I placed my deposit for an order and build will take roughly 4-6 months. I’m stuck deciding between these 3 builds: 1. 1LT coupe 2. 1LT HTC 3. 2LT coupe. The one additional option I’m adding to all these builds is the performance exhaust. I would be lying if options 2 and 3 aren’t stretching my budget to the max, possibly beyond. I plan on using this as my daily driver and I live in south Florida for some context. Any advice is appreciated!

 

#1 if the other 2 builds destroy your budget. #3 if you can swing it since 2LT contains all the nice to have creature comforts for a daily driver. Just don't ruin yourself financially over a car.

 

1LT HTC. Don't look back. I stretched to 2LT HTC. If you can get there do it. If not, 1LT HTC is the way to go. 3

 

definitely 2LT, there are just too many features that you cannot miss

 

If a C8 stretches your budget go for option #B a C7.

JT

 

We are all different. I am going for a MY2024 HTC 2LT but I have my 2017 Grand Sport as a trade-in as a base deposit.
I say you will enjoy whichever C8 you pick. A base 1LT will put a smile on your face.

Best for you budget is the 2LT Coupe! Get the good features included and the performance exhaust.
It doesn't take a great deal or effort to remove the targa top.
Unfortunately you can't buy a used C8 and save much so it is not worth buying used.
Good luck.

 

concur

 

 

I would choose the 2LT coupe. I like convertible Corvettes & currently own one but the C8 convertibles don't look like they add much to the drop top experience

 

If you've never owned a HTC, I would say you dont know what youre missing. No fiddling with taking the top off, no cargo space lost when going topless, and way less wind noise/buffeting with the top off than the coupe with its top off.

I've owned 5 SLKs now (repurchased an SLK55 to use as my DD) and the HTC C8, and would never consider going to a targa top or coupe.

 

I don’t believe the 1LT is bare bones. I enjoy the sports car for what it’s best at. Being a sports car!

money isn’t tight and I always choose 1LT interiors. Interior luxury is just not a priority for me.

I do prioritize open air cockpits so my next corvette a z06 1LZ will be an htc.

my current corvette is a 2020 c8 z51 with mrc and that comes standard with the npp .

the c8 cockpit is so well isolated from sound the npp is just for the exterior sound of those who you drive by. Inside a closed cabin I barely hear the npp exhaust. I’m not sure the 1200 for the npp is worth the money but with a htc maybe the npp would be worthwhile that I don’t know.

if I wanted a luxurious interior I’d opt for the 3LT. Not sure a 2 lt or 2LZ would be on my list.

I love the look and feel of the 3lZ and 3 lt just not sure the finer materials are worth the money. I tend to spill coffee etc and the suede which feels excellent would get ruined pretty quickly as my corvette is my daily driver.

just being honest about what happens to suede inside my cars. (3LZ or 3 lt)

I don’t use over half the 2 lt features so I suggest c8 htc 1LT. Flip a coin go to corvette club meeting and go for a ride in corvettes with and without npp.

I LOVED NPP IN PREVIOUS VETTES. IN THE C8 I can’t really hear much difference inside a c8 closed cabin. With the roof off I like the sound of npp.

if you like open air motoring the htc would be a nice option and I’ll get that in my Z06. The targa top lays vertical in the the c8 targa as opposed to previous gen corvettes laying horizontal and with that I lose the rear trunk for food shopping etc…I end up putting the groceries in the front seat as my frunk holds my gym bag leaving little room for other things.

with the htc the rear trunk with the roof laying on the engine leaves the rear trunk empty.

I also hate cleaning the engine bay so covering the engine as in the htc is a better play for me. No engine cleaning required…as it’s out of sight . JMO.

congrats and have fun deciding.

 

I vote option one, 1Lt is a super nice car and stays within budget. 1Lt and ride happy!

 

Strongly consider the 2LT trim. For daily driver purposes, there are things that you are really, really going to want. Rearview camera, ventilated seats and HUD chief among them. Also brings Bose audio, HomeLink garage door opener, blind spot assist, rear cross traffic alert, wireless charging and a few other bits. It is stupid in 2023 to spend $70,000 on a car and not have those things. I can see if it were a toy for Sunday drives, but if you are going to use it as a daily, it needs to have the bandwidth to do it all. It has to be comfortable, convenient, and confidence-inspiring in traffic.

One last thing to be mindful of is that the convertible loses the rearview cam when the top is down. As soon as my wife learned that, she backed off the convertible real quick.

 

fwiw none of those 2LT luxury features interest me and I’ve been daily driving corvettes for over 25 years. My wife’s luxury vehicle has them and I find most of those features mentioned annoying as does she.

I drive about 11k miles a year in and out of Manhattan from Northern nj. None of those features are of value to me. I don’t need them or even want them. To me and only in my opinion at 64 years old this year I don’t see the necessity. The 1LT is plenty luxurious to me.

I don’t need the rear view camera so if you are thinking of the htc for that feature alone just set your mirrors up correctly. If you want the ease of putting the top down and a rear trunk with usable space when the tops down then get the htc.

good luck deciding and staying within one’s specific budget is always the best idea. Our society has convinced us that we need stiff we don’t actually need. Plenty of guys enjoy 1LT interior features and it’s only on the Internet forums guys think having 2 or 3 lt interiors is a must have.

of course I grew up without all those luxury features so what do I know.

of course if your wife will actually drive the c8 and she is used to those features then get the 2 lt. Happy wife happy life as they say. My wife never drives my various new corvettes and even she doesn’t like. Those luxury features in her luxury Audi ev.

most are annoying although she does like the heated seats in her car. To me it’s nice but not worth 7 grand. All the rest of the features are of little interest to me.

you have to decide what’s important to you for your purchase.

 

Wise words...

 

HTC > 2LT. You'll get the rearview mirror cam which is the only important thing from 2LT.

 

Put me into the 2LT coupe voting block

 

Coupe 2LT is the best bang or the buck. Taking the top off is easy 1 person job and losing storage space with the top off. Really? Is it that big of a deal? Going 2LT cost about the same as the HTC. But the added features are nice and you can still do open air with the Coupe.

Another thing to possibly consider is you will most likely get better resale with the 2LT than a 1LT down the road.

This is from a 3LT HTC Owner. Was looking for a 2LT Coupe and the 3LT HTC sorta fell into my lap.

Good Luck

 

What is another 6-7k when you're already spending all this money. Buy the 2LT coupe!!! You worked hard all your life, you deserve this!

 

Personally, the HTC would be the priority for me. If I couldn't swing a 2LT HTC, I would sacrifice the 2LT for the HTC and get a 1LT HTC. I would not sacrifice the HTC to get a 2LT.

I would probably still be driving the 2012 Grand Sport I had if it had been a convertible.

And btw, a targa top is nothing close to a convertible

Just my 2 cents,
-Bob