I know exactly what you're saying!! IMHO, this is where gets blasted with a bunch of unfair critisism. Everyone wants their cake and eat it too, but there has to be a line somewhere. If you want all the luxury, get a Cadillac V-series. Also, I think supplier contracts limit their "nimbleness" when it comes to adapting new technologies like Bluetooth and iPod interfaces.

There isn't another car out there that gives you more value for performance than a Corvette.

pkstr

 

Thanks for your support! Glad to know there is at least one other Corvette owner out there that really appreciates what he has.

 

While on the factory tour last week (3-18-08) my wife & I were shown a new color that was already on a rear quarter panel- our tour guide pointed it out as a new color for 2009 just as a GM employee walked up & confirmed it. It is a grey much like the gunmetal grey you have seen on the late model GMC trucks. This new color will look great on a Vette, and will be a strong contender color for my next Vette- although that black on black is sweeeeetttttttttt.

 

Plan on it.

They can offer too many colors. The paint shop is space limited and they cannot paint enough panels ahead of the line for assembly and spares. They currently are limited to the number of colors they have but have been trying to add space, equipment and colors for years. Cost vs. payback and unfortunately currently cost wins.

 

So why did you get a 3LT instead of a 1LT? Are HUD, heated seats, day/night mirror, Homelink, memory seats not creature comforts?

 

Comments like this are almost funny. I want, I want, I want. No one is willing to pay for it. In the performance market $68,000 is a drop in the bucket. The Corvette Z06 is the supercar value of the century. On relative performance alone the car should cost nearly twice what it does. The reason it doesn't is because they have eliminated cost in some areas and simply avoided cost in others that they did not deem as important. I challenge you to find a brand new Ferrari Convertible for $68,000 or a brand new Porsche Convertible for $68,000. You can't. The reason you can't is they applied all the cost to the product. Now, is it of a higher build quality, probably. More appointments, probably. I would argue that no one would be willing to pay more for the Corvette. People do not clearly understand "value" when all they cite is "cost". We are an entitled bunch.

 

Niiiice!!! Time to start thinking about a trade!!!

V-Dub

 

Would anyone here pay 150K????

 

 

I agree if it's the gun metal grey that they used in the last year of the C5 I want it. Problem is my vert with 7K on it [07 LT3 Z51 ] went from 67K to 45K kbb value... so a trade will require even more money out of pocket.

 

You are thinking of the Spiral Gray metallic. It is NOT that gray. This is a new color, it is darker than the Spiral gray.

 

Yes, those are creature comforts, but the POINT of my post is that I am very happy with what GM offers on the Corvette. I don't sit around complaining that I don't have this, that or the other latest thing that maybe some other car has. All the other little features that eveyone keeps complaining about (like Bluetooth) just add cost. To make up the cost difference something else has to give or go away. If not, then sticker price keeps going up.

 

Count me in on that!

 

I too am happy with most of what GM offers. I just long for the day when you could order EXACTLY what you wanted. The only real reason for me to get 3LT was I HAD to have the telescoping wheel to fit in the car.

Now, to your point: Although your statement does have some merit, Bluetooth is not the best example as it would not (and DOES not) add appreciable cost to the manufacturer (certainly not on a car that stickers for $50K +/-). If it did, Nissan couldn't put it in a $14,000 Versa or $16,000 Sentra, and they do.

Bluetooth is an immediate necessity in many states now and more in the future.

 

It looks darker to me.

 

I don't completely agree with you, but then why would I. Seriously, you state (with certainty) that "Bluetooth" for example will not add appreciable cost to the manufacturer. Have you ever worked on the design of an automotive vehicle part? I have. When an aftermarket company does something they need first and foremost to test it to make sure that it functions as planned. They can then source it from China to the lowest bidder. They only need it to last 12 months so that it passes their product warranty against defect. They also could generally care less what latent effect it has on the vehicle. That will all be evaluated by the end user.

When an automaker integrates a component they need to develop it (of course, that is sunk cost) then they need to integrate it with the vehicle systems. This is not just a matter of plug and hope. I promise you that Parrot has not evaluated the impact of their aftermarket Bluetooth on the safety systems of the car. When GM does it they will, they have to.

They need to be certain that it completely integrates with all systems that the vehicle uses. This includes the primary interface and all of the secondary systems that contact or communicate with that system. They also need to validate that it does not interfere (EFI, RMI) with any of the vehicles safety systems or communicate on such a frequency that could interfere with things like remote fobs, keyless ignition etc.

Once all of that is done it needs to be engineered such that it will operate for the full factory warranty period, and not interfere with any of the other electronics for that full factory warranty period. Last, they need to fully evaluate failure modes. Some of this is done with predictive analysis. Some of this is done with vehicle testing. They need to know what a failure of this system will do to other systems on the same communications bus. What happens if it fails open, fails closed, fails short.

As I stated earlier in this thread the communications bus on the Corvette C6 predates Bluetooth by several years. In order to introduce it and fully integrate it would likely require a revamp of that comm bus. This is why I suspect that only the 4LT package is getting it. Partly to differentiate the 4LT but I suspect that will offset some of the development cost. Look for the Bluetooth perhaps for 2010 in the other packages.

To your second point the reason that Nissan could put it in the $16,000 Sentra is because Nissan likely makes 10 times the volume of Sentra's than the Corvette and they share many bin parts with not only Maxima's but also with their Lexus counterparts. As an example, Honda produced more than 374,000 Accords in 2007. Corvette produced a little over 41,000 units. That Honda number is a lot of cars to share cost with. Corvette can't do that because when they share costs with other platforms in the GM family owners whine. "Saturns have the same steering wheel as my Corvette "

Bluetooth is not an immediate requirement in any state. Hands free is. There are a number of ways to achieve hands free communictation. Wired headsets and speakerphone bases are two. If Bluetooth is a must then one of those Borg earpieces is an option.

 

Yes, the Cyber gray is the same gray as seen on the ZR1.

 

I think if you are driving your Vette and you would rather talk on the phone, you should trade it in for a Suburban.....

 

Well said.

 

Blue tooth! Wow! Guess I'll really have to trade up for sure!