By Ross Ballot
Bored last night, I decided to toy around with the 2020 Corvette C8 Coupe configurator. It’s been live for a while now but I haven’t played with it much. And with pricing available, I figured it would be fun to subject Chevy’s newest performance halo car to the “how high can the MSRP go?” game.
The answer? High. Very high. Keep in mind that this is the “base” model C8 Corvette. That’s the critical point here. This is not the convertible. Not the inevitable Grand Sport. Not the more-than-likely ZR1. This is the bottom-barrel, standard-issue car. If you can call it that.
In the past the Corvette has punched well above its weight class when it came to performance-per-dollar. And now with the engine behind the driver, the ‘Vette has the opportunity to punch even higher. But the price is rising as well. We knew this would happen but now we can definitively see it firsthand.
“My” build was a combination of function and form. Without adding totally unnecessary add-ons like production-line delivery, car covers, or purely cosmetic items like colored seatbelts and center caps, the final tally was still a big number: $96,845. Yes, I added everything relating to performance like the $5,000 Z51 package and the $1,895 Magnetic Ride supplement. Carbon fiber items? Check. Deep red paint? Of course. Sure, I was checking boxes to see how expensive a “base” C8 could get. But I was also genuinely curious to have it as a reference point.
Then I went back through and checked the boxes for all those tacky little add-ons. Car cover and center caps included. $104,815. Only $15k less than the outgoing end-all, be-all of front-engine Corvettes, the ZR1.
When it hits dealer lots, I expect the C8 to have interior quality below its price point but performance well above. Even at nearly $100k it should be a surprising amount of car for the dollar. Just as a Corvette should be, regardless of where the engine is.
Oh, and for shits and giggles I built a 718 Cayman S to see how high I could ring the Porsche’s price to. Yes, it had “Fuse Box Covers in Leather” and “Headlight Cleaning System Covers in Deviated Exterior Color.” And yes, the MSRP out-shocked the Corvette’s: $144,080. Yes, really.
Jeff Glucker
Still, a 1LT with Z51, Magnaride and sport seats for $70k is a pretty respectable deal.
Also, disappointing that it’s a grand for factory delivery when some of the Europeans actually make it a minor discount.
Is that comparing to normal delivery in the US or in Europe for European cars? I can see why it would be so, the only real difference in cost would be the transport, while there is probably a longer handover process with tour etc.
So, it’s a $995 option to take delivery of your new Corvette in Bowling Green (it definitely includes a tour). Unless that waives the normal destination charge, it’s hardly a deal (and only available to US buyers). I know some of the European makes also charge extra for Euro delivery (Porsche for sure), but Volvo absolutely gives you a little discount, while still including shipping and a couple weeks insurance.
You’d assume it would replace the normal charge, but equally they might be charging what the market will bear, like Porsche. Strange it is US buyers only – suppose otherwise there would be paperwork to deal with for an overseas-destined car that didn’t comply with US regs.
Given the inclusions, the Volvo option is a bargain.
Oh, you still pay the $1000+ destination fee on top of that– I think it’s a union contract requirement. What a ripoff. I wouldn’t pay $12 to tour the museum even if I were visiting Bowling Green.
So, roughly half-again more for add-on b.s.? Isn’t the Vette a pretty capable machine in base form? I think the beauty in this beast is its comparatively high bank-for-the-buck. Optioning it up only dilutes the goodness.
Also, a base (non-S) 718 built to the max won’t exceed $130k, but that’s still ridiculous for a car that starts at $57k. The options available for the Porsche are absolute lunacy.
You would assume that nobody ever options them that high – once past 10% add on, I’d assume the depreciation on options is nearly 100%.
I have always generally believed (from a value perspective) that one should buy the best base-price vehicle within a given budget, with zero options. I felt that the inherent “goodness” of a car was in its basic engineering, and that option packages may marginally improve performance and/or comfort, but were largely superfluous. I’m not so sure this logic holds today, especially considering the steep depreciation of luxury vehicles, and the fact that a “cheap” car today is vastly better than a “cheap” car 30 years ago. Plus, I think many of today’s cars are designed with certain options in mind, then de-contented to achieve a base model, meaning a mid-trim spec might actually be the sweet spot.
I still tend to buy my vehicles with minimal options, though.
https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/064/691/allyourbase-animated.gif
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQE66WA2s-A&app=desktop