BMW Z4 | G29 - View Single Post - 2020-202x Corvette Stingray

Grumpy Old Man · 07-26-2019, 07:50 AM

[QUOTE=The HACK;25063891]I'm going to do my best to offer you all my typical long winded, but somewhat honest perspective on things because, well, I own both a BMW and a Corvette right now.

Which makes my third point. One of the reasons the C8 is so heavy compared to most of its competitors, which it is...At 3,600 lbs sans driver, it's in the M4 range and it doesn't even offer a back seat. It's because of the demographic demands. It's sold, still, primarily to OLD PEOPLE. Old people that doesn't want to have to climb over a huge threshold that keeps a chassis stiff. Old people that doesn't want a stiff ride as they cruise in their mid engine supercar on a Sunday afternoon. Old people that insist they must have trunk space to carry 2 sets of golf clubs as they trek on their retired asses to a golf course on a Tuesday afternoon. Old people that wants their friend in a Porsche to know that they can beat them on a stop light, but never actually do so. With that in mind, you can sort of understand why GM engineered the C8 the way they did.

Which is a good segue to why, despite it being an aspirational brand (yes Corvette is a brand. Try and find an exterior bow-tie logo on the car independent of the actual Corvette logo. You can't), the demographic continue to get older and older. That's right, a recent poll on Corvette Forum revealed that the AVERAGE owner's age for the latest generation, the C7, is approximately 68 years old. Sixty. Eight. Yes. Past retirement. For a large percentage of owners, this is going to be the last car they buy, and that presents a huge problem for Chevy as, while there are plenty of repeat buyers, most of these repeat buys are at the end of their purchasing life. So the move to mid engine really isn't about performance, in which case they would have found ways to make it lighter, coupled with a high revving V8, and gear set that don't lock you out of 2-3 gears to meet EPA mandates. No, the move to mid-engine is to save the Corvette brand, as they know they can no longer attract younger, affluent buyers without some fundamental changes, since the C7, despite its radical redesign for bother exterior and interior, and its supercar beating numbers, continue to only attract OLDER buyers (myself included. Midlife crisis hit me HARD).

Jesus H. Christ man, don't beat around the bush.....what are you trying to say?

07-26-2019, 07:50 AM	#347
Grumpy Old Man Lieutenant Colonel 6478 Rep 1,966 Posts Drives: Porsche 993, 2015 MB GLK Join Date: Sep 2018 Location: Niagara on the Lake iTrader: (0)	[QUOTE=The HACK;25063891]I'm going to do my best to offer you all my typical long winded, but somewhat honest perspective on things because, well, I own both a BMW and a Corvette right now. Which makes my third point. One of the reasons the C8 is so heavy compared to most of its competitors, which it is...At 3,600 lbs sans driver, it's in the M4 range and it doesn't even offer a back seat. It's because of the demographic demands. It's sold, still, primarily to OLD PEOPLE. Old people that doesn't want to have to climb over a huge threshold that keeps a chassis stiff. Old people that doesn't want a stiff ride as they cruise in their mid engine supercar on a Sunday afternoon. Old people that insist they must have trunk space to carry 2 sets of golf clubs as they trek on their retired asses to a golf course on a Tuesday afternoon. Old people that wants their friend in a Porsche to know that they can beat them on a stop light, but never actually do so. With that in mind, you can sort of understand why GM engineered the C8 the way they did. Which is a good segue to why, despite it being an aspirational brand (yes Corvette is a brand. Try and find an exterior bow-tie logo on the car independent of the actual Corvette logo. You can't), the demographic continue to get older and older. That's right, a recent poll on Corvette Forum revealed that the AVERAGE owner's age for the latest generation, the C7, is approximately 68 years old. Sixty. Eight. Yes. Past retirement. For a large percentage of owners, this is going to be the last car they buy, and that presents a huge problem for Chevy as, while there are plenty of repeat buyers, most of these repeat buys *are at the end of their purchasing life.* So the move to mid engine really isn't about performance, in which case they would have found ways to make it lighter, coupled with a high revving V8, and gear set that don't lock you out of 2-3 gears to meet EPA mandates. No, the move to mid-engine is to save the Corvette brand, as they know they can no longer attract younger, affluent buyers without some fundamental changes, since the C7, despite its radical redesign for bother exterior and interior, and its supercar beating numbers, continue to only attract OLDER buyers *(myself included. Midlife crisis hit me HARD).* Jesus H. Christ man, don't beat around the bush.....what are you trying to say?
	Appreciate 0 Quote