C8 Corvette Versus Porsche Sales: Our Forum Members Sound Off

Mid-engine C8 Corvette will challenge the Porsche 911 on the track, but what about the sales charts?

The C8 Chevrolet Corvette was formally introduced at an invitation-only event in Southern California on July 18, at which point we finally learned many of the key details of the long-awaited mid-engine sports car. Of course, between leaked images, insider information and rumors, we had a decent idea of what to expect from the next generation Corvette, leading some Chevrolet enthusiasts to proclaim the car a smashing success before it was actually introduced.

In fact, on July 16, Chevrolet Forum member “futuregopher” started a thread in the C8 General Discussion section titled “C8 will DESTROY Cayman/Boxster and 911 sales” and it has led to 13 pages of excellent points and counterpoints. Some members agree with the OP and some do not, but the thread is packed with interesting angles from which we can all view the battle between the new Corvette and the Porsche lineup.

The Introduction

When the OP first posted his thread on C8-versus-Porsche sales, it almost came across as a rant, with a mix of facts, figures and personal opinion creating a great jump-off for a long, spirited discussion.

Why else would you get a 911 or cayman/boxster over a C8? Unless you’re just a “porsche guy”, the clear choice is the C8. Here are some porsche 911 sales numbers after the C7 came out

911 sales by year – 2013; 10.442 2014; 10.446 2015; 9.858 2016; 8.901 2017; 8.970 2018; 9.647

Porsche cayman sales by year are similar. Slight downtrend. Are the 911/cayman buyers just switching out for Cayennes? Maybe but doubtful since Cayenne sales are similar in a trending slightly down year by year manner. MACAN – that’s Porsche’s cash cow. 7.4k sold in 2014 TO OVER 23.4k in 2018. Good for porsche but doubt the 911/cayman/boxster crowd are trading in their sports cars for Macans but who knows?

The biggest knock on the C6 was the interior and GM rectified that with the C7. 2014-2017 corvettes outsold 911’s 3:1.

If you’re a Porsche guy, the best thing that will happen to you is the arrival of the C8. It’s just like Mustang and Camaro; competition between the two make them BOTH BETTER.

Porsche has been dinging their buyers for the past few years and I won’t be surprised that the C8 will be the FINAL straw for them to leave Porsche. Why would you want to spend MORE MONEY to have porsche REMOVE BACK SEATS LOL. OR MORE MONEY TO SWITCH YOUR DOOR HANDLES TO A STRAP LOL.

People bought caymans because of the mid engine feeling and maybe because it’s a superior sports car to the 911 but that’s a different debate. The 911 starts at over 92k now and for a nicely equipped one, you’re at around 125k which isn’t supercar money yet but…over 125k…for a 911…? I will admit the build quality is great the 997’s from 10+ years ago show that.

Motortrend had head to head episode 82 with the 2017 grand sport vs the 911s. That 911 was 150k!! And still lost out to the C7 grand sport which was 2/3 the price!

The cayman/boxster buyers who want the mid engine feel but don’t want to deal with Porsche’s dinging and diming them will switch over to the C8 since they’re about the same cost anyways. And the 911 guys…well a lot of them will switch over too because of simple economics $$$. All that’ll be left of the 911 guys are those who are just 911 guys (nothing wrong with that, 911’s are GREAT cars).

The OP makes plenty of good points, but as many members are quick to point out, there are a few key reasons why someone might opt for a Porsche over the new Corvette.

Reasons to Buy a Porsche Instead of a Corvette

The first reply came from “BahamaTodd” and this one-word reply really speaks volumes.

Manual.

As we all know, the C8 is not slated to come with a manual transmission and so far, that has been the biggest critique of the new Corvette.

“SkyView” went a different direction, looking instead at the brands themselves.

Well, yes and no. Some people still won’t be able to get past that it’s a Chevrolet. Some really go for snob appeal of a foreign brand more than anything else. Not to mention poor treatment from Chevrolet on warranty issues, bad dealers and dicey service. All things one must factor in when buying a high dollar car. Its not always just about the car.

“jackthelad” took a different approach to examining the sales figures, pointing out how each of the companies make their money.

Porsche is the most profitable car company in the world. When the books were opened up when the Porsche/Audi/VW squabble of who owns what was going on, it turned out that each of the three “companies” delivered about the same total net income – Porsche on relatively few cars, Audi on a lot more, and VW on zillions. And in at least one year, Porsche’s income was twice its costs – i.e. 100% profit margin per vehicle. That’s how they can afford to hone every detail and produce (very expensive) but small runs of brilliant cars like the GT3’s – they have a customer base willing to pay through the nose for that nameplate regardless of what it is on, so have a ton of R&D money to throw around.

Nobody is going to lay out those big bucks to acquire all the status of having a Chevy nameplate on the front of their car or SUV, however good the cars may actually be. So, Chevy like Ford, rely on their high margin vehicles, i.e. their trucks, to deliver their profits. And both are dumping the US sedan market, as neither of them can compete on value for money with the Japanese or Korean manufacturers.

I have no doubt that on a performance $ basis the C8 will lead the field – just as the 5, 6 and 7 did before it. But for well heeled status conscious buyers, that won’t matter one bit.

While “ToddC7” explained that he is considering a C8, but he is also looking at a new Porsche.

I recently sold my C7 which I really loved a lot; never had any problems with it, super fun to drive (manual), and had tons of power. One of the best cars I ever had.

Having said that, I’m now looking at the C8 seriously. And after seeing the admittedly leaked interior pics, I’ve been looking at the 718. Here is why I like the 718 *so far*:

1) Smaller looking size
2) Lower weight
3) Very, very driver oriented interior and especially the dashboard, love the RPM gauge analog in the dead center. The interior looks absolutely very well designed and detailed.
4) The reviews about how it drives are impeccable: everyone loves it and most think is the very top of the top in terms of how a car should drive.

Things I don’t like:
1) Price
2) The 4 cylinder engine (wish it had a straight six)

So far, I’m leaning to the Porsche, but I’d love to have another ‘vette. Hopefully GM nails it and those ugly interior leaks were wrong.

I will be watching the live stream tonight with high hopes.

Owners Weigh In

Member “99999” rolled the first two replies above into one, pointing out the lack of a manual transmission and the premium experience of Porsche ownership, while also pointing out that he owns both a Porsche and a Corvette.

I also think the fit, finish, quality, reliability and customer service provided by Porsche (or other high-end brands) is so comfortable and expected by those willing to spend six figures on a car, that the C8 won’t be able to scratch that, not because of the C8, but because of the Chevy dealerships its sold at. As I have said before though, I believe the C8 will be such a great track car, that a lot of Porsche and other high-end car owners will ADD a C8 to their garage for track days and other fun stuff like that. I’m excited for the C8, AND every brand suffers from the extreme low-end stuff it produces. The C8 can’t escape cheap and crappy Chevy’s. If Porsche released a 30k car to compete for Miata sales, that would do more to diminish the 911 than the Chevy C8 could. Just my opinion. I’m a Porsche owner, Corvette C7 owner, and other high-end brands owner.

Finally, “RidgeRunner0207” shared his views on the subject, owning both a Corvette and a Porsche.

I currently have a C6/ZR1 and now my just delivered 2019 C7/Z06 Vert.

I also have previously owned a 2013 Boxster S/M6 and I just took delivery of my 2019 Boxster GTS/M6 last December @ Atlanta PEC.

I love my C6 and C7, but if anyone thinks for a second that a C7 interior is on par with a Porsche Boxster/Cayman or 911 interior then they really need to go visit a Porsche Dealer and sit in a Porsche or drive one.

If I take my car for service @ Porsche I get a $80k-$120k loaner, no questions asked, the car is perfect when I bring it in and perfect when I get it back.

I am not knocking anything about my current two Corvette’s ( actually I have owned 2 others, a C6/Z06 and a C6/427 Vert ) , but comparing the fit and finish interior of a GM to a German Car, especially a Porsche is a bit of an unfair comparison. IMHO.

My 19 Boxster GTS was $106k Sticker, I got 8% off an ordered car, so a touch over $92k delivered, my 19/C7 was $98,330 and got it for Invoice, plus their holdback plus a few more $$$$$ off as a discount and $3000 loyalty, the C7 a beautiful car and is obviously faster with 650HP vs 365HP, but overall the quality of a Porsche is hard to beat.

I also own a 17 Macann GTS and there is no SUV IMHO that is as good as that, even a BMW or Alpha.

While it will be quite a while until we know how the C8 Corvette sells compared to the Porsche Boxster, Cayman and 911, this thread is packed full of reasons why someone might buy one car over the other.

If you have input as to why you would buy the C8 before the 911 or vice-versa, head into the thread to share your thoughts.