I got it !!!! (UPDATED with pic's)
#1
Team Owner
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Location: Conroe Texas
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CI 1-4-5-8-9-10 Vet
St. Jude Donor '03,'04,'05,'07,08,'09,'10,’17
I got it !!!! (UPDATED with pic's)
Well I picked up my 2008 Coupe at the NCM on Wednesday. I am VERY happy with it. I left Bowling Green at about 2:30 on Wednesday and got home (Houston area) on Thursday night. I know you’ve all read numerous write ups on ’08 ‘s - so, what the heck – why not read one more.
First consider that this is my first C6, and I sold my C5 2.5 years ago, so my memory of it is a little fuzzy. However, my memory is a little fuzzy anyway, but I sure did enjoy the 80’s The other thing to consider is that I thought my C5 (a 2000 FRC) was a great car, so the bar was very high to start with.
The car in general:
Drives great. Rides smooth, steering is very precise. I like the clutch and the shifter (shifter / tranny is a definite improvement over the C5). I was completely comfortable on the 900 mile trip home. The A/C works great. I love all of the bells and whistles. The Z-51 ride is not harsh at all.
I like how they improved the hatch design so that rain water runs into a channel when you raise it, instead of into the cargo area.
Key fob- at first I thought it was gimmicky. Then, when I walked from the motel to my car Thursday morning, with both hands full, I started to reach into my pocket for the key, and then I remembered – suddenly, I was converted to a keyless fob guy. It’s very easy to get used to this convenience.
I noticed the GY tires now have a protective bead, like the Firestones did.
I have the Bose stereo. Although it still is not what it should be, it is MUCH better than the Bose in my 2000 model. Part of the improvement may be due to reduced road noise. My C5 sounded pretty good while parked, but when driving, road noise ate up what little base it had. The C6 Bose is much better at highway speed. I like how the speed compensated volume also compensates for road noise as opposed to only considering speed.
Cornering – haven’t pushed it too much yet. I am taking it slow since I’ve been out of the saddle for 2.5 years. However, my FRC cornered very well. The C6 may not be that much better, but that’s o.k. The C5 was very good.
Looks – love the body style. A definite improvement over my C5. Body panel fit is very good. No squeaks or rattles.
HUD – LOVE it. My C5 didn’t have it.
Steering wheel controls – LOVE them. I was a fan of Dave Hill, but he was wrong on this one.
Paint: The crystal red metallic is beautiful. I believe those who are getting it will not be disappointed. Many of the pics I took appear more orangey than it really is. It is not orangey or maroon. It is a deep cranberry red. Other than the following- the color is even. I did notice that the front and rear facias don’t completely match the rest of the body panels when viewed from certain angles. I will live with it. I have seen this before on other cars. The top matches. There were no “liver spots”, runs, holidays, or pinholes. There is some orange peel but it’s not too bad. Keep in mind, I’m fairly critical of paint. I learned quite a bit about painting cars when restoring my Camaro. Overall, I love this color and I am happy with the paint. The tintcoat makes it look like candy.
The performance: This car is a beast. It blasts off like a rocket. But one thing that is deceptive about it is that with the MN6 Z51’s short gearing and the abundant power, the 1-2 shift comes VERY fast. It’s almost as if you don’t get a chance to enjoy first gear before it’s time to shift. The 2-3 shift comes quickly as well. You really get an appreciation for the car when you wind out 2nd, 3rd , and 4th gears. It’s ability to point and shoot in moderate traffic is unsurpassed. The last 100 miles of my trip was on back roads that I was familiar with. That is where I got to wring the car out. I was VERY impressed. I could do that all day long. I took it up to 135 lbs of pressure and it was still pulling very strong. I’m going to enjoy this car.
The route home: I decided to try the Natchez Trace. It was a lot of fun. The downside is that the speed limit was 50 mph (the first 10 miles or so was 40 mph ). But there was very little traffic. And I am one of those who follows the 500 mile break in, so the reduced traffic was great. First, I took I-65 South from Bowling Green. People were up my **** as I drove 60 mph until I got on the Trace on the west side of Nashville. I did use my cruise control on the Trace (not recommended for break in) because I was unable to keep myself from exceeding 50 mph and I was warned not to speed on the Natchez Trace. I did cycle between 4th and 5th gear often, and sped up and slowed down a lot. Also, there are hysterical markers, and roadside parks every couple of miles and I went through every one of them which allowed me to go through the gears each time. I spent the night at The Baymont in Tupelo, MS. The parking lot was Corvette friendly. I parked across from the front entrance and asked for a room where I could see my car and they obliged. Three different guys struck up conversations with me based on them seeing my car. It was great. They were all compliments. I got back on the Trace Thursday morning and took it to Jackson, MS. From there, I took I-55 to I-12, to I-10. For those in the Houston / Dallas, or anywhere in the Southern US area I highly recommend this route.
Museum Delivery: My friend Roger, Corvette Forum member NEED FOR SPEED (I call him “upper case” ) drove from North Carolina to pick me up at the Nashville Airport. Roger’s brother came along as well. They joined me for the plant tour and NCM delivery. It was great to have someone else along instead of doing this alone. My wife could not miss work. The Museum Delivery was everything I expected. I highly recommend it. My car was prepped perfectly with no swirl marks in the paint. I was at ease knowing it was being prepped by the NCM crew. Thomas was my NCM coordinator. He is a retiree from Holley. He owns a C5, and will be getting a C6 sometime in the future, so he is “one of us”. Thomas gave us a great plant tour. He knew many of the employees in the plant. Thomas gave me the best vehicle orientation I have ever had. And it was great because the C6 has so many features that I was unfamiliar with. My car had 5 miles on the odometer and a full tank of gas when I got it. Again, I highly recommend Museum Delivery.
The dealership: I bought from Rick Daniels at Les Stanford. It went smooooooth. I would definitely buy from Rick again. I got a great price, a quick build (he has LOTs of allocations). We traded a few emails, a few phone call, a FedEx package or two, and bada boom bada bing – I picked up a C6 at the NCM. It went like butter. After going through having a new house built, I was used to “ if it can be screwed up – they will screw it up” . But this entire process went off without a hitch. Rick had every “I” dotted and every “T” crossed, and the NCM staff did as well. Again – smoooooooth .
The Comp Grey split spoke wheels look great. The go well with the CR paint. Even Adam Boca liked them. He said they give the car "a sinister" look. I like that.
I have 1 coat of zaino on and will put on another coat tomorrow. Weather permitting, I’ll take some more pics and post them.
Sorry this is so long.
First consider that this is my first C6, and I sold my C5 2.5 years ago, so my memory of it is a little fuzzy. However, my memory is a little fuzzy anyway, but I sure did enjoy the 80’s The other thing to consider is that I thought my C5 (a 2000 FRC) was a great car, so the bar was very high to start with.
The car in general:
Drives great. Rides smooth, steering is very precise. I like the clutch and the shifter (shifter / tranny is a definite improvement over the C5). I was completely comfortable on the 900 mile trip home. The A/C works great. I love all of the bells and whistles. The Z-51 ride is not harsh at all.
I like how they improved the hatch design so that rain water runs into a channel when you raise it, instead of into the cargo area.
Key fob- at first I thought it was gimmicky. Then, when I walked from the motel to my car Thursday morning, with both hands full, I started to reach into my pocket for the key, and then I remembered – suddenly, I was converted to a keyless fob guy. It’s very easy to get used to this convenience.
I noticed the GY tires now have a protective bead, like the Firestones did.
I have the Bose stereo. Although it still is not what it should be, it is MUCH better than the Bose in my 2000 model. Part of the improvement may be due to reduced road noise. My C5 sounded pretty good while parked, but when driving, road noise ate up what little base it had. The C6 Bose is much better at highway speed. I like how the speed compensated volume also compensates for road noise as opposed to only considering speed.
Cornering – haven’t pushed it too much yet. I am taking it slow since I’ve been out of the saddle for 2.5 years. However, my FRC cornered very well. The C6 may not be that much better, but that’s o.k. The C5 was very good.
Looks – love the body style. A definite improvement over my C5. Body panel fit is very good. No squeaks or rattles.
HUD – LOVE it. My C5 didn’t have it.
Steering wheel controls – LOVE them. I was a fan of Dave Hill, but he was wrong on this one.
Paint: The crystal red metallic is beautiful. I believe those who are getting it will not be disappointed. Many of the pics I took appear more orangey than it really is. It is not orangey or maroon. It is a deep cranberry red. Other than the following- the color is even. I did notice that the front and rear facias don’t completely match the rest of the body panels when viewed from certain angles. I will live with it. I have seen this before on other cars. The top matches. There were no “liver spots”, runs, holidays, or pinholes. There is some orange peel but it’s not too bad. Keep in mind, I’m fairly critical of paint. I learned quite a bit about painting cars when restoring my Camaro. Overall, I love this color and I am happy with the paint. The tintcoat makes it look like candy.
The performance: This car is a beast. It blasts off like a rocket. But one thing that is deceptive about it is that with the MN6 Z51’s short gearing and the abundant power, the 1-2 shift comes VERY fast. It’s almost as if you don’t get a chance to enjoy first gear before it’s time to shift. The 2-3 shift comes quickly as well. You really get an appreciation for the car when you wind out 2nd, 3rd , and 4th gears. It’s ability to point and shoot in moderate traffic is unsurpassed. The last 100 miles of my trip was on back roads that I was familiar with. That is where I got to wring the car out. I was VERY impressed. I could do that all day long. I took it up to 135 lbs of pressure and it was still pulling very strong. I’m going to enjoy this car.
The route home: I decided to try the Natchez Trace. It was a lot of fun. The downside is that the speed limit was 50 mph (the first 10 miles or so was 40 mph ). But there was very little traffic. And I am one of those who follows the 500 mile break in, so the reduced traffic was great. First, I took I-65 South from Bowling Green. People were up my **** as I drove 60 mph until I got on the Trace on the west side of Nashville. I did use my cruise control on the Trace (not recommended for break in) because I was unable to keep myself from exceeding 50 mph and I was warned not to speed on the Natchez Trace. I did cycle between 4th and 5th gear often, and sped up and slowed down a lot. Also, there are hysterical markers, and roadside parks every couple of miles and I went through every one of them which allowed me to go through the gears each time. I spent the night at The Baymont in Tupelo, MS. The parking lot was Corvette friendly. I parked across from the front entrance and asked for a room where I could see my car and they obliged. Three different guys struck up conversations with me based on them seeing my car. It was great. They were all compliments. I got back on the Trace Thursday morning and took it to Jackson, MS. From there, I took I-55 to I-12, to I-10. For those in the Houston / Dallas, or anywhere in the Southern US area I highly recommend this route.
Museum Delivery: My friend Roger, Corvette Forum member NEED FOR SPEED (I call him “upper case” ) drove from North Carolina to pick me up at the Nashville Airport. Roger’s brother came along as well. They joined me for the plant tour and NCM delivery. It was great to have someone else along instead of doing this alone. My wife could not miss work. The Museum Delivery was everything I expected. I highly recommend it. My car was prepped perfectly with no swirl marks in the paint. I was at ease knowing it was being prepped by the NCM crew. Thomas was my NCM coordinator. He is a retiree from Holley. He owns a C5, and will be getting a C6 sometime in the future, so he is “one of us”. Thomas gave us a great plant tour. He knew many of the employees in the plant. Thomas gave me the best vehicle orientation I have ever had. And it was great because the C6 has so many features that I was unfamiliar with. My car had 5 miles on the odometer and a full tank of gas when I got it. Again, I highly recommend Museum Delivery.
The dealership: I bought from Rick Daniels at Les Stanford. It went smooooooth. I would definitely buy from Rick again. I got a great price, a quick build (he has LOTs of allocations). We traded a few emails, a few phone call, a FedEx package or two, and bada boom bada bing – I picked up a C6 at the NCM. It went like butter. After going through having a new house built, I was used to “ if it can be screwed up – they will screw it up” . But this entire process went off without a hitch. Rick had every “I” dotted and every “T” crossed, and the NCM staff did as well. Again – smoooooooth .
The Comp Grey split spoke wheels look great. The go well with the CR paint. Even Adam Boca liked them. He said they give the car "a sinister" look. I like that.
I have 1 coat of zaino on and will put on another coat tomorrow. Weather permitting, I’ll take some more pics and post them.
Sorry this is so long.
Last edited by need-for-speed; 09-09-2007 at 01:21 AM.
#3
Le Mans Master
Member Since: Mar 2007
Location: Mission Viejo CA
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Congrats, your wait is finally over. I knew you would not be disappointed with the color. CRM is great, just hard to describe and even harder to photograph. Great writeup and look forward to more pics when you get time.
#4
Administrator
#7
Race Director
Congrats on the new Vette. I know after being without one it feels soooooooooo good to finally get back in one.
One question though, and this may just be the picture or my monitor, but are the head lights a different color? They look kind of pink against the red fenders. I've never seen that before.
One question though, and this may just be the picture or my monitor, but are the head lights a different color? They look kind of pink against the red fenders. I've never seen that before.
#9
Team Owner
Congratulations on the new ride. Great write-up, thanks for sharing. Here's to many miles of smiles.
Paul
Paul
#10
Pro
Wow, That's an awesome 08. You've got some great taste
I picked an identical twin on Tuesday (R8C) with Thomas and my car had 5 miles on it too.
Congrats Mike, I'm glad you got the car home safe. When I was at the Museum on Tuesday your car was inside, in the circular storage (PDI) area.
I've also been vetteless for a while, having owned 2 C5's (99 & 01). I can appreciate your comparisons to the C5. I was also really impressed with the interior noise in the C6. The indexing windows really seem to help with the wind noise. Now if I could just find the center storage well in the back
I just finished up some mods on my car last night. I'll try to get some pics posted later.
Enjoy!
I picked an identical twin on Tuesday (R8C) with Thomas and my car had 5 miles on it too.
Congrats Mike, I'm glad you got the car home safe. When I was at the Museum on Tuesday your car was inside, in the circular storage (PDI) area.
I've also been vetteless for a while, having owned 2 C5's (99 & 01). I can appreciate your comparisons to the C5. I was also really impressed with the interior noise in the C6. The indexing windows really seem to help with the wind noise. Now if I could just find the center storage well in the back
I just finished up some mods on my car last night. I'll try to get some pics posted later.
Enjoy!
#12
Melting Slicks
Thanks for taking the time to post your detailed report. Glad to hear all went well. I'm sure it was an enjoyable ride back home in that new ride.
Extremely pleased to read that the CRM was on your car was great. As you know, there are several nervous Nelly's around here, including me, in regard to the CRM quality. I got my order picked up before the constraint, but it does sound like GM may be pushing back some of the TPW's because of the CR. I belives mine was pushed back a week.
Best of Luck and Enjoy the new ride.
Oh, perhaps I'm missing something, but I can't find the pic (or link) of your car. Would really like to see it.
AL
Extremely pleased to read that the CRM was on your car was great. As you know, there are several nervous Nelly's around here, including me, in regard to the CRM quality. I got my order picked up before the constraint, but it does sound like GM may be pushing back some of the TPW's because of the CR. I belives mine was pushed back a week.
Best of Luck and Enjoy the new ride.
Oh, perhaps I'm missing something, but I can't find the pic (or link) of your car. Would really like to see it.
AL
#14
Team Owner
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St. Jude Donor '15
"In honor of jpee"
I was wondering when you were finally going to get your car , MIke. Glad to see you got it.
And actually that is a very good pic of the car; you're right, it is a deep cranberry color. To answer one question, the light reflecting off that curved surface of the headlight is causing it to look like a different color.
Great write up, too. I had a very good intro to all the features, too, but mostly I just don't bother about the features. I'm like you a bit; I just enjoy driving the car, even if I can't compare it to a C5. My timespan from Corvette to Corvette also wasn't as long as yours; about 5 mos.
Enjoy the ride.
And actually that is a very good pic of the car; you're right, it is a deep cranberry color. To answer one question, the light reflecting off that curved surface of the headlight is causing it to look like a different color.
Great write up, too. I had a very good intro to all the features, too, but mostly I just don't bother about the features. I'm like you a bit; I just enjoy driving the car, even if I can't compare it to a C5. My timespan from Corvette to Corvette also wasn't as long as yours; about 5 mos.
Enjoy the ride.