c8dbo

Secondary, weekend car only.

I'm sure this has been brought up a million times and I'm very sorry to you all

I am going 1LT. Base... it's got plenty of creature comforts for a car that I will not even be DD'ing.

GS obviously has the looks. Wow what a car. I have always had Mx sports cars but I was gonna go auto this time. After reading about the A8 issues I'm not so sure anymore. I drove a 1LT base A8 today and a 1LT GS M7. The GS felt so much stronger. I know that the A8 is supposedly really fast but I guess it's just that connection to the road, I dunno.

Yes, I can afford the GS, but it is alot more money.

Anyone think the GS will hold value significantly better (talking about 5k miles a year car here)? ALG has their residuals exactly the same right now. Base is actually 1pt higher on 60 months (no I am not doing a 60 month lease, I am purchasing it)

Thanks for any input!

Kevin A Jones

I went with the GS and am very glad I did. In addition to the looks and my preference for the way it handles I feel it will hold value better than the base model.

Daekwan06

GS.

Not even a decision.

KevinGS

For me, an M7 GS all the way, no question....but I'm sucker for the wider body, the better grip...and the manual tranny.

Frank_Nesta

GS I love the wide body!

JerryU

As Shakespeare might say "To GS or Not to GS, that is the question!"

I bought my GS because, since new, felt my September 2013 built C7 Z51 tires were a bit anemic! My C6 Z51 with less power had the same width tires! In addition my ProStreet Rod, which the Vette is parked next to in the garage with 420 section width rear tires "laughed" when I pulled the Vette in!

No doubt the GS is better balanced IMO and the lateral achievable "g" force is higher. Have already reached the limit in a slower speed tight turn! The wider tires work.

That said, I think the C7 looks fine and the spats over the front tires in the Grand Sport look a bit add-on. For those buying for looks, keep in mine, compared to a base C7 it has stiff springs, a very large front and an added rear sway bar the base car doesn't have. The shocks, even set to Touring, are tuned to control the stiffer springs and cannot provide the softer ride of the base car that only need 36 mm shocks. My C7 Z51 used 45 mm standard (none mag) shocks to manage the stiffer springs. The Grand Sport ride is fine for me but not much softer, set at Touring, than my non mag shocks Z51.

In addition, be prepared to change the racing brake pad compound to ceramic pads or you'll be cleaning the wheels of brake dust every ~100 miles as I did for too long before I changed pads in my Z51. Installed ceramic pads on my Grand Sport as soon as I got it home! I bought the car for performance, not looks, and even I changed brake pads (I don't track,)

The dry sump also takes some effort to measure oil levels. No big deal but you have to read and understand the owner's manual. It also takes longer for the oil to get hot. Making 2 miles trips to the story will not get the oil hot and not good for the engine.

Consider more than looks!

djnice

Its interesting you think the GS felt stronger. The base is lighter and should have the same HP and the auto makes them feel quicker. The GS and Z51 have lower gearing. That might be what your feeling, which also makes it get worse gas mileage. Maybe it's a freak motor and you should just get it because it feels right.

JerryU

^^^
RE gas mileage; the 3.42:1 differential gears in the M7 versus the 2.41:1 in the A8 are mostly offset by the max overdrive ratios. 0.48:1 for the M7 versus 0.65:1 for the A8. Total = 1.64:1 for the M7 vs 1.57:1 for the A8. That slight advantage for the A8 is offset by the lower efficiency of a torque converter and many more gears/clutches in the A8.

The A8 in a 0 to 60 run is faster but depends on what you consider "feels quicker" in typical driving.

DALE#3

The GS Has alot of WOW'S.People looking at it say WOW
Driving,Enjoying...WOW

woodsguy

I just went from Z51 to GS, could care less if others like it, but I do see a lot more folks looking at this car. I draws attention, your decision if that is a good thing or not!

Red08

It I ever got another vette, I would give serious consideration to a GS. I just like the way it looks with the big tires etc.

Corgidog1

1lt A8 and the 1LT GS M7 were what you drove. I might suggest driving a 1LT M7 as that might be the best of both worlds.

LIStingray

There are lots of arguments for and against the GS compared to the base - but holding a greater percentage of value is not one of them. The Base 1LT M7 for all four years of C7 production is and likely will continue to be the resale champion as a percentage of MSRP and especially cost to buy (biggest discounts).
Based upon real numbers, the GS 1LT is about 140 lbs heavier than the Base 1LT car, so the base car should be faster.

JerryU

^^^

Faster perhaps a drag race! But not at the track! Have already been able to see the lateral "g" force exceed my 2014 C7 Z51!

Not so sure in a Drag Race either! Since traction at the line is the limiting factor with any C7, both equipped with the proper brand tires and pressures the Grand Sport's 335 versus 285 base/Z51 will beat the 60 foot time so it could be faster!

Even a Z06 will not match my ProStreet Rod with its 430 section width (16.5 inches) sticky Micky Thompsons with a 4 bar link, narrowed rear and 53% of the weight on the rear wheels . The 8.2 Liter BB is geared only for a 1/4 mile! Hard to beat better traction!

thill444

It's not my money so I say GS so you don't have regrets.

That said, because this is a secondary weekend car only (which means low mileage gar queen I assume) you may want to look into used Z51's. It will be closer to the GS in terms of gearing and handling and if you find a good used one you will not eat the depreciation like you will with a brand new one.

Dave Hrejsa

I bought a Grand Sport 7 spd, when you look at the pricing of a Z51 Stingray vs the Grand Sport there is really only about a $5000 difference at the street level (just looked at Kerbeck's inventory). I felt the Grand Sport looked better and what you got the for the extra $$ was worth it. I had to opportunity to see and drive both which helped. I have a friend who has a Z51 Stingray and another friend who has a Grand Sport, so I got to drool over them for months before making a decision

Zo62018A8

Other than the price difference keep in mind if you drive a lot a set of tires for a z51 or couple stingray installed can be done for about $800. GS or Z06 you are talking about $2000. And they wear out a lot faster too. I work in the car business and buy from a good wholesale tire store and I got the quotes.

jdsaengine

We looked at both Stingray and GS, purely from a looks standpoint, I liked GS, wife liked the more subtle and understated base. I had no desire for dry sump or the GS suspension/tire package as this was going to be an around town grocery getter. So. . . got base 2LT, M7, vert. Wife is happy.

Harry2

I just traded in my '14 Z51 for a '18 GS and love the differences. I probably would have kept my '14 until the C8 arrived if not for the GS introduction.

jcsperson

And Magnetic Ride Control, an $1800 option, is standard on the GS. MRC, big brakes, bigger wheels and tires, flared fenders, and various aero bits are pretty much a bargain for the difference in price over a Z51.