I have been hanging with the Florida Corvette Club for a few years, often taking shots of Corvettes (sample set from the Coke Zero 400 pre-race parade) and sometimes driving for an absent owner during a show. My father has owned a C2 (which he gave up when I was born ) and a C4 prior, now owning both a C3 ('77) and C5 ('99).
Well my wife and I finally pulled the trigger became first-time Corvette owners on Black Friday. We had become completely debt-free this past month, owning our house and both of our "commute" vehicles outright. So we re-instated some debt by financing half of our new Corvette, paying the other half in cash and with a Mustang Convertible (our previous "pleasure" vehicle, and only a V6) in trade (good riddens!). Our insurance premiums actually came down almost $100/year going to the Corvette if you can believe that.
Our new, 2009 C6 is nothing to speak of versus most owners. It's the base model 1LT, with nothing more than the Z51 + dual-exhaust added. I love the base Corvette electronics, more than what I'm used to in other cars (and I'm not spending my money on a lackluster performing luxury). May see about getting the HUD installed in the future (even though I hear the 1LT/2LT windshield won't be as sharp as the 3LT/4LT package windshields reflecting it). And that stock (w/dual-exhaust) 436hp is more than enough to throw it sideways with a less experienced driver like myself, so I am quite content to enjoy "acceleration in moderation." I know I'll never hit the 0-60 in 4.1s or the top speed of 186, but I hope to get to "open it up" to 120+ on a track at some point (leaving the traction on, of course).
And what a package it is for the price! No wonder they stopped offering the Z51! Our brother-in-law has been an engineer with GM since the mid '90s, working on transmission design (first in Ann Arbor, now in Pontiac). So the combo of the massive GMS discount (almost $7K on this base+options, plus no dealer fees), plus the $5K (+$500 if you sign away the 60 day return policy -- I mean, who would return a Vette? ) on a new, but "aged" 2009 model was too hard to pass up.
Aesthetically speaking, the Cyber Gray Metallic + Ebony interior on the Coupe is an excellent combination. It melds well with everything, including the windshield posts, as well as the red in the emblems and either red or silver in the lettering. It just looks outstanding, and I'm planning on trying to match up some emblems and silver/carbon fiber/cyber gray metallic lines for some added touches. And for us wanna-be Z06 (or ZR1 for that matter) owners, I noted West Coast Corvette (WCC) is planning to offer a Corvette Billet Z51 Badge in mid-December (Chevy's approval pending). I pre-ordered a pair to place where the badging on the Z06 (and SR1) are located.
I cannot believe they are selling far more Camaro units, and typically loaded SS configurations with common mark-ups to $38-40K, when the base Corvette 1LT is not much more at $48K (before the great rebates on the 2009). While it made for a better deal for myself (especially with GMS, which gives almost nothing for Camaro), I still hope people would buy them more Corvettes to keep the manufacturing numbers up. I get more looks driving my new C6 than when I rented a 2LS package (IIRC) V6 Camaro from Avis a few months back.
And with that, you've probably noted I'm quite verbose. I'll try to keep it to a minimum in future posts until I get a better feel for the board. Thank you for having me!
Welcome to the Forum Bryan and CONGRATULATIONS on your new vette and being debt free(well almost). A base C6 is better than most any other car and is awesome to own and drive. Enjoy that sweet new ride and your time here on the forum.
At the expense of the board, I'll share a little more story ...
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Originally Posted by mrmtrtrnd
Welcome to the Forum Bryan and CONGRATULATIONS on your new vette and being debt free(well almost).
My wife and I decided that if we waited another year or two to build up the cae to pay for it outright (we have enough, but being a consultant with various work status at times, I like to have 2-3x cash the cost on-hand when I buy anything like this), the deals might be more and not exactly what we wanted. It was just too hard to pass up with the GMS + rebates, let alone it was the base exact 1LT + Z51 + dual-exhaust I wanted for the price and her favorite color.
NOTE: I'm still partial to that Jetstream Blue, but this Cyber Gray Metallic + Ebony Vinyl matches any Red, Silver and/or Carbon Mesh in trim, accessories, etc... I still cannot believe how well the C6 Emblem just melds with the color, something I didn't realize until I saw it first hand. So I do have to say I like that more than I thought I liked the contrast of the Red in the emblem, on the front calipers of the Z51, etc... against the Jetstream Blue body. It will just probably fade a little more in the Florida sun (so I'm keeping it covered and cleaning out my garage this holiday so it'll fit there).
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrmtrtrnd
A base C6 is better than most any other car and is awesome to own and drive.
And boy if that isn't an understatement!
In fact, we didn't start out by saying, "hey, let's buy a Corvette this year." But, ironically enough, the base Corvette is the ultimate "pleasure" vehicle that is unbeatable on price for what you get standard -- under the hood and in the cockpit.
We wanted to get rid of our Mustang Convertible before we lost any more value on it. It got worse gas mileage (at only a V6) and there were many things we just didn't care about it. Our brother-in-law and his wife were pushing the GMS discounts again (God I feel for them, as even his blood brother bought a Toyota Rav4! We at least buy American in my extended family, Ford and GM, and we're just in-laws). If you can believe it we started out looking at some fuel-efficient sedans from GM and subsidaries, trying to be "conservative." When those were $25-30K for just a basic electronics package (and still $20-25K after GMS+rebates), we toyed with buying a Camaro again. But the Camaros are high demand and dealers price them well above sticker (let alone they are full packages, especially on the SS with the same 6.2L).
So then I started looking at used C5 and C6 Corvettes. Once I saw how much the GMS was and the rebates on select, new 2009s Corvettes, we forgot everything else. Found the exact package I wanted up in Tallahassee some 5 hours away and we made a day trip. They were willing to deliver, but we wanted to see it and be able to "walk away" if our "thrifty conscience" kicked in. Well, the rest is history.
Not to plug, but the dealer I purchased from was Champion Chevrolet in Tallahassee. I was a bit worried because they weren't BBB members and they had a "F" rating because they didn't respond to half of their inquiries. However, of the ones they did respond to, they were all, 100% "resolved" (and not just "every reason effort was made to resolve"). And they had less inquiries than most dealerships, only seven (7) in three (3) years, and only two (2) in the past year. Their used lot next door also had a B-, with only two (2) inquiries over the last three (3) years, both "resolved." And they were not a small dealership either. Given some of the "respected" dealers in greater central Florida even have a "F" because they just fail to respond to an inqury from the BBB or two, we decided to take a chance.
When we arrived they were extremely reasonable at all points of the deal, especially since I had GMS (which is cheaper than they get). Their sales person was also extremely prompt with getting back on trade and real numbers, and on-point. E.g., at one point I had another salesperson at another dealer ask me if our Mustang Convertible trade-in had a sunroof (duh, it's a convertible?) after about 5-6 exchanges. This sales person had only 2 exchanges before he got me numbers, minimizing my interruptions while I was at my client during the Thanksgiving week. On-site they worked with us to make it happen, given that we wanted a few things, and we met where it benefited both of us, especially, again, we had GMS. I had some dealers refused to do GMS for a 1LT or 2LT package, as it kills all their profit (and that is left to basically the trade).
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Originally Posted by mrmtrtrnd
Enjoy that sweet new ride and your time here on the forum.
Thanx! We definitely will. I'll mostly "lurk" on the forum here for awhile, and get a "feel" for the board. But God knows this purchase has made me an even bigger Corvette, because it's just way too much car for the money versus anything else in a supercar (let alone far lesser cars).
-- Bryan
P.S. I cannot stress enough for those who are going to finance to always walk into the finance (after all the other negotiations) with a pre-approved loan from your bank, CU or elsewhere. When we had those numbers the finance person was able to beat them even further (by another 0.35%) from the exact same bank (which we trust). It's always a nice "nudge" to the financial person you're working with to have that in your pocket when it comes to get an even better rate, and possibly working with a bank you trust (as long as they are local to the dealer and they work with them).
Welcome to the Forum
My wife and I checked put an 09 Cyber Grey 3LT last Sunday, but decided it wasn't the right time. Child support and High school with a little more than a year to go.
Ended up seeing an 09 Pontiac G8 down the street that we took home with us. Not quite the Vette that I wanted, but it gives me something to look forward to in the near future.
__________________ 2006 Black/Ebony, 3LT, Z51, MXO, C2L, QG7, Corsa Sports,VaraRam, TB Spacer Semper Fi !!!!
"Warriors run to the battle , not from it. We would rather die in battle than live a long and timid life, cowered and afraid." Spc. David Mitchell, Army National Guard
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1st Timer Owners: Cyber Gray 2009 1LT w/Z51 + dual-exhaust ...
) and a C4 prior, now owning both a C3 ('77) and C5 ('99).
A base C6 is better than most any other car and is awesome to own and drive. Enjoy that sweet new ride and your time here on the forum. 
Congratulations & Welcome to the Corvette Forum!! 
