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Some questions for the C6 crowd... (From a Jeep owner...)
UPDATE: POST #30
Hey guys,
I joined some time ago when I was looking to purchase another vehicle and to research the Corvette. About 7 months ago I sold my 05 Saleen which I loved and purchased a beautiful modified wrangler. I love the truck a lot but there is something that just pushes me to own a performance car again. Don't get me wrong, the utility of a Jeep is great and all but there is something that just pulls me to a C6.
Now... I'm playing with the idea of putting the Jeep up for sale. Luckily I will probably get the same amount I paid for it back (They hold their value really well). But I have some questions:
1. The Targa top... How hard is it to put on and off? Can one person do it pretty easily? I love convertible vehicles but hate soft tops so it sounds like the targa top is a win win for me. Just wondering how much hassle it is to remove and put back on.
2. Being 6'3, the headroom is always an issue when it comes to cars. In the Saleen I was 100% fine but the 05+ mustangs are built like F150's inside. I heard that one of the tops has more headroom than the other...is it the all glass top or the painted metal hard top?
3. I live in South Florida, how will I be with an all glass top for a daily driver? It can get fairly hot around here, is the top tinted enough to keep most of the sun out?
4. When i start looking, I will go for an 05-08. I know the 08 got the LS3, and the 05 had the worse off transmission (automatics). I would love to find an 08 in my price range but I just want to know if I will be missing a lot if I go for an 06-07. The options do not really matter as even the Jeep doesn't have power windows and I'm 100% ok with that.
5. When it comes to the automatic, how many of you guys honestly use the paddle shifters? Are they pretty useless? Is the ECU smart enough to keep you from downshifting into first when going 90 so you don't blow it up when using the shifters?
6. Manuals... I used to have an older mustang GT and it had a cable clutch. I had nothing but issues with that car. Now the Saleen used a hydraulic clutch and it was beautiful and rode like a dream. Is the corvette the same way?
7. MPG... not really worried about it but I always see claims of people getting 30mpg. How realistic is 23-24mpg when going 80mph? Am I out of my mind or is this 100% realistic?
Thank you guys in advance for replying to my questions. I have only driven a C6 on a test drive (Auto 07) but do not remember much about it except that it felt quick. I'm 29 and honestly hoping to own a Vette before I get married/kids etc.
Whatever came over me, I bought a 2007 Wrangler Sahara and it was a sweet looking Jeep. After having it for just over 2 years, I sold it with less than 2,000 more miles than I bought it.
Never understood what compelled me to buy a Jeep, but the Vette is where it's at!!
Thanks, yep its definitely a mall crawler Mainly use it to cruise to the beach etc or take my jet ski out. Trying to stay at the low level of the C6's and not put much money into the next car purchase. The Z06's are all hard tops (out), the GS is $$$ and I definitely do not want a "convertible". Mainly looking for a hard top convertible (targa).
Whatever came over me, I bought a 2007 Wrangler Sahara and it was a sweet looking Jeep. After having it for just over 2 years, I sold it with less than 2,000 more miles than I bought it.
Never understood what compelled me to buy a Jeep, but the Vette is where it's at!!
I hear you. They are great cars but going from a sports car takes some getting used to. Not to mention MPG is suffering drastically with the highway driving I do (13ish due to lift/tires). Did you have the 2 or 4 door?
I bought a 99 TJ for DD....the top on my C5 is easy for one person....my wife can remove and replace hers by herself....dunno why some people have a hard time...
the Lexan tops do make it hot inside....nice in the fall but not so much in July...lets face it though it can be hot anytime here in FLA
I bought a 99 TJ for DD....the top on my C5 is easy for one person....my wife can remove and replace hers by herself....dunno why some people have a hard time...
the Lexan tops do make it hot inside....nice in the fall but not so much in July...lets face it though it can be hot anytime here in FLA
I bought a 99 TJ for DD....the top on my C5 is easy for one person....my wife can remove and replace hers by herself....dunno why some people have a hard time...
the Lexan tops do make it hot inside....nice in the fall but not so much in July...lets face it though it can be hot anytime here in FLA
Thank you. I hear ya, how far south are you in Florida? The Jeep is great but putting the top back on is not a 5 min job. To fully enjoy it I have to make sure the weather is likely to stay clear for the next few days ha!
Keep the Jeep... I'm not 6'3 but someone will chime in to help you with that... I have a 2008 Coupe - automatic... Absolutely love the car ... removing roof always do with the wife...S/C and changed appearance a little... I have the best of both worlds I think... Here is my babies !!!
Thank you. I hear ya, how far south are you in Florida? The Jeep is great but putting the top back on is not a 5 min job. To fully enjoy it I have to make sure the weather is likely to stay clear for the next few days ha!
I'm up Tampa way....I have a TrekTop NX....and yes its not a 5 minute job but its not as bad as I thought....I just expect to get wet at some point
im 6'8, its a close fit on headroom with my painted top. I have no issues removing the top by myself. I never use my paddle shifters on my automatic GS. Gas mileage is about 25 miles a gallon.
I sold my highly modified CJ when I bought my C6 in 07. The Jeep was too nice to take in the mud so it was just for cruising. The Vette is a hell of a lot better cruiser than a Jeep.
I prefer the auto and seldom use the paddle shift.
LJ
I'm 5'11" and old. I can remove the top by myself but I prefer help. It's sort of a balancing act to get it off and put down somewhere.
Gas mileage at 80 will be a little better than you stated ... maybe 27 or so, as long as you don't "punch" it too often.
I fit in my car quite well, but 6'3" might be about the upper limit, especially if you're stocky. But at my height, it's perfect ... I probably have a couple inches of head room
I've used the paddles a few times just to play with, but it's really nothing like a stick shift. But I do drive in the S position most of the time ... the shift points are different from D, plus it learns your driving habits, and will change accordingly. That's a nice feature. And yes, it's smart enough to keep you from downshifting to too low a gear. It will only go so far regardless of what you do. And there's an upper rev limiter too (I think at about 6500 ... never found out).
Not sure about the glass top since I don't have one, but it's got a great A/C to keep you cool. And I would assume that the glass filters UV as well.
Go get a C6. They may be cheaper than you think. I bought my '09 two years ago, when it was 3 years old and only 12K miles, and paid $36K for it. It's got Z51 suspension, HUD, and several other options (but it's the base 1LT trim). Your first major purchase for the car will most likely be new tires.
I have 2 jeeps, one is a '14 wrangler unlimited dragon edition and a '14 grand Cherokee overland diesel, plus a c6 and a c7. It can be quite a shock going from vette to jeep. My wrangler feels like a bus compared to the vette and the grand Cherokee feels like a cushy suv. It does take some getting used to. Between all of that and also my BMW I find myself sitting in the car having to think about how to get going. The wrangler needs a key, the Cherokee is push button start, both vettes are as well and the BMW needs the key plugged into the dash, never mind trying to figure out how to set up the Bluetooth in each car
The jeeps are my winter rides and the vette is my daily driver in the summer, well that's my plan so far. Despite the fun handling and speed of a vette (and it is nice), a jeep with the too down and doors off is an equally amazing summer drive. Plus with a jeep I can take friends or a dog
That is a nice jeep, if it was me I would keep it, but I also like offroading so if that were my jeep I would have that in the woods testing those tires and lift kit
1. The Targa top... How hard is it to put on and off? Can one person do it pretty easily? I love convertible vehicles but hate soft tops so it sounds like the targa top is a win win for me. Just wondering how much hassle it is to remove and put back on.
Small people with short arms would have a little bit of trouble, but just about anyone else could do it without any trouble. A little easier to take off than put on, but not much.
5. When it comes to the automatic, how many of you guys honestly use the paddle shifters? Are they pretty useless? Is the ECU smart enough to keep you from downshifting into first when going 90 so you don't blow it up when using the shifters?
The paddle shifters won't let you go into a gear that the car can't handle. I like the paddles, but only use them about 1/4 of the time in town. Almost never use them on the interstate.
7. MPG... not really worried about it but I always see claims of people getting 30mpg. How realistic is 23-24mpg when going 80mph? Am I out of my mind or is this 100% realistic?
My LS2 C6s got about 28.5 MPG at 75 MPH on I-24 in TN, which has a lot of hills. My LS3s only got about 27 MPG on that same stretch of interstate at 75 MPH. All of them got about 15 MPG in town with a small amount of paddle shifter use. With about 75% paddler shifter use, I only get about 12-13 MPG.
I'm up Tampa way....I have a TrekTop NX....and yes its not a 5 minute job but its not as bad as I thought....I just expect to get wet at some point
I hear you. On the JK the clockspring is the scary part. Just have to make sure the steering wheel and airbag never get wet or there will be trouble
Originally Posted by Corvettelove
im 6'8, its a close fit on headroom with my painted top. I have no issues removing the top by myself. I never use my paddle shifters on my automatic GS. Gas mileage is about 25 miles a gallon.
Thank you for the response, I guess my height will not be an issue.
Originally Posted by LarryMJones
I sold my highly modified CJ when I bought my C6 in 07. The Jeep was too nice to take in the mud so it was just for cruising. The Vette is a hell of a lot better cruiser than a Jeep.
I prefer the auto and seldom use the paddle shift.
LJ
Thanks for the response. That is the thing with these Jeep's, its not easy to throw it in the mud and not worry. I take excellent care of my vehicles. I do a lot of highway driving so something with better road manners would be ideal.
Originally Posted by RocketDawg
I'm 5'11" and old. I can remove the top by myself but I prefer help. It's sort of a balancing act to get it off and put down somewhere.
Gas mileage at 80 will be a little better than you stated ... maybe 27 or so, as long as you don't "punch" it too often.
I fit in my car quite well, but 6'3" might be about the upper limit, especially if you're stocky. But at my height, it's perfect ... I probably have a couple inches of head room
I've used the paddles a few times just to play with, but it's really nothing like a stick shift. But I do drive in the S position most of the time ... the shift points are different from D, plus it learns your driving habits, and will change accordingly. That's a nice feature. And yes, it's smart enough to keep you from downshifting to too low a gear. It will only go so far regardless of what you do. And there's an upper rev limiter too (I think at about 6500 ... never found out).
Not sure about the glass top since I don't have one, but it's got a great A/C to keep you cool. And I would assume that the glass filters UV as well.
Go get a C6. They may be cheaper than you think. I bought my '09 two years ago, when it was 3 years old and only 12K miles, and paid $36K for it. It's got Z51 suspension, HUD, and several other options (but it's the base 1LT trim). Your first major purchase for the car will most likely be new tires.
Thanks for the quick response and covering my questions. I figure with the small cabin space the AC should work very well in the corvette so glad to hear it does. Seems to be a solid car overall, I used to have an Escalade so I know how reliable the 6.0 liter chevrolet engines are.
Originally Posted by VetteGirlMA
I have 2 jeeps, one is a '14 wrangler unlimited dragon edition and a '14 grand Cherokee overland diesel, plus a c6 and a c7. It can be quite a shock going from vette to jeep. My wrangler feels like a bus compared to the vette and the grand Cherokee feels like a cushy suv. It does take some getting used to. Between all of that and also my BMW I find myself sitting in the car having to think about how to get going. The wrangler needs a key, the Cherokee is push button start, both vettes are as well and the BMW needs the key plugged into the dash, never mind trying to figure out how to set up the Bluetooth in each car
The jeeps are my winter rides and the vette is my daily driver in the summer, well that's my plan so far. Despite the fun handling and speed of a vette (and it is nice), a jeep with the too down and doors off is an equally amazing summer drive. Plus with a jeep I can take friends or a dog
That is a nice jeep, if it was me I would keep it, but I also like offroading so if that were my jeep I would have that in the woods testing those tires and lift kit
I hear you on the Jeep part. Unfortunately South Florida does not have any mountains to explore or woods to drive through. All the offroading here is basically mud which only equals to a full day of cleaning etc. The Jeep is a great truck for cruising with no doors or top that is for sure. Luckily there is no winter here so the need for a real "Jeep" is not something I have. I just like it because it is fun to cruise around with friends etc. How are you liking the dragon edition? Does yours have the leather seat option?
Hey Jim, answering your PM in here since your inbox is full. The pic was taken in Wynwood near downtown Miami. I believe the cross streets for this particular wall were 21st st and 2nd ave. If you get a chance, google "original gangster wall" wynwood and it should come right up.
There is an aftermarket cover for the clear top sold by Top Flight Reproductions. It is held on by suction cups for those hot days and comes off in 2 pieces.
Auto tranny is great for the mountains when using the paddles.
I do average about 25mpg with my GS cruising at 80 which the engine is barely breathing.
1. The Targa top... How hard is it to put on and off? Can one person do it pretty easily? I love convertible vehicles but hate soft tops so it sounds like the targa top is a win win for me. Just wondering how much hassle it is to remove and put back on.
It is very easy to remove/install the top, but it does take up a lot of room in the back.
3. I live in South Florida, how will I be with an all glass top for a daily driver? It can get fairly hot around here, is the top tinted enough to keep most of the sun out?
I have the solid top and would suggest that over the tinted one in FL.
6. Manuals... I used to have an older mustang GT and it had a cable clutch. I had nothing but issues with that car. Now the Saleen used a hydraulic clutch and it was beautiful and rode like a dream. Is the corvette the same way?
Yes, hydraulic clutch. I would suggest upgrading the shifter though. Also the clutch fluid has to be flushed/changed pretty often.
7. MPG... not really worried about it but I always see claims of people getting 30mpg. How realistic is 23-24mpg when going 80mph? Am I out of my mind or is this 100% realistic?
You can get pretty good MPG if you can go easy on the loud pedal. I am averaging 18-19 MPG over 9K in a 13 GS M6. Mixed driving, but I do like to lit it rip at least once every trip. My best tankful got me 23 MPG on a straight hwy run.
08-14-2014, 08:15 PM
Some questions for the C6 crowd... (From a Jeep owner...)
Mainly use it to cruise to the beach etc or take my jet ski out. Trying to stay at the low level of the C6's and not put much money into the next car purchase. The Z06's are all hard tops (out), the GS is $$$ and I definitely do not want a "convertible". Mainly looking for a hard top convertible (targa).
