Another first time Vette owner and DAMN proud of it...

 

And I'm yet another first time Vette owner. I spent over a full year at this forum researching the car before taking the plunge. I'm very fussy about cars.

I'm happy to report that my `06 Z51 manual coupe is by far the best car I've ever owned. It's perfect in every way. I love it and would buy the same exact car again. My only regret is that I did not buy it sooner.

This is the type of car that really makes you WANT to go out and drive. And after a full day of driving it, all you can think about is how soon you'll be able to drive it again.

Don't waste too much time researching like I did... you will get one anyway. There's no other car like it. No substitute for a big naturally aspirated American V8. If you want a thrill everytime you leave your driveway, run down to your nearest Corvette dealer now. It will surely enhance the quality of your life.

 

i apologize if you get offended by this but that's a very ignorant statement....that's like saying "just jump off the bridge without seeing how high it is, you'll be ok"....

i feel he SHOULD research every car he is looking at...now, i will say if you are THAT wealthy where 50k here and 50k there won't even put a dent on your financial situation...then by all means go buy a c6...a viper...an aston martin...a bentley...have fun...but most people are not...and although most people DO purchase things out of emotion....a 50k purchase is not like buying a .50 cent piece of gum....

go post the same question regarding an M3 on an M3 forum...your going to get biased opinions...you need to go to each dealership...test drive each car....see and feel the interior....see and feel the exterior...everything......is this a dream car that you have always wanted?....do you want JUST a sports car?....do you want a combination of sports with luxury?...do you truly need to get from one stop light to the next in less then 6 seconds?....theres only so much a car of this magnitude can do in a city as a daily driver....if you will be taking it to the track...im sure it will do wonders for you....im sure even in highway driving it will do wonders for you....point being...you have to put your own situation out there...if it does NOT fit your situation...then why buy it?...just cause its a corvette?....i disagree but thats just me....

 

On my last 3 the only thing I have ever had done was a regular oil/fluid change and the normal maintaince as recommended by gm.....The only problem I have ever had is a battery died once, I got a jump start, went to the dealer and they gave me another one. With all this said I am knocking on a wooden table...but then again mine is always under warranty!!!

 

I agree. I always research car leases/purchases. As a matter of fact I rather enjoy the process. To me getting a new car is kind of like getting married, you don't REALLY know what your getting into until you're there! Of course you can walk away from a lease after 3 years without too much damage but a marraige.... Anway, I digress. The great thing about boards like this is that it's possible to get several years worth of "experience" without actually owning the car. Like I said earlier, I can tell one and all what to expect from any one of the cars I've had over the last 20 some odd years and save them from some guess work. You cannot get the same from a 10-20 minute test drive. My BMW was better than I expected after I took a leap of faith.
My Lexus LS430 began to bore me shortly after I got it. My Infinit Q45 was a blast. These cars were chosen after some research but really more on gut feeling and some were right and some I could have done better. Just trying to take some of the guess work out of the equation with the help of this excellent forum. I may cross shop the vette with the new 330ic vert which will have a hard top. I imagine it will be more refined, sharper steering and handle very well but will give up to the vette in acceleration, torque, looks and presence IMHO. I can't wait to get a dealer to let me take a vette on a nice long drive

 

You're right!

But I didn't actually mean that he should not do ANY research, but just that he should not spend an entire year agonizing over data like I did. Some people, like me, can sometimes tend to over-analyze and worry too much when looking to buy. That's all I was referring to.

I really regret waiting as long as I did to buy my car... the way I see it, I blew a whole precious year of my life driving boring cars when I could have been in the Vette.

Should one research? Yes! But there's a practical limit to how much. I did too much. Finally, you will never really know the car that well until you own it and drive it every day for several months anyway.

I feel I have learned a lesson here... do your research, but don't go overboard and waste too much time. Perhaps I feel this way specifically because the C6 turned out to be such an excellent car and excellent purchase! But for me, I think it was due more to luck than to my year long research.

My research almost discouraged me from buying the car, especially due to the problems in `05... even several test drives did not give me a true feel for what the car was all about. Now owning the car, I am 100% satisfied, car has been excellent, most fun I've had in many years. The car is perfect and has met all my expectations.

So, just one account / opinion anyway. I think the C6 is a car worth owning, even if just once... at least for anyone passionate about driving. I see it as the performance car that all others should be compared to. Again, just my opinion.

 

this should have been the only post to this question. You can't take someone's word. Go to the dealer - they see you pull up in a lexus or bmw I'm sure they'll let you take a spin.

 

[QUOTE=Topspin627]I
I want to test a 911 just so I can see what the top of the food chain is like and then I can compare the others.

Since when is the 911 the top of the food chain????? Don't kid yourself. You've been reading too much hype!

I would never pick a 911 over a Corvette, no matter what the price is!!

 

[QUOTE=shawn h.]Love it! Tell me why. Everyone always puts the "value" aspect into the vette but if asked which car they would prefer all things being equal, they pick the 911 which seems to be logical given it's nearly twice the price. Now more money doesn't always mean better but I'd be curious to hear if you could buy both for the same $ why would YOU choose the vette. (not to say you'd be wrong since it's an opinion that's as valid as any other in my book)

 

Personally, I'd take a _turbo_ 911 in a heartbeat over a Vette, all else being equal. But I'd take my C6 over a Carrera.

 

 

I test drove one last week and I'm sold. This is going to be my first American car . I was in a similar situation as you. My options were

Lotus Elise, M3, SLK55, Cayman S and then this. I have test driven all my choices (except for the Cayman) and they all put a grin on my face. BUT, each of those choices had its disadvantages. Instead of telling you why you should buy the Vette, I'll tell you why I didn't end up buying my other choices.

Lotus Elise: This is a very fun car that will bring you 110% driving pleasure but there is no interior and is very unconfortable. Not for me.

M3: Pretty quick car which is excellent all around. Not a targa and too many ppl have it in my area, not for me.

SLK55: I still cannot believe they let me test drive this. This car is FAST! Too bad its auto, not for me. However, I would take this car over a SC430 and a SL500, Sl55 is a different story.

Cayman S: Haven't test driven it so I can't comment. 70k+ with options, rather get a Z06

 

[QUOTE=shawn h.]Good for you.
Maybe if you drive a 911, and evaluate the fit and finish, you might have a different opinion.
If not, enjoy your Corvette, and we will enjoy our 911's.
And everyone will be happy.

 

The SLK55 has a 7 Spd manumatic (you can shift a Paddle shifter or by pushing up or down on the gear selector to manually shift - just lacks a foot clutch). What I don't understand is many people apllaud a 360 Modena paddle shifter, but when put in another car (ala' SLK55) it becomes an exclusive "automatic"?

Also, just curious,.... why do you like the SL55 vs the SLK55 (its no quicker, its heavier, & its cost 50% more?). Its OK to prefer the SL55 more, just curious why? Thanks man!

-Matt

 

Nothing will take the place of doing your own research plus forums like this are invaluable prior to purchasing such expensive items...

 

I know that tourque and performance are an important part of the equation for the great passion you all obviously feel for your vettes, is it that much more powerful than say and MB SL, Lexus SC (different experience of course) or BMW M3?


American V-8 straight line power with torque

 

[QUOTE=shawn h.]In a 100,000 miles my Porsche was never towed, My 2006 C6 was towed before I got it home from the dealer and again the week after.........

 

Not only am I a first time Corvette owner, this is the first American car I've ever owned. My wife had a Mustang when we married, but I don't claim it since I didn't buy it, I didn't want it, I didn't like it, and I spent way too much time working on it.

Never again, said I. Never will I own another American car. Funny thing, forever isn't that long at all.
You're right, it won't be. However, if your Vette is like mine, you'll never be back at the dealership. I wouldn't say the service I get is bad, but it's not on par with how much the car costs. I hear that if you can find a Chevrolet/Cadillac dealership, the quality of service goes way up.
The reason it's not up to par, so to speak, is because of the performance of the Corvette. Even if you spend twice as much money, it does not mean you'll have a car that can beat it. The performance potential of this car is ungodly, I've taken mine around Texas World Speedway more than a few times, and it took a lot of getting used to.

So, if you want Ferrari performance at BMW prices, well.... something's gotta give. In this case, it's the interior. Truth be told, though, it's much better than the previous Corvettes, and nice enough that I don't mind.
Go drive one. I thought I'd gotten jaded, then I went and test drove a Lotus Elise. It's a very fast car, but compared to the torque of the Corvette, it feels very, very slow. It's incredible just how much power this car has. At TWS, I can spin the tires pretty much anywhere on the track by being careless with the throttle. And TWS is a fast track.

Did I mention that I've cornered the Vette at 1.27g's there? On the stock runflats? Yeah. There will be little that can run you down, and it's usually wearing a prancing horse or a bucking bull. M3's? They stay in my rear view. The only thing I've found semi-comparible from the Germans in terms of price and performance is the SLK55 AMG. But it is about 20% more expensive, has less horsepower, more weight, and no manual -- but it does seem to get around almost as quickly and with a ton more luxury.
You need to go test drive one. One that's broken in and that you can really light up the throttle in. That's where the value is in this car. I can't go faster for less money, and that's the bottom line for me. I keep kicking around the idea of an Elise to park next to it, but I keep thinking it's going to be "his and hers" Corvettes. The Elise costs the same, is slower, and has zero creature comforts. ...but it is more fun to drive.

ah, decisions, decisions.
There are two kinds of "manumatics". Ferrari uses a conventional manual transmission and clutch and controls it all with your inputs and a computer. Mercedes uses a traditional auto (like our Corvette) and paddles. The problem is, at the bottom of it all, it's still an automatic with a torque converter and all the compromises therein.

I'd own the former. I won't own the latter. It's for people who want to pretend they're driving a manual (no offense to anyone with paddle shifters). Now, if they can ever perfect CVT's, I'll get one of those.

 

Any of the AMG from MB have plenty of torque:
An SL55 has 516 ft lbs.
An SLK55 has 376 ft lbs.
An SL65 has 738 ft lbs.

The Lexus SC? Well built but it is a slow & not a sports car IMO.
The M3 handles better than the above AMG cars, but lacks low end grunt & the straight line acceleration of the Vette or AMGs.

Like some have already rightfully said, a drive is the best way to determine what you like. Forums/educated reading can also help, but a drive is extremely helpful if undecided.

 

Ferrari's F1 tranny has no clutch that the driver can control - its done via a Paddle shift, "The combination of an electro-hydraulic gearbox, controls on the steering wheel and the absence of a clutch, prevents changes to the car's set-up that may otherwise occur during manual lever manoeuvres.

The adoption of the Fl-type power train management on a road car guarantees similar benefits both in terms of performance and safety. More specifically:

It guarantees that times for changing up and down through the gears are reduced.

In whatever set-up and driving conditions the required gear can be engaged without either taking the hands off the wheel or operating the clutch."

I'm not seeing how Ferrari's paddle shift offers more driver involvement (other than automaticly "blipping" the throttle a bit to synchronize the engine & tranny during downshifting?). What do you think?

-Matt