I am going to purchase a new C6 coupe. The 3LT coupe and the 1LT Grand Sport are almost the same money. Which would you go for? The car will be used for pleasure driving, never racing.
Thanks, Dave

 

If it was me I'd go GS. I love the wide body look and I don't need all the options on my car.

 

You have to ask yourself do you want the widebody or the options? Drive both models to make the choice for yourself, I would have gotten a GS if they were made in 09, but a 3LT as I like the options

 

My humble opinions (that probably won't help you at all):

I really wanted the wider body, bigger tires and better brakes of the Grand Sport. Stopping and cornering was more important to me than acceleration. Now I don't know if they're truly that much better, but during my factory buyer's tour, you could really see a difference in the brakes between the Grand Sports and the base model coupes as they came down the line without wheels on....the GS brakes are massive when you see them side by side with the base.

I also went with F55 (available on both models) for the same reasons...handling!

The advantages to the 3LT might be more important to you:

The HUD is a great feature...not a necessity, but once you have it, you'll really like it....and it really keeps me from speeding....there's no question you always know how fast you're going with the HUD. Also, the Nav is not very good on it's own...but with the HUD, it's actually great. I can't stand the constant chattering of voice guided navigation prompts, so I have my Nav muted. The directions in the HUD easily get your attention and the visual cues as to when to turn are very intuitive....and you don't have to take your eyes off the road.

The other 3LT feature that thought was a waste, but now think is a big plus in my opinion is the heated seats. I live in Southern California and it's never really cold here. But when it's cool out, with the heated seats you can still take the top off and enjoy the cool breeze, but kick on the heated seats and the heater and sit in a toasty warm pocket.

The power seats and steering column is useless to me...I sit as far back as you can go, as far down as you can go, and I've never changed the location of the steering wheel once I got it set up so that I could see all the gauges.

Good luck on your decision, you really can't go wrong either way. One piece of advise: Get the car you want....you'll treasure it, so make it perfect....it's very easy to custom order the car through a forum dealer and they'll give you as good a price as you could haggle with any dealer out there! That's what I did, and I have "my" car exactly as I wanted it.

 

Almost the same amount...where do you live...or do you mean 4 grand is almost the same? LOL

Reallly does not matter form a resale point as there are always peolpe looking for both. As for the options, if you can live without HUD, power seats, heated seats and all that jazz...go with the 1LT and save some coin.

 

Go with the GS - you can always add mods etc... if I was buying a new Vette I would go with the 1LT's and then add what I wanted later depending on what I wanted to do with the car. With the Vette you can do whatever you want to just about anything on the car so it pays to get a great deal on new or even better, slightly used like I got my 05 with 10k miles, Convertible etc.. then modded the hell out of it

 

I have a 1lt now. Its good. Wish it had more options. Kinda makes me sad when I get in the vette and my 09 Silverado LTZ puts it to shame with all the goodies. I don't even want to talk about how much better our MB is. I know vettes don't have the best interiors but I would want the GS and I would want 3lt. Just me. I love the WB and I need goodies. When I get the C7 I will bet getting it just like I want it.

 

Well Pops, since I am in grandfather age bracket but no grand kids I strongly suggest the 3LT. You are in an age bracket where a wide body is not something you need in a car or want in a woman. You would be much better off enjoyment wise getting the goodies that come with a fully optioned out interior than a wide butt to show off! At your age, who cares about a GS with all the bling that it brings. You said it would be pleasure only and you yourself should have the most pleasure. Bragging rites do not give you comfort but HUD and the many other items included in a 3LT do provide much more enjoyment. For me, I wish I had purchased a 4LT. Next time, I will.

 

Personally I like the options that come with a 3lt. But really you have to drive both and see which you enjoy more. Or just keep searching for a GS with a better option package.

 

I agree. The 3lt has a lot to offer.

 

Stick-shift or automatic?

GS stick has features like a 10-quart dry-sump oil system that are great for track use -- but an unnecessary expense for pleasure driving.

Anyway, I suspect you're getting an automatic... and will enjoy the features of a 3LT coupe more than the GS styling.

BTW, who gave you the pricing? Maybe a forum dealer can get you a discounted GS 3LT for about the same price as a retail GS 1LT from a typical dealer.

 

I'd buy a Torch Red, 1LT, GS Coupe, with NPP dual mode exhaust and the comp gray wheels.

 

you are are correct about the price of both the 3lt coupe and 1lt GS coupe being about the same. The Chevy web site lists the 3lt coupe for $54,105 and list the 1lt GS coupe for $54,790. I would go with the 3lt coupe or maybe spend a little more and go for the 4lt coupe if you could find one. If you like being comfortable the 3lt is for you. I had a 2004 c5 1lt and was never happy with the lack of amenities it did not have such as hud and memory seats not to mention the telescoping steering wheel. I was lucky when i bought our 09 3lt coupe in Oct. 09, since we found one of the last with a z51 option and was able to save big money verse buying a 10 GS coupe at that time.

 

Why don't you split the difference and get a 2LT Grand Sport...w/o the glass roof, Nav ( a total waste of money) and get the painted wheels and go for the WCC exchange and save 1000 bucks.

 

but i had to have vert, npp & f55. The rest didn't matter.

 

I like the standard Corvette over the GS (I don't like the forward side gills with the chrome accent, too profound) so I vote for the 3LT. I push my car some and have never run out of brakes. I like the F55 suspension.

 

Go with the base coupe, 2LT interior with the two-tone seat option, F55 adjustible magnetic suspension (which comes with larger cross-drilled brake rotors), NPP performance exhaust (for an exhaust that sounds like a sports car, and 6 added horsepower), and the transparent roof. The base coupe with the F55 option provides the best ride and handling for everyday driving on everyday streets and highways of any model Corvette, and is the least suseptible to skittering and darting when negotiating bumpy curves. The Bose sound system that comes on the 3LT doesn't sound as good as the base system. The optional NAV system isn't as good or easy to use as an aftermarket Garmin unit. The base tires will last twice as long and cost less than the tires that come on the G/S. Owners also report about 10% less MPG on the G/S likely due to its gearing, poorer aerodynamics, larger frontal area and greater rolling resistance of its extra-wide tires. The extra-wide tires of the G/S also contribute to increased tramlining and tire scrubbing when turning sharply at low speeds.

 

My vote is for the regular body with the 3LT package and Dual Mode Exhaust. Consider a forum dealer and you may be surprised at what a good deal you recieve. My choice for a forum dealer is Tommy Jr at Macmulkin in Nashua N H You're going to love your new Vette,drive the wheels off of it!.

 

I would go for the1LT grand sport,I have both and I could care less about some of the options in the 3Lt I like the HUD but you can add that later.I just like the looks of the Grand sport better.But both are great.

 

Get the 3 level if you are going to drive the car much. The memory seats are incredible. they will be jacked all the way up when you get in and out, then they move to the remembered sweet spot.

The GS is on steroids and is very cool though.