Thinking of trading in my 350Z Roadster for a Vette Convertible...
07-01-2008, 01:58 AM
#1
Cruising
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Thinking of trading in my 350Z Roadster for a Vette Convertible...
I'd like to get some thoughts, opinions, etc from all of you Vette fans here... I'll go right off and be honest, i've never been a fan of the Vette, or any American cars for the most part. I've always liked the imports. But the quality and reliability has gone up ona lot of them a fair bit, and in my quest to get out of my automatic 350Z (long story short why I got the auto, I couldn't find a convertible with a manual) and into a manual rear-wheel drive convertible I found a 04 Vette in dark blue with white interior... anniversary edition which does have the nice seats and adaptive ride control stuff.
Anyway I test drove it and quite liked it, V8 was great and the 6 speed manual was good... pedals perfectly placed for revmatching downshifts and braking at the same time, and there were no squeaks/rattles and everything seemed okay. I only had a few problems and maybe you guys have some advice...
The manual soft-top, my 350Z is electric which is extremely nice because I don't have to do anything but press a button really. The Vette is going to require a bit of work... How hard is this to live with for those that have it? Is it easy enough that you will put the top down on nearly every trip you go on no matter how short it is as long as the weather is decent? I will always put the top down in my 350Z down to about the mid 40 degree mark even if its just a 5 minute run to the store and back. Do you get used to the manual or is it even worth it? Keep in mind I don't really care for T-Tops, so yeah...
Another, well annoyance is the huge wheel gap between the wheels and the wheel wells. Can something be done about this without negatively affecting the handling of the car?
Also the HUD, I didn't really get to experience this because it was bright daylight when I test drove the car and I couldn't see it at all with sunglasses on. Only a faint image without sunglasses... Is this normal or was this one just particularly weak? Can the backlighting be replaced with something brighter?
Headlamps... can I get some projectors with HID/Xenon in them? I think i've seen them before in C5's but have any of you actually done it? My past few cars had HID and I just can't go back to halogens.
The only other thing that was weird on this car was the clutch pedal had vibration, no matter at what height it was at... there was this vibration like there was some rotational shimmying against something else. It wasn't annoying or anything, and I don't know if all Vette's do this but it was a concern as none of my previous cars did this.
Otherwise if I can talk the price down a bit (the dealer wanted like 33,5 for it) I'm thinking of doing it... It's a fast and fun car and i've seen them do well at autocross and trackdays, which is what i'm really into...
So what do you all think?
Anyway I test drove it and quite liked it, V8 was great and the 6 speed manual was good... pedals perfectly placed for revmatching downshifts and braking at the same time, and there were no squeaks/rattles and everything seemed okay. I only had a few problems and maybe you guys have some advice...
The manual soft-top, my 350Z is electric which is extremely nice because I don't have to do anything but press a button really. The Vette is going to require a bit of work... How hard is this to live with for those that have it? Is it easy enough that you will put the top down on nearly every trip you go on no matter how short it is as long as the weather is decent? I will always put the top down in my 350Z down to about the mid 40 degree mark even if its just a 5 minute run to the store and back. Do you get used to the manual or is it even worth it? Keep in mind I don't really care for T-Tops, so yeah...
Another, well annoyance is the huge wheel gap between the wheels and the wheel wells. Can something be done about this without negatively affecting the handling of the car?
Also the HUD, I didn't really get to experience this because it was bright daylight when I test drove the car and I couldn't see it at all with sunglasses on. Only a faint image without sunglasses... Is this normal or was this one just particularly weak? Can the backlighting be replaced with something brighter?
Headlamps... can I get some projectors with HID/Xenon in them? I think i've seen them before in C5's but have any of you actually done it? My past few cars had HID and I just can't go back to halogens.
The only other thing that was weird on this car was the clutch pedal had vibration, no matter at what height it was at... there was this vibration like there was some rotational shimmying against something else. It wasn't annoying or anything, and I don't know if all Vette's do this but it was a concern as none of my previous cars did this.
Otherwise if I can talk the price down a bit (the dealer wanted like 33,5 for it) I'm thinking of doing it... It's a fast and fun car and i've seen them do well at autocross and trackdays, which is what i'm really into...
So what do you all think?
07-01-2008, 02:37 AM
#2
Team Owner
White interior? The interior is tan.
28k would be a decent price for it, assuming it has less than 30k miles.... and the dealer fixes the clutch issue.
Lowering is free and easy.
hud looks fine on mine.
lots of hid kits.
28k would be a decent price for it, assuming it has less than 30k miles.... and the dealer fixes the clutch issue.
Lowering is free and easy.
hud looks fine on mine.
lots of hid kits.
07-01-2008, 03:37 AM
#3
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Thanks for the reply...
Okay light tan interior, off-white... whatever, its nice though.
I think they said it had 24K miles on it. But I was looking around online and think I found it at their dealerlot saying it had something like 50K. I'll definately check again...
So you think the clutch is going to go out then with that vibration? I wouldn't think that be a normal thing on the Vette but some cars have strange things that bother people but are normal and don't affect the functionality or reliability. Just thought to check...
Lowering is free and easy? Explain...
Does anyone else know about the HUD? It's nearly impossible to see in the daylight on this car, must be something wrong with it...
And i'm sure anyone can put a 'HID kit' into the reflector based halogen housing but I want proper projectors... hope someone here has done it.
And I just noticed the search feature on this forum actually exists, it wasn't there when I was searching around last night before my account was activated.
Okay light tan interior, off-white... whatever, its nice though.
I think they said it had 24K miles on it. But I was looking around online and think I found it at their dealerlot saying it had something like 50K. I'll definately check again...
So you think the clutch is going to go out then with that vibration? I wouldn't think that be a normal thing on the Vette but some cars have strange things that bother people but are normal and don't affect the functionality or reliability. Just thought to check...
Lowering is free and easy? Explain...
Does anyone else know about the HUD? It's nearly impossible to see in the daylight on this car, must be something wrong with it...
And i'm sure anyone can put a 'HID kit' into the reflector based halogen housing but I want proper projectors... hope someone here has done it.
And I just noticed the search feature on this forum actually exists, it wasn't there when I was searching around last night before my account was activated.
07-01-2008, 07:01 AM
#4
Melting Slicks
Keep in mind I don't really care for T-Tops, so yeah...
Don't have experience with verts, can't help you here. But the C5 doesn't have T-Tops... the coupe has a removable targa roof, which is what I have... love it
Another, well annoyance is the huge wheel gap between the wheels and the wheel wells. Can something be done about this without negatively affecting the handling of the car? Yes, it can be lowered about 1" on the stock bolts in your garage. It will require a 4 wheel realignment. Depending on the age of the stock shocks, it "can" make the ride harsher... it is remedied by aftermarket shocks.
Also the HUD, I didn't really get to experience this because it was bright daylight when I test drove the car and I couldn't see it at all with sunglasses on. Only a faint image without sunglasses... Is this normal or was this one just particularly weak? Can the backlighting be replaced with something brighter? Your sunglasses are polarized. Not all polarized lenses do this. The problem is not with the hud. If you look at it without your sunglasses the HUD is very bright. There is a HUD brightness adjustment slider to the left of the main gauges. If it is turned all the way up and your sunglasses are off, the HUD may have a bad connection... there are some posts on this.
Headlamps... can I get some projectors with HID/Xenon in them? I think i've seen them before in C5's but have any of you actually done it? My past few cars had HID and I just can't go back to halogens. Yes, there are aftermarket HID, and HID projector kits available
The only other thing that was weird on this car was the clutch pedal had vibration, no matter at what height it was at... there was this vibration like there was some rotational shimmying against something else. It wasn't annoying or anything, and I don't know if all Vette's do this but it was a concern as none of my previous cars did this. When do you feel this? If you are driving with your foot resting on the clutch pedal you are driving a manual wrong. I only touch the clutch pedal when I am shifting, it's not there long enough to feel any vibration. The transmission setup in the vette is different than most other cars as it is in the rear.
Otherwise if I can talk the price down a bit (the dealer wanted like 33,5 for it) I'm thinking of doing it... It's a fast and fun car and i've seen them do well at autocross and trackdays, which is what i'm really into...
So what do you all think? You didn't say how many miles it had, but the price is a little high. You can get a 2004 Z06 with almost no miles on it for that much.
Don't have experience with verts, can't help you here. But the C5 doesn't have T-Tops... the coupe has a removable targa roof, which is what I have... love it
Another, well annoyance is the huge wheel gap between the wheels and the wheel wells. Can something be done about this without negatively affecting the handling of the car? Yes, it can be lowered about 1" on the stock bolts in your garage. It will require a 4 wheel realignment. Depending on the age of the stock shocks, it "can" make the ride harsher... it is remedied by aftermarket shocks.
Also the HUD, I didn't really get to experience this because it was bright daylight when I test drove the car and I couldn't see it at all with sunglasses on. Only a faint image without sunglasses... Is this normal or was this one just particularly weak? Can the backlighting be replaced with something brighter? Your sunglasses are polarized. Not all polarized lenses do this. The problem is not with the hud. If you look at it without your sunglasses the HUD is very bright. There is a HUD brightness adjustment slider to the left of the main gauges. If it is turned all the way up and your sunglasses are off, the HUD may have a bad connection... there are some posts on this.
Headlamps... can I get some projectors with HID/Xenon in them? I think i've seen them before in C5's but have any of you actually done it? My past few cars had HID and I just can't go back to halogens. Yes, there are aftermarket HID, and HID projector kits available
The only other thing that was weird on this car was the clutch pedal had vibration, no matter at what height it was at... there was this vibration like there was some rotational shimmying against something else. It wasn't annoying or anything, and I don't know if all Vette's do this but it was a concern as none of my previous cars did this. When do you feel this? If you are driving with your foot resting on the clutch pedal you are driving a manual wrong. I only touch the clutch pedal when I am shifting, it's not there long enough to feel any vibration. The transmission setup in the vette is different than most other cars as it is in the rear.
Otherwise if I can talk the price down a bit (the dealer wanted like 33,5 for it) I'm thinking of doing it... It's a fast and fun car and i've seen them do well at autocross and trackdays, which is what i'm really into...
So what do you all think? You didn't say how many miles it had, but the price is a little high. You can get a 2004 Z06 with almost no miles on it for that much.
07-01-2008, 07:11 AM
#5
Race Director
If it's an 04 CE, commemorative edition, it's shale interior which is not even close to white.
All CE's came fairly well equipped.
The hud's brightness is adjustable. Check to see if it was turned up.
The non power top is a non issue. Takes about 15 seconds to raise or lower.
33.5 is too much with 24k miles let alone 50.
Good luck.
All CE's came fairly well equipped.
The hud's brightness is adjustable. Check to see if it was turned up.
The non power top is a non issue. Takes about 15 seconds to raise or lower.
33.5 is too much with 24k miles let alone 50.
Good luck.
07-01-2008, 08:33 AM
#7
Melting Slicks
If it's an 04 CE, commemorative edition, it's shale interior which is not even close to white.
All CE's came fairly well equipped.
The hud's brightness is adjustable. Check to see if it was turned up.
The non power top is a non issue. Takes about 15 seconds to raise or lower.
33.5 is too much with 24k miles let alone 50.
Good luck.
All CE's came fairly well equipped.
The hud's brightness is adjustable. Check to see if it was turned up.
The non power top is a non issue. Takes about 15 seconds to raise or lower.
33.5 is too much with 24k miles let alone 50.
Good luck.
Manual top is a non-issue. I would bet that you can open/close it faster than your automatic top (I know it does require that you get out). I love my convertible. As stated earlier,the HUD is adjustable. Yes there are times when the sun hits it just right and you have sunglasses on that you cannot see it well. Most of the time it is really cool.
07-01-2008, 09:09 AM
#8
Team Owner
$33.5K is too high. I paid $34K and change for a Z16 with under 20K miles last year... If the 'vert you are looking at is MINT with 24K miles, I'd say $30Kish...
07-01-2008, 09:20 AM
#9
Le Mans Master
Since you found Search this forum you'll find about a thousand threads,but only a few DIY on lowering,,you just back the nuts down on the end of the transverse spring ends and you can noticeably lower the car.The car handles great as is,and will rub the under side somewhat frequently.If you lower it you better have really smooth roads with gentile inclines!! It would be good if you filled out your profile if you are going to frequent the forum. Some advise can be influenced by your locale (local prices weather related tips etc.) plus often there are other members in your area that will chime in and often will volunteer information and or help if you are a DIY'er. Your price sounds a little high,but not awful. I'd take it to a vet knowledgeable shop and have it checked over and do an autocheck or carfax (for what they are worth) just the normal CYA things you'd do to buy ANY used car!(again not unusual for forum members to offer to help check cars out) You'll grow to love a corvette. They can become quite seductive and addictive!!(especially if you get into "modding" them!!)I got a 2000 FRC in January and can't stay out of it.With a bit of self control it will get in the low 20s in the city or can go to the strip and rip off regular low 13.teens (a best of 13.08 so far) or you can throw some clubs and some soft bags in and get around 30 mpg on the road !Don't forget the wave
Welcome on board(It sounds like you are going to join the vet brotherhood sooner than later) you won't regret it!! 
Welcome on board(It sounds like you are going to join the vet brotherhood sooner than later) you won't regret it!!
07-01-2008, 05:57 PM
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Thanks for the replies again guys...
The HUD brightness was all the way up, and without sunglasses it was very faint. Just didn't seem right... I fiddled with the settings a but just couldn't get it to where I could see it easilly.
As for the clutch I sit at stop lights with the clutch in and in 1st gear. I know this isn't advised and still wears the clutch, but i've done it in all my previous cars and never had issues. Is this something to avoid in the Vette?
Anyway its going to be a few weeks before I decide to do anything... honestly i'm looking for a 350Z Roadster in manual to trade instead, but the fact that the Vette is faster and one can be had for about the same cost is extremely tempting.
I'll be cruising the forums for awhile though to learn all I can. Thanks for the help all.
The HUD brightness was all the way up, and without sunglasses it was very faint. Just didn't seem right... I fiddled with the settings a but just couldn't get it to where I could see it easilly.
As for the clutch I sit at stop lights with the clutch in and in 1st gear. I know this isn't advised and still wears the clutch, but i've done it in all my previous cars and never had issues. Is this something to avoid in the Vette?
Anyway its going to be a few weeks before I decide to do anything... honestly i'm looking for a 350Z Roadster in manual to trade instead, but the fact that the Vette is faster and one can be had for about the same cost is extremely tempting.
I'll be cruising the forums for awhile though to learn all I can. Thanks for the help all.
07-01-2008, 06:05 PM
#11
Safety Car
I dont know about the verts. I was looking for a daily driver and was set on a G35, coupe or sedan was fine with me. I had about had it with domestic quality. For the hell of it I test drove some vettes. The C5 is not like most domestics of it's age. The engineering that goes into Corvettes is far beyond most domestics. I wound up getting a C5 and I drive it everyday. I couldn't be happier.
07-01-2008, 06:53 PM
#12
Melting Slicks
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my girlfriend had a 350Z which she did love..esp the power top...though I brought her home a convertible corvette and she drove it and didn't want to give it back..so she traded it that day....the top is the only disapointing thing to her..but it isn't that bad..she got use to it !
07-01-2008, 08:16 PM
#13
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Get the Vette I made the same reference as you did before buying. I drove both cars to form my opinion. In years to come a nissan would still be a nissan. A Corvette holds a bit more history and better to ven just stare at!
07-01-2008, 08:32 PM
#14
Melting Slicks
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You may have some problems with a vert at the track or road racing. I'm not sure what the stipulations are but at some point, I've heard, a vert has to have a roll bar to participate in some events. Maybe someone else can tell you more about that. Sounds like you have been running a vert so maybe it's not problem with what you are doing.
07-02-2008, 12:47 AM
#16
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St. Jude Donor '08
For reference, about a month ago I paid $32K for a garage kept white 04 Vert with 3K miles. It is in pristine condition.
The top is very easy to operate. If it takes me longer than a half-minute then I am in need of a coffee fix. I can put my top up/down faster that my son's auto top.
As to the headlights. You can replace the existing bulbs with Toshiba HIR 9011 & 9012 Bulbs for about $100. Noticable difference. Not HID, but not the cost/install time of HID either.
Once you go topless you never go back. Oh, and you will like the convertible too.
Katherine
The top is very easy to operate. If it takes me longer than a half-minute then I am in need of a coffee fix. I can put my top up/down faster that my son's auto top.
As to the headlights. You can replace the existing bulbs with Toshiba HIR 9011 & 9012 Bulbs for about $100. Noticable difference. Not HID, but not the cost/install time of HID either.
Once you go topless you never go back. Oh, and you will like the convertible too.
Katherine
07-02-2008, 01:15 AM
#17
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To answer your questions from my perspective:
The manual top is a breeze. It takes less time to put up and down than an electric and theres nothing to go wrong apart from the latch switch (very reliable).
The car can be lowered to remove the gap. You can go part way on stock bolts or buy a lowering kit. The only downside is you may get some air dam scraping if you go very low.
Were you wearing polarizing sunglasses? If so that will kill th HUD image. Try it without glasses and see if its better. I nevr have a problem with mine even in bright sunlight. Was the slider fully up? The brightness is adjustable.
There are hundreds of threads for fitting HID lights so thats an easy mod to find.
Best of luck
The manual top is a breeze. It takes less time to put up and down than an electric and theres nothing to go wrong apart from the latch switch (very reliable).
The car can be lowered to remove the gap. You can go part way on stock bolts or buy a lowering kit. The only downside is you may get some air dam scraping if you go very low.
Were you wearing polarizing sunglasses? If so that will kill th HUD image. Try it without glasses and see if its better. I nevr have a problem with mine even in bright sunlight. Was the slider fully up? The brightness is adjustable.
There are hundreds of threads for fitting HID lights so thats an easy mod to find.
Best of luck
07-02-2008, 01:52 AM
#18
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Well this being a Vette forum of course i'm expecting everyone to say go for the Vette. And i'm perfectly fine with a Nissan, it may not have as much racing heritage as the Vette but it has its own history too. If I had originally got the car in manual like I wanted I'd probably of never got to this point... but since I can't find one, and the Vette is about the same cost and a good bit faster I'm definatly thinking of going this route.
Autocross doesn't require a roll bar or roll hoops but hillclimbs and track days do I think. But when was the last time a Vette rolled?
With regards to headlights I have already seen that $800 kit with projectors, and thats what I will get if I get the Vette. Definately worth the money...
As for going topless and not going back, i'd say so... I already have the 350Z convertible and I really don't want to go back to hard top.
And the HUD, well there is something wrong with it! I originally said its very faint without sunglasses, so it needs repaired or replaced. Yes I adjusted it to full brightness and it was just really dim without sunglasses.
Autocross doesn't require a roll bar or roll hoops but hillclimbs and track days do I think. But when was the last time a Vette rolled?
With regards to headlights I have already seen that $800 kit with projectors, and thats what I will get if I get the Vette. Definately worth the money...
As for going topless and not going back, i'd say so... I already have the 350Z convertible and I really don't want to go back to hard top.
And the HUD, well there is something wrong with it! I originally said its very faint without sunglasses, so it needs repaired or replaced. Yes I adjusted it to full brightness and it was just really dim without sunglasses.
07-02-2008, 08:49 AM
#20
Race Director
To answer your questions from my perspective:
The manual top is a breeze. It takes less time to put up and down than an electric and theres nothing to go wrong apart from the latch switch (very reliable).
The car can be lowered to remove the gap. You can go part way on stock bolts or buy a lowering kit. The only downside is you may get some air dam scraping if you go very low.
Were you wearing polarizing sunglasses? If so that will kill th HUD image. Try it without glasses and see if its better. I nevr have a problem with mine even in bright sunlight. Was the slider fully up? The brightness is adjustable.
There are hundreds of threads for fitting HID lights so thats an easy mod to find.
Best of luck
The manual top is a breeze. It takes less time to put up and down than an electric and theres nothing to go wrong apart from the latch switch (very reliable).
The car can be lowered to remove the gap. You can go part way on stock bolts or buy a lowering kit. The only downside is you may get some air dam scraping if you go very low.
Were you wearing polarizing sunglasses? If so that will kill th HUD image. Try it without glasses and see if its better. I nevr have a problem with mine even in bright sunlight. Was the slider fully up? The brightness is adjustable.
There are hundreds of threads for fitting HID lights so thats an easy mod to find.
Best of luck
Great information there, he hit almost everything I was going to say. Only comment I could add is about the manual top. For convertible owners, it should be mandatory that you buy a Window Valet. It's a small module you plug into your PCM port (install takes all of 2sec
). It adds functionality to control your windows from the outside.Some say the manual top was a pain, since you had to get in the car, lower the windows, then get out to flip the top up. Window Valet eliminates this, making flipping the top down a breeze........and much, much faster than and automatic top.