Have we gotten so soft?
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 13,602
Likes: 12,865
From: Virginia
My GS Vert 1LT has everything I want and/or need and then some. Hardly stripped down.
1LT Trim/Equipment Package:
A nicely equipped sportscar including 8” touchscreen, Bose AM-FM 9 speaker stereo, 3 month Sirius/XM,MP3, MyLink, OnStar, 4G LTE, 8” HD driver info screen, leather power GT sports seats, power break set/release, power locks/windows, active handling, dual-zone AC, keyless access/start, power tilt/telescopic, leather wrap steering w/flat bottom wheel, cruise control, tire pressure monitor, driver, passenger and side airbags, carbon fiber hood, Bremo 4-piston disc brakes, rear view camera, coup- body color painted carbon fiber roof panels, convertible- power soft-top which can be lowered remotely.
1LT Trim/Equipment Package:
A nicely equipped sportscar including 8” touchscreen, Bose AM-FM 9 speaker stereo, 3 month Sirius/XM,MP3, MyLink, OnStar, 4G LTE, 8” HD driver info screen, leather power GT sports seats, power break set/release, power locks/windows, active handling, dual-zone AC, keyless access/start, power tilt/telescopic, leather wrap steering w/flat bottom wheel, cruise control, tire pressure monitor, driver, passenger and side airbags, carbon fiber hood, Bremo 4-piston disc brakes, rear view camera, coup- body color painted carbon fiber roof panels, convertible- power soft-top which can be lowered remotely.
Instructor
Joined: Nov 2018
Posts: 217
Likes: 84
Yeah. We had to order my wife's 2017 BMW 330i to avoid unwanted options. She wanted the optional paint (Imperial Blue Metallic), the Harmon Kardon Surround Sound System and the Driver Assistance Package-Rear View Camera and Park Distance Control) and that was it. Reasonable price and still all the essential equipment.
Race Director
Joined: Aug 2015
Posts: 12,256
Likes: 4,745
From: SE WI
I touched my 2004 Z06 metal fangs to a parking block just once. Never did that again. Didn't like the thunk noise at all.
Instructor
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 226
Likes: 54
From: Hill country, TX
Yes its my age (64) but I remember when I bought my two favorite cars new; a CRX Si in 1986 and a Miata in '92; no AC, no electric mirrors/doors, hell, not even a radio. Now I'm getting the impression that my '14 Z51 M7 1LT Convertible is basically on par with a horse and wagon or maybe, if I stretch, a tuk tuk…..
Yes I realize with options come cool stuff and I admit I do miss the heated seats on my '12 GS Conv 3LT but geez, some of you guys make a 1LT sound like a life sentence. Talk about first world problem sufferings....ah well, I guess I'll just have to take a couple of ibuprofen and suffer my way; shifting my own gears (gasp), actually looking at the gauges (the horror) and having to control the near torture experience of
having to adjust to the temperature of the seats (is there no justice)……..
Yes I realize with options come cool stuff and I admit I do miss the heated seats on my '12 GS Conv 3LT but geez, some of you guys make a 1LT sound like a life sentence. Talk about first world problem sufferings....ah well, I guess I'll just have to take a couple of ibuprofen and suffer my way; shifting my own gears (gasp), actually looking at the gauges (the horror) and having to control the near torture experience of
having to adjust to the temperature of the seats (is there no justice)……..
Administrator
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 368,297
Likes: 24,776
From: In a parallel universe. Currently own 2014 Stingray Coupe.
C7 of the Year - Modified Finalist 2021
MO Events Coordinator
St. Jude Co-Organizer
St. Jude Donor '03 thru '25
NCM Sinkhole Donor
CI 5, 8 & 11 Veteran
They make the different option packages for a reason - because some buyers want the extra gadgets/convenience features and are willing to pay for them. Those that are perfectly content with the 1LT package - good for you and nothing at all wrong with that. When looking for my C7 I specifically wanted the HUD and heated/ventilated seats so I waited until I found a 2LT optioned car. If you could buy some of the items in the higher level packages ala carte then that would be fantastic but unfortunately you can’t.
Does buying a 2LT or 3LT car mean you are getting soft - heck no. Could one get by with a 1LT car, sure. But it sure is nice to have the option of loading up your car if you want and still enjoy driving America’s Sports Car.
Does buying a 2LT or 3LT car mean you are getting soft - heck no. Could one get by with a 1LT car, sure. But it sure is nice to have the option of loading up your car if you want and still enjoy driving America’s Sports Car.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 13,602
Likes: 12,865
From: Virginia
They make the different option packages for a reason - because some buyers want the extra gadgets/convenience features and are willing to pay for them. Those that are perfectly content with the 1LT package - good for you and nothing at all wrong with that. When looking for my C7 I specifically wanted the HUD and heated/ventilated seats so I waited until I found a 2LT optioned car. If you could buy some of the items in the higher level packages ala carte then that would be fantastic but unfortunately you can’t.
Does buying a 2LT or 3LT car mean you are getting soft - heck no. Could one get by with a 1LT car, sure. But it sure is nice to have the option of loading up your car if you want and still enjoy driving America’s Sports Car.
Does buying a 2LT or 3LT car mean you are getting soft - heck no. Could one get by with a 1LT car, sure. But it sure is nice to have the option of loading up your car if you want and still enjoy driving America’s Sports Car.
Remember when ordering a car and practically ever option/feature was 'A la Carte'? You could get and pay for just the features you wanted, nothing more. However, the manufactures found out selling feature packages was not only much easier to manage, but would also increase sales of features as buyers would pay for items they didn't necessarily need or want just to get a feature they really wanted.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 6,500
Likes: 717
From: Sausalito CA
CRX and Miata would make one soft...haha
As one ages, a seat heater and air conditioning, (even ps, pb, louder radio) could be desirable.
Technology has eliminated maps and we are now use to a heads up, verbal, GPS map system.
There is softer suspension options, wind blockers, luxury lambs wool floor mats.
IMO the OP is defining softer as human aging issue.
FWIW 1LT is a great car, with no softer options.
BUT cup holders and golf club storage room, gosh, is soft the right word?
Never the less...in regards to hard...that should be answered in CFOT.
As one ages, a seat heater and air conditioning, (even ps, pb, louder radio) could be desirable.
Technology has eliminated maps and we are now use to a heads up, verbal, GPS map system.
There is softer suspension options, wind blockers, luxury lambs wool floor mats.
IMO the OP is defining softer as human aging issue.
FWIW 1LT is a great car, with no softer options.
BUT cup holders and golf club storage room, gosh, is soft the right word?
Never the less...in regards to hard...that should be answered in CFOT.
Last edited by Kenny94945; Mar 25, 2019 at 08:58 AM.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Corvettes Ever Sold on Bring A Trailer
Brett Foote
10 Things Every Corvette Owner Needs (2026 Edition)
Michael S. Palmer
8 Most "Only Corvette Owners Understand" Quirks and Problems
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Reasons the C6 Z06 is Still A Performance Benchmark After 20 Years
Joe Kucinski
How Much Horsepower Every Corvette Engine "LOST" in 1972
Joe Kucinski
Top 10 DOs and DON'Ts for Protecting Your Convertible Top!
Michael S. Palmer
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!
Joe Kucinski
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter
Joe Kucinski
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 3,982
Likes: 1,828
From: Western WI
It's not getting soft it's just choices. My first car was a stripped down Camaro. Not because I felt like I was making some sort of statement about who I thought I was at the time it was all that I could afford in the car that I wanted. Fast forward 40 years and I picked my first Vette in exactly the same way. Not because I was making some sort of statement about myself or even that I care what others might think, I simply decided how much money I wanted to part with and searched for the right car for me and my purposes.
Only on enthusiast forums like this do these choices devolve into bickering about which car is the ultimate to own or one owners car is somehow something less than another's. Only on this forum do you see members bashing one generation of the car vs another. Heck, nobody has even seen the C8 out of camo yet but a few seem to feel the need to bash it already. It will only get worse once the car is unveiled.
Only on enthusiast forums like this do these choices devolve into bickering about which car is the ultimate to own or one owners car is somehow something less than another's. Only on this forum do you see members bashing one generation of the car vs another. Heck, nobody has even seen the C8 out of camo yet but a few seem to feel the need to bash it already. It will only get worse once the car is unveiled.
Last edited by JDSKY; Mar 25, 2019 at 09:45 AM.
Drifting
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,668
Likes: 888
I agree with the OP, the 1LT vette is a luxury sports car. And the used car manager did not refuse to buy my 1lt 05 c6 vert, nor my 1lt 10 gs vert, when i went to sell them. Pretty decent offers on both. Kept me going on buying vettes. But two different used car managers really bent me over the table and had their way with me on two different 07 Z06's with the 2LZ packages, and both with chrome wheels, when i went to sell them. So like Pavlov's dog who has been rewarded for frugality on vette purchases, and financially punished for opting up on the purchase price, i have been trained to id my vette purchasing sweet spot, the 1lt version. And now that i've experienced magride in my newest c7, and find i leave it in tour mode all the time; and have a z51 package, on a vert that is not allowed to participate in a track day without adding a roll bar, neither option will be paid for on my next vette purchase.
But i still wonder about the vert discrimination on race courses. I've never seen a roll bar on a motorcycle running at a race course on their track days. Why the double standard against convertible owners?
But i still wonder about the vert discrimination on race courses. I've never seen a roll bar on a motorcycle running at a race course on their track days. Why the double standard against convertible owners?
Racer
Joined: Mar 2019
Posts: 272
Likes: 64
From: Detroit Suburb
My 2016 Camaro 2SS lease was coming up when I went in to drive a new Camaro a week or so ago, I already had it in my mind that I would only get a new one with at least the same options (I liked the blind side indicators, heated seats, steering wheel, HUD...etc).
Long story short, they had a used low mileage 2017 Stingray 1LT that I drove after test driving a new Camaro and all those other extras were no longer a priority. For about the same price of the new Camaro 2SS, I bought the Stingray 1LT and have no regrets.
If anything, I was really surprised at just how "not base" the 1LT is. Leather, removable top, great Infotainment screen (and speedo screen), dual zone climate....
Long story short, they had a used low mileage 2017 Stingray 1LT that I drove after test driving a new Camaro and all those other extras were no longer a priority. For about the same price of the new Camaro 2SS, I bought the Stingray 1LT and have no regrets.
If anything, I was really surprised at just how "not base" the 1LT is. Leather, removable top, great Infotainment screen (and speedo screen), dual zone climate....
Race Director
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 11,992
Likes: 1,331
From: Middletown, DE
Great post, OP. In some ways, my 3 favorite all-time cars were a 1st gen fi Scirocco, an ‘83 944, and an X1/9. All bought used and VERY cheaply. Light, simple, so tossable and connected to the road. Never worried a bit about where, when, or how I drove them. A few scars? Who cares?
But, I totally love my 2LT Z51 Vette. For one thing it has more HP than all three combined while delivering nearly the same highway MPG (around town another matter of course.) Much higher handling limits and braking. And I do love the comfort and the bells and whistles, not to mention climate control and infotainment that actually work!
I wonder what I’d think of those old things if I had to drive one every day today? 30 year-old memories are often much better than the reality...
But, I totally love my 2LT Z51 Vette. For one thing it has more HP than all three combined while delivering nearly the same highway MPG (around town another matter of course.) Much higher handling limits and braking. And I do love the comfort and the bells and whistles, not to mention climate control and infotainment that actually work!
I wonder what I’d think of those old things if I had to drive one every day today? 30 year-old memories are often much better than the reality...
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 7,382
Likes: 3,501
From: Lake Havasu City Arizona
I bought the 1LT because I don't use any of the features on a 2LT. I have had previous cars with those features and just never used them. Not against them at all. Everyone is different. I'll be buying the next one with the 2LT options though because my wife likes to drive the one we have now once in a while. She indicated she would like to have the front camera option and the seat exit and enter option. Expensive for just those two options she would use, but what the heck. 
Safety Car
Joined: Jul 2018
Posts: 4,303
Likes: 2,055
From: Margate, FL
Owned two mid to late 80s Honda (a Civic Hatch and a Prelude)... fantastic cars.
To me its not about being "soft" its a matter of conveniences and honestly being spoiled by the progression of nice features. For example express down power windows are great if you have to pay tolls everyday. There is no way I'd want to go back to the "good ole days" with manual crank windows. Work often takes me away from home so I drive rental cars and have to remember to turn a key or put the headlights on (oh the horror!). I am not lazy but its nice to have things that work for you which allows for a more enjoyable driving experience. Like having a manual vs automatic transmission, the choice is yours. There are things in my 3LT that I never use like the auto climate control or the navigation system. At first I thought the HUD was a gimmick but I've grown to like it. For me there were minimum options I needed like memory seats while other features are just nice bonuses.
To me its not about being "soft" its a matter of conveniences and honestly being spoiled by the progression of nice features. For example express down power windows are great if you have to pay tolls everyday. There is no way I'd want to go back to the "good ole days" with manual crank windows. Work often takes me away from home so I drive rental cars and have to remember to turn a key or put the headlights on (oh the horror!). I am not lazy but its nice to have things that work for you which allows for a more enjoyable driving experience. Like having a manual vs automatic transmission, the choice is yours. There are things in my 3LT that I never use like the auto climate control or the navigation system. At first I thought the HUD was a gimmick but I've grown to like it. For me there were minimum options I needed like memory seats while other features are just nice bonuses.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 62,153
Likes: 1,731
From: Athens AL
C7 of the Year - Unmodified Finalist 2021
C4 of Year Finalist (performance mods) 2019
Yes, people are soft.
I grew up in the 80s and even then, my AC in summer in SC heat was to roll the windows down. If its hot you sweat. If the car overheats guess what, you have to turn the heater on to help it cool down. I rode in a car with bench seats, lap belts only, manual windows, wipers barely worked, black smoke out the exhaust.
Only thing the parental units made sure was working was the radio. Gotta have radio.
Now I make sure all my cars have working radio and AC, I can handle the rest.
I grew up in the 80s and even then, my AC in summer in SC heat was to roll the windows down. If its hot you sweat. If the car overheats guess what, you have to turn the heater on to help it cool down. I rode in a car with bench seats, lap belts only, manual windows, wipers barely worked, black smoke out the exhaust.
Only thing the parental units made sure was working was the radio. Gotta have radio.
Now I make sure all my cars have working radio and AC, I can handle the rest.
Race Director
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 19,964
Likes: 6,768
From: Bonneville Salt Flats
I'd be happy to pay extra to NOT have at least 3/4 of the crap that comes on the base-model. 
No one will be maintaining the stuff in years to come; even GM has trouble doing so now.
No one will be maintaining the stuff in years to come; even GM has trouble doing so now.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 850
Likes: 415
I certainly wouldn't classify myself as soft, but after 45 years of being a mechanic crawling over around and under machinery I like the comforts in retirement. It's 3LT for me - I only wish it came with a heated steering wheel. Anyone who thinks that heated seats are only for warming your butt and a heated wheel is to warm your hands has never tried using them for a sore back or stiff finger joints.