Hey Guys,

I am a past GS400, 350z and NOW '01 Honda Accord v-6 owner. I have always enjoyed being on this forum and respect everyones opinions for the most part. Neadless to say, I have the new car bug, in particular the Corvette C6! I know many may think of the Vettes as "american plastic junk" and a man's mid life crisis preasent, but i also know many here love them to death as I do and would also love to get their hands on one. A test drive of the '07 converti a week ago did not help!

I know about the new '08s rolling out soon with the new 6.2 liter LS3 and an approx. 20 HP/torque increase. They are also making other improvements to the interior (nothing too major). I am currently looking at either a yellow-black-white 1 or 2LT coupe with the Z51 handling package (MSRP 47-48k). Also, I am looking at LEASING since I work approx 10 mi from home, never sit in traffic, dont drive very much and love the idea of low payments and being able to drive a new car every 3 or so yrs. I don't like the idea of owning a car as they are very bad investments to have your money locked and have bad experiences with selling previous cars (my opinion).

A broker i spoke to recently offered me a 2LT for 36 mo, 3k down, $400/month lease, 12k miles which has me thinken even more (especially when a local dealer offered the same for $730/month lease for a 1LT.

Here is my dilemna: I am looking at selling my house right now (planning on buying a single family home), having a kid in the next couple of years and of recently finally cleaning up my driving record. My wife and I are both professionals and have solid careers and can afford the payments, but could always use the money as well

Anyways, just wanted to get peoples advise on A) the corvette c6 and their impressions B) feedback on the lease i am being offered C) whether i should make the investment with my current situation D) any other feedback.

 

I went from a 99GS400 to a 2006 Corvette Coupe and I have to say buying the Vette is one of the best things I've done in my entire life. I can't really express how much I love this car, I look forward to getting up for work in the morning so I can drive it. I've always loved Vettes though

 

Well, since you are in MA I hope you've got something to drive in foul weather. A C6 may be nice on SMOOTH dry pavement, but, let the roads get just the tiniest bit slick, and high-powered, front-engine, RWD sports cars like the 'vette with wide, ultra-low-profile dry-pavement wheels and tires just don't cut it, even with electronic traction aids.

 

Well he was coming from a GS400 which was still probably pretty bad - unless he had snow tires or all seasons.

Still - if you live in an area with a lot of snow and ice in the winter I'd say either keep a spare set of crappy wheels with snow/ice tires mounted on them... even if only a pair for the rear wheels, as stability control will sense that your rears have more traction and use the brakes on the rear to keep the front in check.

Either that, or yeah, a cheap FWD beater car.

I'd probably vote for the beater car if you have the garage space since even if I was confident in MY driving in the Vette - I wouldn't trust other people.

Plus nobody wants to get salt on their under carriage.

Um... how much down? That's ridiculously cheap unless he's talking about at LEAST 7 grand down.

 

Sorry, 3k down. Has anyone ever purchased through a broker? I was thinken the same thing when he quoted me. I live in VA, so the winters aren't all that bad. Im thinken about keeping my Accord as my winter car. Although, the cash would be nice.

 

That is a killer lease. What are you waiting for? Get your behind to the show room & sign the papers The C6 Vette is incredible. If I lived below the snow belt, the C6 would be my daily driver instead of the X3 as they are similar in price.

 

I had to drive the Vette through light snow once or twice already and the car did fine, even with summer tires that explicitly warn against driving in cold weather (not only are you not supposed to drive with them in snow, they say not to drive when the weather approaches 32 degrees, snow or not). And if you have ever been to Massachusetts you wouldn't use the word 'smooth' to describe any road in the entire state

The difficulty of driving in snow is overrated. I made it through the winter in my GS400 with 245/45/ZR17s all seasons on it with no problem. Once I was stupid and parked on a patch of ice and got stuck, but that was about it. I figure once the winter comes I'll either rent a car for the few days of the year it snows, or put on a set of snow tires or all seasons and just drive through the snow. With the price of tires, renting a car every single day snow is on the road would actually end up being cheaper. There was only heavy snow on the road 3 or 4 times last winter, even if it snows 10-15 times next year it's a lot cheaper to rent a Chevy Aveo at $30/day than to shell out $1000+ for snow tires and rims

 

Good idea keeping the Accord.
I live in VA myself (D.C. suburbs) and have reviewed the C6 (posted in CAR CHAT December 2005), but you probably don't need my review....you seem to know the car pretty well for yourself, and have decided that's what you want.

Before you go with a broker, try to find a dealership with a no-haggle, well-discounted Internet price. (I know the local Fitzgerald dealership chain operates this way). My experience has been that this is an excellent way to go.....a basically good deal, little hassles or paperwork, and no other add-ons except taxes and tags, unless you get the "value" price which is slightly higher and includes some free service.

 

Sounds kinda familiar. back with i was a bit younger I moved up from a 240Z to the 300TT. Had to dang near get plastic surgery to remove the grin from my face. Like an idiot I sold it when my 2nd child came along. Could have kept it but thought I would try to move to the "more mature" side of life by getting an Audi A4.

So if you can get it do it!

Of course, I now have a street bike (Yami-R! 2006 50th Anniversary) and its a blast but lately I have been thinking about getting back into a nice 2 seater. The Vette would be nice but I have me eye on a 95 to 98 6-speed Supra TT (love that car but the enthusiast crowed leaves a bit to desire) or a 2nd Gen NSX.

 

Nothing beats a targa top, super car potential out of the box, killer looks, a descent mix of luxury/gadgets and a killer deal!

Does anyone think i should wait for the '08 or get an "07 for a steal?

 

They are beautiful cars I've always liked them but didn't love them until the C6 lol

 

I dunno about your lease situation but the guy I'm talking to at Kerbeck Corvette (based in NJ but a very common internet dealer for Vettes) is telling me that he can probably get me an 08 custom ordered for museum delivery by late October for invoice price.

The 08s have some decent revisions to the interior, a new leather wrapped interior package (though you're looking at the 2LT, so forget about that one), the 430hp LS3 V8, a variable flow exhaust system (optional) that increases power a bit more, and some improvements to the responsiveness of the automatic transmission in manual shifting mode. Some other stuff too... I forget...

 

If you want it this summer, get the 07. If you get it in October you probably won't much use out of it before you put it away for the winter (assuming you're not like me and planning on driving it the majority of the winter).

The improvements for 08 should be nice, especially the new transmission I've heard they're putting in. Probably my only complaint with the car is that the shift action is kind of sloppy, and it doesn't feel that great going from 4th to 5th or from 5th to 6th. Supposedly they've fixed this for 08 but who knows? The extra 30hp is great, but if you buy now you can do a few simple mods to get an extra 30hp or more and you'll probably end up spending less even after the mods.

 

Well, seriously, it all depends on your financial situation, and you know that better than anyone on a car forum. Do you generally want a Vette because you like Vettes, or have you looked at other things? Also, how soon are you looking to sell and buy your house?

 

C6 is the first Vette I can actually see myself in, i really like that car!!

Glad you still hang around!