I LOVE the C7! A friend has a 458, and it is simply amazing. The looks, the sounds, the attention to detail. It is a sight to behold. BUT, the C7 has really raised the bar for a 53,000 dollar car.

 

 

Forget the performance aspect (which the 458 clearly wins) what about build quality, quality of materials, racing pedigree, exclusiveness, prestige, engine sound, exhaust note and the other variables that make an exotic and exotic.

Please, these cars aren't in the same universe.

 

In what way exactly?

So if you're given the choice to choose between the two cars, at no cost to you, you would go with the C7????

 

I would be insulted if I were a ferrari owner to be compared to a corvette..... Whether it's hard work or trust fund baby, there's a reason they own a ferrari..... I give them credit.... On a smaller scale, I own a Rolex and I would never compare it to a timex even though the timex does 95% of what a Rolex does

 

He's talking about racing the 458!

 

I think it's ridiculous and flattering, for the owners and manufacturers, to have all these outrageous comparisons.

You'd have to be a fool to not KNOW that the Corvette for years as been the best bang for the buck sports car. BUT to sit and compare it to a Ferrari, Lambo, etc is just idiotic.

The vette is built one way while the Ferrari, in this conversation, is built another. Those numerous points have already been mentioned so no need to repeat but why the comparisons still? It's like the GTR boys comparing their modded high hp GTR's to the Bugatti Veyron; uh you, they, are still driving a Nissan bud!(i.e. crap interior bits, no prestige, etc etc) The same goes for the Vette compared to other exotics.

Are the performance numbers fairly close- yeah, but that's about it. It's still not BETTER than a Ferrari. Ok, the performance Vettes have lapped faster than the 458 but why compare the high performance Vette to the "base" Ferrari? Even still it doesn't matter.....it's a Chevy(mass produced; instant depreciation) vs a Ferrari(prestigious exotic; strong resale).

I'm not one for labels and brands BUT their is a HUGE quality difference from one to the next. Not to mention the non-car persons perception when you are driving down the street. That's one thing many Vette owners have in common with Ferrari owners; obsessed over what others think of you and the desire to be seen in one.

I love my car and the new Vette but you'd have to be a fool to think I wouldn't trade for or buy a Ferrari if I had the chance.

 

Can't argue on the point of exclusivity

Build quality is a toss up, even moreso now with the C7's updates. No car maker seems immune from incorrect panel gaps or whatever else. Of course, the Corvette will display far more being a mass produced car.

Quality of materials on my end is subjective, if it's functional and works, it's good. If you simply must have the finest materials, then you have to go Ferrari.

Racing pedigree may be THE best (and most fun) point to debate as the one thing that usually works against Corvette vs Ferrari, mass production, helps it in this regard. They made way more, means more wins across the board overall using the well known sbc over the decades. Can't argue F1 isn't the pinnacle of racing, but I personally have more fun watching the endurance racing circuits where the cars actually sport somewhat a likeness to what one could own on the street.

Engine sound/exhaust note again is subjective for me as I prefer American V8s to anything else. The exotic will win most general public comparos because exotic in itself is a "foreign" matter in which a dynamic of its appeal is the fact that it isn't "from round' here".

 

No problem beating a 458 eh! LOLOL

 

Not to mention the service, prices in Canadian dollars

Oil Change: $295.00

Annual Fluid Service

1st year service: $1185.00
2nd year service: $1875.00
3rd year service: $1850.00

Brake Pads (installed)
CCM Front $2450.00
CCM Rear $2625.00

 

Fixed it. Just for comparison's sake.

 

I've already admitted to being a corvette junkie, so I'm happily guilty as charged. My father took me for a ride in friend's new 57 vette when I was a kid, and from that moment forward, I was on the pipe all right, sucking in those vette fumes and have never looked back. I'm a corvette guy and like Jay Leno and Ken Lingenfelter and other well to do collectors, they are corvette guys too ( they have all those other exotics etc, but if you ask them what they are at heart, guaranteed they are gonna tell you they are vette guys). Ferrari's are just the over priced Italian version of a corvette. They can keep em, I'm not interested.

 

If it came down to it...I'd take the 458. C7 is nice tho

 

 

In the U. S., 2012+ models come with seven years of scheduled annual maintenance at no charge.

For the track - a GT3 or C6 Z06
For the street - Nothing touches the 458 for driving excitement

 

So you think from a resources point of view, it's Ferrari that is the underdog here. And just because GM can better take advantage of cost savings of mass production, that doesn't make another car overpriced.
By the objective measure of the market, the Ferrari is worth its price. By the objective measure of a collector's item, the Ferrari is worth its price; and if it's really a collector's items like you say, then the slim depreciation of a 458 could make it a better value than a C7.
Let's put it this way: If GM decided to make only 20k C7s over the entire ~6-year production life cycle (rather than ~20k/yr), do you think the price would be higher, the same, or no different? If you agree that it would be higher, then you would agree that, despite not being any faster, the same car could be priced higher. However, your position disallows you from conceding that that car would ever be "worth the money," because it is not objectively any better than a C7 that is produced at the regular rate of production.
These people might not buy them to be the fastest cars on the block, but I'll bet that it often turns out that way. You can't know that they bought these cars anymore for showing off than they bought them because they like them, because they're fun to drive even with no one else around (a Rolls-Royce likewise flaunts prestige, but that car is best enjoyed from the back seat), because it's a crazy experience found in few other cars, because they view it as a personal reward for a milestone achievement in life, because they can customize the car to their exact preference, etc.

 

This thread is ridiculous. Two VERY different cars for very different customers. Comparing them is just silly. The only reason the rags do it is for press. One thing about the Ferraris though, I swear they can't style a rear end to save their lives. Those models with the stupid bug-eye tail lights are EXTREMELY ugly. Other than the rears the styling is acceptable.

 

Have to agree, that's why we have the current ZR1 to destroy the 458, at one third the price. The new HiPo vette will laugh at the 458.

 

And if I'm not mistaken, they have their own upholstery shop located in-house at the factory, where the interiors are trimmed. They don't just assemble the engines in-house, they make the molds (from raw sand) from which the engine components are cast. Much moreso than most other car makers, they are manufacturers, rather than assemblers.

ZR1 only does that when equipped with Cup tires, which account for less than 50% of ZR1s sold. On more normal treaded Michelin Pilot tires, they're about even. The ZR1 didn't destroy the 458 where it really matters (sales).

 

I can't fault someone for taking the Vette over the prancing horse no more than I could disregard someone's love for Datsuns over anything American. I respect musclecar6 for sticking to his favorite glass of Cool Aid....happens to be my favorite drink too.

That being said.....anyone got pics of the 458 Speciale? That's one spicy meatball. Can't wait to see video of that one at full throttle.