CarvetteNut1492

Hello Corvette Forum,

I am currently planning to purchase my first Corvette, a loaded 3LT Z51 Stingray Coupe (just a background on my car history, I do not have a background with Corvette or anything like that, I grew up around Porsche 911s and BMW M3s; I currently own, and will keep if I get a Stingray, a 2011 Porsche 911 Carrera GTS w/ PDK), a 3LT since I love the look, feel and quality of the Brownstone Napa leather interior not to mention all the included goodies. So, I have a few questions, starting off with the paint colors. My favorites are the Corvette Racing Yellow and Laguna Blue Tintcoats. Which color gets visibly dirtier and which is harder to maintain? Second, are there any known big reliability issues with the Stingray like the Z06 overheating issues? Finally, will this car actually achieve 29 mpg with cylinder deactivation, or has anyone gotten better (I plan on driving this car almost as much as my daily driver, so that 29 mpg will come in handy)? Everything else has been answered by my dealership and by one of my good friends who owns a 2015 Shark Gray Metallic 3LT Z51 Coupe.

On another note, I'm still on the fence after driving both about whether to get the 7 speed manual or the 8 speed automatic, so I included it with my current configuration down below. If you guys could leave some feedback on my configuration, that would be great.

Thanks in advance!

Current configuration -- the only change I may make as of now is the color (any useful feedback is appreciated):
http://www.chevrolet.com/corvette-st...kIjpudWxsfQ==@

Edit: When I say that I'll be driving the car as much as my daily driver, I'm mostly referring to the first 3-5 months of owning the car in order to get a feel for the car and to quickly get through the break in period. Also I plan on tracking the car as much as I can, which is why I'm going with the Z51 package.

Bui

In 3 more months (May 2016), the 2017 model will be available for order. I highly suggest you wait it out as there are many good rumors on it right now. With 3 months left, even if you don't decide to order the 2017, you're still better off waiting because the 2016 will likely drop in price when a newer model comes out.

Red/White/Black are the 3 most popular colors by far.

ttay3

CarvetteNut1492

None of the three questions I asked were addressed in your reply... The colors I want are either Laguna Blue or Corvette Racing Yellow, and I would like to know which is easier to maintain and which gets visibly dirtier. I also need to know if there are any big reliability issues like the Z06 overheating issues. Finally, I want to know if anyone has gotten 29 mpg or better using cylinder deactivation.

Thanks

traderfjp

Laguana Blue is one of my favorite colors but I also love VY so that is a tough call. Blue is classy looking while yellow is more aggressive looking, imho. I would think that Yellow being a lighter color would be easier to keep clean. The one thing you might want to re-think is the Z51 Package. I chose not to get this option. I use my car as a DD. The Z51 suspension is much tighter than a base coupe and the 20" rims means less meat between the road and your rims. 20" tires tend to give more of a jolting ride and tires are very expensive. Z51 is a great package if you are tracking the car but for everyday DD it's a waste of money, imho. Manual vs Auto is easy. If you are in traffic get the Auto. If you like to shift and feel more connected to the car then get the manual. I own the manual and it's a lot of fun. On the highway at 75 I was averaging 35mpg's. Eco mode works great.

1776DAVE

I have a 2016 z51 I get 29 mpg in economic mode
And 27in track. I have artic white which does not show orange peel much Yello will also show less orange peel . Also lighter color won't show dirt as much
The car is not hard to clean blue is classy duty will show dirt a bit more. The white is the MOST EXOTIC. color with its contrast to carbon black trim!!! I recommen Artic White if you're concerned about dirt from dirty roads showing as the rear of a c7 gets dirty real bad and real fast!! this is due to the airodinamanticis. Z51 wheels German brake dust real bad this is not hard to clean but is not easy. HUD is full color and is nice
I have npp pipes and love them open.
3LT has a Lot of seat color right in front of you so got get red seats as in MHO and wife's it is too glaring. Z51 with mag ride may be softter ride ( I dnk) I don't have mag rid and ride is ok on my rough road. Good road is great. MHO is don't get lt3 get 2LT and buy some heat block tint! And clear bra ppf... as to waiting for information on 2017... crap shoot... there may be a mid engine car or Maybe more HP . My car has not over heated in 7k miles .
I have had a air bag light come on a new module took care of that. Radio issue but update fixed it. No other problems. Oh and get radar / lidar detection.

brettlid

The Laguna Blue is awesome, I'm not really a yellow guy, but on the C7s it looks great too. Anything will get dirty so get the color you like the most. I have a Z51, its worth it although the dealers will try and talk you out of it because of allocation issues. ...and yes it will get 29ish on the freeway. No reliability issues at all with mine. Great car.

Enjoy and get what you want!

Carnut1

My 2016 Z51 was delivered the middle of last month (it is my 3rd corvette, C5 convertible C6 Z06), and I too have a lot more experience with Porsche's and BMW's (40, and 38 owned). I looked at your build sheet (I bought my car from Kerbeck's stock saw no need for 3lt but that is just my opinion), and I would remove things like the car cover the splash guards, and the sill plates in fact any accessory. There are better products out there from vendors that support this forum, and they will probably cost less, that is if you end up even wanting them. If you want the best protection for your paint go with xpel (I am having mine done later this week). I see by your zip code you live somewhere that has winter (and it gets pretty cold) so keep in mind that the Z51 package is not a fan of road surfaces below 40 degrees. My car has 38 miles on it and I took it out when it was around 20 degrees and it was drivable but not in the way I like to drive sports cars. As far as transmissions go, well there are quite few discussions on here about that, and I have no plans to start another, that is up to you. One more thing, I have found this forum to be a great source of information, there are some very good folks on here who know these cars well and are always willing to help a new owner. Good luck.

Redvette_22

I recently found my 2014 Laguna Blue with Kalihari interior (1987 miles) and it is a fantastic combo, but Laguna Blue may already be off the order list. I don't remember the date, but it's been noted that GM is discontinuing Laguna Blue, and if I was spending that much money on a car it had better be exactly what I want. I would not wait to order, and I would make sure to get it ordered from a forum dealer that has a LARGE allocation (MacMulkin - Coughlin - Criswell - Kerbeck) and with courtesy deliver cost, you still get your special Corvette. All the best with your order.. if you want interior pictures let me know

rcooper

Mine is not a Z51 so the milage will very slightly. I get 28-29 highway ans have never used 7th gear, drove to Bowling Green last spring ( 2,150 round trip ) and to Denver last fall ( 2,000 ) got 27-28 to BG when the car was new, Denver trip yielded 28-29 with about 12,000 miles on the car.
As for color I believe that you are screwed on the Laguna Blue, so maybe GM has helped to make up your mind on the color. I really like the new yellow with the black accents and it looks killer with the brownstone interior.
As for the transmission, I have the 7M and it has been flawless, clutch is easy,shifts pretty good, if tracking I would suggest upgrading the shifter to the MGW?
The autos that I have driven are quicker but lack the connection that I like while driving. But they are still fun to drive.
Most of the accessories that you have listed for the car can be bought for less money and self installed, Cultrag Performance is selling Corvette accessories at dealer cost, so even more money saved for other items!
Saved money could help to get the exposed carbon on the hood, looks WAY better than the stinger stripe.
Lastly, I would wait 3 more months to see what the 17's are bringing to the table, if nothing special shows up you can still get your car ordered and have it by early June in time for track duty. Might even find one as an in stock vehicle.

JerryU

Just my opinion: had a Yellow '08 tintcoat and it was easier to keep clean than my current dark metallic red, but not by much! I also don't like Blue!
Since you have a PDK I'd get the M7 or you might be disappointed! That is what I have and frankly would not buy an automatic but if my next Vette (hopefully 2019) has a dual clutch automatic, would consider. In fact if GM (or Tremic) goes that way doubt a manual clutch will be offered! I find Rev Match and excellent upgrade in the C7. Not as much for racing (although some pro drivers say it is great) but around town at lower RPM's, where modulating the throttle when downshifting to get a perfect match is much more difficult than at higher rpm where stabbing the throttle while hitting the brake is easy and I was pretty good at getting a good match. Rev Match does it perfectly every time at any rpm! When leaving an Interstate, for example in 7th gear, just one of the 3 overdrives, I go directly to 4th for the off-ramp, no need to put the trans into 6th and 5th the two other overdrive gears. Same around town, often go from 5th to 3rd directly when making a turn-perfect match. There are also tans overheating issues when tracking the A8, as you no doubt have seen on the Forum. If drag racing the A8 is preferred and in that short distance no overheating issues and it's quicker.
With the M7 it never goes into 4 cylinder mode unless you're in Econo Mode. Unlike the A8 where it will IF you don't use the paddles. In 28 months I have only tested that mode in the Interstate a few times at 65 to 70 MPH. I never use it in my normal driving, which is mostly local, I'm in Sport Mode 95% of the time. With our flat terrain it does give better mileage and I have recorded 30+ mpg average over a ~15 mile distance. FWIW

CarvetteNut1492

Yes I live in a place where there is currently about 4 feet of snow on the ground haha, but I do not plan on driving it in the winter. My dealership tells me that my order would probably come in by early April if I ordered right now and I have every intention of driving the car A LOT this summer. I've driven a Z51 in November when i was around 40 degrees and it wasn't all that great, the car didn't have any grip when I applied power, breaking was a lot longer than in higher temperatures, etc.

Thanks for the feedback!

Red C8 of Jax

I have Laguna Blue and after installing OEM splash guards no problem keeping clean and the blue doesn't show dirt as much as your lighter colors. If you want to order LB or the V Yellow you better ask your dealer when are the last days he can order them. GM will discontinue both sometime around April or May, 2016. I would go with the Laguna Blue, one of the best blues I have seen on any corvette. Laguna Blue is a premium metallic paint and they add an extra coat of clear. This color really pops in the sunlight.

Jimbob26

I have a Laguna Blue Z51 3LT with Kalahari, and it is easy to keep clean. The Blue/Kalahari interior is a great combo, IMO, although like another reply stated, LB may be off the order sheet at this point. If you are going to track the car I would highly recommend the 51 package, and the Magnetic shocks. Get the 7 speed manual. You already have a PDK on the Porsche, so the manual would be a nice complement to your other car and better for the track.

To your point of the car not doing well in 40 degree weather - the summer tires are useless in temps under 40, and do not get a lot of grip. I remember an advisory saying not to drive in weather less than 40 with the summer high performance tires, or if you did go out, be extra careful.

And, my car gets the advertised mpg, even at above legal speeds.

jovette

Correction to above statement........the current corvette yellow is Corvette Racing Yellow, not Velocity Yellow, and Corvette Racing Yellow is not slated to be discontinued for 2017. The announced discontinued colors are Nightrace Blue, Daytona Sunrise Orange, Shark Grey, and Laguna Blue.

Strake

I have the Laguna Blue and love the color. I went with the light grey interior. I would think that Yellow being a lighter color would not show the dirt quite as much, but you're splitting hairs. They all do.....

Our last, a 60th Anniv 427 was white with the stripes. It also showed dirt, although folks say it doesn't show as much as other colors..... I disagree.

I would think the Brownstone would look better in the Yellow car, but I've also seen it in Laguna Blue and it looked OK to me. For my taste, I think the Brownstone is STUNNING in a white car.

As for the fuel mileage, we got 29.3 driving home from Kerbeck this past Thursday with our new 2LT Base car which we ordered with Mag ride and the 19/20 wheels, NPP and a bunch of other goodies.

I believe the last date to order any Laguna Blue is somewhere around 4/28/16 if I remember correctly.

Nice Ride

I like Laguna Blue with Black or Grey interior. Think I would go with Yellow exterior if I was going to get the Brownstone interior. Brownstone is beautiful. I have it in my 2015 Z51 Crystal Red. I don't track my car but went with Z51 for the oversize tires and slotted brakes. You could order the oversized brakes with C6 (J55) but don't think you can do that now with C7. All things considered you could probably get by with out Z51 if $ is an issue. 3LT also comes with Data Recorder which is a nice toy but not a need to have if you don't track. I'm thinking 2LT with Mag Ride is the best value. Not to muddy the water but when you get all the goodies 3LT and Z51 you have it if you ever need it plus you will get a portion of cost back in resale. No all right or all wrong answer boils down to getting what you like. Good Luck!

Mr. Jones

2016 Z51 A8 here, 3600 miles
28mpg highway in eco mode, 26.5 highway sport mode

RickConti@Coughlin

I have a Long Beach Red with brownstone.....Laguna Blue with yellow stitch and another with grey interior...

All listed here is we can assist further
http://www.corvetteconti.com/blog/?page_id=23817

Thank-you

Zip Corvettes

Well I could save you allot of money by selling you our C7. We have a 14 3LT Z51 with 7 spd and it is fully loaded. I am going to sell it and it should be up on our website today.
Thanks