OK

GMPD - CTSv, Redline, Cobalt SS
SVT - Cobra, Lightning, Focus

So who's doing a better job?

 

Well, the SVT Focus is dead... and the Lightning and CObra are on hold for the new versions... so....

IMHO, the most exciting car in the group you listed is CTS-V.

Overall, though, the Fords, as a group, are more exciting.

 

GMPD just started what , maybe 2 years ago and SVT has been around for how long? The CTS-V is a sweet machine while they took a crappy ION and actually made it decent. They've taken two of GM's compacts and have punted them near the top of the sport compact list, not too bad IMO. Sure the Cobra and Lightning are more exciting, because they're RWD supercharged v8 machines while GMPD has only worked with a handful of vehicles so far and majority have been FWD 4 bangers.

I'm sure we all will like GMPD's talent alot more once they start rolling out their versions of the Zeta vehicles and I'm sure they have a hand in on the Z06 and rumored "Blue Devil" and CTS Super V.

 

Good idea, all of these guys with "Big" in their name seem to be annoying fanboys. IGNORED!

 

Suits me fine... maybe there will be less abuse of true GM enthusiasts here...

So SORRY I like GM cars more than other makes, NOT...

 

Whatever floats your boat big guy.

 

Well the CTSv is a $52K car.

And as noted above the Focus got booted from SVT, definitely a good thing.

So for us 40hr a week working schmucks, we can go down to SVT and hop in a Cobra or Lightning or over to GMPD and test out a Redline Ion or Cobalt SS.

This brings up a point I made many moons ago. GM has left us working guys hanging out to dry. It's real nifty to point to $40K C5's, $52K CTSv's, $52K C5 Z06s. Even the GTO until recently was really a $38- $40K car with all the gouging going on. But most guys are never gonna really own one. Not any time soon. SVT is right there making a $30K asphalt burning Cobra and Lightning that I could go out and buy easily tomorrow. They're doing what I want out of a performance division. DCX is doing the same thing with the 300C and Magnum. The SRT-10 is expensive but it came out suprisingly cheaper than expectations. GM would've charged $60K for that truck and you know it. The SRT-4 is the $20K performance car. The new stang GT is cheap for the high performance.

Where's GM's affordable performance? Cobalt SS? Redline? Not good enough.

 

All good points. Alot of GM's performance vehicles are out of reach right now. That my friend is the void that was left by the Camaro. Four years ago, affordable GM performance had two names, Camaro and Firebird. Once the 5th gen returns, GM will have an affordable, working man's sports car, along with many other affordable performance cars.

Right now, Ford and DCX are living it up. GM is gonna be a little late to the party, but I can wait. Guys like you can go out and buy some decent 30k performance cars. But me and others on this board will be finishing up college right around the time GM rolls out its bread and butter performance vehicles. Then I'll be there, cash in hand.

One thing that is nice right now is the fact that we can finally argue about REAL performance cars coming from the Big 3 again! Ford, Chrysler, and GM are distancing themselves from the import wave performance wise. We're talking 400, 500, and 600hp here coming from the Big 3 and the old rivalries are heating back up. Kudos to all the Big 3 for cranking up the heat and churning out good ole fashion Detroit muscle again!

 

Remind me how 30k is "affordable"?
People looking at the 20k Cobalt SS and Redline arent looking at 35k Cobras and L's.

 

Good point. And which folks are looking at the $52K caddy's that you are having wet dreams about in another post?

 

Maybe we could all slow down for just a minute or two.

There are folks here that are strictly in the Blue Oval camp, some diehard GM fans. Some couldn't care less what it is as long as it suits them and they can afford it.

When you talk about performance on the internet, you are usually talking drag racing. At least it's been my experience and I read a lot of forums as small part of what I do for a living. Drag racing is not what all performance minded folks want out of a vehicle. GM has almost always shot for a power AND handling approach in hi-perf cars over a straightline only stormer, particularly in the last couple of decades.

GM Performance Division is a fairly recent approach but it's manned by some long experienced folks, many that were previously Corvette/Camaro or Racing, or a combo of both. That which is forthcoming remains to be seen. The CTSV is a strong handling car and for it to lose any sign of wheelhop would be to dial out road handling. The CTS-V isn't aimed at bracket racers.

As for grassroots racing?? That's a somewhat interesting deal on it's own. I local/regional bracket racing I see far more old school Chevy SB's, or way more old school Chevy Rat motors than Ford powered stuff. What I'm speaking of is the regional weekend warrior types that run in a Gas or Super Gas, Comp or Super Comp folks running electronics. Drag racing is an predominantly North American soprt, with some interest elsewhere. It's otherwise off the radar for most of the world's motorsports enthusiasts.

The utmost high end of drag racing has no correlation at all to car sales. Perhaps DCX is making some collateral hay from the "Hemi" deal but let's face it...they dropped out of roadracing to be involved in NASCAR. I find the whole "hemi" thing rather amusing. A Hemi, in my mind. is a 7 liter, hard to tune for the street but a yehaw monster in race tune legend. Not a LS1 wannabe as I see the latest "Hemi". < Sorry, I digress. >

The recent Cobras are performance cars, as are others. I'm doubtful that the 300c can be seen as a drag candidate as it way short on power considering it's weight. Handling is what you think it is, in some respects. I found the 300c to be a brick and becmes even moreso the harder you drive it.

Maybe "value" is a good word to use in a hi-perf vehicle context.

The Cobra is a value to the buyer who has an interest in the easy modability of the powertrain, with the exception of the differential. Nonetheless, SVT is down for a year. We'll see what they have coming.

GMPD has some things in the pipe and we'll see if anyone finds them to be a good value.

There's a distinct difference between "affordable" and "value" when it come to cars, in as much as affordable has to to with what's in your budget, and value is what's in your heart. When the two meet you have a car sale.

 

For everyone that has a positive experience with a Ford SVT dealership, I'm sure there are just as many with negative experiences. I am one of those people. After three out of three "bad experiences" with the same dealer, I finally gave up and found a privateer that has much better service and works with me to make sure I am satisfied. I had figured that a Ford SVT dealer, especially one with Rousch Super Mustangs in its showroom, would be the perfect place to take my son's supercharged Mustang GT... obviously that just isn't the case.

The irony in all this? The automotive group that owns the Ford dealer also owns the Chevy dealer where I take three of my five Chevies. I've had nothing short of exceptional service from the Chevy dealer.

Go figure.

 

I dunno, but they seem to be selling. My Caddy dealership gets 6 a month and they are usualy gone before the next shippment. They are a large Caddy dealership, but outiside of the XLR, the CTS-V is hard to get some seat time in at my dealer.

 

Cool - and my point went right over your head.

Have a good evening.

 

Maybe I'm missing something, but...
a.) What does the service of a dealer servicing a non-SVT vehicle have to do with SVT, or the elevated level of service that Ford commits to SVT owners?
b.) Why would anybody rely on a dealer to service a somewhat highly modified car? I'm perhaps mistakenly drawing the conclusion that you're getting more done than a brake job and alignment...maybe I'm wrong.
c.) Why would the owner of such a vehicle expect an SVT dealer to be more well trained or experienced with an aftermarket modified vehicle than a private shop? Again...perhaps making the incorrect ***umption that we're talking more than the basics.

This would be like saying SVT's service philosophy sucks because you're not happy with the the service you received on the Focus you bought from another used car lot.
In my experience, the individual dealer's customer service philosophy has more bearing on the level of quality care that customers receive than whether or not it's an SVT shop.
S.