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-   -   If you can afford the Porsche 911, would you still buy the Corvette (https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/c7-general-discussion/3683063-if-you-can-afford-the-porsche-911-would-you-still-buy-the-corvette.html)

nmvettec7 07-16-2015 03:08 PM

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I currently own a 2015 C& Stingray 1LT and a 2014 Porsche Cayman 981.

While the 2014 981 is not a 911, keep in mind the Porsche product and the Corvette are different cars in my opinion. My 2014 Porsche Cayman 981 cost me $66,000. It is a very nice sports car. Great overall quality, ride, performance, & style.

I paid $56,010 for my C7 and added about $1600.00 in aftermarket options like the front splitter, side skirts, Z06 Rear Quarter Vents, OEM GM splash guards, tint, etc.

For the money the Corvete C7 (which is my 1st ever) is a great value.
You have lots of power, great style, perfomance, and it is American and relatively low cost to maintain vs the Porsche.

With the C7 I get 4 free oil changes. The oil change on my Porsche is $199.00, just because it is a Porsche. My nearest Chevy dealer is 8 miles away, my nearest Porsche dealer is 250 miles away.

When any independent shop that works on a Porsche hears the word Porsche any service item or part goes up in price.

I love the Porsche, has great handling, better than the Corvette and I suspect the shorter wheel base has allot to due with it. My 2014 Cayman has only 3500 miles on the car after 18 months of ownership, no reported problems.

I like driving the C7 more. It turns heads more that the Porsche. The 2014 Cayman even through it went through a new design for 2014 still looks like a Porsche. Many people think the C7 is an Italian styled sports car.

The Porsche has a bit more to the status appeal because of the name.

I could make allot more comparisons. I also own a Jaguar XKR Portfolio Edition and that car is also completely different than the C7 and 981.

For the money, I don't think you can find a better value than the C7. Of course the price is solely dependent on what options you want on the C7 and, are you buying the Stingray, Z51, or Z06?

I have the Stingray, and am so well pleased. So, I suggest to take a hard look at the C7. It is truely a great driving machine.

I have no disappointments with the Jaguar XKR, C7 or the Porsche 981. I am fortunate to be able to own all three. But when I have that urge for the sports car ride, that puts a smile on my face, I grab the C7 key fob, before entering the garage.

ratman6161 07-16-2015 03:08 PM

In order for me to buy a Porsche I would have to be a whole lot more well off than I am. In fact, I would have to be so stinking rich that I could walk in and buy a GT3 without even asking the price. Of course if I was that rich, I would probably have both. Since I'm not now nor ever will be that rich, my C7 Z51 is the most car I will ever own. And...I don't feel as though I'm really missing anything. :)

J_Vette_Manuel 07-16-2015 03:31 PM

My company President has a 2014 Carrera 4S Cabriolet... The sticker was much closer to $160k. As I said in my earlier post, I really, really wanted a 911. The C7 just comes too damn close!

TBH, the C7 looks a hell of a lot sexier than the dated looking 911.

Nicky43 07-16-2015 03:39 PM

Absolutely! I'd much rather have Performance + Beauty than just Performance!

juanvaldez 07-16-2015 03:44 PM

Yes to Cayman GT4.

Never-Enough 07-16-2015 03:45 PM


Originally Posted by Patman (Post 1590063324)
My neighbor has one, and honestly it sounds awful and that big wing on the back looks hideous! :ack:

They don't sound sexy, but they look sexy to me. The wing is functional, this isn't a Civic. :rofl::willy:

JDC PDX 07-16-2015 04:00 PM

I have driven a 911 for the last decade. I recently sold a 2007 C4S to buy my 2015 Z06. I was considering a GT3, but the Z06 has great performance and I held onto another $50K.

I really got tired of paying the Porsche tax on everything, too.

Jimbob26 07-16-2015 04:03 PM

I had a Porsche Carrera; it was a great car, but something was missing in terms of excitement factor. When it came time for a new sports car, I considered the Porsche again, and even drove the Carrera S. The PDK transmission was great, although I really wanted a manual. I still had problems rationalizing the cost - they are built like tanks, well engineered, and do everything well, but cost a lot. I have always like Corvettes, but never owned one, and took the leap of faith and ordered a C7 just after they were unveiled. no regrets at all. Great looking, a blast to drive, and I think will be very reliable. I chose wisely.

Now I have a close friend with a Porsche Turbo S - that's something that I would definitely own. But , they are hugely expensive. Maybe I'll get one of those someday - to park in the garage next to my beloved C7.

johnnypro 07-16-2015 04:07 PM

If I had infinite money, there is a laundry list of cars that I'd rather have than my C7. However, a Porsche 911 is not one of them.

For the price, it's simply too ugly for me. I understand beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but for close to 200K for a decked out 911 Turbo, it looks too much like a Volkswagon Beetle as far as I'm concerned.

Most of us are car guys so we instantly recognize a Porsche when we see it. But sometimes I wonder....

If you put a C7 and a Porsche 911 right next to each other, and asked a thousand people who are completely ignorant of cars to guess the price, I wonder what the consensus would be. To me, the C7 looks way more like a supercar than a Porsche 911 does.

Now a 918 on the other hand.....I'd drive my C7 off a cliff to get into that :D.

John Ulrich 07-16-2015 04:13 PM


Originally Posted by Patman (Post 1590063198)
I've never liked the looks or the sound of any version of the 911 ever produced

You know....I've always like the looks and I've gotten many rides in my friends, but I've never gotten used to the motor sound.

tyho 07-16-2015 04:15 PM

I was looking at either a used (3 yr old) 911 turbo or a new Cayman. I was afraid of getting a used Porsche because I didn't want to inherit someone else's problems, although these cars tend to be well looked after. The new Cayman came in at $90,000 CAN. Plus, the reviews on the C7 were very positive, performance was comparable and parts are readily available, as are the mods. The C7 is new and the Porsche has a dated look, although cosmetically the cars are refreshed. C7 won.:thumbs:

c7v 07-16-2015 04:17 PM

I was in the market for a 991 911S. All of that changed when I pulled up behind a C7 at a red light. The sinister rear end combined with ultra wide stance was incredible. You can argue that the front end looks like a Ferrari and vice versa but the rear is so different from anything else on the road. The 911S and the GTR were forgotten instantly. Also, the noise from the V8 made everything else sound like a vacuum cleaner, to me.

c7v 07-16-2015 04:19 PM


Originally Posted by Crabbers (Post 1590063327)
Post this on the Porsche forums and the answer is going to be different. The audience is going to influence the answer.

IMO (and it's only an opinion), I would have neither. I can think of plenty of other cars I would rather have for $84k.

What would you rather drive for under 100?

jcp911s 07-16-2015 04:22 PM

I'm a Porsche guy, and PCA instructor and racer and I can tell you that these are incredible cars... beautifully built and engineered, capable of being driven full-out on the track all day long, and driven home, and the dealers treat you like a 4-star hotel... anybody who buys one will love it!

That said, I cross-shopped an "all go, and no show" Cayman S, equipped with all the performance options, PDK, PASM, Exhaust, and no frivolous "appearance" options, it still tipped the scales over $75K... a comparable Carrara S would easily run over $110K.

I ordered a Z51 MSRC A8 with 1LT... comparable in equipment to the Cayman S... sticker about $60K-ish with discounts.

Styling and "status" are subjective, and none of these cars make sense... they are self-indulgent toys, pure and simple. I can "afford" a Porsche, but IMHO, the C7 offers a price/performance package that's awful hard to turn down.

docprego 07-16-2015 04:48 PM

I looked at the Cayman when I was comparing vehicles, for about 5 minutes literally. It's a nice car but it just didn't have that exotic presence that the Stingray has. Theres something about the C7's bulging fenders and wide stance that just works perfectly for me. The Cayman really didn't have any of that wow factor. Even if the Cayman were less expensive I'd choose the Stingray 7 days a week.

Here's another HUGE factor for me, at essentially the same base price the Cayman brings 275 hp while the C7 brings 460. Thats an enormous difference. Even the GT4 only has 385 hp and starts at 85 grand.

It was an easy choice.

jcp911s 07-16-2015 04:49 PM

I'm a Porsche guy, and PCA instructor and racer and I can tell you that these are incredible cars... beautifully built and engineered, capable of being driven full-out on the track all day long, and driven home, and the dealers treat you like a 4-star hotel... anybody who buys one will love it!

That said, I cross-shopped an "all go, and no show" Cayman S, equipped with all the performance options, PDK, PASM, Exhaust, and no frivolous "appearance" options, it still tipped the scales over $75K... a comparable Carrara S would easily run over $110K.

I ordered a Z51 MSRC A8 with 1LT... comparable in equipment to the Cayman S... sticker about $60K-ish with discounts.

Styling and "status" are subjective, and none of these cars make sense... they are self-indulgent toys, pure and simple. I can "afford" a Porsche, but IMHO, the C7 offers a price/performance package that's awful hard to turn down.

Dano W 07-16-2015 04:54 PM


Originally Posted by blue_bomber697 (Post 1590063257)
I drove a decently optioned 911 Carerra 4 for a test drive a few months after buying my C7. I wanted to see what all the 911 hype was and see if I'd consider it for a future vehicle after my C7.

That drive made me appreciate my Corvette so much more... The interior is slightly better in the Porsche, seats and materials being nicer, but I liked the layout, gaugues, and infotainment better on the C7. The driving experience is so much more viceral in the Corvette though, that exhaust and power is just phenomanal and made the 911 seem incredibly boring and tame. Granted, this was not driving on a track or canyon road, but I was bored and uninterested in the 911.

After the drive, the salesman asked if I could take him for a spin in my C7 as it was the first one they had seen. Took him for a ride, and he couldn't believe how good and nice it was. He said he would also rather have the Corvette. Completely ignoring price, I would take the C7 over the 911 (non-turbo) every day of the week. Funny thing is, I went next door to the Jaguar dealership to check out an F-Type, and the exact same thing happened with the salesman haha. Took him for a short ride as well and changed his perspective on Corvettes!

Also, as far as looks go, 911's are boring. People look and think, hey nice Porsche. But no one will ever be interested enough to come talk to you about it. I get in conversations with people everywhere I go with them drooling over my Corvette. :)


Well said, we have very same thought…oh yeah, I also considered the Jaguar F-Type before I bought my Corvette.

Dan12 07-16-2015 05:03 PM


Originally Posted by tyho (Post 1590063861)
I was looking at either a used (3 yr old) 911 turbo or a new Cayman. I was afraid of getting a used Porsche because I didn't want to inherit someone else's problems, although these cars tend to be well looked after. The new Cayman came in at $90,000 CAN. Plus, the reviews on the C7 were very positive, performance was comparable and parts are readily available, as are the mods. The C7 is new and the Porsche has a dated look, although cosmetically the cars are refreshed. C7 won.:thumbs:

I did the same but went with the 911 Turbo. Added exhaust and software. 630 HP. Do my own service. Price wont drop already took the hit.

TEXHAWK0 07-16-2015 05:03 PM

I can..... I did....:D

Hopper12 07-16-2015 05:05 PM

Lots of interesting and insightful comments. I especially like the thoughts by those who currently own both, or who have owned one or more Porsches.

I've been blessed (or stupid enough :D) to be able to afford many different types of cars. Lots of different muscle cars, CTS-Vs, Lotus, Maserati, Ferrari, etc. Previous series Corvettes came close to getting my interest - nearly pulled the trigger on a new C6 but one pulled into the F/M dealer when I was trying to decide on a Maserati or C6 and that did it and we got the Maserati. But when the C7 came out I was awestruck - I guess it's a personal thing, but the styling just hit me. The C7 interiors are very good, the performance and pricing super, and we bought a '15 Z51.

I know the Porsches are truly great cars. Again, styling is a personal thing. No offense to Porsche owners, but the styling has never appealed to me. Again, a personal thing. I'm sure many Porsche owners would say the same thing about C7s or previous series Vettes. To me, over the past several years, Porsche should have been able to save a ton of $ on camouflage as they come out and test new models prior to launch dates - they don't need any camo because they've looked pretty much the same to me for many years.

Another interesting thing: I'm in S CA on business right now. Last two days have driven from LAX to Costa Mesa, then to Malibu, then back to LAX. Saw 1 C7. Saw uncountable Porsches. :cheers:


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