So I (finally) test drove a C6 Corvette (no one in town had one that was a manual except for z06 or zr1).

I loved the drive even though I couldn't push it because there are cops everywhere for the 4th of July holiday. I was considering buying new because of the 0% financing offer plus I get the GM supplier discount, so I could get a well equipped coupe for about $48k and 0% financing.

The one I drove was a used 2008 Corvette 3LT. 42,000 miles. A few options (6-disc changer with XM tuner, bose sound system, roof package with interchangeable body color and translucent roof panels, dunno if the HUD is standard on the 3LT but it had that as well). Minor cosmetic issues like the interior trim around the doors is scraped up a little bit, missing floor mats, tint on the rear window is bubbling a little bit. Also there some scratches on the exterior in the clear coat, but nothing major. The exhaust is not standard and the spec sheet on the car doesn't list the performance exhaust option, so I'm not sure what the deal is there.

I told them I wasn't interested at all unless it came with a real warranty. What they came back with was a (out the door) price of $34,8xx plus a 2-year 24k mile bumper-to-bumper no deductible warranty. I told them to get the carfax report and dealer maintenance history and I would come back tomorrow after I talked to my insurance agent. As I walked out he asked if I would buy it today for $33k and I declined.

Besides having a mechanic look at it to make sure there's nothing screwy under the hood (or the exhaust of unknown origin which is obnoxiously loud), fixing the tint on the rear window, and a thorough detailing, is there anything else I should look into or be concerned about?

I looked up the kbb.com suggested value and the price is in line with the private party price for a good to excellent car, which doesn't take the extra warranty into account. This particular dealer tends to advertise prices close to the "suggested retail" kbb value and then cuts it a few percent when they make you an offer.

Feedback would be greatly appreciated. The car is not on their website because they just got it in or I would have posted a link. They called me to come test drive it as soon as it arrived so they didn't have time to detail and photograph it.

7/1/2010 10:46:49 PM

getchyur money ready

for tires



42k miles in 2 yrs.

aftermarket exhaust

tinted windows...


Pass.

7/1/2010 11:06:36 PM

so is it an automatic?

7/1/2010 11:26:45 PM

Tires were a little worn (they're going to be with 40k miles on them), but nowhere near as badly as some of the other cars I test drove. The 370z I test drove with 6k miles had tires in far worse condition.

^My bad, you probably didn't see my other thread. It's a manual. I had to wait around for a dealer in town to get one on the lot and call me back.

7/1/2010 11:29:17 PM

Lol, there's no way those are the original tires.

7/2/2010 12:00:27 AM

^what does that matter?

7/2/2010 12:04:56 AM

that car has probably been through 4 or 5 sets of tires on the rear already

maybe more

maybe you should do some research besides relying on what "cosmetic issues" you can visibly see


you're just the type of person dealers love

7/2/2010 12:07:17 AM

The only way that car's been through "more than 5 sets" of rear tires in 40k miles is if somebody kept doing burn outs or power slides in it. Nothing wrong with that, the car does them just fine. You're not going to need to put tires on it every week, I'm sure it can make it to every other week.

If this is not a Chevrolet dealer, you can always buy an aftermarket warranty yourself. I'd recommend a z51, but I don't want to feel responsible for your death. Anyway, sounds good. Buy and enjoy I say. Depending on how ridiculous they're getting with discounts, -and I'd normally never say this- but it just might make a bit of sense to buy new, considering you care about the warranty so much. Also, yeah cops are insane, I must've seen 4 people pulled over on a 35 mile stretch of HWY 70.

PS: Go to a track event after you buy it!

7/2/2010 2:07:22 AM

My rule is this. If I get this "uncomfortable feeling" when looking at the car... I pretty much always pass. So much about buying a decent car (not a beater) is feeling good about the experience and not picking up the car and immediately having to deal with a bunch of bs during or right after the sale.

7/2/2010 9:55:34 AM

what are your goals with it? do you want a newer one for any particular reason or just because? do you plan on keeping it a while or just for a year or so?

i mean, if you just want a C6 you can certainly get one a hell of a lot cheaper than that.

7/2/2010 8:23:53 PM

The 2008+ C6's have an LS3 vs the LS2 in the earlier ones (+30hp). I wouldn't mind an older C6 z06 either. It doesn't seem to be much of an issue convincing a dealer to tack on a warranty, which I was pretty happy about. In the end I think I'd like one with a bit less mileage than this one. They're not too hard to find with 1/3 that mileage.

My problem has been finding one with a manual transmission.

7/2/2010 9:38:01 PM

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?ct=p&car_id=281260733&dealer_id=65381683&car_year=2007&rdm=1278127493060&lastStartYear=1981&model=CORV&num_records=25&systime=&make2=&highlightFirstMakeModel=&start_year=2005&keywordsfyc=__ejA2__&keywordsrep=122048054&engine=8%20Cylinder&certified=&body_code=2&fuel=&only_price=1&awsp=false&search_type=used&distance=0&marketZipError=false&search_lang=en&sownerid=79678&showZipError=n&make=CHEV&keywords_display=z06&color=&page_location=findacar%3A%3Aispsearchform&min_price=&body_style=COUPE&drive=2%20wheel%20drive&default_sort=priceASC&seller_type=b&max_mileage=&style_flag=2&sort_type=priceASC&address=27606&advanced=y&only_photo=1&end_year=2007&doors=Two%20Door&transmission=Manual&max_price=&cardist=1058&standard=false

LOL

7/2/2010 11:28:25 PM

Quote :

"dual. subwoofers."

7/2/2010 11:59:42 PM

z06s are bullshit on track.

7/3/2010 12:42:05 AM

Your lucky to get 15k miles out of a set of tires on a 500 hp car. Sorry ahmet.

7/3/2010 1:05:19 AM

Shit, I'd be lucky to get 10k. I go through them at least that fast with an Evo or S2000.

Quote :

"Tires were a little worn (they're going to be with 40k miles on them)"

Ohhh, boy, you're about to be in for a rude awakening if you buy this thing, haha.



Personally, I wouldn't buy a non-Z51 'Vette.



Also, did you get quoted a price before asking for the warranty? Warranty is nice for peace of mind, but like any other form of insurance, you're paying for that peace of mind, and the seller (the dealer, in this case) is statistically making money off of you. Most of the time, you're better off keeping enough cash socked away that you can easily afford to fix things that go wrong with the car--it'll be cheaper in the long run (more often than not) than buying the warranty. As far as I'm concerned, if you can't afford to replace the engine or transmission (much less any of the little stuff), you can't afford the car.


Finally, have you ever owned a sports car before? I'm not saying that to be an asshole or anything...I'm just trying to keep you from getting in over your head (with more performance and more operating costs than you're ready for). Your comment about 40k on the tires leads me to believe that you've never had a sports car of any kind, much less something like a C6 'Vette. You might be better served for a little while with something slightly more modest...and if you're determined to jump into the relative deep end, you should at least realize what you're doing.

7/3/2010 2:07:09 AM

Quote :

"z06s are bullshit on track."

newer corvettes are immensely capable track cars. not sure where are you getting this from. Z06 laps n-ring some 20 sec faster than E92 M3...

7/3/2010 2:56:15 AM

yeah, Z06 is a stud. It is, though, from everything I've read, a demanding and unforgiving car that needs a good driver to really deliver on its capabilities.

7/3/2010 7:07:18 AM

by bullshit i mean stupid fast even with shitty drivers.

7/3/2010 4:54:57 PM

ah, I believe the Evo is about the ultimate example of that.

Want it to rotate? Give it more gas...or brakes...or lift throttle. It's happier than hell either way. Front end pushing wide? Just keep your foot in the gas and steer harder--it'll tighten its line, haha. In fact, you can pretty much just do that all the time--aim it and floor it! If ever in doubt, give it more throttle--the car will sort it out.

(and that's in a IX--no traction control, no stabity control--just great chassis/suspension, and a great awd system with 3 limited slip diffs...I can't even imagine what a X is like, with the computers and AYC interpreting your hamfisted inputs and making the car do what you're clumsily attempting, individually applying power or brakes to each wheel as needed)

7/3/2010 5:06:53 PM