Got My '06 C6 Convertible.......

[The O.C.]

I just got home from my 2,500 mile trip in my '06 Convertible.....(black ext, black top, cashmere int, 6-speed manual, F55) I must say the car is as AWESOME as I knew it was.....but I couldn't believe how comfortable it was to drive all that way. The retuned F55 suspension does provide a noticeable difference between comfort and sport....but only really over bad pavement. However, sport really isn't that harsh. Fuel economy? My last two tankfuls took me 450+ miles per tank....netting me 27-28mpg...with the cruise set on 85mph!!!!!!!! Hit a wierd rainstorm in Arizona when it was only 40 degrees out.....the (small) hail was falling so much and so fast, it coated the road with about 2-3 inches of what seemed like slush/snow. The ABS and Traction Control provided an unusual amount of traction in these slippery conditions.....impressive. Bose sound system is fabulous...! Car's faster than hell......(but I guess not faster than a Z06....HA!) The interior quietness at highway speeds was also amazing.....VERY low road, tire, and engine noise (thanks, GM for closing off the back trunk area from the interior of the car.) The only noise was a slight rustling of the wind over the soft top....but overall, this car was as quiet as my '04 BMW 330i Convertible. The downside? I really HATE the electronic overkill in this car, primarily the electronic door handles and push-button start......living with it for 2,500 miles has NOT made me like it any more. While it's nice to walk up to the car without having the key in your hand, it's frustrating because if you don't hit the door pad just right, it doesn't "click" and you end up fumbling a bit. A manual door handle would work MUCH better. Also, trying to figure out if/when the doors are going to lock and unlock automatically is frustrating....."did it lock?" "did it unlock when I walked by it?" "why did it lock the car when I was getting stuff out of the trunk?" AND "why do you have to turn off the car, or manually unlock the doors to get OUT?" DAMN GM for this crap....maybe Cadillac XLR customers like all the electronic stuff....but for MY Corvette, give me a damn key with a normal ignition, and a normal remote key fob. But, other than that, as you can expect, I'm looking forward to a long-term love relationship with this new beauty!!!!!!!

[turbo200]

29 mpg at 85 mph!! That's amazing for that car, and it probably could use a little more breaking-in. OC, Southern Californian C&Gers need to schedule a meet.

[AAS]

sweet ride... can't wait to see some pics! Or I could just look out for a black on black conv. whenever i'm passing throught the OC.

[AAS]

...Southern Californian C&Gers need to schedule a meet.

[post="26528"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

We can do a LAIAS thing...

[Croc]

Nice. I'm jealous, of course. Right now, though, I'm jonesing for a "baby-Corvette" SKY. Edited October 10, 2005 by Croc

[Croc]

LAIAS sounds good, just depends on the dates of the show depending on if I am in town or not (winter recess).

[Nick]

We deffinitely need to meet up...LAIAS sounds cool, but some casual meets/drives along PCH and the canyons and whatnot would be cool too...

[regfootball]

can anyone tell me why the corvette was not car of the year last year? hey O.C., you know the magazines are ripping on the C6 interior STILL not being good enough. I'm like, what do those journalist assholes want? Its a 50k car that will perform close to a supercar! And you get like 28 mpg on the highway! INSANE! I've sat in a C6 and I think the interior is fine for the mission of the car, it grates me when i see journalists ripping the amazing Z06, its got unheard of performance, it shames exotics, its less than a mid level Lexus in price, yet they RIP THE DAMN THING for 'cheap interior', yet they give the 300C all the COTY awards and its interior is not as nice as my AZTEK? Dude, congrats, I'm jealous, and amen brother! ENJOY THE HELL out of your dandy new ride. Plain and simple the new Vette is the best performing domestic out there. The Ford GT vs. the Z06 is likely a performance wash, but is twice the price. I would love a base Vette with the removable roof and a 6 speed......yeah baby.

[Sixty8panther]

can anyone tell me why the corvette was not car of the year last year?

[post="26647"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Beats me, deserves it for sure!

O.C. congrats you lucky guy. :) Edited October 10, 2005 by Sixty8panther

[Northstar]

Sounds sweet! I want some pics pronto!

[The O.C.]

Thanks all you guys.....! The interior is just about the best that GM has. There's only two cheesy parts.....the silver trim adorning the center stack is just tacky.....why not some sort of real aluminum trim (ala BMW M3, etc.) or piano-black stuff or something....even fake carbon-fiber would have looked better. Secondly, the fit of the dash pad around the IP is pretty poor....(but good on the passenger side of the dash.) BUT the rest of it is great! The soft plastic graining feels good, and looks good. Also, the soft stuff is ALL over the place even below the dash and on the lower door panels where GM would usually put hard, brittle stuff. AND, the knobs and switches for the windows, radio, and HVAC are first-class.....as is the feel of the column stalks. Finally, they added little chrome rings around the radio and HVAC knobs for '06. A small but classy touch. Oh, the new steering wheel ROCKS.....except it looked like they took it directly from a G6 or something.....the SRS cover is hard (!) plastic and the graining doesn't match anything inside the Corvette at all....? Parts-bin engineering at its best.....BUT it IS great to hold (smaller diameter) and the look of the three-spoke configuration is WAY better.... The museum delivery was AWESOME and not to be missed. I had a whole afternoon (11:45am - 5:15pm) of VIP treatment being taken around the assembly plant AND the museum with my own tour guide, etc. I'd be MORE than happy to try to arrange some kind of gettogether.....if anyone's interested, just email me at "[email protected]" with your name, C&G I.D., and contact info. We could do a day at the Petersen Museum in Beverly Hills/Wilshire followed by a romp down Mulholland or something....or there's always a Saturday morning at the Crystal Cove hot rod/exotic show in Newport Beach followed by a PCH cruise or a romp over Ortega Highway. Cheers....

[Croc]

...but being the poor college student that I am, I have no car out here...looks like a trip up Fig to the convention center is all I'll be able to accomplish...

[AAS]

The carshow in Newport Beach sounds good... I rather do that then go to the Peterson...

...but being the poor college student that I am, I have no car out here...looks like a trip up Fig to the convention center is all I'll be able to accomplish...

[post="26734"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Hitch a ride with Nick! he'd (almost) pass by downtown LA, on his way to Newport... I think a couple other members are closer to the USC area.

The LAIAS would be fun, cuz not only can we gawk at the GM vehicles, but we can scare people away from all the other makes (ok, maybe just all the Asian makes) :lol:

[Croc]

Thing is, LAIAS is 5 min from USC by bus...that can easily fit into my schedule, any day of the week. Going all the way to Newport is more of an all-day event. Plus, no offense to Nick, but I'm not big on being dependent on rides, especially from people I have yet to physically meet. If I can figure it out somehow, I'll letcha know. When is the Newport show anyway?

[tmp]

I'd prefer the LA auto show.

[regfootball]

Thanks all you guys.....!

The interior is just about the best that GM has.  There's only two cheesy parts.....the silver trim adorning the center stack is just tacky.....why not some sort of real aluminum trim (ala BMW M3, etc.) or piano-black stuff or something....even fake carbon-fiber would have looked better.

Secondly, the fit of the dash pad around the IP is pretty poor....(but good on the passenger side of the dash.)

BUT the rest of it is great!  The soft plastic graining feels good, and looks good.  Also, the soft stuff is ALL over the place even below the dash and on the lower door panels where GM would usually put hard, brittle stuff.

AND, the knobs and switches for the windows, radio, and HVAC are first-class.....as is the feel of the column stalks.

Finally, they added little chrome rings around the radio and HVAC knobs for '06.  A small but classy touch.

Oh, the new steering wheel ROCKS.....except it looked like they took it directly from a G6 or something.....the SRS cover is hard (!) plastic and the graining doesn't match anything inside the Corvette at all....?  Parts-bin engineering at its best.....BUT it IS great to hold (smaller diameter) and the look of the three-spoke configuration is WAY better....

The museum delivery was AWESOME and not to be missed.  I had a whole afternoon (11:45am - 5:15pm) of VIP treatment being taken around the assembly plant AND the museum with my own tour guide, etc.

I'd be MORE than happy to try to arrange some kind of gettogether.....if anyone's interested, just email me at "[email protected]" with your name, C&G I.D., and contact info.

We could do a day at the Petersen Museum in Beverly Hills/Wilshire followed by a romp down Mulholland or something....or there's always a Saturday morning at the Crystal Cove hot rod/exotic show in Newport Beach followed by a PCH cruise or a romp over Ortega Highway.

Cheers....

[post="26720"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

sounds like maybe you'll be in the market for some aftermarket trim pieces for the dash?

[pow]

Congrats on the new car! Since yours is a convertible, you can forego the annoying door buttons and, uh, you know... nevermind. I'm surprised by the quantity of upgrades for 2006, considering it's only a year old. I didn't know until today that the 6-speed automatic is available, which comes with a new gear lever. The new three-spoke wheel is a definite improvement.

[AAS]

Thing is, LAIAS is 5 min from USC by bus...that can easily fit into my schedule, any day of the week.  Going all the way to Newport is more of an all-day event.  Plus, no offense to Nick, but I'm not big on being dependent on rides, especially from people I have yet to physically meet.  If I can figure it out somehow, I'll letcha know.  When is the Newport show anyway?

[post="26806"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

I know... I was trying to throw in some sarcasm and just be a pain in the butt for Nick.

[prinzSD]

Congratulations O.C. You deserve it buddy.

[prinzSD]

We can do a LAIAS thing...

[post="26534"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

I will drive down from the Bay Area if it happens.

[91z4me]

What day did you pick it up? I was at the museum doing the 1 o clock tour on Friday the 7th. I went to the museum before hand and did a quick run through. They had about 5 vettes in the museum and when I got back from the tour they only had the yellow Z06 and a maroon coupe left. The owners were there and people were going through all the options and how to operate EVERYTHING on the car inside the museum. It was VERY sweet. I could have seen your car being built! That is so cool. Did you get to drive it off the assembly line and onto the Dyno? I thought that was about the coolest thing I have ever heard of. One day I will do a museum delivery of my corvette, I am patient but it will happen.

[turbo200]

LAIAS can work for me...but the drive through the canyons is something we all should do too. Croc, you're a funny guy, but I understand where you're coming from. I'm sure if we end up doing a meet and drive through the canyons or something, the offer would be there for you,....;) Edited October 11, 2005 by turbo200

[Croc]

Not until we meet in person first, I'm afraid. I wouldn't do that back in Indianapolis, let alone Los Angeles. Just a rule I have, sorry.

[bowtie_dude]

what were you doin out here?