Skid Row Joe

The jackpot is the payoff for owning/driving a C7 convertible, and or a C7 coupe with the M7.

Your comprehension in reading level may not have been able to grasp that. Did you read the posts too?

Skid Row Joe

Not sure what BMWs, have anything to do with C7s or this thread? WGAS about BMWS here?? I certainly don't....

The "death spiral" on-thread topicality, has all to do with driving a vehicle equipped as we vert/M7 drivers have zero interest in owning and driving - any AT Corvette. And in many cases, any Corvette without a convertible.

An M7, with or without a convertible option, is indeed very valuable to those that are repulsed with, and will not own an auto transmission Corvette.

Foosh

If you are familiar with the economic laws of supply and demand, then you would understand that supply generally equals demand on average over time, and assuming that commodity is still in production. Yes, there is far less demand for both manuals and convertibles and thus a matching small supply of each. If convertible and manual Corvettes were to no longer be produced, the demand will still be there, but the supply will be significantly less than demand. Econ 101 would suggest that drives prices up.

That doesn't mean we're talking "Barrett-Jackson prices" a few years from now, but it does mean they will be a more marketable commodity than automatic coupes, which will remain in ample supply that more than meets demand.

lupicon

Pricing in a declining market is directly correlated to the number of interested purchasers. Eventually, the pool of buyers will become even less significant than it already is which will limit pricing upside versus a market with a larger base. I never said prices would not increase, and they may not with the certainty you suggest, rather that the 'jackpot' the OP speaks of is grossly exaggerated. But thanks for the economics lesson--I stuck around for the second class.

jimmbbo

REAL sports cars have manual transmissions!!!

lupicon

Oh, that's what you meant by jackpot.
I thought you meant this:
jack·pot
ˈjakˌpät/
noun
noun: jackpot; plural noun: jackpots
a large cash prize in a game or lottery, especially one that accumulates until it is won.
synonyms:
top prize, first prize; pool, kitty, pot, gold mine, bonanza
"this week's lottery jackpot"

I'm not crapping on your car or your post or manuals which I've driven for over 30 years. Relax, chill, enjoy the weekend.

Foosh

The pool of interested buyers may decrease, but if manuals and convertibles disappear in a couple of years, the supply will likely decrease even faster. If an announcement is made that they're gone, there will be an immediate increase in demand. 23% of any market is nothing to sneeze at, and once production stops, it is logical to predict an immediate shortage of supply. The manual market may be a minority, but it is very hardcore.

I never suggested there was any certainty to an increase in prices, but economic theory would suggest it's likely should that occur. There will never be any shortage of automatic coupes.

Yes, I agree the "jackpot" the OP speaks may be an exaggeration if one is referring to monetary reward, which I don't think he was.

lupicon

pnsnkr

Good for you. I know a guy from the late '90s who thought exactly like you about laser discs.

fsvoboda

DCTs are the wave of the future. They cut both development and inventory costs (one transmission rather than two), and offer superior performance.

Convertibles make less sense with mid-engine designs, as the higher rear deck lid makes them not all that different from a coupe with a pop-off top. Again, this also saves on development and inventory costs.

I suspect that C7 and C8 likely will run in parallel for at least a couple of years, but there are so many essentially similar C5/C6/C7 cars out there that GM really needed to come up with a unique new car to jumpstart demand to appeal to new generations.

Foosh

LOL . . . arguments about technological superiority are meaningless to people who enjoy rowing their own gears, and we are a hardcore bunch. We're not interested in being "faster", we just enjoy the experience. Yes, we get it that modern automatics are "faster."

Similar things can be said about convertibles. The open air experience, which is not the same as an extra-large sunroof, is something that many will cherish for years to come.

spinkick

Sorry. A convertible hard top is being considered on the c8. You are right on the clutch though, however, the trans in the c8 is going to be a dual clutch, so not exactly a total loss. Paddle shifts will be engaging and fast, up and down.

I'm a gs owner with a m7.. i am considering how I can have both cars

Foosh

I consider a DCT no different than an automatic. Yes, great for performance, but not fun by my definition.

Quite frankly, by most accounts modern traditional automatics like the ZF8 and even the A8 are equally as fast with the paddles as DCTs.

Skid Row Joe

Quite right.......the jackpot is the joy, satisfaction, and lifestyle choice in owning and driving an M7, esp. in the convertible body.

Jackpot definition: "an impressive or unexpected success or reward." Bingo!

It's not about the money with me anymore. It's about what I enjoy to enhance my lifestyle. Buying whatever I want to drive, living where I want to live, and going where I want to go, without time or monetary constraints is where I am in life right now. All, with superb health. Some don't have those choices or opportunities in life. I get that.

As I titled the thread here on CF7; "The C7 convertible with the M7 transmission IS the jackpot."
.

spinkick

On some level I agree, but the issue with the current a8 is that it doesnt always do what you ask, due to the technology and limits of the traditional automatic trans and how they work. You will feel like your inputs will cause a shift much more instantly with a dct, so you will feel that "connection". Not exactly the same, but not on the sky is falling level that some of our more "chrome wheeled" gentlemen might have you believe.

Save this thread and talk to me when you test the dct out. It will feel like a super efficient manual.

mschuyler

How is that even remotely possible? The "DCT" may have the word "clutch" as part of the acronym, but it DOESN'T HAVE A CLUTCH.

How do you drive a clutch?
1. Push clutch in.
2. Shift gear
3. Let clutch out
4. while pushing gas pedal appropriately.
5. Rinse and repeat for every gear

How do you drive an automatic?
1. Shift into "Drive"
2. Push gas pedal.

How do you drive a DCT?
1. Shift into drive
2. Push gas pedal.

Yeah, sure, you've got paddles on the steering wheel if you want to control exactly when it shifts so you can pretend it is a manual. But what does your left foot do?

Absolutely NOTHING.

Calling the DCT a "super efficient manual" reminds me of the old label on a can of Nalley's Chili: "Chili Con Carne Without Meat"

And for the record, the number of M7 convertibles is running about 3%. If you were in control of any of the other 200 options you very likely have a unique car. I don't know (and don't care) if that translates to dollars, but you can't get more rare than that.

Foosh

Actually he's right that DCTs do have actual clutches instead of a torque converters. In a DCT, the clutches are operated electronically, hence no need for a clutch pedal.

However, for manual die-hards, it's the absence of a clutch pedal that is the problem, and just like traditional automatics, the computer is doing the shifting.

spinkick

Relax, friend. Try it and see ? ?

Skid Row Joe

No idea how anyone can possibly equate any automatic transmission's having any relationship with the M7's driving experience.

Esp. what with this thread's thrust of fact based material of C7 Convertibles and Manual 7-speed transmissions. But some keep trying to.

Foosh

I did try it and see.

I had a DCT in an 08 M3, and the excellent ZF8 in a Jaguar F-Type. I tried to love them, they were great in terms of performance, but I was bored by them. That's the main reason I came back to Corvette and the excellent M7.