Quote:
Originally Posted by edconline
But you're leaving out something just as important in the sports car market - people buying for looks. Let's take the 2015 sports car market. Yes there are cars faster than the Z in the segment. There are cars that handle better. There are cars that are cheaper and faster and handle if not better, damn close. But nothing that does all that and looks near as good. Given the options right now, I would still buy the Z over anything sub 100k.
That's what I never understood about everyone that 'upgraded' to the 5.0. Yeah it's faster, cheaper, cheaper to make faster and handles well, but have you seen it? Yes people that can buy more expensive cars often will, but sometimes it isn't enough. Like I said, the next price bracket I am interested in is around 150k mark (V10 R8). So even though I could buy say a 75-80k car, I'm still a long way from being able to afford anything that interests me as a follow up to the Z.
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I agree with all of that -- and I think it's fair to add that, ironically,
actual performance is frequently trumped by
perceived performance (i.e., more bhp doesn't always mean faster; lighter/tighter turning radius doesn't necessarily mean better in the slalom).
As to looks, although I suggested leaving the FF's and AWD's out of the debate, the very fact that 4-door rally cars -- vehicles that have nothing in common with the aesthetics of a "classic" sports car -- were big players in the sporty car segment speaks volumes on the range of body styles that can be construed as appropriate for a "sports car".
On the other hand, all over the world, sleek FF's are much beloved as sporty (if not "sport
s") cars, but a lot less so in the US.
Then there's the weird obsession (mainly in the US...) with the physical size of the car. Little cars tend to be associated with less manliness, (which is pretty stupid, but people also tend to like watching heavyweights pummel each other in the ring over watching welterweights). Pony cars are cross shopped by consumers looking for a sporty car simply on the basis of size (a lot of guys don't want a "girly" little car), and, again, ironically, not in regard to how the size helps or hamstrings actual performance.
On that note, in the US in particular, all things being equal, nothing looks more sporty than a high horsepower rating for the car you drive.
How many people have posted about how much they would like the Z35 to have a V8 or turbo? It ain't for looks.