Porsche 718 Forum banner

2020 Mid Engine Corvette VS 718

23K views 76 replies 27 participants last post by  alfaguy 
#1 ·
I watched the unvailing of the ME Corvette last night. 495 bhp, dct, 2 trunks like the 718, targa top, You can see the engine thru clear engine cover, 0 to sixty in under 3 seconds, price starting under $60,000. Some potential 718 buyers might go to Corvette & I might be one of them after paying $1100 for the year 2 service on my 718C.
 
#4 ·
I don't typically like US styling, but the C8 is more appealing to me than previous models. Nonetheless, there are still trademarks of over-styling that seem to make parts of it look cheap. The stealth bomber angles will draw a certain crowd and the rear end could use some help. Interior, heck, I have enough problems with the few buttons in the 718 - holy crap on the C8 - push a button and hope! But, if the car performs, then all of that will not be important. Time will tell.
 
#6 ·
After 2 years my Porsche dealer can't make the auto temp stay whear I left it, I leave it on 70 and next time I start the car its on 73 degrees. The auto seat adjust thats supposed to go where the buttons on the door are set doesn't work. Ihave a 2015 Stingray Callaway 3LT Z51 that I'ne never had issues with. It is much quieter but that could be michelin vs perelli tires. I like my 718 C. I prefer smaller flickable cars.
 
#10 ·
As a result of the above, I've already made the same decision. For long term ownership vs depreciation and total Cost of ownership, aftermarket support etc. I'm going to jump ship. Already on the c8 waiting list. Especially after seeing the rapid depreciation of the 718's. Easy decision to make.
 
#13 ·
I'll have to look but I believe the information is available from different sources. I have seen both but I don't recall them off hand. That said, using different sources may not give totally accurate results. Also, looking at NADA values may give some idea.
 
#22 ·
Not to bash U.S. products, but I just prefer imported autos ever since I was a kid. And I still do.
My 2018 C base is my first Porsche and I think it is great after almost one year and 17,000 miles.

The trail of buttons on the C8 makes me stutter just looking at them - I can locate my sport button by feel and I like that.

I'll see if I can stick with my 718 for the long haul.
 
#29 ·
I have a friend that owns and drives quite a few exotics. He can well afford to buy new, but generally has only purchased pre-owned. He says he's not too proud that he wouldn't even consider buying pre-owned vs new. He's actually made money on the resale of some of them. Cars are generally not investments, save the very limited productions and then they need to be garage queens vs drivers. Just like many collectables, the buyers want pristine with the boxes included ;)
 
#31 ·
I'm waiting for the reviews from the mags to learn more along with seeing it in person to make a final judgement. And espeically the comparision tests that come out in year two and three. When the C7 came out people raved about the increased interior quality, then within two years they were back to calling it low rent. The C8 seems like it could be another leap for Chevy, but I want to see production models. In video of one of the event cars the stitching on the left side dash was all curvy and that didn't look so hot.

What matters right now is I am a Corvette guy having grown up with and owning one. But I chose the Boxster over a Vette and haven't regretted that choice one bit. But I reserve the right to sell the Boxster in 3-4 years for a Z06 if I like the way it looks and drives. Depreciation be damned.
 
#32 ·
I'm with @rsmith ... and all I'll add are these points:
  • Considering how much development went into the C8 -- including the partial renovation of the Bowling Green plant that took nearly a year and cost GM in the mid-nine figures -- I'm genuinely shocked that the base C8 will sell for so little. I fully expect GM to cut more than the car's fair share of corners, particularly when it knows very well that it will sell like hotcakes for at least the first year. Or: All those truck and SUV sales are enabling GM to sell it at a loss initially, and the higher-performance variants that will come will be marked up significantly to make up the difference.
  • Chevy dealers are, by and large, horrendous places when compared to the marques that the C8 will compete with. GM will need to correct that somewhat ... including its near-nationwide policy of not allowing Corvette test drives except for ultra-preferred customers. For a brand-new vehicle from the ground up, Chevy has to change that policy.
  • It's my understanding that the C7 will be sold alongside the C8 in 2020. How is GM getting away with that when the price difference between C7 and C8 is only in the mid-four figures? My bet: only relatively high-performance C7s will sell or be sold since the C8 won't have any available in the first model year (and, maybe, two)
  • Many of the design niggles will be taken care of in the aftermarket. First up: those black side intakes. In fact, my bet is that, like it does with the C7 and Camaro (and Porsche, for that matter) in places, Chevy will offer a body-colored option.
  • If every wannabe-entitled high schooler or post-graduation bro with his first real-world gig ends up with one of these, I don't care how good of a car it is: I won't own it. That's a big reason I won't touch a Camaro or Mustang. There are just. Too. Many.
  • Finally: Watch the insurance rates. My bet is that they'll be exorbitant for anyone under age 35, and still gnarly for those older than that. Maybe the perception of lower maintenance costs will temper that somewhat ... but for right now, that is a perception and nothing more.
Oh, and note that the images are all of so-called 'pre-production models'. That's industry code for 'We reserve the right to change anything you see before this goes on sale. We mean anything.'
 
  • Like
Reactions: 718-Mark
#34 ·

Based on that Hagerty article and other sources the C7 will cease production and won't be sold along side the C8. My guess is any extra inventory would be somewhat discounted.

Although a base bone-stock Vette will be priced just under $60k, few will likely be sold that way. Most will probably be sold with highly profitable options and packages. My guess will be most will be sold closer to $70k than $60k.
 
#35 ·
I have a C5 & C7Callaway, 2000 Boxster S & 718 Cayman. The one thats going to leave for the C8 is the 718. Not that I dislike it, but because I don't feel it is worth the cost of maintance and I'm irritated when I found out the warranty started 6 months before I purchased the car new. So, I only got a 3.5 year instead of a 4 year.
 
#38 ·
I'm one of them. I'm looking forward to thrashing the new Vette on the track. Will trade it straight to the Chevy dealer when the Vette is available. Those who are dollar conscious will likely not keep a Porsche after warranty. The Vette on the hand with the wide aftermarket should yield a better long term investment ( though not an investment proper). I swear, the Vette will be my last sports car .....I swear....?
 
#45 ·
I don't think anyone who's independent has driven the C8, so I'm reserving judgement on it. The only reason I'm in line for a GT4 (waiting on PDK availability) is because I have a CGTS and am reasonably confident in what I'm getting with the GT4. The C8? Not so much. Brand new platform, impressive numbers provided by the manufacturer without any real-world substantiation, and Chevy's well-known history of taking a couple of years to work out the (sometimes serious) kinks in new models.

Yes, the C8 is visually interesting, I love that it's a mid-engine design, and it makes great promises. But, until people hammer on them for a bit and see how they really perform and hold up, I'll pass.
 
#48 ·
What is paramount afaic is the driving experience. At this point it appears there's no doubt which car is faster. So if that's a buyers primary concern and objective, then the Chevy wins hands down. Not too many cars at any price will do under 3s. A buyer desiring the fastest times may as well buy an Tesla S and know they're faster 0-60 than pretty much any reasonably priced production car.

Now how will the Chevy drive and feel wrapped in the driver's seat? What will the interior experience feel like on the road vs a Porsche, and in particular a Boxster/Cayman? How about the overall feel of quality and solidity be? What will the ownership experience be like? Those are unanswered questions.

For me, a non-manual transmission disqualifies the Chevy right off the bat. The interior, from what I've seen so far, disqualifies the Chevy. It just doesn't look like it is user friendly and it comes off as contrived. But the C8 is still a Corvette and there's nothing wrong with that. It has its own heritage. For me, I was never one to desire a Corvette or a McLaren or otherwise because of the ergonomics and the stylization. I'm pretty much a GT guy. I've been in the Tesla Ludicrous Plus. It's scary fast, but also weird and not a car I want to drive to enjoy a "driving experience". Porsche in many ways, is the last utilitarian sports enthusiast car. At least more so than many of the others, and that's what I like about it. Porsche has yet to fully abandon its heritage. The Boxster/Cayman, even in their 718 iterations, are still enthusiasts cars liked to those of old.
 
#49 ·


SavageGeese does around 10 minutes about two thirds through discussing his take on the C8. Basically he says he'll avoid it and has zero faith in GM to deliver a reliable mid-engined sports car at their $60k base price.

That's been my initial concern also. I think there is a lot of anecdotal and objective information about GM, the past Corvette cars and the pre-production C8 to be apprehensive about the C8 going forward.
 
#50 ·
All the cross talk about the potential reliability of the C8 is important. Due diligence would for me mean waiting for at least a year after the release to see what the reviews are like and what the online vette forums are saying. Though, it is a beautiful redesign.

Yesterday I watched a C8 video with Jay Leno and after the walk around they started the car up and drove away and the sound, or lack thereof, was disappointing.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top