Cross shopping Dark Horse with C8/M4

[Karguy]

If you want to track a car l would look at new M2 as it has great power for long straights and it is playful , SS1LE same engine but not that dreaded snap oversteer of a Vette or even if you have the money for a 911 GT3 or Carrera S or GTS…Fun and great dailies even in wet or snowy conditions while the M3/M4 is good to due to AWD that can be turned off…There is a lot of good hardware out there

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[Karguy]

If a guy only cross shops a DH or C8 I definitely would go Mustang because the Corvette does not feel like a sports car but more like a 2 seat luxury cruiser with the first nice interior GM has ever made…But the engine has no revvyness towards the redline but feels flat and no manual and it is big and you hear not much of the engine…When I testdrove one I was bored with it within 15 minutes…Also the visibility was not good but interior was nice and a comfortable ride what the 65 plus crowd who buy Corvettes like…But good 0-100 numbers as above the LT2 runs out of steam make no sports car ! The DH at least revs and has a Tremec you can shift and you can hear the V8 inside…

 

[Karguy]

Also another thing about the Vette when I had my Z06 a $20 rear main seal blew and it became a $4K repair because the whole drivetrain has to be divorced from the car including exhaust and suspension because of the transaxle/torque tube design where the bearings inside can go bad too.The C8 does not have this but the rear engine design is probably not cheap either when it comes to otherwise cheap repairs on leaky seals or worn clutches…

 

[Mustang406]

If a guy only cross shops a DH or C8 I definitely would go Mustang because the Corvette does not feel like a sports car but more like a 2 seat luxury cruiser with the first nice interior GM has ever made…But the engine has no revvyness towards the redline but feels flat and no manual and it is big and you hear not much of the engine…When I testdrove one I was bored with it within 15 minutes…Also the visibility was not good but interior was nice and a comfortable ride what the 65 plus crowd who buy Corvettes like…But good 0-100 numbers as above the LT2 runs out of steam make no sports car ! The DH at least revs and has a Tremec you can shift and you can hear the V8 inside…

I am decades away from 65 and I do not think my C8 is "boring". The lack of a manual tranny is legit and if you have to have a manual then ok I get it. The LT2 C8 has so much more performance in acceleration and 1/4 mile and is faster on track too than a DH. The performance honestly isn't even an apples to apples comparison considering the last GT500 can't catch the Vette in a 1/4 mile.

 

[Rocket Man]

If a guy only cross shops a DH or C8 I definitely would go Mustang because the Corvette does not feel like a sports car but more like a 2 seat luxury cruiser with the first nice interior GM has ever made…But the engine has no revvyness towards the redline but feels flat and no manual and it is big and you hear not much of the engine…When I testdrove one I was bored with it within 15 minutes…Also the visibility was not good but interior was nice and a comfortable ride what the 65 plus crowd who buy Corvettes like…But good 0-100 numbers as above the LT2 runs out of steam make no sports car ! The DH at least revs and has a Tremec you can shift and you can hear the V8 inside…

You are funny. Feels flat right?
C8=11.2 quarter mile GT or Dark Horse=12.5 quarter mile. Yep, definitely runs out of steam. Maybe above 120-130, but by then the Mustang is pretty small in the rear view.
Nothing against Mustangs, I am still buying one

 

[packfan021488]

Having owned 7 Mustangs over the past 14 years I can say without hesitation that the M4, if you can afford it, is the better car from a stock performance standpoint the kidney grill M cars are absurdly fast with the X drive. don't get me wrong I love my S650 but if you arnt doing any mods the M4 is just better. now if you were going to drop a blower on the DH that's a different story

 

[Karguy]

Of course drag racing the C8 is faster then the DH…More weight over the rear tires and shorter gearing…The M3/4 competition is faster than both ! But I was thinking about fun and everyday practicality and here I would decide V8 sound and manual vs nicer interior and more practicality , stronger engine and all year round driveability AWD or maybe even 4 doors of the BMW…I hope the C9 will get smaller outside , bigger inside look less like a Ferrari copy and gain a manual

 

[Q6543]

Most c8 s I’ve seen at the track run 11.8s on par with a base GT 10r80 car.

matter fact I haven’t seen a c8 sniff 11.2

 

[Mustang406]

Most c8 s I’ve seen at the track run 11.8s on par with a base GT 10r80 car.

matter fact I haven’t seen a c8 sniff 11.2

Hold up.....so at your track, base GTs with 10R80 are making hero runs of 11.8 when official testing has them at 12.1-12.2? Ok. I have seen some stock A10 GTs run high 11s so in good DA an 11.8 is possible.

But C8s which in official testing run 11.2s are suddenly over half a second slower on this same track and same good DA?

 

[Rocket Man]

At his track they need the driver mod. At MIR, low elevens is the norm for most guys in C8's.
And I've never seen an S550 or S650 in the elevens without at least tires (DR's) or some mods.

 

[Upacurb]

I’ve seen S550 PP1 cars in the 11 100% stock

I’ve driven a few C8s and I’m sorry but they are faster than a stock GT A10 car …

should add I previously owned a 19 PP1 A10

 

[cosmo73]

I really wouldn’t put the DH in the same category as the C8.

The ‘Vette is a pure sports car and would embarrass a DH on the track.

The M4 is a closer match. I think the DH is a slightly better value at roughly $10k less, but build quality and suspension is much better on the M4. I leased an M3 Competition for 2 years and it is a much better all-around car than the Mustang. The torque of the S58 makes it seem much faster than the Mustang. Monster motor!

 

[GripTime]

I really wouldn’t put the DH in the same category as the C8.

The ‘Vette is a pure sports car and would embarrass a DH on the track.

The M4 is a closer match. I think the DH is a slightly better value at roughly $10k less, but build quality and suspension is much better on the M4. I leased an M3 Competition for 2 years and it is a much better all-around car than the Mustang. The torque of the S58 makes it seem much faster than the Mustang. Monster motor!

I have seen two comparisons with Vettes and DH. Neither was a head to head but they were on the same track.

Throttle house has the C7 ZR1 at roughly 2.5 seconds faster and a C8 Z51 at rougly 1.5 seconds slower than a DH.

Car and Driver Lightning Lap has the C8 Z51 rougly 2 seconds faster than a DH.

 

[GripTime]

Forget my post if you are talking about drag strip track. I thought you meant a road course.

 

[Dave2013M3]

Anyone else cross shopping a DH with a C8 or M4? Or am I the only one thinking the DH is not a bargain performer at it's price point? 78k can get me into a 2024 C8 Z51. Unless you absolutely have to have a manual how are these other 2 not better options?

If you want a manual you already answered the question. Did you consider the M2 and save a bunch of money?

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