Quick Silver Z

http://www.fool.com/investing/genera...evive-cor.aspx

texvette2

Gonna say no. It will probably drop in half and ride there for
a couple year or so. Once the gotta have and newness wears its going
to drop back to a niche car. Only so many can have a 60K -70K
two seater.

Monaco335

Well I was going to get a 911 and now I'm getting a c7. 30 yr old, corp finance exec, and asian... probably the complete opposite of the stereotype associated with the vette.

Do I care what other's think... no!. Will I thoroughly enjoy the c7... yes!. When the weather gets warm you will see demand for this car from all ages... most in my age bracket just can't afford it.

Stingray has made the vette relevant again.

sly1

I would expect that most in your demographic lean to prestiege over the performance for the dollar which Corvette offers. Corvette is a Chevy product which has always been the entry level model for GM. Over the decades most GM buyers began with some Chevy model as their first car, and then as their incomes increased, they would move up to a more expensive Pontiac, Buick, Oldsmobile, and of course Cadillac at the top.

I expect that it wouldn't have been financially feasible, but it would have been interesting to see how Corvettes would be perceived if they were sold and serviced at exclusive Corvette dealers.

TA Racer

Look at this link with vette sales at the bottom. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Corvette Sales fell off a cliff when the economy crashed. Bottom line is it doesn't matter how good the vette is, sales wont return until economy returns to normal. (which I'm afraid may be never)

b4i4getit

I think it would be great if GM took the Corvette out from the Chevy stable. It would be perceived as a classier car and could then benefit from having qualified techs service the car. Some of you will experience the ineptitude of certain Chevy dealers when it comes to service on your vehicle.

Jp23rockstar

I just went to the Boston car show yesterday and let me tell you guys that the Stingray was the most sought out car by the public including Ferraris, Lambos, McClarens. All age brackets loved the stingray from my observations. I think regular people off the street can't even believe it's a Chevy to be honest.

Thrill6

I know of one dealer that exclusively sells Corvettes, Kerbeck in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Anyone know of any others?

ls1121

I went down to the local dealer yesterday to see the C7 in person for the first time, they had 1, in the showroom. I'm still thinking about it. I don't like the hole in the hood, it would have to go. I felt very cramped sitting in the car kinda like I felt sitting in the 3000GT when it first came out. There are Corvettes that I would not buy, just not sure on this one yet I still need to drive one. I just cannot see this as a weekend car, when I buy a car I drive the hell out of it. Revive a "niche" market?

ls1121

Corvette is the GM Flagship, Cadillac being the Top of the line. I remember Caddy trying to market a 2 seater XLR (maybe to be their flagship) but it failed. I've always wondered why GM chose the Chevrolet brand for this car being that "now" Chevrolet is the least expensive in the GM Family.

Mike Campbell

You may be right. Like the Germans did by taking Porsche out from the VW label. After all Dr. Porsche designed both of them.

John Ulrich

Part of the Corvette's marketing is to get people into the showroom to be sold something else.

Larry/car

Chevrolet would sell more cars if they get their ordering system fixed. Allocations/concensus (?) orders sitting for months that are sold, unsold units produced. Makes a customer wonder. This should be fun!

thedofuss

you have focused on a pertinent point. it would be that the vette is one of the most promising product lines that gm has, as far as cars go. it might make sense for them to sell this franchise for the cash, at its peak , in a year or two--assuming there is a rebound in sales.

ls1121

If GM sold the "corvette franchise" then they would have nothing I want and I would never go into one of their stores to shop.

gregd

Same for me. Vehicle choices are easy for me - F150 or Vette. If GM didn't have the 'Vette I'd never go to one of their dealers either.

That said, if waiting times and order lists at dealers are any indication it might revive the line.

Someone made the point that sales were down the past year or so because everyone was waiting for the C7. Well duuuuhhhh....

And what was the line in the article that started this thread? The Corvette's a "halo" car used to bring people into the dealership where the ever-so-polite salesman will lead them in to buying something more reasonable? So what's unreasonable about a 'Vette? I've got places to go and I like to arrive in comfort and get there fast. So it's got only two seats... Ya wanna haul people? Go drive a taxi...

Just saying...

georgied

Read all the posts. Some good points. Some, not so much. I have had 4 vettes before this. I was out for good until I saw this one. It dragged me back in. It's really simple. If you don't like it, don't buy it. For me, it was love in a heartbeat. You can find some cheap alternatives like you can find cheap shoes. You can go over the top if you choose. You will never find any price performance competitor that beats the vette. That's it plain and simple .... and it's "drop dead" gorgeous.

bnall40

The C7 and Z06 are fantastic machines but there is still one BIG issue that keeps many but not all dealerships out of the Big League. Foreign manufacturers knew how to deal with the issue decades ago and have made incredible inroads on our highways. GM and Ford (and I don't even consider Chrysler) just don't seem to get it,at least most dealerships don't. What is it? It's treating customers and their cars with first class service. Most dealerships have "used car salesman" and "shade tree mechanic" DNA. I'll give you a recent example: When my wife and I picked up our $74K C7 VIN 1252 my wife noticed immediately that the color of the top did not match the rest of the car. The car is crystal red and as you know at a premium price. The salesman retreated and brought out a Boneheaded "paint specialist" named Jim to convince us we were wrong. The top had a pink glow that clearly did not match CRM but he did his damnedest to convince us otherwise. It was one of those "Are you going to believe what you see or believe what I tell you situations". These are the idiots that GM needs to fire or at least hide in a closet when customers come in.. They are stupid!
Resolution: I went straight to Bowling Green and got a replacement top immediately! I now have a great car but damn I can't get that lying SOB out of my mind!

slief

If Chevrolet franchised the Corvette into a dedicated exclusive dealer network as a matter of practice, prices on the Corvette would increase substantially as the sales and support network costs would no longer be supported by other GM/Chevrolet vehicles. Vehicles that are higher volume resulting is substantially more revenue. Instead they would be supported by smaller dealerships with much lower volumes yet higher relative overhead. Bad idea for cost but the exclusivity could be perceived of a nice thing.

That said, most dealers have stepped up the quality of service. At least here in So. Cal. Free loaner vehicles have become standard operating procedure as well. While the perception of the vehicle may change, the sales would suffer because of increased operating costs resulting in higher prices. You would also have dealers spread further apart creating an inconvenience when it comes to service. I have 4 or 5 choices of dealerships all within 20 miles of me in any which direction and that is a great thing for more reasons that I care to list.

The Corvette brand should create a level of perception on it's own simply by the performance, looks and value which is been the basis for it's success since it's inception. Personally I think GM is doing a great job of changing that perception and certainly is attracting a much wider audience with the C7. While some of their design elements may not appeal to many here, they made bold changes in the design and have really created a vehicle that evokes a lot of emotion. Good, bad or otherwise, the new design is very edgy and many either really love it or really hate it but even those that hate it can't keep their minds off it. Just look how many people we have here that continually voice their distain here. Even they can't stay away. While that departure from certain design elements may seem like a risky move to most, the C7 is arguably the most talked about and intriguing production car in a long long time. Not only in the magazines but also on the streets or at the gas station or valet etc. If GM keeps of the surprises which they will beginning with the Z06, there will be a lot of excitement for Corvette for many years to come as they continue to build on the C7.

Chevy has done an incredible job making a huge splash with the C7 and having it under the Chevrolet umbrella also helps other models just by the association and the fact that consumers will go to dealers to see the C7 but are exposed to the other models as well. Corvettes are do help sell other cars at dealers as a result.

There are just too many upsides to keeping the Brand under the Chevy dealership umbrella. At least short of the few small niche franchises.

Skid Row Joe

After 38 years since I bought my last new Corvette, this C7 is the first one I would consider buying.