, the challenger isnt worth the price.

RE: buying a corvette...
 

I was looking at the corvettes before I bought the mustang. I had to get into reality and realize it was out of my price range. Yes GM makes it. AT this ppoint I would not buy anything from GM except the corvette. Just like Ford. I wouldn't buy any other product from them. Well if I had the cash, I would get the GT. And right now. I think the only thing I would get from dodge would be the Viper or their trucks. They all have something I like and they all have vehicles I would not want.

RE: buying a corvette...
 

i should also mention that when i was very young, my parents had a pair of sweet 327 vette ragtops..i believe that they had a 66 and 67...

RE: buying a corvette...
 

That's a nice chart you made up there. I never would have guess that the GT 500 is the best bang for the buck hp wise.
Can you acutally buy a GT500 for 40K, or is that the msrp. I heard that most of them cost about 50K due to mark ups[:'(].

Don't worry 1 bad mirada, I too love the vettes :) exspecially the C6's. I dad own's a 74 stringray with a 392 stroker, it's pretty mean!

RE: buying a corvette...
 

Alright that clears that up. Nice chart. The only thing is you have listed that the GT500 has a 5-speed manual, when it actually has the T-56 Tremec.

Now my response. Yes the LSX block is one of the best when it comes to performance per buck the only problem is the engine has had a few reliability issues, such as they have had piston slap problems, intake failures and the typical GM electrical problems such as sensor failures. It has been my experience that GMs tend to fall apart quicker, so as I said when you buy a Chevy your getting a Chevy.

It really comes down to what you value. My uncle who is going to be retired from Ford soon will still have his family discount plans. I can't remember the specific details but from what he told me, the more options I get with any Ford product, the better deal I get. The GT500 would be the most economically feasable route for me. From what I understand with this plan, I would be immune to dealer mark-ups. I'm going to have to double-check on that to make sure I'm right about this. The thing is I don't care if the Challenger is way more expensive than the GT500, I'll get one no matter how long I will have to save up for it. The reason why is that I'm not sold on their current engine line. When I want a V8 I want a pushrod, not an overhead cam design.

BTW, why exactly are you only considering the 300C SRT-8 and not the Charger. If your concerned about the price of these cars, why not go for the less expensive but equally as fast model?

jdb840, it depends how you look at it. The GT500 might offer the best hp per buck (besides the Mirada), but as Patrick said it needs a big hp and tq boost to catch up with the Z06 and Viper, heck it needs a hp and tq boost to catch up with the C6.

If dealer mark ups are the thing that might cause the price to be around $50,000, then just wait until the demand cools down, it will eventually be affordable.

RE: buying a corvette...
 

i prefer the look of the 300 over the charger...if im going to buy a big sedan, its going to be a big luxury sedan, and i think that they 300s are SEX-AY! :D

honestly, i feel that the 300 is one of the best looking sedans in the world, and world wide sales backs me up....not to mention that with very minor mods (intake, exhaust, and better skins) guys are running 12.80s with them...

RE: buying a corvette...
 

Alright, I prefer the looks of the Charger but before the Charger came out, I really liked the looks of the 300C. Just realize that you have somewhat proven my point though. Your willing to pay more just over styling. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that, I'm just saying people buy a car based on what they value more than the price of the car itself.

I agree the 300 is one of the best looking sedans in the world. The 300 has a lot of performance potiential. Out of curosity, what would make you choose the Evo over the 300?

RE: buying a corvette...
 

That's a great chart Miradaman! The Evo is a great idea though. That concept has been tested, tried, and proven time and time again...For example, Renault (yes, THAT Renault) took the Le Car and made the R5, which was a holy terror on the streets. Our own SRT-4 is proof of the entry-level turned street machine concept.
Another car worthy of mention is the G35 and 350Z. The VQ-series engine is a great power plant, and has the most unique exhaust notes EVER.
I really got sold on the G35 yesterday, though. I was racing home on the 202 loop from Sky Harbor airport (forgot my security badge). So I am pulling about 110-115. A Pearl White beauty was pulling on me like I was nothing. I couldn't get from fifth to sixth without hitting my rev limiter. He was still pulling away from me! It was a six speed car (the plate said 6MT!), and guy knew what the hell he was doing. I have never had a car pull on me like that thing! It wouldn't be that spectacular, but I'm on my bike!!!!!
Instead of spending $50K on a new Challenger, I would take a '70 or '71 Carcass and dump the money in that to make a resto rod with a modern drivetrain and suspension!
Later

RE: buying a corvette...
 

The old chevy's don't really hold up, like RLSH said. My dad spends more money, on just little parts to keep it running in one year, then i have in 5 years of the challenger. Then again he drives is alot more too. I really like the LSX motors, they're a really strong motor, and are able to hold mods very well. My brother has a 98 firehawk and it's one of the fastest all around cars i've been in. He just rebuild the motor and got 545hp out of it with heads, intake, and cam.

I agree with you kelly about the 350z and G35. Those things just sound wicked. I haven't had a experience to get to ride in one though I probably would love it. I was able to race a 350Z with my GTP from about 15-85mph. I wasn't all that impressed with the performance, being we were dead even. From what I here they pull strong at high mph's, which haven't experienced

RE: buying a corvette...
 

Oh yeah, I found that out last night!