That is a gorgeous color on the 911. In fantasy land, I'd custom order mine that way.


The Stingray is just the "base" C8, and from there you can go to the E-Ray, Z06, ZR1, and finally ZR1-X. But, even on the Stingray there's a nearly-$30k price swing between a stripped-out model and a fully-loaded one.

The one I drove was a 2LT with Z51 package, which, to me, seems like one of the most popular ways to go if one is an "enthusiast".

 

thanks for clarifying!

e-ray is a hybrid, right?
z06 in NA but tuned?
zr1 is supercharged?
zr1-x is tuned more?

 

E-ray is a Hybrid indeed. Front wheels are EV, rear wheels are V8.
Z06 is a NA V8 but a different character. It uses a flat plane crank design for a high-revving Ferrari-like sound & character.
ZR1 is Turbocharged and RWD. Apparently very little turbo lag as they've reduced the distance from engine to turbo and other trickery.
ZR1X is basically a ZR1 with an Electric front axle.

 

wish i could 'like' - thanks.

 

You can get a used 911 - my favorite gen is the 991 bec interior is modern enough without the dumb screens but all the 911s look great. But would also love to have a 964 and 993, too many great ones.

Here are a few from an event I attended this weekend:[/size]

 

My favorite was the 1994 3.6 turbo made only that one year. I remember considering one when I bought my 97 Viper GTS and I could’ve gotten one for around the same price. Obviously the 911 appreciated significantly so wrong move on my part.

 

My Lexus LC's garage buddy is a 992 Carrera 4S.

They share some characteristics: both are built to run forever, have nice interiors, hold their value well, are fun to drive.

Other than that they couldn't be more different: the 911 is agile. Braking & handling are phenomenal. Even though the modern ones are relatively heavy you never feel the weight of the car. Steering and braking are highly communicative. PDK is as good as an automatic can get. The grip from having that weight over the rear wheels is like nothing else, you can put your foot flat at any speed and it just hooks up. AWD versions are sure-footed in any conditions (as long as you have the right tires). And it is very quick, put your foot flat and within 3 seconds you'll be either running out of space on the road or worried about cops.

The LC on the other hand addresses 4 of my complaints about the 911: (1) the LC has a comfortable ride: in the 911, every road imperfection is transmitted into the driver's seat, after driving around my city with its poor roads and manhole covers I often feel beaten up; (2) The LC is well insulated: the 911's road noise gets tiring at highway speeds, to the extent that some owners even modify theirs to add sound absorption mats - it is crazy. (3) That intoxicating NA V8: while I do enjoy the raspy flat 6 and the cute turbo noises, the turbo mutes the distinctive flat 6 sound a bit and adds (minor) lag. And despite Porsche also having a physical membrane to send induction noise into the cabin (like the Lexus does), Lexus just does it better; I really need to open my 911's sunroof to hear the engine, then at highway speeds the road/wind noise drowns it out. Lexus's ability to modulate the volume of the V8 based on throttle position is like nothing else I've driven; (4) The LC is less likely to get me in trouble with the cops. The 911 is honestly too quick for the roads. Even the Base model does 0-60 in 3 seconds. The fun is over very quickly if you want to keep it legal. Something about the LC just invites me to relax and enjoy my time in the cabin without constantly looking for a gap in which to floor it. And when I do floor it, there's a lot of fun and drama while somehow giving me at least an extra 1.5 seconds of fun before reaching highway speeds.

Anyway to bring it home so I'm not too far off topic. When I was shopping for a new car it was down to either to a Corvette C8 Stingray or Lexus LC. As I've stated I'm a fan of the C8. I ultimately decided that the C8's design was just too "loud" for my personality. I couldn't imagine climbing out of something almost resembing a Lamborghini Countach when going to pick up groceries. The understated elegance of the LC felt more "me", the interior won me over, and the Lexus reliability was a factor. But you really can't go wrong with either.

 

OK, I can respect that choice.

However, I'd say the LC is far from an understated vehicle. It is a head-turner. Perhaps it's not the same kind of head-turner as a C8 Corvette, but nonetheless, it has an eye-catching design, if you ask me.

Secondly, I think part of what I enjoy about cars like the Corvette is the whole theater about it. The LC has that theater, too, don't get me wrong. But, just walking up to the C8 felt special because of the mid-engine proportions, the loud styling, etc. Having said that, I really, REALLY would like to repeat this exercise with an LC 500, cause I suspect it's a far easier car to live with in terms of comfort and ingress/egress as well as on-road noise.

I have been lucky enough to spend some time in a 991.1 Carrera 4. It was a phenomenal car to drive. Like the C8, somewhat loud on the highway, but my gosh, it feels so connected to the road in spite of the EPAS. The interior was great - nice "click" to all the buttons, not to mention having so many buttons! And, I think the design of the interior has aged well. It doesn't look ancient but isn't hyper-modern either.

 

Yeah, maybe understated is the wrong word. The LC is definitely a head-turner. In years of owning my 911 I've never gotten a reaction from anyone, but with the LC people come up to me and say "nice car" regularly. I guess I just mean it is a less flashy than the C8. That isn't a criticism of the C8, I love how the C8 looks, we need cars like it on the road to make life more interesting in the sea of amorphous SUVs out there. It's just my personal style is a little more toned down.

Definitely worth test driving an LC and would love to hear your comparison. Though be warned the LC also has very long doors, making ingress/egress a little challenging in a tight parking space. And the trunk is tiny (on the convertible, at least). The 911 is my more practical sports car.

 

Yeah, to be fair "understated" was my word.

I can't decide whether I like the attention or not. It was fun seeing kids pointing at the car, but I also wonder if that would get old. Maybe not?