Patrick Glenn sent in an email telling the story of his 2007 Corvette Z06: I have owned my 2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 since I bought it new in late 2006. This is the finest road car I have ever owned. It is the first car that I have never wished had more power, and I have owned Ferraris and other fast cars in the past. The highway performance is spectacular, as is the handling and braking. However, the steering is a little light. Now, I do not race or track my car, so these impressions are in the context of using this […]
Patrick Glenn sent in an email telling the story of his 2007 Corvette Z06:
I have owned my 2007 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 since I bought it new in late 2006. This is the finest road car I have ever owned. It is the first car that I have never wished had more power, and I have owned Ferraris and other fast cars in the past.
The highway performance is spectacular, as is the handling and braking. However, the steering is a little light. Now, I do not race or track my car, so these impressions are in the context of using this car every day on public streets.
You have to be careful when the roads are wet or when leaves are on the ground because the tires will spin easily with all the power. As a daily driver, it works very well. Being a hatchback there is a surprising amount of useful space in the back. I have taken home big screen televisions and large office chairs—still in the box—with this car.
I also find the cockpit comfortable and attractive, which contradicts other reports of unsupportive seats and cheap interior materials.
The car has been extremely reliable, and, in over four years, has never seen a service department. I do all the routine maintenance work myself, which so far has been mostly just oil and filter changes. Low-profile ramps come in handy here, as the front is very low and scrapes easily on even modestly sloped driveways.
The car, on occasion, has thrown a check engine code, but those have proven to be spurious. It helps to have an electronic reader with code-clearing capability—otherwise you have to take your car in for nothing.
My only gripes are quite minor compared to the great value and exhilarating experience this car presents. Fuel mileage is terrible at about 10 mpg in town, but all that power doesn’t come for free. On the highway however, it does return miles per gallon well into the 20s. I do wish it had a larger fuel tank than the 18 gallons it holds. It also has a tendency to abruptly stop refueling at about half a tank, but if you hold the gas pump nozzle upside down, it fills all the way. The fuel filler cap also requires that it be lifted up slightly when closing shut, or it may not seat properly—and the driver information panel will complain.
Tire life on the standard Goodyear run flats is a bit short. The rears are good for not much more than 10k miles or so.
Also, be prepared for a hefty bill on the order of $500 each at the tire store when replacing tires. That brings up another issue: The car is sensitive to how it has to be lifted. To lift it by the side lifting points requires the use of special jacking pucks that you absolutely must have. Unfortunately, you have to go to the aftermarket for those, as they are not provided with the car. Tire stores won’t have them on hand either.
Another aftermarket device I can recommend is a switch that keeps the exhaust valves open at all times—not just above 3,500 rpm. You get a little extra free power at lower rpm—along with a throatier exhaust sound. Of course you’ll also want to be able to close them again for more comfortable long-distance cruising at low rpm.
The annoying 1st to 4th skip shift feature is easily defeatable with a bypass resistor on the transmission connector. The navigation system cannot be set while the car is moving as a forced safety feature. The passenger should be able to do it, but the passenger can’t, so doing this requires a stop.
Perhaps the most annoying thing is the need to frequently replace the front air splitter, which is easily damaged through contact with parking lot concrete stops. I have replaced mine twice at about $150 each time, and I now keep a pristine spare in the garage at all times.
All in all this is a great car and I love mine!
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