Well, I've had it two weeks and driven it a lot and I have formed some impressions of my first Vette (and first GM product)...I thought I would share some of these to give you the view of an outsider who was never a huge fan of these cars.

first, the good.

1. The car rides and drives beautifully. Pedal effort is just right. The shifter is great. Steering feels precise without being overly heavy. Best of all, the suspension is great...just enough compliance to make it ride like a sport sedan, but still razor shsrp in the twisties.

2. Very comfortable once you're settled it...I'm 6'2 and 320 and I'm perfectly comfy.

3. Top operation is ridiculously easy and fast. I can get the top up and latched in 15 seconds. The only thing that would make it better is if you could raise it from inside the car.

4. Its easy to wash....coming from a sequoia full size suv, that's a big deal.

5. Even with "only" 350 horses, its so light that it pulls like a freight train.

6. I know that looks are subjective, but in black and with the top down it is really a stunningly beautiful car.

Now the bad...

1. What the hell is the deal with tha f***** cup holder? Seriously! That right there tells me that some higher up said it had to have a cup holder, and a frustrated designer gave us what amounts to a lidded coin holder.

2. Every idiot on the road wants to race you! From women in SUVs, to people in ratty fart-canned imports. I can't take a single drive without someone stomping the gas at a stoplight.

3. The third degree burns on my right thigh are a constant reminder that I need to lose weight.

4. Apparently owning a corvette does not mean that you will die by suffocating under a mountain of panties...who knew?

5. I'm already saving my pennies to get my seats recovered....the stock leather is...well...kinda lacking.

6. Seriously...that cupholder makes me irrationally angry!

anyway...I believe I've made a good purchase.

 

For #3, I presume you're speaking of tunnel heat. An insulated tunner shield will DRASTICALLY help. I've run an Elite Engineering Thermal Abs on my car since 2006 and even with the turbos it doesn't let excess heat transfer in.

 

I was 'WAAY too cheeep for that... pull the carpet away and install some styrofoam sheeting. If you take the seat out, 1) it's way easier, and 2) you can make a template of the tunnel wall and cut your styrofoam sheets to fit. There's room for at least 1" of styrofoam. Unless you line the flat part of the tunnel (under the center console), don't put any chocolate candy in the storage space!

 

Since I haven't put nav in yet I use the cup holder to hold my tablet for navigation. Bought one of those stalks that fits in it. Not ideal but I like the big screen compared to a little GPS. Other than that its pretty useless.

 

My 2011 GS has the same worthless cup holder. It had to be an after thought. Oh ****, we need to add a cup holder to the car!

Get used to the red light bandit challenges. You're driving the top of the food chain of American production cars and the stories these wannabees are going to tell their buddies,

"yea, I tried to run this guy in a vette, but he didn't want any part of me".

Best one for me so far is some kid in a turbo VW "something" that has a license plate that says "LOLV8". The kid really thinks he has a serious car, and he was literally busting neck veins when I wouldn't take up his challenge. I ran into him another time and he wanted to know why I wouldn't race him, if I was afraid.

I told him no, but why should I race him when "we both know your car won't run 175, and mine will".

crickets were chirping after that.

Enjoy your new ride and drive that baby!!

 

I had a ton of people trying to race me daily at stop lights with my 99 when it was stock and quiet. After I did headers, cam, and corsa xtreme I guess people are just thinking, idk what the hell that thing has, but I'm good brah. Haven't had a single person try me in the past eight months since having this setup. Might be the best part of having these upgrades.

 

 

My car is heavily modified, and all I get at traffic stops are

 

It was a car that ran with the V-8 Ferraris of the day and cost almost exactly 100,000 dollars less. Compromises had to be made. Leather quality is a better compromise than performance. Kind of a no-brainer if you ask me.

You have to make compromises in consideration of what the vehicle actually is. If the Corvette cost 100 grand when it was new, yeah, I would be righteously pissed at the quality of interior materials.

As for the ride quality...drive an early C4 sometime...the C5 is plush by comparison. In any case, I once had the opportunity to drive an early 80s Countach. It rode like a buckboard...and the build quality was absolute garbage.

As for the shifter...if I had any complaints about it it's that it's a little on the big side, Yeah, it looks utilitarian, but utilitarian is good.

 

 

 

Exactly. That's all I get and the occasional request for a rev.

 

Hi,

Tim for Design Engineering Inc. (DEI) here. Congrats on your first Corvette! To help with the tunnel heat we offer a complete Tunnel Shield Kit under our part number 050530. Check it out at http://designengineering.com/corvett...tunnel-shield/ You can purchase this kit from Corvette Central or Zip Products. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have?

Thanks, Tim

 

I think the biggest factor in tunnel heat is the cats. I have HF cats, and I never notice any excessive tunnel heat.

 

Congrats on the new to you C5!! I have to agree when I bought mine new in 2003 I knew the cupholder was a definite after thought and joked with the dealer about it as well. My wife still comments on it when we take long road trips with the vette. It's definitely a running joke. Enjoy the car!

 

I own a 2001 6M convertible- I rarely use the cupholder (or the stereo) for that matter. I'm too busy enjoying driving the car- meaning my left hand is on the wheel and my right hand is off the wheel only when shifting! With that said for long trips, I have a Corvette logo travel mug (no handle), that fits into the shallow cup holder perfectly and has never come out.

 

 

Glad you're enjoying your ride!
I agree with Fastbird; the Elite Engineering tunnel plate will add insulation and will also add chassis rigidity. TPS Motorsports also has a Tunnel Plate with a Thermal Heat Shield I imagine the DEI unit above will do the same, too.
And zeevette has a good point about the heat of the cats.
Keep on driving!

 

Get a cupholder from the National Corvette Museum. Splurge - get the one that holds two cups.

If you are driving a manual with the stock shifter, do yourself a favor and get an MGW or a C6 shifter. You'll be glad you did.

The c5 is a great car. Glad you enjoy it.