Andy K

I flew to Dallas (from San Francisco) on Thursday evening, picked up my new to me 2009 2LZ Silver Z06, and started driving back home. I took highways from Dallas to Albuquerque, and then only back roads all the way to Reno, before getting back on an interstate back to the Bay Area.

Total trip was 2,100 miles and the engine DID NOT blow up! Did I do something wrong?

Love everything about the car. It was very, very comfortable for 12 hour driving days, power is awesome, very smooth, handles great, entertained myself with the XM radio. Drove up through northern New Mexico, spent the night in Durango, Colorado. Next day visited Mesa Verde National Park, then later in the day drove up to Moab, Utah. Spent a day visiting Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, then headed to Ely, Nevada for the night. Yesterday took Route 50 across Nevada (the "loneliest road in America"), and might have exceeded the 75 mph speed limit by a tad (or three).

My mpg averaged 26.1 miles for the 2,100 mile trip. I checked the oil today, and it had not used a drop (had the car serviced before I left Dallas).

Awesome car in every way. I took lots of photos, but don't have time right now to sign up with one of those photo hosting sites. Happy to email some photos to anyone who would be kind enough to post them for me - since I know I will get the "this thread is worthless without photos" response!

Had many compliments about the car whenever I stopped for gas or whatever.

Very, very pleased with my purchase!

ranger1

Did the same thing... road trips are the best to get to know your new girl...

Good for you,
Garry

ODE-Z

I was planning on this but found my car only an hour away from me!

I bet it was a blast!! Congrats on the new awesome ride!!

LanceFitzgiben

Also got my Z from the Dallas area.. road trips for the win.

ripptide56

Bought my 07 in North Carolina and drove it 1500 miles back to Texas.

nmerhaut

Great trip. Funny I have almost 15K on my '09 bought in June of 2010 and it seems in one piece too. Got 27.5 MPG coming back from Corvette Museum in June. I really want to make the trip up the CA coast from San Diego all the way to Seattle and I have a friend with a new 2010 GS that is interested in joining us.

VetteVinnie

Awesome!

I took a road trip back to California (I am actually from there, born and raised in the Bay Area) several years ago and loved every mile of it. Some beautiful country. But damned if I didn't almost hit a moose coming through Flagstaff at 2:00 AM. Scared the crap out of me. Stupid thing was standing right in the middle of the road.

u1arunit

Sounds like fun! Post up some pics once you get them hosted!

capevettes

Sounds like you had a great drive home I did the same thing when I bought my Z last year. Fly in, drive home. My trip was 1,600 miles. There is no better feeling than a long road trip in your new Z06. Enjoy it

cozazz

Congrats! I know just how you feel... Last September I drove my 2008 back from Virginia to NY. Still thrilled by the car and so will you be!

Andy K

Thanks all! As was stated by someone, a long road trip is just a great way to bond with a new car. I had a couple of minor incidents on Hwy 50 through Nevada driving at night - I must have hit a piece of tire or something that was in the road, noticed it too late to avoid it, ran over it and it made a huge banging noise, almost like my tire had exploded. This was out in the middle of nowhere (in about a 150 mile stretch we counted 3 cars that night on the way to Ely) and I just held my breath for a few seconds - but the car seemed perfectly normal, no warning signs on the DIC, so kept going. Then not much later, still cruising around 80 mph in the dark, I notice something rather large and white running from the side of the road straight into the path of the car - I was able to swerve and just narrowly avoided smacking into a huge white bunny. The thing was the size of a small sheep.

Anyhoo - I did manage to wash the car for the first time a couple of nights ago, and lo and behold, the car came through completely unscathed. I had bugs an inch thick covering the entire front of the vehicle, and road scum everywhere, from hundreds of miles of construction zones ("Warning - Loose Gravel" - man, I hate those signs), but everything washed off with nary a scratch.

Had a Texas sized grasshopper stuck to the front grille - that thing was the size of a mouse.

Oh well, this car will be my daily driver, so I need to get used to a few road rashes here and there. Just can't be avoided.

Love the car, though.

stone150

Awsome, Sounds very similar to the trip we took, hit all the same places (except SF) and it was a great trip, although ours was round trip.

Congrats on the new car.

We made the same mistake of traveling parts of 50 at dusk/night, but we were going the opposite direction and we were past Ely trying to get to Richfield, UT. We nearly hit 2 raccoons and a large deer, Plus we gave one mouse the fright of it's life.

Then we hit a large block of wood in NM with the undercarriage, not fun.

I would not drive 50 at night/dusk ever again. Plus 550 south into durango at dusk, is not fun either.

AirBusPilot

I drove PHX-AUS in one day (1050 miles). I packed up the house and shipped it all, including my DD civic. When that was on it's way, I jumped in the Z06 at dawn and headed out through the back roads of AZ and into NM, and finally that long stretch of I10 from ELP to the 290 cut off to AUS. It was an adventure.

y2kvette

Great color choice
I did the same last fall. Picked up a sweet 2008 2lz silver z06. Flew from MI. to MD. and was back home in 24 hours and logged 650 miles it was a great time. I have drove this car 8,000 miles to date (about 3x my normal) i can't get enough it's my DD in summer, rain or shine. be careful when you get it over 4,000 rpm

also, If your car still has a B2B warranty look into a GMPP warranty before your B2B runs out. I went with a 7 year, 56k mile, zero deductible, so i'm good till 2018 or 68k miles, me happy

Andy K

Good advice - I have another year left on the B2B warranty, so I will definitely look into the GMPP before it runs out.

Andydp

Just want to add my two cents: I got my Velocity Yellow 2006 ZO6 last April. Since it only had 276 miles on it when I got it (Yes, 276 miles) I had to drive at 55 mph until I hit 500 miles on the odometer. You can call me stupid, but I waited 46 years to get my first Vette.

The looks I kept getting on the Mass Pike were priceless...

Once I got past 500 miles it was a lot of fun learning what "Big Bird" can do. I've enjoyed every minute of driving. I'm certain you will too.