Greetings all:thumbsup: ,
This thread will end up being a little long, but will serve to let you all know my first impression of my brand new 2007 C6 plus the mods I put on her.
So the day finally came, May 30th 2007. I graduated from the United States Air Force Academy... hands down the greatest day of my life so far (still not married and no children, so those are yet to come). For 12 years now, my father has been promising me that if I graduated from the Air Force Academy, he would buy me a new Corvette. After all my outprocessing was done, I hopped into my Ford Focus and began the 50 mile drive north from Colorado Springs to Denver. The anticipation was palpable, I couldn't get home fast enough! When I rounded the corner and pulled into my driveway, there she was! My New Vette!!!
The most beautiful thing I'd ever seen... brand new, perfectly washed, 16 miles on it (from dad driving it home from the dealership)
She's a 2007 C6 Z51 with Manual Transmission. Lemans Blue with chrome rims and two-tone titanium/ebony interior. 3LT package with everything.
MSRP was $56,310... we got the dealer down to $51,000 even so not a bad deal (thanks Len Lyall Chevrolet in Denver!).
So... my first impressions:
When I first sat in it I was impressed with the ingress/egress of the car. Despite how low it sits, its not terribly difficult to maneuver in and out of. Although my foot does keep bumping into the lower part of the door and leaving smudges... I have to buy some Adam's Products to clean her up.
When I first turned it on, I was dissapointed. It didn't 'jump to life' like I was expecting... no muscle car rumble:down: (thats alright though, I already had a solution for this in store... more on that later
artyon: ) In fact, the car sounded really docile... My mother's 350Z had more of a sports car sound.
Taking it out for the first drive was simple. The clutch was easy to handle the six speed was smoother than any manual transmission I've ever handled... no need for an aftermarket shifter, this one works just fine. Driving with the Z51 package was not as bad as I was expecting. Yeah, you feel all the potholes and seams in the road, but the seats are comfortable enough that you don't notice it too much. I wish the turning radius was better, but I'll live.
The only problem I've had is that after I parked on a hill and had to pull the e-brake real tight to stay put, my car has smelled like burning brakes... made me a little nervous....:huh:
The interior amenities are great while driving!
Everything is driver-centric. The heads up display is a wonderful asset, the gauges are easy to read and pop at you. The Driver Information Center provides a wealth of information that I've never had on any car I've owned. I'm still trying to learn how to use the navigation and program all the XM radio features, but that will come with time. I wish there was more interior storage space (in the cockpit) but I'll live, there is more than enough behind me in the hatch-back. Actually, I've already taken it golfing and have had no issues whatsoever with storage space.
The roof comes off easily and stores without any problems and still leaves a decent amount of space for groceries or other small items. Its light enough that one person can do, but the latches are sturdy enough that you know it isn't going anywhere.
Since I've been driving around, i get the Corvette Wave all the time! Talked to a few other C6's and C5's at stoplights and shared compliments. What a great brotherhood we have here!!:thumbsup:
Gas Mileage - I've averaged 17.5 MPG so far, but that is largely because I've been giving friends and family rides in it and they keep begging me to punch it:laughing: I'm sure once the hype dies down I'll get mileage in the 21 - 22 range. Filled up for the first time today with 91 Octane premium, cost me $51:spanked:
Insurance won't be too bad... about $700 every six months through state farm.
I hate parking this thing... :spanked: its soooooo low that I am nervous about bumping every curb and end up leaving my rear end sticking out too far most of the time. Guess I just have to get used to it:huh:
THE MODS -
Here's what I have in the order I installed them:
- K&N Aircharger
- Immediate impression was a quicker throttle response, more agressive engine note, and the car has a quicker SOTP feel. Very pleased with this $300 purchase, would recommend it to anyone. I might be upgrading to Halltech's Killer Bee setup soon
artyon: Installation of the K&N took literally 20 minutes with nothing but a flathead screwdriver. No problems whatsoever with fitting it or anything being loose. It is perfect!
- Borla Stinger CatBack:thumbsup: - Aside from burning the crap out of my left thumb trying to get a bolt off I had little problem with it. As I said above, I was dissapointed with how the car sounded just turning it on, so I decided to purchase an exhasut that would make it sound like a muscle car. Installation took two people, we had the car on the lift for exactly 88 minutes and did it without any professional help. Simple bolt on installation, everything lined up right and now that its on, it sounds AMAZING!!!!! I would recommend the Borla Stinger to anyone who wants an agressive idle, Raucous wide open throttle sound, but not drone at highway speeds. My assumption (based on SOTP feel is that the CatBack with the K&N got me about 12 more horsepower...)
- CAGS Skipshift eliminator - took 30 seconds to install, now I control what my car does.
Next on the plate is a set of LG Headers, High Flow Cats, and X-Pipe... got to save some money first.
Bottom line is, I love this car... It is the sexiest vehicle on the road in my opinion, I get thumbs ups all the time when I'm driving, always puts a huge smile on my face. There are a few minor issues, like the turning radius and the e-brake smell. But for what I need right now, this car is a dream come true.
Sorry this was so long, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to PM me.
Take care, all!
Mike:thumbsup:
P.S. If there's any vetters in the South Denver area that want to get together for a cruise, let me know and we'll set something up!
