cduckworth

So, why can't you get the same hand-built, dry-sump engine in a six-speed Grand Sport convertible that you get, as standard equipment, in a six-speed Grand Sport coupe? Does fresh air do something to negate, at the very least, making this an option? Makes about as much sense as paying $950 on a Museum Delivery for someone to drive the car from the factory to the Museum? This is the new GM?

Levitating_Llama

Don't worry, making the hand-built, dry-sump engine available for the GS convertible will be GM's exciting news for 2012.

vt65

how much do they charge for delivery to Columbus OH? The museum delivery is pretty cool!

cduckworth

$950--same as California.

'06 Quicksilver Z06

Battery has to in the back.

If the owner elects to track hid car, some tracks won't all verts without a rollcage anyway.

RicK T

The system is borrowed from the Z06 and the ZR1, both manual coupes. The access on the convertible is slightly different as far as being able to get to the battery in the rear. It was easiest to implement in the manual coupe version. Second, as it is intended for track use to prevent oil starvation and the convertible in stock trim will not meet any sanctioning body's requirements, it was easiest to omit it from the convertible. The manual coupe was the lowest cost, least design effort (cost) solution to implement.

scottsdalevette

More probable than anything else, it is the Chevrolet Marketing Department that decided that most of the Corvette convertible models would never see a race track or a HPDE, being driven by folks that prefer to cruise with the top down - So, the Chevrolet Marketing Department's logic was to just offer dry sump oiling to coupes that would be driven hard on the weekends!!
Same logic as the head-up display, the rear mounted battery, the new second generation Goodyear tires, so on and so on that are not available on every version of Corvettes!!
It's all about PROFIT per unit.

cduckworth

I'm not asking about cost, although the convertible costs $4,000 more than the coupe. Why not at least offer the engine as an option? Moving the battery can't be that involved. As it is, for one hell of lot more money, you get far less under the hood without even an option.

By the way, the museum delivery does NOT remove the $950 destination charge, which certainly would make sense. The museum delivery--at $490 list--is in addition to the $950 you must pay to move the car from 600 Corvette Drive to 350 Corvette Drive. Any takers for that job?

cduckworth

Just in case you are wondering, the destination charge for museum delivery works out to approximately $1,900 per mile or, if my calculations are correct, about $4 for each wheel revolution--provided, of course, you don't spin the tires. Maybe GM should quit building cars and just deliver them. If Lexus or Porsche could get that kind of delivery rate...

AORoads

ignore.

cduckworth

You think that everyone—even most—who buy Grand Sport Coupes are racing them? What are you smoking??? My point is that GS coupe buyers are getting a hand-built engine, with forged crank and so forth, while GS convertible buyers, who are paying much more, are getting less engine--and without even the option to purchase the other engine. It's not about racing.

According to five Corvette dealers with whom I have spoken, the $950 destination charge is a set fee that applies whether the car is "shipped" to the Corvette Museum or actually shipped to Seattle. I think that a fair shipping charge should be applied, based on distance. But why should Chevrolet charge this amount for a car that is moved half a mile from the factory to the museum, especially when an additional "Museum Delivery" fee is applied? Again, I have absolutely no problem with the Museum Delivery fee. I think it is fair and well worth it. I'm ready to go for it. But I do think that adding almost a grand to move the car literally across the street is too much.

GM proved that they could not make it in the real world. Only a huge government bailout saved a firm that probably should have gone down. Even so, I'm ready to buy another Corvette, but I just cannot go along with some of GM's practices.

cduckworth

As I said, I walked into a Chevrolet (don't call it Chevy) dealership with checkbook in hand, ready to spend $60,000-plus. And, like hundreds of thousands of other potential GM customers, I'll now speak by spending my dollars elsewhere. That's exactly why GM went down in the first place. Olds, Pontiac, Saturn, Corvette...

spinkick

they are too slow to need the extra goodies

vt65

there used to be delivery at some factories years ago, the unions took care of that, not knocking your rant but it's misplaced, write and tell them....not us, we can't do anything about it! If more people aired there grievances to the right place we would all be better off.....i hope!

vertC6

If the option was available, I would buy it.

jschindler

Not sure I really believe what you are saying. Are you saying that you are not buying a Corvette because the delivery charge is the same everywhere, or because it applies to the museum delivery?

Either way, what car are you planning to buy that has a different policy?

florida john

Hey, if the poorly titled "delivery charge" is also added for Museum Delivery I also think that it is a customer shafting. As always it is the customers perogative to walk out the door to a competitor. I've done it in the past for little things like this that I consider an indicator of a company's attitude toward buyers / owners.

The dry sump question for the convertible is also a good one. l like the idea of the extra capacity, even if I'm not going to be corner carving, pulling high g's.

eaglei

Seems like a valid request - why not offer the dry sump to convertibles?

I'm sure the packaging details could be worked out...

So tell your Chevy dealer, tell your district rep, tell GM marketing, even tell your bartender!

We love building your dry sump engines at Wixom!

Zoomin

One word - Unions

Every manufacturer does this, not just GM.

OregonC6

Well, yes, you're onto something here. I'd only add that most of the dry sump coupes won't be raced on the weekends or any other time. The dry sump is simply a selling point, something for the new owner to brag about as in "My GS has the same oiling system as the Z06!".

I think it's arguable that even most Z06s don't see the kind of usage that would require this method of oiling. Thus, yes, it is the marketing department at work.

As for "hand built" that came from the same place and was brilliant. I'd only point out that, while there is a video of the "hand assembly" there is NO video of the "regular/ordinary" assembly. Thus, we have no way of knowing how much difference there actually is between the two.

It's all about making the prospect/customer think the car/consumer good is worth more. Whether the features added to accomplish this are really worth much is another matter. ( eg "hash marks" )

Now, to me, "hash marks" are what's left on your plate after you finish your hash.