Bavarian Motorist

I have an 06 Boxster and I just feel like I am a raw power type of guy. My car is fun and handles impeccably, but I wanted a taste of some good old domestic beef.

So I wanted to drive a 'Vette.


I went to Huntington Station Chevrolet in Huntington Station, NY


So let me start out w/ what I like:


- I love the power. It is great and the sound is so much different than my car. Very throaty sound.

- I love the clutch operation and mechanical feel. My car's clutch is hydraulically assisted so there is not much feel.

- Gains traction very quickly when flooring it in first.

- I love the crappy interior. Means the car is not weighed down by useless junk.

- Comfortable seating.




Now for what I am not sure about....


- I can't even tell what gear I'm in sometimes. The gears are so scrunched together on the H pad that 4rd seems exactly like 6th and 5th seems exactly like 3rd. It was hard to pick what direction to move the shifter.

- Very hard to shift gears. Requires a big thrust from your wrists. Not necessarily a bad thing, but could definitely become a pain in the butt. Not sure, though.

- Everything is operated by a button or remote use. There's no key hole even and the e-brake is even operated by a button somewhere when parking! This is a minor detail I can deal with lol

- Low redline? Lol, joking. There really is nothing else I dislike about the car


Now there are a couple questions I HAVE to ask you folks.


I didn't get a chance to test the brakes. The brakes on my car are phenomenal, probably some of the best brakes in any production car. How are the brakes on this car?


I didn't get a chance to test the handling at all. I have no clue how it handles. How well does it handle? I don't track or anything so it doesn't need to be superb. I expect it to handle a lot worse than my Boxster, but not so horribly that I can't rip turns really fast.



At first I was thinking, "Hmmm, it doesn't feel THAT much faster than my car in low gear." My thoughts were quickly silenced when I got back into my car and tried the very same thing as I did in the vette, and my car felt so damn slow. I couldn't believe how slow I felt.

The corvette humbled me.


I hope to own one of these babies very soon. VROOOOOMMMM!!!!

VET4LES

The shifting is something you get used to. I love every shift and am always very aware of what gear I'm in. If your interested there are several short shifters available.

dashotgun

porsche has soem of the best handeling dynamics around ie weight and feel of steering and balanced controls. You know where you are in a turn. The feel on the vette is not as good but it handles as well. On a track it will pull on the boxster not only becasue of the power but because of the grip. It does take a leep of faith at 9/10 but it will hold. That being said off the track at legal speeds it handles fine and the combinationof power torque and grip will give you the giggles. I don't what you are talking about the e brake mine is a 06 and is typical mech ebrake. The interior is not up to the porsche but mine has no rattles at all and does what it is supposed to do so no complaints. The shifter is delibrate but you get used to it after a while. Welcome the bang for the buck is the best there is on these cars. for a few extra $ you can fix up the interior if you want with after market leather etc.

Lightning Coyote

Its your loss if you don't get a CORVETTE.

matsarge

I felt the same way when I got back in my M3 after driving the Corvette. The M3 is not exactly a slow car but it sure felt that way after an hour or 2 in a C6.

I noticed the same things as well with the gears. It's pretty easy to tell what gear I'm in with the M3 and it took me a little while of driving around in the Corvette before I was comfortable. It didn't bother me after 20-30 minutes. As far as the shifting goes, I have a SSK from Auto Solutions in the M3 and it is very mechanical in nature and requires you to move it from gear to gear with some effort. The feel of the C6 shift didn't bother me at all.

The handling and the turn in on the C6 is excellent and on the highway it felt as nimble as the M3. Porsche's are excellent handling machines but you will be pleasantly surprised at just how good the C6 is.

Yes, the interior is not up to the standards that BMW, Porsche, MB, etc customers are used to but it is functional and serves it's purpose. The HUD is a very nice add that even my M3 is lacking.

I knew going into the test drive that I wanted a Corvette, the test drive just made me REALLY want it.

gl15

the boxster seems to handle well because it is going so slow

Bavarian Motorist

Thanks for replies

Let me just say, I am GLAD the interior stinks. Look, if I wanted a luxury pig, I'd buy one. I want a sports car. No BS. No unnecessary crap. Just a focused piece of machinery. And best of all, no unnecessary weight gains


As for the e-brake...

There is a lever you can operate manually, yes, but when I parked, I asked the dealer if the e-brake was up and he said that it was and that it is all operated by a button.



I only drove this car for maybe 10min. I really need to drive it again. Or maybe I just want another taste

matsarge

Go drive it for an hour and you won't get back in the Porsche except to get your stuff out of it.

Bavarian Motorist

You guys are tempting me so much.

I knew I shouldn't have asked you guys!!


I hope to buy one around April. Doesn't make sense for me to buy one just yet.

2K14C7

You definately need to find a curvy road and get a feel for the handling and the brakes, they are both outstanding. Maybe not quite up to Porsche standards but damn good none the less.

Road and Track's published test results were:

Porsche Boxster S: Braking 60-0 = 107'
Skidpad = 1.00 g

C6 Corvette Coupe: Braking 60-0 = 110'
Skidpad = .98 g

Oh, and that dealer doesn't know squat about the parking brake.

mpuzach

I still don't know what you're asking with regard to the e-brake. Just like most sports cars, pull up on the ratcheted handle to engage, push the button in and release the handle downward to disengage. It's not just a button or switch (like the Audi A6 and A8) - it's a console-mounted lever.

While the C6's interior isn't quite up to Audi standards, I have to differ with your assessment of it being "crappy" and that it "stinks". What about it don't you like? Other than the cheap plastic center console trim and the cloth seat backs, I think the interior is pretty darned good (and my previous 2 cars were 2000 and 2003 Audi A6s, with arguably some of the sweetest interiors in the business). Especially when set up with 3LT (including heated seats, side air bags, memory driver's seat, power telescoping wheel with memory, HUD, HomeLink, auto-dimming mirror, steering wheel audio controls) and navigation, the C6 intereior is a pretty good place to be.

Bavarian Motorist

Ok. I give up on the e-brake thing. All I know is when I parked, the e-brake was already up and the guy made some excuse for it.


I am glad to hear it handles so well for having such an old-fashioned suspension. That screams 'potential' in my mind.


The interior was tolerable, honestly. It wasn't that bad at all. The seats look great, but the center console looked cheap. It's not like Porsche interiors are great either. But like I said, I don't care for that


Thanks for all your replies. I am grateful.

fastskyline

yea i dont get it either...i have to pull my e brake up just like any other car...

Bavarian Motorist

Last question for now: What is insurance like on these? Do I pay a substantially higher amount for having a sports car or not? What are some of you paying?

pennys58

If you're looking for a better handling/braking version of the C6, I would go with the Z51 option. I drove both, and the suspension felt like it held the ground better and the brakes felt better as well. I went with the non Z51 option because I knew that it wouldn't hold up for me by the time I was done with the car. If you plan on leaving the car pretty much stock, the Z51 is the way to go...but that's just my .02! Good luck, and I'll go ahead and welcome you to the club

John

pennys58

Not bad at all, I pay $110 a month for full coverage.

62Jeff

Depends on many factors such as driving record, your age, how many cars do you have insured, etc. Any amount that someone can quote you may have no bearing on what you will pay.

I once knew a guy paying $2200 a year on a little Honda, in 1989. I pay $1200 a year on a Jaguar XK8 in 2007. I have a clean record, own my own home, and have several cars on my policy. He had none of those.

talon90

Nice write-up. I've never driven a Boxster so I can't tell you how the two will compare in the handling department. I can tell you that I suspect you will be pleasantly surprised when you get an opportunity to push the car around a little bit. Surprised relative to your expectations, not necessarily in comparing the Corvette to the Porsche. Do you know what suspension package the car you drove was equipped with?

Regarding the e-brake, it sounds as though the salesperson was underinformed as usual. The e-brake in the C6 is conventional. Press the release button on the top and pull it up to engage. It appears to be up a notch or two when it is disengaged so he may have misunderstood your question.

Regarding your insurance question for full coverage I pay about $1000 per year, 41 year old male, married homeowner.

kgelliott

Am finally glad to hear someone else admit to not knowing what gear they were in while test driving a C6! I was so excited to finally get to try one out that the ONLY time I knew for sure which gear I was using was when I backed up while turning around!! I'd been driving a heavy-clutched Mustang for 2 years, so the lighter clutch and moment's excitement caused me to even think the unthinkable: Hmm..I wonder what the Automatic feels like? Long story short, after a minor left hip operation a couple months later, I'm very happy with my A6 C6!

Bavarian Motorist

Thanks a lot guys. I realize there are many factors. I'm in college, not married, have an apartment.

I guess I was asking relative to other cars, how does the corvette fare in the insurance area?


Those #s don't sound bad at all, though.


The car didn't say Z51 on it like the others so I'm assuming it was the base version?