C6 Performance

Are you interested in one of the best sports cars of all time, the C6 Corvette? And are you looking for a concisely edited visual buyers guide that clears up the confusion from all the different years, versions and options? Well, then t I'm covering everything a potential buyer needs to know about the 6th gen Corvette, including common problems, current values, production n How fast do you want to go? Welcome to Retro Cars Forever. My name is Brad and as a C6 owner and enthusiast, I'm excited to bring you t I'll start by going over every model year and So class is in session. Let's look back to the freshman year of the C6 2005. The all new Corvette. The official car of your dreams. The C6 debuted and introduced some quirky new features. That included exposed ultra bright xenon headlights and electric door latches that open with a pad on the outside and a button on the inside. A proximity key with a funky starter rocker switch was also introduced. Press it upward to start the car, down to turn it off and down in hold for accessory mode. For its premier year, the C6 was available in two basic flavors. A soft top convertible with a power option and a coupe with a removable target top. The only engine initially available was the new LS2 V8, a pushrod six liter design that th To get all that power to the pavement, every Corvette received standard trash control and active handling w In testing conducted by car and driver, t 3 seconds, w Despite the increased power, the C6 actually gets decent fuel economy due to its relatively lightweight and tall gearing. But keep in mind, premi The two transmission options for 2005 were either a four speed automatic that carried over from the C5 or a new six speed manual transmission. One more quirk for you, if you have a 2005 with the stick s If you don't, you'll run out your battery. Thankfully, the hot ticket for 2005 was the Z51 Performance Package, w Is 186 miles per hour fast enough for you? I have the Z51 option on my C6 and I love the fade free brakes and sharp performance in canyon driving. W Another C6 suspension option was F55, w You'll see the selective ride switch in the center console if the car has t W Unfortunately, the 2005 model year is widely considered the least reliable, a classic example of bugs getting worked out after the first year of production. The 2005 model year suffered the most recalls and had a higher n 2005 also had a unique and relatively fragile rear differential. Now this shouldn't pose a problem if you just The big news for 2006 was a new addition to the lineup inspired by the C6R racecar, the track focused Z06. Compared with the base car, the tires were wider, the brakes were bigger, the cooling systems were upgraded and the suspension was even stiffer than the Z51's. Pop the hood and you'll find an even bigger V8, the righteous 7 liter LS7, which p The Z06 also got a dry s To keep the weight down, the Z06's frame was made out of al Other visual changes included the world's least noticeable spoiler upgrade, a somewhat functional hood scoop and a lower, more aggressive front air dam. The Z06'speed climbed to an incredible 198 MPH and the trip from 0 to 60 MPH dropped to just 3. 4 seconds. By the way, to keep this buyer's guide moving, I'm only going to cover special additions of the C6 that are relatively common There were dozens of ultra rare versions of the C6 that could be a topic of their own future video, so for now I'm only going to focus on unique additions of the C6 that sold more than 1000 units. As for the Z06, due to its hardcore nature, it was strictly a stick s And un That's because the top was fixed in place for added strength. Check out my recent Z06 review for more details on how the Z06 drives. In short, it's the most fun car I have ever driven. Woo hoo! There were several other changes across the Corvette lineup in 2006. The old four-speed automatic was swapped out for a new six-speed unit, w And in a desperate move to increase brand recognition and reverse their declining market share, General Motors slapped a tiny silver badge on every single ve Enthusiasts called these little trinkets c Go figure. And don't worry if you're not a fan of t Finally, the steering wheel was changed from the 2005's unique four-spoke design to a new slightly smaller three-spoke design for 2006. T I'm going to go on a quick rant here and say criticizing the steering wheel just because it was shared with other ve Taken on its own, t You would never know it wasn't unique to the Corvette unless you also happened to sit in one of those other cars, w This isn't I t So let's all collectively move on from t Next up, 2007, the year that I own. And hardly anyt The right control option was now bundled with the bigger Cross Drill brakes from the Z51 package. And to dress up the interior, multicolor seat options that were once exclusive to the Z06 became available in the base car as well. And speaking of the Z06, the rear shocks were revised for more benign handling. A raft of changes arrived in 2008. The old 6. 0-liter 400 horsepower LS2 of the base car was exchanged for a new 6. 2-liter LS3, which now p W The LS3 also dropped the base Corvette's 0-60 time by a few eiplings, down to 4 seconds flat. The option for the base car was a dual-mode exhaust system, which featured a vacu T Visually, a new optional, split-spoke wheel design was introduced for the base car. 2008 saw worthy upgrades towards the feel of important driver controls. The manual transmission was swapped out for a new, beefed-up unit with more positive s This year saw a n More chrome bits were sprinkled throughout, the door entry soles were upgraded from plastic to metal, and a new top-of-the-line option package added snappy, two-tone leather covering for the instr W Finally, the old, round proximity fob with the separate key was replaced with the newer fob cleverly T In that instance, the key is needed to open up the hatch where you can then access t With all the updates from the previous year, it's no surprise that 2009 was a quiet year for most of the Corvette lineup. The steering col The Z06 got a new 10-spoke spider design wheel option, and received an improved dry-s But the big news, for 2009 was a new King of the star of the ZR1 was its LS9 engine, w The LS9 pounded out a staggering 638 horsepower, more than any other engine that GM had made up to that point. To proudly showcase that LS9 engine, a clear cover was added to the ZR1's hood, and revised carbon fiber bodywork was designed with There'so much power that the rear tires struggle to find traction, limiting the trip to 60 miles per hour to 3. 4 seconds, about the same as the Z06. But once the ZR1 hooks up, it'll blast to its top speed faster than just about anyt And the ZR1 was the first stock Corvette to crest the 200-mile-per-hour barrier, reac The ZR1 was also the first production Corvette offered with race car- The ZR1's exotic brakes were so good that car and driver recorded the shortest braking distances they had ever measured for a production ve However, all t But who cares about money when you're the king of the 2010 gave us yet another new iteration of the Z06, the Grand Sport. The Grand Sport effectively replaced the Z51 package as a middle ground between the base Corvette and the Z06. The Grand Sport had the base LS3 engine and the heavier steel frame from the base car, but the Grand Sport had most of the sport suspension, wider tires, and braking upgrades of the Z06. The flared fenders of the Grand Sport look similar to the Z06, but are made out of normal fiberglass instead of carbon fiber, and these twin-gill side vents were unique to the Grand Sport. Those fenders could be graced with the traditional Grand Sport hash marks, a sharp looking option. Un Worth noting that if you got a Grand Sport as a manual coupe, the LS3 engine received a little extra attention. That's because this combo added a race-ready dry s As for the rest of the 2010 lineup, Launch Control was a new feature that became standard on any Corvette ordered with the manual transmission. After a series of simple driver inputs out of stop, Launch Control allows the driver to mash the gas, and the computer figures out the best engine speed for the grip level of the tires. As neat as this feature was, it's worth noting that instr The ZR1 added another new traction aiding gizmo, Performance Traction Management, or PTM for short. Think of PTM It allows the driver to mash the gas on corner exit, and the computer figures out the correct amount of traction. Unlike Launch Control instr The 2011 Corvette, only from Chevrolet. 2011 was a quiet year for C6 changes. The base color of the headlight surrounds could now be ordered from the factory in contrasting colors instead of the usual body color. A new five-spoke base wheel design was introduced, and the optional navigation system got additional connectivity options of a USB port and an input jack. For the first time, Magnetic Selective Ride Control became an option on both the Grand Sport and Z06 sports suspensions. For the Z06, Magnetic Ride was part of a new Z07 Ultimate Performance Package. Z07 included some features that trickled down from the ZR1 to the Z06, such as the exotic carbon ceramic brakes, sticky tires, and extra cooling. So don't ass Now you'll know what the heck they're talking about. 2012 saw yet another raft of interior improvements. New seats featured a bit more lateral support, and the steering wheel got a slightly different design with new pieces of angled chrome. Proper padding appeared on the doors and the center console, somet And the trick performance traction management that was exclusive to the ZR1 became available in any Z06 with the Z07 package. 2012 was Chevrolet's 100th birthday. To celebrate a one-year-only Centennial Special Edition was crafted. The Centennial Edition featured a carbon flash metallic finish with satin black grap At the interior was black with special red stitc Unique badging signified Chevrolet's racing The Centennial Special Edition proved to be a popular upgrade, selling 2,201 units, w 2013 was the final year of the Z06 and the 60th anniversary of the Corvette. All 2013 Corvettes received special badging, but yet again, there was an option package to mark t An additional stripe package could be added as well. 2059 Corvettes were equipped with the 60th anniversary design package, w And as a final bow for the C6, Chevrolet introduced another special edition unique to 2013, the 427 Convertible. If you want the 427 cubic inch LS7 from the Z06 and you want to enjoy an open top experience, then the 427 Edition is the only way to fly. The 427 was another relatively popular upgrade, with 2,552 examples sold. By the way, if you want to double dip special editions, there were 1,000 of these 427s made that also had the w So there you go, all the major changes and additions of the entire C6 lineup. One heck of a run. Now let's talk about the 5 most common problems that you'll want to watch out for when looking at a C6 Corvette. First up is the wobbling harmonic balancer, w The harmonic balancer is attached to the crankshaft and absorbs its vibrations as well as spinning a few belts. The problem is, the rubber that holds the inner and outer ring of the balancer together often fails with age. If left unchecked, the outer ring could work itself loose and damage engine or steering components. T With the car idling, peer into the front of the engine bay from the passenger side to find t You want to see no wobble, Now let's check out a second example, w But any more than that, Also a belt squeaking sound from t Now don't bother with an OEM factory replacement balancer, because you'll have the same issue with the cheap rubber down the road. Instead, I hear the most recommendations for ATI, S Pay a shop to do t Do it right and you shouldn't have to deal with it ever again. The next most common issue affects any C6 with an automatic transmission, where the s Well the typical culprit is a s Luckily, it's not too hard to dig into the center console area to repair t You can zip tie or remove the locking pole so that it's out of the way, or if you're more safety minded, you can swap out the s You'll need your nose to sniff out the plastic at the top of the tank's fuel p You'll notice an unmistakable gasoline odor, especially if the car was parked in the indoor area or when the tank is full. Unfortunately, the tank has to be removed to fix t Another common C6 issue to watch out for, especially in If you hear an oscillating scraping sound or feel a strange vibration coming from the middle of the car, this is there's a drive shaft that runs inside the central torque tube that connects the engine in the front to the transmission in the rear. When the bearings or rubber couplers inside wear out, it throws the spinning shaft out of whack. The actual parts to rebuild t But this is yet another time-cons So you'll need to fork over around $2 to $3 grand to get t Another common issue to check is the myriad of interior and convenience electrical components. So take your time and test every single button and switch. Treat every feature as guilty until proven innocent. If you don't see how it works, ass And pay extra attention to any warning messages that appear on the bottom of the gauge cluster when starting up the car. Finally, here's a bonus issue that's only going to be a problem with Z06's or 427 Corvettes and it has to do with the 7-liter LS7. The LS7 has a design flaw in the heads where the exhaust valve guides can get loose and eventually drop the valves right down into the motor, granating the engine. And it can happen at any mileage without any warning. If t Eventually you'll want to nip t By t Now I don't want to scare anyone away from Z06 owners Just make sure the car you're buying is thoroughly sorted and was worked on by someone who knew what they were doing. Before I go over how much C6s are worth, it's helpful to understand their rarity and production n Looking at overall C6 production, you can see that it's incredibly front-loaded. Sales started out strong, but the economic collapse of 2008, which happened during the 2009 model year, meant Corvette sales fell off a cliff, resulting in the lowest Corvette production n You can see a similar story with the Z06 production figures. As shown in the bottom of the sales chart, Z06s had a great start, but became scarce after 2009. The addition of the ZR1 in 2009 and the Grand Sport in 2010 further ate into the Z06'slim sales. Speaking of the ZR1, you can see the same pattern yet again, a decent start that later trailed off. By far the most successful special edition of the C6 was the Grand Sport. During its run from 2010 to 2013, the Grand Sport made up half of all Corvette production, proving itself to be a very popular upgrade from the base model. So how much does each version of the C6 Corvette cost these days? I spent a few days putting together my own C6 values guide using a cross-section of various trusted sources. That includes the latest Corvette magazine buyers guide, Hagerty's valuation tool, and using Classic. com to see auction results from the last two years from sites like Brigham Trailer, Cars and Bids, Meek And for a gut check, I looked at cars in the private market as well. This guide is for stock examples that you're most Let'start with the least valuable version of the C6, w These values look And as a reminder, the Now let's add some common options on top of these base values Now for the special edition trim levels, the Grand Sport option gets another $4,500. And either the black 2012 Centennial Edition or the w And finally, don't forget the value of service records, w The more complete they are, the more valuable. Like any car this old, there are several fluids and cons Having solid, organized records of what's been done can save you a few grand right up front. So add up all these values, consider the mileage and condition, and that's what a base convertible or Grand Sport is currently worth. Let's move on to the values of the Z06. The base values of stock, good to excellent examples look And once again, the more plentiful early cars are worth less than the later ones. Alright let's add common Z06 options, w The Centennial or 60th packages gain another $4,000. And once again, service records add 1 to 3 grand. Finally, that common valve drop issue adds another $2,000 to the value if the fix was done by a reputable source. Next, let's look at the final year only 427 convertible. These go for between 40 and 97 grand, a huge variance that's mostly dependent on mileage. Adding to that value is the optional white 60th anniversary package, and service records which are even more valuable when you have a rare gem of a car And last but not least, let's look at what the ZR1 is worth. For the previous cars, I was looking at examples with 10 to 100,000 miles, but because ZR1s are almost never driven that much, t Once again, the base values of earlier ZR1s are less dear than the later, rarer model years. The top equipment group for the ZR1 is called 3ZR, w The Centennial package adds another 3 grand to the ZR1, and the 60th package adds another 7. Service records are extra valuable for these complex mac Here an additional 3 to 5 grand if the example you're looking at has them. So that's what the C6 is worth today, but what about in years to come? Are the values poised to take flight, or will they come cras Well, neither. C6 values are pretty flat right now, as they're essentially right at the bottom of the depreciation curve. That means these cars won't lose money, but they're not going to gain value until a few years from now, when they'll slowly start to creep up. So I've gone over all the different years and versions of the C6 Corvette, but w For most people, I these later base cars are very easy to live with, and with 430 horsepower, have more performance than most people are ever going to need. The 2008 model year brought many welcome changes to the base car, especially the improved LS3 engine, more natural steering boost, and better s But Brad, I hear you say, then why did you buy an earlier model? Well, to put it simply, I was on a budget. And the car I bought was otherwise the exact spec and colors that I wanted, and an incredible shape. I didn't care too much about the barely perceptible 8% power difference of the LS2 compared to the later LS3. I can also live with the slightly n So if you're on a tight budget like I was, you'll have a much easier time finding a deal one of the now if you have more money to spend and you don't care to pop the top and you have a serious need for speed, then I t W In fact, the Z06 is so good that I'd recommend it over the ZR1. The Z06 offers 95% of the ZR1's performance for about half the price. So ass So those are my thoughts, but now I'd love to hear yours in the comments below. If you're looking to buy a Z06, w And if you own a Z06, then everyone know what your experience was I read your response to every comment and I appreciate your feedback. A special thanks to Eric at RevmatchTV for letting me film and drive And