Very impressive! When I was younger I did wax and wash a lot but last few years it's just been ignored perhaps because I've had the car for many years. I'm sure with new car I would put more effort in to it.

Sounds like Opti-Coat product is something I should apply on my new car no matter the color but it'll be hard since I'll be getting the car in winter.

 

I've seen the black ones on eBay during my search for my winter rims. If you want to get rid of the stock rims let me know since I may be interested if you are willing to let go of them for good price. I probably need to pull the trigger on the second rims and TPMS probably in the next month and a half.

 

There is definitely a hint of purple in the nebula.

 

I don't own an IS, but I've seen them on the road already. The Obsidian didn't stand out for me, but the Nebula Gray showed all the lines of the car and looked great. I'm not partial because I think the GS looks much better in Obsidian than Nebula Gray, but then different colors look better on different cars and Nebula Gray suits the IS really well. Plus, I've had two black cars and the maintenance is continuous.

 

sorry i will be leasing, the factory rims go back with the car when i turn it in. but i may or may not have some used black wheels to sell in 3 years.

 

if you own a black car your detailing products wont be complete unless you include a bottle of this..



My previous ride just detailed with Blackfire you san see the wet finish look on black and these pics were taken on an overcast day just about to rain.

 

Nice! No swirl marks there....

 

Damn. Please tell me you didnt trade in the Z06 for an IS. That car is way too bad *** to get rid of.

 

thats exactly what i did!
and yes it is a bad *** car, a car that would mop the floor with anything this entire site has to offer.

but the truth is unless you've owned a car like this you really wouldn't understand the continual worry you have with where you park, always being bothered by people asking questions, telling you how nice it is, taking pictures of it while you drive.
when your young, you feed off this sort of attention, when you mature a little you become annoyed by it.
as a daily commuter this is not a very practical vehicle. as much of a joy as it is to be able to lay the hammer down and lay skid marks at will anytime you want, know that no matter what pulls up to you at a light your going to be the winner every time is hard to part with.

but considering my daily commute is only 3 miles and over a 35 mph road and after 4 years 45k miles and 2 Z06 corvettes later the reality sets in that there has to be a much less obnoxious but still fun way to commute.

my previous car to the Z06 was a 2007 IS 350 RWD fully loaded. i really enjoyed the quiet ride.

a corvette is not quiet, the tires and although pleasing exhaust makes it hard to even have a cell phone conversation at highway speed.
a set of tires for this car cost 2200 bucks!
an oil change is about 100 bucks due to the fact it takes 10.5 qts full synthetic

this particular car is one of only 194 ever made in 2012 centennial edition Z06 with a sticker of 90k (i got it for about 15k off sticker right off the assembly line)

also would you leave this car parked in a movie theater parking lot for several hours in the dark unattended?

how nervous would you be to know your driving a collector car with a very limited production knowing the next teenager that is texting and driving might total it?
so now you don't want to drive it but on weekend's and when sunny weather. are you going to make a nearly $1000 a month car payment to let it sit?

so until you've walked in these shoes you may not understand. yes it was a tough decision that was made easier when the reality set in that the new C7 stingray is in full production and orders are pre-selling faster than they can build the new cars!
what do you think the used market will look like for 2006-2013 corvettes?

it's all about supply and demand, when there are a hundred cars like yours to pick on the market and nobody wanting to buy a car like this for 65-70k used when you can buy a new stingray for the same or less money where would you rather have your money?
the fact is the C 6 corvette has been out dated for about 3 of the past 7 years in existence. the electronics are not more more advanced than a chevrolet cobalt.
the only thing this car does is attract middle aged men who can't afford one, gold digging women looking for a rich guy to marry and the police radar gun!

as much as i hated to sell it, it's not the last corvette on the planet and i am not going to pay full sticker for a stingray. plus the stingray has yet to be offered as a Z06 or Zr-1 model.

so with that said it makes poor financial sense to keep an asset that will depreciate as fast as i can pay it off. it makes more sense to unload it on someone else before the value falls out from under it.
in the mean time i am going to lease a IS 350 F sport RWD as i do not need a 4wd car living in colorado when i already have a 2013 GS f sport AWD and a 2009 Supercharged Tacoma 4X4 for the snow days.
i am leasing for 27-36 months (haven't decided yet) so when the lease is up i can take another look and decide if i still want another corvette or if Lexus or someone else has something in the 50-60k price range that floats my boat.
a lease allows me to get out of the car quickly and easily and re evaluate what i want next.

i know this was a long winded answer, but i think many will have a similar reaction to you so i want to cover all the bases

owning a corvette was something i always wanted to do and so was learning to fly! i am happy to report that if i died tomorrow i can lay on my death bed and say with confidence I've been there and done that! in fact 2 times!
now i have a little more money available to spend my my flying hobby and see where that takes me.
i got my private pilots license and soon to be getting my instrument rating.
owning a corvette is certainly an accomplishment especially one of the most expensive cars they made. but in the future owning an airplane is 10 times more awesome than a car.

so there ya go!

 

LOL. Heres my previous cars. I still own the black camaro. It has a crate LS3 with 231/236 in it. So yes I understand. I am a Chevy guy myself. I would have kept the centennial and bought a used IS. That centennial edition is a collectors car and are VERY hard to find.

 

Love the Camaro over always wanted a 69 gorgeous car

 

true, but you would be surprised, when i sold mine just a month ago there were 4 centennial editions just like mine for sale.
needless to say after almost 2 months of advertisement i got within 3k of my original asking price. the frustration wasn't worth seeking out anymore money and the buyer ended up being local which made the transaction a breeze.

trust me i didn't make this decision very easily, at one point i was sure someone would have to bury me in the car!
but live goes on, priorities change there will always be another car.

 

Yes, brings me back to my youth! What a car!

 

Obsidian is much nicer. It's such a deep rich black.

Nebula Gray looks far too flat