Any C6 Corvette owners/friends out there?

[pinski]

Originally Posted by Re_Invention

Build quality is bad for a $55k car from 2006, it's reasonable for a $25k car from 2006 though. It's on par with Porsche 911's and Cayman's of similar year and I think it's comparable to an FR-S actually.

I'm honestly very surprised that you say that, as a 997 owner. I think the interior design and quality of the 997 is far superior to the C6. Now, the 996 is a different story, but Porsche made a lot of improvements to the interior for 2005.

Also very jelly of your Dad's old JSB GS - that's exactly what I was looking for and never was able to find before giving up.

[Summerwolf]

Originally Posted by ZionsWrath

That would be a huge cost to consider. Tires about twice the price and probably wear out twice as fast due to the power difference. Same with brake pads I imagine?

Also would need to figure out a tire trailer or vehicle trailer to bring your track rubber.

These are huge reasons I liked the BRZ. Also I probably would have binned a corvette by now if I bought it in 2012 when I got my BRZ. I never had a v8 or any tack experience at that time.

You're also buying more performance. Stock tire size is 285's in the back 245's in the front, and you can choose to not replace the runflats if it came equipped with them. Brake pads are cheap for most versions as well.

[Re_Invention]

Originally Posted by pinski

I'm honestly very surprised that you say that, as a 997 owner. I think the interior design and quality of the 997 is far superior to the C6. Now, the 996 is a different story, but Porsche made a lot of improvements to the interior for 2005.

Also very jelly of your Dad's old JSB GS - that's exactly what I was looking for and never was able to find before giving up.

Yeah it's a gorgeous color. I looked for a red interior white exterior Z51 for about 6 months before moving on.

No badge blinding here (well.. maybe a little ) the Porsche is what it is. The quality between 996 and 997 wasn't all that much enhanced, I think 997 guys say that to feel better about their similar cars. The 991, on the other hand, that is a nice place and I think comes from producing the Panamera and years with building obscene Cayennes.

You can option a 997 up to the gills and it'll be a nicer place to sit but the quality is still comparable: the buttons break & print fades, the infotainment screens go kaput (especially Bose models like mine), the cup holder lid will sag, the paint on the door handles can fade, the steering wheel can ugly fast, too. There aren't as many spontaneous noises (say 1:3), it isn't leagues and bounds better especially when you consider the $40,000 difference between the Corvette and 911. I hadn't noticed much difference between a $50k Cayman and $90k 911 except the headroom. It's pathetic.

The joke about Corvette wax applies to 911's as well. Most are kings and queens living sheltered lives. When you do see a daily driven 911 with average, non-ocd, upkeep you'd think a hobo lived in it. My boss has a 997.2 4S Cab PDK with every damn option imaginable and it applies to his car as well, it looks well worn after 75k miles. I saw how quickly mine went from pristine to average, so I make an effort (I hate cleaning) to keep it semi-clean with bi-monthly washes and vacuums but the seat will crack, the window regulator will go wonky, the interior paint will peel and the console lid will break. So it is. One among the many myths of Porsche products.

That being said there's no substitute for how a 911 drives and how comfortable it is for taller folks. I implore any cabin space challenged enthusiast to consider a 996/997 if the budget permits. At 6'2 needing to sit upright I've never been so comfortable in a sports car, it's unbelievable - I legitimately enjoy driving anywhere in it. After so many years and so many different cars... ahh.. And it's a hoot to thrash around. You revel in those frisky moments of faith in the machine, sort of like riding a motorcycle. Afterwards you realize, hell, I could've dipped on the gas a little earlier, every, single, time. It's humbling.

[gtpvette]

I sold my 05 C6 to get into the FRS,, it was my 5th Corvette. I bought my C6 in May of 09 with 14K on the clock for $28K ($44K MSRP) sold it at 125K. It was a base 1LT car with an LS2 and a 6 Speed,, black on black. Super car,,, only work done was replacing the harmonic balancer and the water pump. It was needing a clutch and brakes when I sold it. It was fast handled great and was a great daily driver. Frankly I considered buying another but after 6 years in that it was enough. I can see a lightly used C7 in my future.

FRS is a way different car and I do like it (commuter car),,, but the C6 is a much more advanced car. Imagine you can actually adjust caster, camber and toe at all four corners without replacing a bunch of parts. You put in a cam, headers and a tune you're pushing 500HP and it'll live a long time.


When shopping for one keep in mind some Corvette owners think their 9 year old car is still worth tons of money. They're not. I'd say buy a garage queen with low miles and few mods,,, from an older guy if possible. I'd go for lower miles that newer year with higher miles. Stay away from an 05 as there were a few teething problems,,, unless you geta really good deal. As for options,,, the only thing I'd pay for is Z51. The rest is fluff to me. Also,, a low miles C5 Z06 at the right price is worth looking at.


Corvette Forum Is A Great Place To Shop


http://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/...s-for-sale-98/



This.... if you like the color


http://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/...260-miles.html


This could be good.... no stick which is a deal breaker for me.


http://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/...300-miles.html




Good Luck!!

[pinski]

Originally Posted by Re_Invention

Yeah it's a gorgeous color. I looked for a red interior white exterior Z51 for about 6 months before moving on.

No badge blinding here (well.. maybe a little ) the Porsche is what it is. The quality between 996 and 997 wasn't all that much enhanced, I think 997 guys say that to feel better about their similar cars. The 991, on the other hand, that is a nice place and I think comes from producing the Panamera and years with building obscene Cayennes.

You can option a 997 up to the gills and it'll be a nicer place to sit but the quality is still comparable: the buttons break & print fades, the infotainment screens go kaput (especially Bose models like mine), the cup holder lid will sag, the paint on the door handles can fade, the steering wheel can ugly fast, too. There aren't as many spontaneous noises (say 1:3), it isn't leagues and bounds better especially when you consider the $40,000 difference between the Corvette and 911. I hadn't noticed much difference between a $50k Cayman and $90k 911 except the headroom. It's pathetic.

The joke about Corvette wax applies to 911's as well. Most are kings and queens living sheltered lives. When you do see a daily driven 911 with average, non-ocd, upkeep you'd think a hobo lived in it. My boss has a 997.2 4S Cab PDK with every damn option imaginable and it applies to his car as well, it looks well worn after 75k miles. I saw how quickly mine went from pristine to average, so I make an effort (I hate cleaning) to keep it semi-clean with bi-monthly washes and vacuums but the seat will crack, the window regulator will go wonky, the interior paint will peel and the console lid will break. So it is. One among the many myths of Porsche products.

That being said there's no substitute for how a 911 drives and how comfortable it is for taller folks. I implore any cabin space challenged enthusiast to consider a 996/997 if the budget permits. At 6'2 needing to sit upright I've never been so comfortable in a sports car, it's unbelievable - I legitimately enjoy driving anywhere in it. After so many years and so many different cars... ahh.. And it's a hoot to thrash around. You revel in those frisky moments of faith in the machine, sort of like riding a motorcycle. Afterwards you realize, hell, I could've dipped on the gas a little earlier, every, single, time. It's humbling.

Fair enough - I think I'm mostly hung up on the design and layout of the interior which, for me, is much better in the 997 than the C6. Your points regarding the wear and tear on the 997s interiors are certainly appropriate - I've never seen so many cars with peeling climate control buttons! I also remember testing a 987.1 Cayman, and the interior door handle looked as if it was ready to fall off.

[Silvermk2]

I had a 2006 C6 Z06 before the BRZ. Personally I wouldn't buy a narrow body C6 or C7 they just look too neutered and old manish, but at that budget you're kind of stuck with one. I think it depends on what you're looking for. If you've always had Japanese cars I think you'll be disappointed in the quality overall. Both of the GM cars I've had have had some seriously questionable engineering decisions. If you go for a C6 go for the latest car you can. They made improvements all along the way. My thoughts;

Good
>great gas mileage if you can keep you foot out of it. Almost identical to the BRZ
>good trunk space
>loved the bi mode exhaust. I wish mine had the latter slightly louder open setting. All cars should have these
>Love the looks of the wide body C6
>Their is a ton of aftermarket if you've got money to burn
>The LS7 power is awesome.

Bad
>tire cost is high and the run flat tire noise is deafening. On the Z06 its $1500-2000 for maybe 10-12k miles. Also ride quality isn't that great. You sit pretty much on the rear axle so ever vertical chop in the road you feel it.
>Was never happy about having the roof come unglued (Z06 specific). They recalled this thankfully, but I was never happy about having a repainted roof on a 12k mile car. I mean how many cars have the roof come off?
>I didn't have this problem on my car, but the C6 seems to suffer from fuel leaks on cracked plastic tube on the fuel pump mount. Unfortunately you have to pull the rear suspension to remove the fuel tank to get to this.
>I don't think the non Z06 cars suffer from this, but you can't close the hatch fully with both doors closed unless you slam the hatch with all your strength. Thankfully the car is short so you can close the hatch normally and then the door from the same spot
>If you think the BRZ stereo sucks wait till you use the C6 one LOL. Plus see tire noise you can't hardly hear it.
>Clutch pedal is prone to sticking down. Repeatedly changing the clutch fluid seems to help
>LS7 specific, but the valvetrain issues scared the shit out of me. I don't think the valvetrain should wear out in cars with less than 50k miles. Mine always had a really noisy top end which didn't help. Mine didn't burn oil which was pretty rare I believe. I didn't feel really comfortable putting bronze guide in mine especially after the ones in my 2JZ failed so soon. It was like $20k in damage if the engine let go. This was partly my reason for selling.
>I thought the handling was spooky. If you did the same thing 10 times one of those times you'd spin it. It didn't help the traction control was so spotty. I'm pretty sure you could do a burn out with the traction control on. The later ones around '09 have the PTM system which is supposed to be worlds better. I always felt like the car was going to kill me at some point. Reason #2 for selling. My Supra the limits are lower, but I feel like I can drive that car at 100% all day.
>If you care about this. Going to Corvette meets is like hanging out with your grandparents I only went to a couple, but I felt seriously out of place...
>Seats are kind of sucky and the leather doesn't hold up. They made some changes to the 2013 model that you can back retrofit or if you want to can throw ~4k at Carvaggio for a set of Daytonas which are bitchin looking.
>Center console area gets seriously hot during extended drive. Like don't put any candy in their unless you want it to melt.
>Didn't like the power door handles on the C6 and now C7.

I may not sound like it, but I would consider one again in the future. I would go for a much later one to try and get the mag suspension and features they added later on or go for the ZR1 instead. I don't like what they did with the C7 Z06 personally. I think in that price range I'd go for the C5 Z06. Those are seriously great cars for the money if you don't mind a C5.

[LSxJunkie]

Originally Posted by Jen

My 2 cents-I own a vette, used it as a daily driver, it's dead at under 100k and I can't explain how much money I put into fixing it. I think I've replaced every part on that car. I love Corvettes, but never again. It's an expensive lawn ornament at my house in my driveway. I bought a new Camaro instead. I wouldn't recommend that either, I'm trading it for a BRZ.

The Camaro has the grace of an ocean liner. The only reason I was able to DD the vette was that I own lots of cars, so if it broke, I drove something else. You can't have it as your main car.

We have a WRX now, I'm in love. Go drive one. There's a reason people are obsessed with them. You can get a new WRX for 26k if you negotiate hard. I bought at Van Bortel Subaru in Victor, NY, ask for Vince. You can also hit up Clayton at Ramsey Subaru in NJ. It's worth the drive. Negotiate over the phone and by email.

Was it a C5 or a C6? There are C5s at 2-300k now still going strong.

LSx + Tremec is a bulletproof combo.

[LSxJunkie]

Originally Posted by Silvermk2

I had a 2006 C6 Z06 before the BRZ. Personally I wouldn't buy a narrow body C6 or C7 they just look too neutered and old manish, but at that budget you're kind of stuck with one. I think it depends on what you're looking for. If you've always had Japanese cars I think you'll be disappointed in the quality overall. Both of the GM cars I've had have had some seriously questionable engineering decisions. If you go for a C6 go for the latest car you can. They made improvements all along the way. My thoughts;

Good
>great gas mileage if you can keep you foot out of it. Almost identical to the BRZ
>good trunk space
>loved the bi mode exhaust. I wish mine had the latter slightly louder open setting. All cars should have these
>Love the looks of the wide body C6
>Their is a ton of aftermarket if you've got money to burn
>The LS7 power is awesome.

Bad
>tire cost is high and the run flat tire noise is deafening. On the Z06 its $1500-2000 for maybe 10-12k miles. Also ride quality isn't that great. You sit pretty much on the rear axle so ever vertical chop in the road you feel it.
If you go up to 19s/20s, you can get the oem MPSS ZPs that come on the C7Z. They are 100% better. Better in every measurable way.
>Was never happy about having the roof come unglued (Z06 specific). They recalled this thankfully, but I was never happy about having a repainted roof on a 12k mile car. I mean how many cars have the roof come off?
>I didn't have this problem on my car, but the C6 seems to suffer from fuel leaks on cracked plastic tube on the fuel pump mount. Unfortunately you have to pull the rear suspension to remove the fuel tank to get to this.
>I don't think the non Z06 cars suffer from this, but you can't close the hatch fully with both doors closed unless you slam the hatch with all your strength. Thankfully the car is short so you can close the hatch normally and then the door from the same spot
09+ came with power hatch pull-down standard
>If you think the BRZ stereo sucks wait till you use the C6 one LOL. Plus see tire noise you can't hardly hear it.
>Clutch pedal is prone to sticking down. Repeatedly changing the clutch fluid seems to help
http://www.tickperformance.com/tick-...rvette-c6-z06/
>LS7 specific, but the valvetrain issues scared the shit out of me. I don't think the valvetrain should wear out in cars with less than 50k miles. Mine always had a really noisy top end which didn't help. Mine didn't burn oil which was pretty rare I believe. I didn't feel really comfortable putting bronze guide in mine especially after the ones in my 2JZ failed so soon. It was like $20k in damage if the engine let go. This was partly my reason for selling.
This is why I don't currently own a C6Z. I would have had one of those over my Mustang in a heartbeat if I wasn't worried about dropping a valve. The valve guide issue is scarier than 996 IMS.
>I thought the handling was spooky. If you did the same thing 10 times one of those times you'd spin it. It didn't help the traction control was so spotty. I'm pretty sure you could do a burn out with the traction control on. The later ones around '09 have the PTM system which is supposed to be worlds better. I always felt like the car was going to kill me at some point. Reason #2 for selling. My Supra the limits are lower, but I feel like I can drive that car at 100% all day.
I think a lot of that could be chalked up to tires. The GY Runcraps were evil on the limit.
>If you care about this. Going to Corvette meets is like hanging out with your grandparents I only went to a couple, but I felt seriously out of place...
Go to LSx meets. You get younger vette guys who actually mod their cars. My best friend is 30, has an ls3 c6 with a Novi1500 making 580/580 at the tire on a stock motor, headers, and a fuel system.
>Seats are kind of sucky and the leather doesn't hold up. They made some changes to the 2013 model that you can back retrofit or if you want to can throw ~4k at Carvaggio for a set of Daytonas which are bitchin looking.
>Center console area gets seriously hot during extended drive. Like don't put any candy in their unless you want it to melt.
Elite Engineering tunnel plate, with heat coat. Stiffen your chassis and keep the heat out of the cabin.
>Didn't like the power door handles on the C6 and now C7.

I may not sound like it, but I would consider one again in the future. I would go for a much later one to try and get the mag suspension and features they added later on or go for the ZR1 instead. I don't like what they did with the C7 Z06 personally. I think in that price range I'd go for the C5 Z06. Those are seriously great cars for the money if you don't mind a C5.

I keep looking at C5Zs and then stopping when I think of all the things I would do to it just to update it to late 2000s equipment (projector hids, LED tails, telescoping column swap, C6 power seat swap, double din kit w/ nav, bluetooth, and backup camera) and then shocks, wheels, brakes, heads/cam/intake, long tubes.

[Jen]

Originally Posted by Jen

My 2 cents-I own a vette, used it as a daily driver, it's dead at under 100k and I can't explain how much money I put into fixing it. I think I've replaced every part on that car. I love Corvettes, but never again. It's an expensive lawn ornament at my house in my driveway. I bought a new Camaro instead. I wouldn't recommend that either, I'm trading it for a BRZ.

The Camaro has the grace of an ocean liner. The only reason I was able to DD the vette was that I own lots of cars, so if it broke, I drove something else. You can't have it as your main car.

We have a WRX now, I'm in love. Go drive one. There's a reason people are obsessed with them. You can get a new WRX for 26k if you negotiate hard. I bought at Van Bortel Subaru in Victor, NY, ask for Vince. You can also hit up Clayton at Ramsey Subaru in NJ. It's worth the drive. Negotiate over the phone and by email.

You know, I just bought a 2016 C7 vette. If you love vettes, you can't help but buy one after you drive it. I guess I was kidding myself. Hope this one won't break.

I was thinking about a used C6, but no more used vettes.