QUIKAG

So, been working with my favorite local Chevy dealer on a few work trucks and the guy I've been working with has been so easy and friendly. I saw a new Z06 for sale and moved on it only to find out it had been sold the day before but not updated in their system since the inventory lady was gone, blah, blah. So, I was pretty bummed after being told it was mine.

So, I went ahead and put a Z06 order in that should get allocated pretty quickly. A day later, I got an automated text from the dealer that said something to the effect "why wait for your ordered Corvette when we have 15 on the lot right now." I laughed, but clicked the link anyway. Well, long story short, they had a red on red C8 with Z51 package and almost no other options besides black exhaust tips and composite rockers. So, a perfect track car while I wait for the Z06.

They gave me what I wanted on the BRZ and discounted the C8 $3k plus I was able to use $1,500 of my GM card earnings. So, overall, I was pretty happy and picked it up Friday afternoon.

What surprised me the most was the ride quality of the Z51 without the magnetic ride option. It's very daily driveable. Then, the craziest thing for me is that I've never driven a C8 before and I'm amazed that you can have such an exotic feeling car with the engine behind you in the glass, the targa top off, a dual-clutch transmisison and a near 500hp great sounding V8 for like low $70k brand new. It really drives like an exotic, but it's not. I'm still getting the 500 miles on it before opening it up, but it just drives great. Like world class driving dynamics. Chevrolet/GM really knocked it out of the park with these things IMHO.

It will be my track car replacement for the BRZ, but also zip around town fun car. I'm kind of tired of looking for a Porsche at this point with the artificially low supply of GT cars, high ADM's, dealer games, etc. I may just be back to Corvette exclusively for fun track/weekend cars.

vader1

Nice. Love the color.

For the 300th time, "Enjoy the new car."

Track vid with sound please!

Bullwings

Performance per dollar, it's tough to beat a vette. As much as I'm disappointed with the BRZ getting replaced, it's pretty much no contest, and you won't have issues with getting blown away on the straights anymore.

QUIKAG

I will miss the BRZ. Best bang for the buck sports car probably on the market overall bar none. Just a really, really fun car to drive.

But, I am a hp whore and my kids love Vettes and I didn't want to keep wedging them in the back seat of the BRZ. I figured I'd take one who could see out of the front pretty easily with the low sightlines (another plus of the mid-engine layout) and take the other one later. If we need to take everyone, the BW or ITS do just fine (or my wife's Tesla.....)

The C8 obviously is next level to the BRZ. It is heavier and it doesn't have a back seat. That's about it for negatives. Everything else is amazing.

I'll get 500 miles on it soon, get brake fluid swapped out to SRF and go hit a few member days at my track.

TheDonEffect

Congrats on the new purchase. I'd set up a pool for the over under on when this gets traded in, but I guess we sorta know it will be once the Z06 comes available, or a GT car for that matter, lol.

I'm a vette guy through and through, and I really wanted to like the C8, I mean it's pretty hard not to, but for some reason the C8 never resonated with me, and it's not just because of a lack of manual because I'm coming to realize that the faster/more powerful a car is, I'm wanting a manual less and less. There's just something about it that doesn't quite do it for me. I do love the Z06 though. I guess for me it's either make it a working class aspirational vehicle, or go full bore. I kinda wish that they kept the Corvette FR and then have the MR version be something else, especially now that they no longer make the Camaro anymore.

Corvettes always had the Corvette tax on parts and labor, but end of the day a dude in his garage can reasonably do alot of the work especially routine maintenance, this new MR sorta takes away alot of that. Still not terrible or anything, but I dunno, just sorta fell flat for me for some reason.

Anyway, enjoy it in good health, looking forward to your impressions on this car.

noodels

Well i think its lovely looks like your boy is taking a piss in the engine bay

WolfpackS2k

Awww, shame to sell the BRZ. I'm with Don on this one, but nonetheless, congrats on the new ride!

QUIKAG

I thought they were cool from a distance, but never really desired one until the Z06 came out. But, supply/demand has been jacked since they came out right before Covid, so I never gave a thought to ANY C8, much less a "base" one. C7 never did much for me (though wish I picked up a C7 ZR1 7-speed now that prices have exploded on them, but never thought they were much/any cooler than my C6 ZR1), so I've just never desired a Vette until recently.

If you drove a C8 Z51 (or obviously a Z06!), you might think differently about them. They did deviate a lot from the way Vettes have been since..well forever, but they got so much right on their first MR attempt. It's a 495hp car that can be bought now for low 70's that can run 0-60 in 2.8 seconds consistently and an 11.1 quarter mile at 123+mph bone stock. Traction isn't near the issue it historically has been. That is my one complaint with my C6 ZR1. It hooks, but not that good. 1st and 2nd gear can spin pretty hard. 2nd tops out at 90mph too. 1st is 60. The R888R tires I put on help a lot, but it just has a ton of power to channel through the rear tires that don't have a lot of weight over them. The C8 fixes that basically. Then, getting some weight off the nose gives it a turn-in I've never felt before in a Vette.

Anyway, I'll post more impressions once I get past break-in and get it to the track. It's a fun car to drive for sure.

roel03

Congratulations, I have a love/hate relationship with these things having taken apart a few.

If you have any leftover BRZ goodies, I'll happily take them off your hands

TheDonEffect

Oh I have no doubt that the C8 is awesome. I never driven one extensively but been around them enough to formulate a decently educated opinion on them. What I'm going to say isn't a criticism on the car, rather just a perspective on why it doesn't fit with me. Because you really can't find much faults in that car, it is legit fast by any metric and GM probably has among, if not the, best chassis engineering team.

End of the day I don't want a track car, I'm fortunate to live near a ton of great driving roads, many of which are narrow and have a ton of imperfections, and track cars, especially long and wide cars tend to be very cumbersome. Everything you said would be great to have... if I tracked it. I think too many people get caught up with track abilities and lose sight that they'll hardly ever, if ever, go to the track. Yes I like fast cars, but not at the expense of real world usability. Obviously my geography affects my perspective.

Vettes have always been big, and driving them in real world conditions they always felt bored. I have no interest in going over 100mph on a public road. I prefer smaller, nimble cars that I can interact with (manual), and something I can find any excuse to drive. I think the C8 is a great third or fourth car in the rotation, but as a second, let alone first choice in the rotation, for me it doesn't work.

The C5-C7 kinda made up for it by having laughably huge trunks and relatively comfortable driving dynamics, especially in C7 form, but the C8 lost a ton of practicality, while getting even longer/wider/shorter in the process. I now understand the appeal of Porsches in the way they just fit into your life while still deliverying alot of the performance excitement.

And I'm a vette guy, and I love V8s, and I like the LT1... when it's in a sub 60k car, notably in the SS 1LE. But in a MR, 70k+ car, I dunno, I want something that feels more unusual.

So I oddly find myself more drawn to cars like the Supra and the Cayman GTS 4.0. I wish GM just kept the C8 FR, and then focused on making it smaller/lighter sorta like what they did when they went from C5 to C6. I get that there are challenges, but there's something about staying loyal to your following and values, and improving on them. The 911 RR (granted it's more MR these days) layout is inherently flawed as well, but Porsche continues to hone it. Chevy wanted to attract a younger crowd that deviated from the show and shine, jorts with white new balance crowd, but they forget that to attract a younger clientele, the cars need to weave into your daily life better. Younger crowd don't have 4 cars, or a car collection, oftentimes they lead very busy lives since they're in their career prime and their commute time is the only time they can enjoy their cars.

I'd easily choose smaller, lighter, and cheaper FR over MR every day of the week. I think history also showed that as well, look at Porsche 912, Pontiac Fiero, Toyota MR2/MRS prices vs their contemporaries. The NSX is probably the only exception, but remember Honda put alot of attention in making the NA1 very daily driveable which nothing at the time could touch, and it was Honda Accord reliable.

If I wanted numbers, exotic looks, etc, I'd just get a Viper. But I almost never see Vipers in the wild anymore, guess the owners don't want to crack that clamshell, lol. Despite there being a ton of vettes in my area, I am far more likely to see a GT4 on a back road than a C5-C8 combined, unless the vettes are part of a vette caravan to Alice's or something.