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The numbers are in: It doesn't look good for sports cars

Rob

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The numbers are in: It doesn't look good for sports cars

Larry Printz, The Virginian-Pilot
Published Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Is the sports car as we know it about to die? The question comes up every few years, but as the industry slumps, there's cause for concern.

In the Dec. 15 issue of Automotive News, I looked at the chart for U.S. light-vehicle inventory, which measures how many sale-days worth of vehicles are available for purchase nationwide. A 60-day supply is considered normal.

I won't bore you with all of the stats, save this one: As of Dec. 1, some of the largest supplies are sports cars.

Check the numbers: Ford Mustang, 201 days; Chevrolet Corvette, 233 days; Mazda Miata/MX-5, 245 days; Saturn Sky, 272 days; Honda S2000, 278 days; Cadillac XLR, 306 days; and the Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder, 332 days. That last number is a big one - almost a year's worth of roadsters waiting for buyers.

How could that be?

Consider that decades ago, when sports cars such as the Porsche 356 and Chevrolet Corvette first ventured onto the freeways of our hearts, mainstream sedans handled corners with the finesse of a desk chair.

By contrast, even the most modest modern sedan handles better than a sports cars did decades ago. Heck, some modern sedans maneuver as well as sports cars - yet offer room for four and a trunk that holds more than a toothbrush and hair gel.

Through the end of November, Madza had sold 10,678 Miatas and 102,093 of their Mazda3, a car that's just as sporty and more practical.

Now ponder this: as automakers cut models to save money, which ones do you suppose will be the first to go?

Take three guesses; the first two don't count.
 
Rob,

If it is not too much trouble can you post up the days supply of Nissan GTR's? Just curious :eek:
 
And these car dealers want to know why we hate them?
Banks are getting money for 0% and they have only dropped a lousy 1/2%. banks should have mortgages In the 4% range
Not me, I do know someone in the market for one though. There are dealers still trying to get premiums on them.
 
Banks are getting money for 0% and they have only dropped a lousy 1/2%. banks should have mortgages In the 4% range
Not when they are charging off 6% of their mortgage balances.
 
The GTR's are a sweet ride; I just hope the owners enjoy the dual-plate/stage ceramic clutches more than us GT500 owners do! One heck of a way to handle the power but not the smoothest clutch I've ever had. It loves to chatter when you try launching it at low speed.

But then, you are forced to launch hard - so what's the down side of that??? :laugh:
 

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