Kozzzz

This is a long read, but I've at least included some pics for you guys...

I've been a Corvette nut since I was ~10 years old. It's remained my favorite car since then. When I was in college, I made pretty much my only real "life goal" to this day: own a Corvette before I'm 30. Mainly because around here in Metro Detroit, most Corvette owners seem to be older guys who just putter around in them on the weekends or keep them in the garage all year. If/when I get a 'Vette I intend to daily drive it for 3 seasons and have fun with it. I'm also way too impatient to wait until I have grey hair before I buy one

Anyway, I graduated college in '08 and was hired into GM Powertrain working at the GM Proving Grounds . I got a job as an engineer in the emission & fuel economy lab. During college I had pictured getting a position where I'd be working with the cars a lot; something like engine calibration or ride & handling development. Working in the lab is a different experience, as I work with test site equipment and not directly with the vehicles. It's interesting and worthwhile work, but not something that an auto enthusiast strives to get into.

Fast forward to April of 2010 and GM introduced the Ambassador Program. Employees at select locations (including the proving grounds) are able to reserve a vehicle for a week or a weekend and drive it as their personal car for free - just has to be returned clean and with a full tank of gas (which were the employee's financial responsibility). The idea being that they'd show it off to friends and family and just become more familiar with the products that we produce. In essence, being a good ambassador for our products. So in April I signed up for a Corvette to take for the week. The earliest availability: September 20th. Monday through Friday is longer than Friday through Monday, so that was an easy choice. To make it even easier, I scheduled vacation days for Tuesday-Thursday so I could enjoy the car while I had it, without work getting in the way Up until this point I have NEVER rode in or driven a Corvette. It has been my favorite car for ~14 years and the closest I've come is to sit in it at auto shows. What a treat it would be to drive one around.

The months ticked by and on the afternoon of Monday Sept. 20th I got to pick up my ride for the week. It was a 2010 Crystal Red Metallic Grand Sport Coupe with a 6-speed manual (you knew ahead of time if you were signing up for a stick). What a beautiful machine.





I picked it up right after lunch. I had to take it back to my building (there are a bunch of different buildings at the proving grounds) and park it until I could take it home later that afternoon. That moment couldn't come soon enough! So I get in the car, set up the seat and mirrors and scan over the gauge cluster and radio controls. The time had come My palms were already sweating. I pushed in the clutch pedal, which required less effort than I had expected, and held the start button. The sound that engine makes...I was actually a bit intimidated. Up until that point, the fastest car I had ever driven was my Cobalt SS, which -while fun- doesn't even compare. The V8 rumble was just so imposing compared to anything else I'd experienced. There was actually a brief instance when I thought "What if... when pulling it out of the parking space (which it was backed into) I give it too much gas, cross the lane, and nail the car parked in the next row?" . Thankfully nothing like that happened. The clutch was a piece of cake to operate, you don't even need to press the gas pedal if you're ginger enough. I took the car back to my building and parked it until I'd be able to take it home that night.

I had the biggest, stupidest grin on my face as I walked out of the office that night. I got in the car, started it up and took it for a quick spin around the proving grounds to get a little bit more acquainted with the car before jumping on the freeway and driving home. I was a bit timid at first, just wanting to get the feel for it. During the lap around the grounds, I noticed two negatives. Almost immediately the translucent removable targa top began creaking. Anytime the car shifted even the slightest bit (bump, turn, etc.) the roof would creak. I checked all of the latches when I pulled up to a stop sign but they all seemed fine. I'd give it another look when I got home. The rear of the car also seemed to be a bit twitchy when going over rough pavement. I was kinda surprised, I thought my Cobalt felt more composed on these rough roads. However, my opinion was probably influenced by the fact that I had read Car and Driver had a handling competition between 10 vehicles that cost less than 100k, and the Z06 didn't score very well compared to other cars (even though the performance numbers were almost always the best). Even at the time, I wasn't convinced that it wasn't just in my head. I drove the 31 highway miles home and parked the car.

I did a quick search here on the forums for "roof noise" and found a wealth of information. I looked up a service bulletin and ended up tightening and lubing up the pins on the roof. I had planned on letting a lot of people ride/drive in the car, so I didn't want it to be creaking and groaning the whole time. The lubricant helped a good bit, but the creak never did completely go away. Luckily the weather that week was pretty decent most of the time, so I was able to keep the top off often.

After that I took my brother for a ride in the car. He's not much of a car enthusiast, but still appreciates some cars. He really liked the Vette. After that I took it to visit my girlfriend at her work. Her boss knew about it ahead of time and was expecting a ride . When I showed up I let him take it for a spin. He LOVED it. He turned to me while still in the car and shook my hand, saying it totally made his day. When we got back he let me take my g/f for a spin (she was still working). We've been together for 5 years now, so she's well aware of how I feel about Corvettes. She told me I still had the goofiest smile on my face when I was driving it. I guess I can't argue that one...






I dropped her back off at work and took the long way home. I called my friend and asked if he wanted to go for a drive and grab some dinner. We ended up going to Sonic, since it seemed an appropriate place to incorporate eating and the Vette. Got a compliment on the car from the kid who works there, and at that point realized that while in a car like this I was expected to have some $$$ and act accordingly when it came time to tip!

We spent the rest of the night cruising around with the top off. I love how well the HID headlights worked. I also really started to enjoy the HUD. Up until then, I thought HUD seemed gimmicky and I thought it wouldn't be something I'd care to get. However, I found that I was using it almost exclusively; never looking at the gauge cluster but watching my speed on the HUD. This was particularly nice because they jam 0-200mph on the speedometer, so the resolution on the gauge isn't very great. The digital readout on the HUD was very convenient and positioned perfectly so that it wasn't in the way but very easily visible. I did a complete 180 on my opinion, and would definitely insist that the Corvette I buy someday is equipped with HUD.

Brought the car home later that night and planned my next day with the car. As I had planned, I wasn't going to work Tuesday-Thursday so I could have as much time with the car as possible.

On Tuesday I let my retired uncle drive the car. We ended up taking it to the company my dad partially owns at lunch time. A bunch of the guys in the office and the shop came out to look at the car; and two of them took it for a spin. As the day before, one of the guys turned to me with a big dumb smile of his own, shook my hand, and said this totally made his day. That smile must have been contagious; anytime someone layed into the pedal for the first time it was smeared across their face. Several people commented that the power was just plain "stupid" and "ridiculous", but in a good way. I had to believe they weren't being insulting, judging by the cheesy grins they all had on their faces when they said it

The rest of the time on Tuesday and Wednesday I just cruised the car around metro-Detroit. Unfortunately not a lot of my friends were available to take the car for a spin during work hours. Go figure! I took full advantage of the time I had with the car. I drove around so much with the top off on Tuesday that I got a sunburn on my face and neck, which is uncommon in Michigan during Fall.

Tuesday also brought about my first Corvette wave experience. This is something that I had known about from the web, but due to lack of the proper equipment had never witnessed or encountered before. I like to think that I can identify most cars worth getting excited over from a distance; and whenever I see a 'Vette show up in traffic I always give it a 2nd and 3rd look. This habit left me well trained to watch for the wave. While driving around on Tuesday I spotted a red C5 coupe in the oncoming lanes. I watched as he got closer, it was a middle-aged guy and his wife or some other lady passenger. He had his hand on the steering wheel at the 12-o clock position and when he got close enough he gave a subtle wave; just opening up his hand while still palming the wheel. That was all the invite I needed, I quickly shot him a wave out the window and threw a rev at him as he passed by. Good times. I got a kick out of catching the wave every time I came across another Corvette while driving those days away.

My nights were always booked once friends and relatives started getting off of work...ride after ride and drive after drive, everyone who got in the car loved it. At 24 years of age, most of my friends have never driven a car of this caliber, so it was a real treat and everyone was very appreciative. Wednesday night I met up with a friend of mine who bought a brand new 2011 5.0 Mustang around 2 months ago. He drove the Vette and almost immediately commented about how it's spoiling his new car for him. In return he let me drive the Mustang for a bit. We talked cars for a while after that and when I left I demonstrated how to remove extraneous rubber from the rear wheels. The car just begs to be driven. Even friends of mine who really don't have any particular interest in cars were asking me about it, and were intrigued when I let the rear end kick out a bit. Usually that got them asking for more...score a few points for the Ambassador program in raising interest and awareness I even got another friend to throw a Corvette wave while he was driving the car. Just a little something extra that made the experience memorable and enjoyable for him.

Thursday I took the car to visit a friend out of state, who was my best friend back in elementary school. I hadn't seen him since highschool, after which he went to Air Traffic Controller school in Alaska and then got a job in Ohio. The car, a day off, and the urge to put the rubber to the road was a perfect excuse to go visit him, check out where he was living these days, and take the car for a spin (his 'weekend' was Wednesday and Thursday so it worked out perfect). We met up around noon, drove around for a while through some long straight smooth back roads in Ohio. Dumb grins and comments on "retarded" power were exchanged. Life was good.

Later that day after returning to Michigan and filling up the gas tank for the 3rd time in as many days, the g/f finally got a chance to cruise around for more than just a quick spin around the block (last time she was in the car was when I met her at work). Shortly after setting off, I was recounting some of my "Corvette wave" experiences. She, naturally, had never heard of such a thing. I told her that more often than not I was able to catch a wave from Vette owners, but sometimes when it was a younger driver I didn't even get a look... It couldn't have been more than 5 seconds after telling her about it that I spotted a nice blue C3 heading towards us in the oncoming lane. "This will be perfect, a guy driving a car like that has to know about the wave". A moment later a hand and forearm shot straight up out of the T-Top of the C3. It was more than a wave, it was more like a "Corvette Power" proud type gesture. The timing was just so perfect that we both couldn't help but chuckle and give a wave back! Soon after she was keeping an eye out for other cars to wave to as well After 4 more hours of cruising around we were both feeling content and called it a night. Before heading back, we made a point to hear what the LS3 sounds like at WOT under the overpasses on I696 (not much traffic at 11:30 PM on a work night)



In case you were wondering, it sounds amazing with the NPP exhaust. BTW, I was no longer intimidated by the sound of this car anymore...I was addicted!

Here's a couple pics we snapped during our night out (she said she got dressed up for the car )










Friday morning rolled around and it was time for me to take the car back, washed and filled up so the next person could enjoy it. It was sad to see the car go, but I was extremely happy with the time I was able to spend with it. Despite the creaky roof, I fell in love with that car over the few days that I had it. I quickly became familiar with the ride and it no longer felt twitchy or un-easy to me when driving over rough pavement. I LOVED the way you were pinned back in your seat when you step on the gas, and how responsive it was... When you hit the gas there's no lag in engine response, no fuss, the car just goes. The steering was great too, good feedback but didn't require a lot of effort. I started thinking "point and shoot" when driving around. The steering did the pointing, and the right foot did the shooting. Driving the Cobalt wouldn't be the same.

I'm so happy that I was able to get the opportunity to drive the car around for a few days. It was nice to see how the car would hold up to daily driver duty, and to re-affirm my goal of getting a Vette sooner rather than later. Ideally, I'd want a Grand Sport I love the looks, and the performance from the LS3 and a manual trans would keep me happy.

The most sobering thing about the experience? For some reason, the car seems further away than ever. I just don't see how I can fit something like this into the budget in the next 6 years...time to keep watching the classifieds! Perhaps when the C7 comes out prices will drop a bit more and I'll be able to pick up a used GS for around the same price that C5Zs are going for now. Heck, a nice C5 isn't out of the equation either. Until then though I'll just keep dreaming and remember fondly the 1070 fun-filled miles that I got to spend with the Vette In that time between Monday evening and Friday morning I took 14 people for a ride in it, let 5 other people drive it, and ran ~51 gallons of gas through it. Any of you guys know a good exterminator? I think I've been bitten by the bug...

haveblue

Cool. Nice write up. I liked your driving impressions.

RicK T

..Great story, great writing. You obviously paid attention in school. Maybe someday you'll be the CEO at GM and straighten that place out. Best of luck with your career and Vette ownership.

cmonkey713

Great story.

Sounds like you have a great start on a career. Keep up the good work.

zmonster

Well, I just turned 40, and only now can I afford to buy a vette (and you can be sure I'll own a new one within the next 6 months). You look like a young guy (mid-20's). Don't worry, just keep working hard and saving up, and you'll be able to buy your dream car soon.

vettedoogie

Nice writeup/review. The smile is continuous/contageous....doesn't go away!

BriscoCounty

Very nice write up. It is a lot of fun the first time you get into a car like this. Sounds like you took full advantage of the opportunity. Nice that you let so many others get a chance to check it out as well.

C-INRED

Great story! Thank you for sharing that. It is very well told and written.

Remember to put first things first and the Vette will come one day.

SRQStingray

Very nice story. I hope you get your chance to own a Vette soon. It is a wonderful daily experience. Remember what the TV commercial says, "America still builds rockets"

AORoads

what a great write up and story about you, the car, the people that you met and their reactions. the pics, of course, help tell the story and show that real people, your self included, made this a real story.

if I were GM, I'd say "we could use more "ambassadors" for our cars, spread all around the country"---just like you.

I'm impressed!

Batman 357

The grins say it all. Great report.

SCoach

I was fortunate to be exposed to a lot of very cool cars as a young man. I'd gotten to spend time in Porshes, Ferrari's, British sports cars, etc. I didn't know many people with Vette's and they weren't all that popular in my youth.

When I got old enough to start buying cars, I started quite conservatively (like you and the Cobalt) and with each subsequent purchase, I bought cars I really wanted to have. I've used my car buying to sample cars from all over the world, and I'd encourage others to do the same. A bit harder for you given where you are employed, and with your employee discount (I get the GM discount as well), but my current Vette is my first American car in 20 years.

With your Ambassador program, you should try to get your hands on a CTS-V, and some of the other nice hardware out there. At your age, I'd take a car as often as they'd let me. What a marvelous experience.

The Vette will come soon enough. As a young man, it'll cost you too much in insurance and other things. Wait a while and sample the other fare. Come to the Vette after some perspective gained from other cars. It will be a more honest experience then.

c1j1c2

Your story summed up how I felt the first few weeks of driving my first vette, the C6. It definitely helps take away some of the stress and worries of the world when you're driving around in it.

P.S. I agree about people expecting you to tip big because of the car...minor inconvenience though for owning such a nice vehicle.

Wayne O

Good times...nice write-up! Work hard and save...look for a nice used C6 when you can comfortably afford it. I was born in Detroit and grew up in the suburbs north of the city. I remember going to the Milford Proving Grounds with my friend and his dad back in the day (his dad was an exec with Plexiglass working on experimental cars for GM). Does GM still use Milford or were you referring to a different GM proving grounds?

traindude

Nice story and write-up!

HOXXOH

If for any reason the job at GM doesn't work out, you've got a back-up career in journalism. Loved the story.

widgetsupply

What a great program and you have been an outstanding ambassador both before and after having the car.

mcandrew67

Nice write up, yours will come very soon..... I got my first one when I was 30..
David

Kozzzz

Thanks for the comments guys!

Unfortunately the pool of Ambassador vehicles is limited to ~80 cars, and the CTS-V isn't one of them. All the cars in the fleet were previously assigned to GM employees who had company cars or captured test fleet vehicles (which are vehicles from early on in the production run that get used daily and evaluated after so many months to see if there are any issues that need resolving within the first year of production). The Corvettes in the group were definitely the stand-outs; but there were also some Camaros available. Other than that it's newer releases, like the CTS Wagon, Regal and Lacrosse, Traverse and Equinox, and some more typical offerings like the Malibu, Tahoe, etc. I'm sure the Cruze will join the fleet soon enough, and probably some Volts later on. The program allows employees to take a vehicle every 3 moths; I think I'm going to try out a Regal next time. I like the styling and want to see how well Buick is doing with trying to reach a younger demographic. I doubt I'll take any time off for that one, but it should be fun

I agree that when you're driving the car things just seem better. The weather when I was driving to Ohio was beautiful, not a cloud in the sky. It was just so entertaining driving around those straight smooth back-country roads; very nice change of scenery from what I'm used to. I thought to myself that if I'm ever financially able, I'd like to take a Corvette tour across the country; see if I could hit all 48 states. See the nation in a long-standing American icon. What a trip that would be! I made sure to pick up a lotto ticket that week

Yup! I'm at the Milford Proving Grounds. It's quite a complex these days, I think there's ~5000 employees there, 130 ish(? I think) miles of test track covering 4000 acres, and over 100 buildings/structure. It's pretty neat to see some of the stuff that gets worked on there.

turbod

Good story. Be patient but maybe buy a used C6 as soon as possible.

Don't wait like I did. At 64, I own my first Vette, a GS and I love it. I did have muscle cars (1970 SS 396 bought new) but it's not the same.

Luckily I don't have gray hair yet (and yes I still have my hair) but I'm still an old fart trying to be young again (like a lot of others).

Be patient, you'll get there.