^^^^ This. I too test drove a C8. The prices were really tempting me. It wasn’t my cup of tea. Love looking at them. Beautiful cars.
But I love my C7, the feel and sound of it.

 

I've owned 3 of each. They are completely different cars, they may both say Corvette but its comparing apples to oranges thanks to the layout differences. I love the interior and tech of the C8 over the C7 but I hate the reduced trunk space and how insulated the C8 is over the C7.

I like both for different reasons. The C8 is probably the best grand touring sports car for the money, the refinement, the insulation, are all great. The sportiness is not. You don't feel anything, if you don't have a Z06 the exhaust is to quiet. The C8 Stingray is probably a better GT sports car than a Lexus LC500 or a BMW M8 even though that's not its intention.

If you want to DRIVE, shift your own gears and feel the car, you go C7. If you just cruise and don't actually do any sporty driving and would rather have a more comfortable vehicle, get the C8. Also hard top convertible is great.

I'm probably going to pick up another C8 next year and use it as my touring car/daily and keep my manual C7Z as a weekend car because the C8 just does that better, but as an actual sports car, to do sports car things, I think it falls a bit short everywhere besides what the performance says on paper.

Honestly I think a C7 would perform just as well as a C8 if it was on the same tires for track performance. I don't think the C8 actually pushed track performance forward, all it did was secure better 0-60 and quarter miles because of the increased rear traction but in a world of electric cars, those metrics are gimmicks anyway and don't matter.

 

How much different is it? According to a quick glance, it's 15 cu ft for the coupe C7 and 10 cu ft for the convertible C7 vs 12.6 cu ft split between the frunk and trunk. What's the deal with the insulation and exhaust/engine noise? I would have thought that "loud noise = power" went out a while ago. I get that in the past, increased noise came with increased power. Today, we can easily make that power without the noise so what is the point of it?

 

Now that Tremec appears to have a bolt-in 6M kit for the C8, that might spice things up for a few more folks. No idea what the cost is, but unless it's just nuts, they may start selling some.

 

Has anyone done the install yet? I would think doing so would be a nightmare without support from GM.

 

I daily drove a c8 z51 for 4 years and 34k miles.

it would have had more mileage but every 7 to 10 miles it needed a new dct because the electromagnetic parking gear mechanism would not be read properly by the cars computer and the vehicle would go into a no start no stop condition when you would get in the car at random times and the dash would light up when you pushed the start button but the car wouldn’t start and the dash wouldn’t shut down.( it was five weeks in the shop getting a new transmission every year)

once I disconnected the battery and let the car sit for say 15 minutes it would restart and drive fine 10 more or so times..

it was such a pain in the ***..after the last transmission was replaced (the car 4 transmissions over 4 years..I sold the car with a warranty until 2030 and 93k miles that transferred to the new owner.

great car. Loved it and if I thought the dct was resolved on the less than 1 percent of c8 s that have this problem I would have bought an Eray as I recently drove my friends through the mountains and how it hustled out of the corners as its front wheels and tires pulled really hard out of the corners (it was a callaway equipped Eray btw) it was awesome.

that said I bought a mint condition 9k mile 2013 c6 428 wide body convertible with a manual transmission.

i enjoy driving the 427 c6 convertible better than the c8 z51 fe4. The front engine manual transmission 427 convertible I now own and put 7 k miles on since having it delivered in an enclosed trailer on July 3rd this year. Every mile is fun to date.
i think the proper term is the front engine manual transmission corvette generations are more visceral.

definitely the rear mid engine design with its current suspension setup and shift speed of the dct is far and away superior to the previous generations.

id suggest to the original poster make the decision if you want a more visceral driving experience of do you want the more advanced product or the more visceral driving experience.

surprisingly im truly happy with the front engine 427 convertible. The fact I can use it for many years enjoy it and sell it for pretty much what I paid for it minus a few dollars for the mileage isn’t bad either..

I would imagine the same can be said for c7 generation as well

all that said there has never been a better time to jump on a c8 z06 if that’s what the original poster is thinking. Even more so for the amazing Eray. I was tempted as recently I was offered more money than I paid for the 427 which I turned down.

i really think there comes a time when you decide more important than anything else is are you having fun driving the current car you own and does it start every time you get in it to drive.

i hate to say it but I was one of the less than 1 percent who had this type of ownership experience over and over again and replacing the transmission didn’t resolve the issue on multiple occasions leading some of us unfortunate owners to question was it actually the computer program reading whether the car was actually in park.

it became so annoying after having replaced the transmission believing the vehicle was fixed…I no longer wanted to own another c8. As wonderful a sports car as it was.

im happy for the 99 percent who never experienced this no start no stop scenario but after getting stranded so many times…

the bloom was off the rose so to speak for me at least..

Hope this lends insight to the original posters question.

 

Its a huge difference. The C8 cargo capacity is split between front and back and you need soft luggage to really take advantage of it. The C7 you can just pack your bags and be good. Its a huge problem that you can easily find discussions on. They cut the cargo space by 20-30% and requires very specific luggage to work around.

As for the sound? That also seems obvious to me. Its a sports car, if you're an enthusiast you want to hear the car. It makes no sense to have a V8 under the hood if it sounds like a Tesla. The point being a C8 Stingray might as well be a Lexus because you can't hear or feel anything from it but a C7 Corvette you definitely can hear and feel something from it when you drive it, which in this day and age, is becoming very difficult to have. If you want performance with out sound, go buy one of the many insulated experiences that every manufacturer is offering, including electric.

However I hope you don't wonder why those same vehicles lose 50% of their value in 5 years while the 5-10 year old cars with some feel and less insulation have actually maintained or exceeded their values, and in the case of the C7, some nicer examples actually are worth more than most C8s because they offer engagement that the C8 can't offer.

 

Spun up. When that gets annoying is when you're just loafing around, you're constantly keeping the car in a lower gear.If you're paying attention, if you leave it in drive, it gets very boring very quickly.

The C8 platform is nothing like any corvette.Before it in the ride quality, it rides like a regular car.I don't care who tries to tell me different.I've had both the C8Z and now an E-Ray and i rented a Z51. There's no comparison to any generation before.

In the looks department? What can you say?The wide body cars are all that And the regular C8? not so much imo. But I was like that with the previous couple of generations as well.

If you're coming from a manual? If that's what's driving your enjoyment of the C7? Don't get rid of it. If you have an automatic C7? There's really nothing stopping you.

^^^^^
That's the truth. In that instant torque hit. Above 100 the C7Z would begin to walk the E-Ray as the Electric propulsion starts to fade around 120 125 or so. Above 130 the E-Ray is basically a heavier LT2 Stingray but.... who cares. When you're on the highway and you put your foot down in the E-Ray? It goes just like the C7Z. To be fair if you're in the right gear the C8Z is the same way. But that's the benefit of the electric propulsion.It's instant.So even if you're in drive in eighth gear, you whack it, the car is gone instantly.The C8Z has to drop four or five gears. Very slight delay but it's still noticeable. The ride quality is much better in C8Z over C7Z but the E-Ray is even better than that.

the difference is the size of the things you can carry. The C7 is king for storage. The C8 still fit a popup 10x10 with 2 chairs luggage for a weekend etc. But is definitely something to consider. But not terrible.

With the C8Z and E-Ray are being heavily discounted. This is a great time to buy a 25.

If you want the updated interior? You'll still get 10k or more off. The higher the msrp? The more off. I've seen 2025 E-Ray 1LZs advertised for 90k new. Several of them. That's the deal of the century.

This E-Ray tjat I "pop-pooed" when it was released? Being the Z06 MAN I thought I was? Is my favorite corvette of all time.

 

That looks awesome!! Adams has great products 👍

 

Not sure. I do have soft luggage and I pack very light. I have what I wear plus 3 shirts, socks, underwear and another pair of jeans and a couple of toiletry items for a road trip. I take a 2 week overseas trip with a carryon bag.

I get that people think that if it is a sports car, it must be rough and noisy. My modified C4 made as much power as the C7, so noisy I couldn't hear the conversation without shouting and was rough. I get that at that time and back in the 60s, people had to put up with it to get more power. My guess is today, people equate the noise with power so more noise, more power. IDK what sort of enthusiast that makes me since I prefer demonstrations of power from a dyno or quarter mile slip as opposed to advertising it with the noise.

I don't pretend to understand how people think but that works out for me since I won't buy another new car. Less desire for the used newer car and more for the older benefits me when I am ready to dump the C7 for something newer.

 

If it wasn't a departure from the past, why would I want to buy more of the same? I thought we bought a car for the performance so my question would be "What are the quantifiable metrics in comparison to the past generations?".

Haven't we heard that before somewhere? Before I shed my C4, I heard numerous times in the C4 forum that "The C4 was the last true Corvette". Why do I get that feeling of "Deja Vu"? Wanna bet that when the C9 comes out, the C8 and previous people will find the same complain about it?

Fair point.

If my C7 were gone tomorrow, sold or totaled and I had to get a Corvette, that would be nice. Still, while I like the rear engine concept, I would really like to see if it would continue with the next generations or whether it is going to be a "One and done" generation thing. Had I not had that doubt, when the wife told me to sell the "Rickity POS" (modded C4), I would have pulled the trigger.

 

I was shopping for a C7 GS, the dealer had a ‘23 base. It was amazing to drive, but the lack of storage and poor seating for the passenger (my wife hated her seat) were the deciding factors. The difference in performance were negligible. I bought the C7 GS

 

Beautiful color and nice choice. Congrats!!

 

Thanks, it is a head turner, many compliments

 

The tax break starts to disappear at $100k (single filers), and its effectively gone at $150k (again single). Married folks its double I guess? I make almost $200k and my AGI is certainly not getting under $150k, so I am getting squat on the $56k Ranger I just bought.

Sucks being single I guess.

I wouldn't get a C8 though, it's a fast car but meh, ugly. You could argue a loaded Z06, ZR1, or ZR1X as those are true "race cars" are valid upgrades (and as I configure them we are looking at $175k+), but a regular one? Naw. Stick with a C7.

 

The more I read thru this thread the more I believe the C7 is the right car for me and for those that want the visceral feeling of a sports/muscle car. I really like the look of the C8 and can’t argue with the improved handling but I wouldn’t give up my M7 Z06 for a newer C8 at the moment.

 

I only hope someone feels that way and wants to even trade with me.

 

 

C7 was the pinnacle of Corvettes for many folks

 

I second that!