Review: Everyone wants their paws on 2013 Corvette

[Rob]

Everyone wants their paws on 2013 Corvette

Kelsey Mays
Cars.com
August 28, 2012

It wasn't the postal worker, the cabbie or the diaper-bag-toting mom whose approving hollers surprised me. I heard all three (among a slew of others). I'd spent the better part of a week in a white Corvette 427 convertible — a sort of last hurrah before GM unveils a redesigned 'Vette for 2014. But it was the last observer, staring out the window of a passing SUV, who gave me pause. Or paws, as it were.

It was a dog.

Maybe he was eyeing every car, but I'd like to think he had eyes only for the 'Vette. Everyone loves the Chevy icon.

The surprisingly livable 2013 Chevrolet Corvette marks a fitting end to GM's sixth-generation icon: Enjoy the attention, grab a gear and let 'er rip — all shortcomings are forgiven.

Full Story: Everyone wants their paws on 2013 Corvette - chicagotribune.com

 

[Huskerman]

Just bought a 2010 Grand Sport with a 6M and Heritage Package that includes the two toned interior and I think it's nice. I know the one color interiors especially black did not appeal to me but I am not at all disqusted with the interior in my GS.....and as the car is a cruiser the seats are fine also. Clumsey electronic door latches?? I also think they are cool......but I'm from out here in fly over country and we must be easily amused. Typical online type Vette review....they are all the same. :z

 

[1analguy]

"Dreadful interior" and "surprisingly livable", huh? These hacks give me gas. It was "surprisingly livable" to him because all he's ever known about Corvettes is what he's read, which was written by people who didn't/wouldn't own Corvettes. Then, after actually driving one and realizing that it was a much better car than he'd thought it was, admitting that he was wrong all along would have been too embarrassing for him. That "clumsy" push-button door latch is located right where it should be, is plenty large enough, and weighs less (and is simpler) than a mechanical lever-and-linkage. As for all the whining about seats that we've been hearing...while I don't have my C6 yet, I just went for a long ride in my buddy's '09 base coupe (only one option: the color) and the passenger seat was perfectly comfortable for me and I'm 6'2" and 225lbs. The seat whiners should take a few grand of the many tens-of-thousands of dollars that they would save by not buying that uglier/slower 911, buy some after-market seats...and then stfu. Obviously, JMO...

 

[67vet]

so the guy says "The 427, Z06 and ZR1 come only with a six-speed manual. It's a solid unit, though the weighty clutch will wear on you in traffic."

He implies that the three models use the same clutch. I guess he didn't read up on single disc and double disc.

 

[1analguy]

Just bought a 2010 Grand Sport with a 6M and Heritage Package that includes the two toned interior and I think it's nice. I know the one color interiors especially black did not appeal to me but I am not at all disqusted with the interior in my GS.....and as the car is a cruiser the seats are fine also. Clumsey electronic door latches?? I also think they are cool......but I'm from out here in fly over country and we must be easily amused. Typical online type Vette review....they are all the same. :z

Briefly off-topic here, but does anyone know, when buying/ordering the GS Heritage Package, if you have a choice regarding the contrasting color of the seat inserts? I know the the Heritage interiors are basically black with contrasting inserts in the seats, but all the pictures that I've seen have had light gray (silver?) inserts...and I'm wondering if that's the only insert color, or if you can choose between gray, cashmere, red, etc., for the insert color...

 

[Huskerman]

My black book shows 026 as ebony/red and 316 as ebony/cashmere and 846 as ebony/gray which should be ebony/titanium I think. It does seem like you see a lot of ebony/titanium and that is what is in my Blade Silver GS. Also the Sienna and Cashmere colors are light colored. The ebony/red is very cool but somewhat hard to find. It looks good in a white car or a black car but also I think would be great in the Silver or Cyber Gray colors. To me the combination colors make the C6 interior more interesting and I like mine a lot. Forgot 245 ebony/Sienna

This is from another post....


http://www.corvetteblogger.com/2010/06/16/final-2010-corvette-production-statistics/

 

[1analguy]

Thanks for the interesting link. So, they sold one entire Corvette in Chile in 2010...kind of funny, but not really too surprising. As to the interior colors, I was thinking the same thing about a white GS with the ebony/red combo...and red fender stripes and calipers as well. Unfortunately, while I just sold one of my motorcycles, I still have to sell the other (and my C4 GS!) before I can cut loose and move on a C6. With only two or three weeks until the ordering deadline for the '13s, I'll probably follow catbert's advice and end up going used instead. That may not be such a bad thing...I don't think I'll ever find a used version of the exact car that I would have ordered, but I'm somewhat encouraged by some of the offerings that I've found while checking online the last few days...

 

[catbert]

Your wish list sounds like a description of a Ron Fellows edition Z06 - exactly. These cars are now coming out of hiding, and are available at decent prices. I've seen ultra low mile examples for sale at not much more than a regular Z. ..way cheaper than a new loaded GS. And it's the last version a killer machine. Who knows when the Vette will make such an all-American monster again - if ever.

 

[1analguy]

I don't know if I'd be willing to forgo the GS's removable top, but I would like to know more about this RFE Z06. What year were they, were they white, how were they fitted out, etc.? I've been searching AutoTrader, eBay, etc. for more than a week now and haven't seen one of them yet. When I order up my GS on the Corvette site, it comes to just over $67k...and I imagine the discount will be quite substantial. The 2010+ Zs that I've been looking at on the internet are all GM-Certified cars, and even the lower-optioned, higher-mileage, or well-traveled examples are showing for well more than my ordered-new GS would actually end up costing. I wonder how much those internet Zs are actually selling for. How much fat is there in the asking prices on those GM-Certified cars? I did see a 16k-mile, well-optioned orange 2011 Z06/Z07 that had started life in the GM fleet in Michigan, then went from dealer/auction to dealer/auction, etc., etc., and finally to (I believe) Texas, where it's now offered on the net for $64k. Who knows what cars like that have been through, though? Cars with those kinds of stories can be kind of frightening...

 

[1analguy]

My black book shows 026 as ebony/red and 316 as ebony/cashmere and 846 as ebony/gray which should be ebony/titanium I think. It does seem like you see a lot of ebony/titanium and that is what is in my Blade Silver GS. Also the Sienna and Cashmere colors are light colored. The ebony/red is very cool but somewhat hard to find. It looks good in a white car or a black car but also I think would be great in the Silver or Cyber Gray colors. To me the combination colors make the C6 interior more interesting and I like mine a lot. Forgot 245 ebony/Sienna...

I thought the ebony/titanium combo was the one you get with a 4LT/premium leather interior. I'm also ashamed to admit that I don't know what Sienna looks like...:ugh

 

[catbert]

I don't know if I'd be willing to forgo the GS's removable top, but I would like to know more about this RFE Z06. What year were they, were they white, how were they fitted out, etc.? I've been searching AutoTrader, eBay, etc. for more than a week now and haven't seen one of them yet. When I order up my GS on the Corvette site, it comes to just over $67k...and I imagine the discount will be quite substantial. The 2010+ Zs that I've been looking at on the internet are all GM-Certified cars, and even the lower-optioned, higher-mileage, or well-traveled examples are showing for well more than my ordered-new GS would actually end up costing. I wonder how much those internet Zs are actually selling for. How much fat is there in the asking prices on those GM-Certified cars? I did see a 16k-mile, well-optioned orange Z06/Z07 that had started life in the GM fleet in Michigan, then went from dealer/auction to dealer/auction, etc., etc., and finally to (I believe) Texas, where it's now offered on the net for $64k. Who knows what cars like that have been through, though? Cars with those kinds of stories can be kind of frightening...

Ron Fellows Edition Z06. Chevrolet Corvette Z06 Ron Fellows Edition

As far as buying one, you're on your own. It is the shortest special model Vette ever produced at 300 sold in the US. You just have to keep an eye out for one. BUT they are beginning to emerge from collections.

 

[1analguy]

Thanks for the great link. I noticed recently that the NCM has downloadable wallpaper of that car and, not knowing what it was, I couldn't figure out why an early C6 Z06 would have had GS stripes on it. I'm going to pass on any limited-edition/collectable models, though. I fell into that trap when I bought my C4 GS. When it was new, I was shy about putting "too many" miles on it, and it just got worse and worse over the years...until now it rarely leaves the garage because there's stuff on it that's actually irreplaceable. I've never really enjoyed owning it. That's just not any fun, and all my previous Corvettes (and hopefully, future ones) were (will be) a gas to own. Can you imagine how much a set of those special-color fender stripes will be going for when they quit making them, if they haven't already? With my personality, I'm going to avoid that happening to me again by getting a far more common model and just driving it. To your point about the similarities between the RFE and my description...yes, that is the exact look that I'm after. Minus the Canadian theme, of course. I wish there was a tasteful way to incorporate some blue on the car as well, but I don't see how...at least, not on a coupe. When I was considering a convertible, I was thinking it would really pop with a blue top and all those red touches. I know, it's not for everybody...