How much time did you spend on this message board before getting your Vette?

It has been my plan to get one ever since September, and I am just waiting for the end of April to come around so that I can finish my university semester. I will then be flying down from "the North" to pick up a Vette and drive her back up here.

There's less than 3 months to go and I'm getting impatient. I surf this site daily now and fantasize about the day when I'll be driving back in a 2002 Z06. I've had a ride in one and was blown away - it felt like my 98 Z28, but on steroids.

Any tips on improving my patience will be gladly appreciated.

I envy those of you who get to drive your Vettes all year round, I really do!

 

Go to a local dealer and test drive one....everday...that should do it..

 

I am very sorry to inform you. but what you have is an illness that once contracted is impossible to cure. Yes my friend...you have come down with a serious case of Vette-itis. This will be followed by other and possibly more serious, not to mention expensive maladies such as mod-fever and the dreaded speed fever. There is no cure, only ongoing and frequent treatment can help to calm the symptoms. First you must purchase the car, then begin to add mods as the finances warrant.

Don't dispair...you may eventually be able to afford marriage, children, etc...maybe even a place to live, but these luxuries are only possible once the real priorities have been met ( washing, waxing and polishing).

Hopefully your loved ones and friends will understand, but if not, what do they know anyway...they haven't been bitten, or should I say smitten.

My hope for you is that you can hold out until the school year is ended with out going into the DT's or going overboard mentally from the strain.

Good luck!

A Fellow Disease Inflicted Vette Fanatic

 

I've owned 4 vette's continously since 1998 and as far back as 1973. All I can say is the reward is worth the wait.

Now back to the books.

Tom

 

I would suggest that you further your education while you wait. A poet once said (somebody help me here) that April is the cruelest month. I don't know how far south you must drive, but I've seen heavy snowstorms in North Carolina in April. A Z06 is the last place you want to be in a snow or ice storm. I would identify different routes just in case and have one outlined that would avoid mountains, if possible. A forum member recently flew to Pennsylvania to pick up his Z and became a resident longer than anticipated. You may need extra funds.
Based upon your driving habits you may want to do some research on a radar protector. I suspect being unleashed on an interstate in a Z will be a great temptation.
You may want to invest in an appropriate mask and mirror covers. I had a nick or two before my mask arrived for installation. Getting home with pock marks may be disappointing.
Finally, a Viper salesperson told me that 17% of first time buyers wreck on the way home. Getting some seat time in something that has 400 or more hp might be a good idea. When I made the jump to 300 hp with my C4 even that took me by surprise. The Z will make that look tame. I've had a Z since July and managed not to make some of the initial mistakes I made with the C4, but I drove it gingerly for a while. Glancing over your shoulder and seeing your rear end pass you can unsettle a person. You may be accustomed to high hp, but if not I'd recommend finding out what the car can do a step at a time. It is an unmatched experience.

 

Thanks for the advice! I wish I could get some seat time but no is crazy enough to keep a Z out in the winter here in Canada, let alone drive it.

I agree that I'm going to really have to behave while driving her up. I've had two 13 sec cars before, 1 of which was my first RWD and I wrote her off. I'm a die hard car guy, and have worked my *** off for the past two years to be able to save up for a Z. That alone will keep in control, not wanting to waste what I have strived so hard to acquire. Plus, I'm looking forward to TC & AH, both things that didn't exist in my 98 Z28 (R.I.P.). Had I had them, I'd probably still have that car today!

 

Take 2 Z's And Drive Them In The Morning.
That Might Help For A While.