Automotive

First Summer Car - C6 Corvette

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Dec 21, 2013
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OP - pony up a bit more and get the C6 Z06.

Also, as a fellow motorcycle enthusiast - Manual. You might regret not doing it..

A simple wheel swap and the car looks gorgeous.. with power to boot!

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Dec 10, 2007
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Arviat
Great choice. I read somewhere there are 4 cars you have to drive in order to truly experience and appreciate what handling is all about - 911, Miata, Mini Cooper, and Corvette.
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Mar 7, 2017
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OP, if you haven't seen all of the topgear footage of Jeremy and the various Vets, take a look!
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Jul 20, 2012
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Guelph
They're a great car. I purchased an 07 Z06 in 2015. I've taken it on road trips to the States. You'd be amazed how much storage the car has. Good luck in your search.
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Apr 17, 2016
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Thanks so much everyone! All very encouraging responses and have only gotten me more excited for the search! I spoke with a couple owners at a car show last summer and they said even the consumables on these cars aren’t super expensive - brakes, tires, clutch - compared to similar performance cars, which is encouraging.

I will definitely be keeping my daily driver for the winter and rainy days. Any opinions on coupe vs convertible? Pretty sold on the manual transmission, I was trying to justify the auto but I would definitely regret it. I’ve driven only auto my whole life, but I have the fundamentals from riding a motorcycle and rented a car on my honeymoon with a manual and it went pretty smoothly.

Performance wise I think the Z06 from that era and the Viper would be more evenly matched so I’ll take a look at those for comparison sake as well.

I’ve noticed the interiors seem pretty spartan and a lot of the cars for sale I’ve seen have different headunits. Most also come with the Corsa exhaust which seems to be the most popular sounding piping outside of the two stage stock exhaust on later models.
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Shanetodd wrote: Any opinions on coupe vs convertible?
You're already leaning towards performance (I assume the MT is better performing than the AT). My thinking is, unless the car has a carbon fibre tub, the convertible version is gonna take a big hit in performance, so I'd go for the coupe (bonus is it'll cost less as well, and I think the vette comes w/ a ragtop? That's not as appealing imo).
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Shanetodd wrote: Thanks so much everyone! All very encouraging responses and have only gotten me more excited for the search! I spoke with a couple owners at a car show last summer and they said even the consumables on these cars aren’t super expensive - brakes, tires, clutch - compared to similar performance cars, which is encouraging.

I will definitely be keeping my daily driver for the winter and rainy days. Any opinions on coupe vs convertible? Pretty sold on the manual transmission, I was trying to justify the auto but I would definitely regret it. I’ve driven only auto my whole life, but I have the fundamentals from riding a motorcycle and rented a car on my honeymoon with a manual and it went pretty smoothly.

Performance wise I think the Z06 from that era and the Viper would be more evenly matched so I’ll take a look at those for comparison sake as well.

I’ve noticed the interiors seem pretty spartan and a lot of the cars for sale I’ve seen have different headunits. Most also come with the Corsa exhaust which seems to be the most popular sounding piping outside of the two stage stock exhaust on later models.
Convertible for show, coupe for go. If you ever thing you'd want to track it, then for sure coupe. I think it looks nicer too.
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Jan 27, 2004
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ellesdad wrote: Great choice. I read somewhere there are 4 cars you have to drive in order to truly experience and appreciate what handling is all about - 911, Miata, Mini Cooper, and Corvette.
The mini cooper is great.. I used to take out a mini convertible back when I had a ZIPCAR membership and it was super fun and amazing to drive.
But really? A FWD car made that list? I don't doubt it. But I'd love to see the article!
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UrbanPoet wrote: The mini cooper is great.. I used to take out a mini convertible back when I had a ZIPCAR membership and it was super fun and amazing to drive.
But really? A FWD car made that list? I don't doubt it. But I'd love to see the article!
MINI is one of the best handling FWD cars out there. A friend of mine had a methanol injected MINI, with 255 slicks all around, aero, etc. That thing hauled!
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Feb 19, 2004
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Reading this thread brought back memories of my '96 LT4 Vette. I bought it when I was 27 but had to sell sell once the kids arrived. Was only being driven it a couple of times a year towards the end but it was blast to own. I invested way too much in mods, got the HP from 330 stock to 452 with a stroker. Never got any of it back on the sale. I think I was all in at $50K and sold it for $16K after 11 years of ownership.
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Jan 12, 2008
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TDot
Shanetodd wrote: I will definitely be keeping my daily driver for the winter and rainy days. Any opinions on coupe vs convertible?
Convertible no doubt, this is a summer car after all.

Who cares about the weight penalty with 400hp? I never knew what the big deal was until I rented a convertible in Florida, awesome experience.
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Mar 17, 2006
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+1 on getting the convertible. There's no better feeling than driving top down. Full 360 degree unobstructed view around you. The rumble of the exhaust like it's right next to you. The illusion of speed and the wind in your hair more than makes up for the little loss of power you inherently get when you choose the convertible over the coupe.
I wouldn't get a rag top as a daily driver. But as a summer car for sure.
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guessguy wrote: Reading this thread brought back memories of my '96 LT4 Vette. I bought it when I was 27 but had to sell sell once the kids arrived. Was only being driven it a couple of times a year towards the end but it was blast to own. I invested way too much in mods, got the HP from 330 stock to 452 with a stroker. Never got any of it back on the sale. I think I was all in at $50K and sold it for $16K after 11 years of ownership.
Time for an newer gen SS Camaro... its kinda (not really just sorta) like a corvette... i’m sure the kids can fit in the 2 back seats... lol
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IndusVally wrote: I also eventually want to get a C5 or C6 Vette.

Just wondering if there are any known serious issues with these generations..
Yes, one major issue with the c5/c6 manual transmission is a poorly designed and engineered clutch slave cylinder. It will leak eventually and require the labour of a clutch job for a simple $100-200 part. Most people get 100k or so out of them but if they are tracked, the cylinders could wear out a lot faster. Test drive them and ensure the clutch always rebounds without any lag. Unfortunately there's no easy way to tell the percentage of life left on one. You can also check to make sure no brake fluid is leaking from the bell housing. But usually if that's the case, the clutch would be sticking/not fully rebounding already.
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Apr 30, 2013
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King City
After reading this thread I would love to get my hands on a C6 Z06 as it's more in reach than C7.

Enjoy OP and let us know what you end up getting.
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Apr 17, 2016
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Well, I finally did it. 2007 C6 w/ 70,xxx km on the clock, Z51 performance package and 3LT trim in LeMans Blue.

Took a lot of looking to find one for a decent price with the options I wanted without pretty serious accident claims - so much searching in fact I purchased this one 5 hours away.

I did get it in manual because I knew I would regret it if I didn’t. It was a fun drive home, learning to drive a manual transmission on a 400/400 HP/TQ car but with my background on bikes, it wasn’t too long before I was comfortable. I even got to attend a local car meet and had a great time this weekend!

To be honest, for a 93 octane V8, it’s been surprisingly decent on gas so far as a bonus!
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Last edited by Shanetodd on Jun 24th, 2019 8:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Shanetodd wrote: Well, I finally did it. 2007 C6 w/ 70,xxx km on the clock, Z51 performance package and 3LT trim in LeMans Blue.

Took a lot of looking to find one for a decent price with the options I wanted without pretty serious accident claims - so much searching in fact I purchased this one 5 hours away.

I did get it in manual because I knew I would regret it. It was a fun drive home, learning to drive a manual transmission on a 400/400 HP/TQ car but with my background on bikes, it wasn’t too long before I was comfortable. I even got to attend a local car meet and had a great time this weekend!

To be honest, for a 93 octane V8, it’s been surprisingly decent on gas so far as a bonus!
Nice whip man! Congrats!!!!!!!!!!!
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Shanetodd wrote: Well, I finally did it. 2007 C6 w/ 70,xxx km on the clock, Z51 performance package and 3LT trim in LeMans Blue.

Took a lot of looking to find one for a decent price with the options I wanted without pretty serious accident claims - so much searching in fact I purchased this one 5 hours away.

I did get it in manual because I knew I would regret it. It was a fun drive home, learning to drive a manual transmission on a 400/400 HP/TQ car but with my background on bikes, it wasn’t too long before I was comfortable. I even got to attend a local car meet and had a great time this weekend!

To be honest, for a 93 octane V8, it’s been surprisingly decent on gas so far as a bonus!
Nice!, how much did you pay for it?
If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.
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Dec 14, 2006
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Shanetodd wrote: Well, I finally did it. 2007 C6 w/ 70,xxx km on the clock, Z51 performance package and 3LT trim in LeMans Blue.

Took a lot of looking to find one for a decent price with the options I wanted without pretty serious accident claims - so much searching in fact I purchased this one 5 hours away.

I did get it in manual because I knew I would regret it. It was a fun drive home, learning to drive a manual transmission on a 400/400 HP/TQ car but with my background on bikes, it wasn’t too long before I was comfortable. I even got to attend a local car meet and had a great time this weekend!

To be honest, for a 93 octane V8, it’s been surprisingly decent on gas so far as a bonus!
Gratz on your new wheels!
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Jan 15, 2006
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Lemans Blue!!!

Love it.

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