Sick03Vert
Banned
Well it's been a crazy couple of weeks for me. One of the things that happened is I wound up doing what I told myself I never ever would: Selling my Cobra.
A local Mustang collector approached me while I was getting gas one day and asked if he could check out the car. I let him, and then he asks if I would ever sell it. I kinda chuckled because loads of people ask but they are never serious. I said, "Sure....$35k and it's yours!" and just kinda laughed it off. He told me if I was serious, he would take it. :uh oh:
I told him I would have to think about it. I went home....lost loads of sleep over the next 48 hours....and determined that financially it was just too good of a deal to pass up. I had bought the car for $25k over a year ago so that would mean a lot of cash in my hand. Times are really tight for me right now, especially after some things that have come up in the past couple of months, so I could really use the savings. Plus...I knew it was going to a good home, which meant a lot to me as well.
So...then it became an issue of "What's next?". I really wanted to go GT500, but it would have taken all of my extra cash to get one in the payment range I was looking for. Bummed, I started looking at C5Z06 Vettes. However, I really enjoyed the 2002 Targa I had for a month (it was bought back by the dealer after flood damage was found). Plus...there's around a $6k difference, and I just like the hatch styling more. It's personal preference I guess, and I KNEW that whatever I went with I would be modding immediately. :-D
After test driving a '13 GT, I will say I was impressed with the car. But I just didn't want to go from having leather and everything in the Cobra to a cloth seat base GT which was all I could really afford. So....decided to go with this 2004 Corvette. I really like the color and I was able to find it in a six speed which is awesome. It had 39k on it when I bought it and I picked it up for $17k, so it didn't seem like a bad deal TO ME. I'm not as suave apparently as some other members here. :shrug:
Anyway, when I first got the car it was SO underpowered...or at least that's what it felt like. So since then I've done a few simple modifications to it over the past few days to bring it up to par. The pictures I have right now are what the car was like the day I bought it. Once the weather clears up and I can get her washed and pretty, I'll take some updated shots. As far as the appearance goes, the car looks exactly the same anyway. We all know what a C5 looks like, so don't expect to be blown away. But I do like the lines on it.
So far, here's my take:
PROS:
-It gets it's power down very well, though the Nitto Invo's were on the car when I bought it already thankfully and they help a lot.
-It has the HUD option which is pretty cool if your a tech geek like myself
-The targa is nice....sun in your face and wind in your hair without the hassle of treating a cloth top with hundreds of sensors to go bad
-Insurance. I'm sure you guys know, but insurance is CHEAP! Seriously! I pay less for the Corvette than my 59 year old Dad pays for his Suzuki cruiser bike. It's that cheap
-The gas mileage is greatly improved
-It's a Corvette....so the chicks dig it. :coolman::-D
-Because the car was cheap, I was able to get a full extended warranty on it. My Cobra was flying blind...kinda scary.
-Super easy color to keep clean
-Interior is immaculate
CONS:
-It's LOW and my bad knee does NOT like this
-It's LOW...4" off the ground actually to the air dam. You have to adjust your driving style accordingly. 45 degree angles are your friend
-I worry about what's going to break. My experience with Corvettes is one month of ownership during which the car was three weeks in the shop. So I'm nervous about that.
-It's not a Ford
-It's not a Mustang
-I miss the hell out of my Cobra
-It makes me feel like a traitor
-I forget not to wave at Mustangs on the road
-It doesn't turn many heads going down the road
-It causes everyone to ask "Why not a Z06?" or "Why not a C7?"
-If I wasn't able to get parts cheap, I would have had to pay my left nut for parts. Everything is expensive.
-Driver's side rear TPMS sensor is on the fritz and reads low even when the tire is inflated correctly
All in all, it's not too bad. If I had both cars side by side and could own either for free, I'd take the Cobra every time. BUT...as things are, the Corvette it is. Hopefully with time I'll get attached to it, but I didn't have that excited feeling when I bought it. When I bought the Cobra, I was a kid on Christmas. But that's life for you.
Anyway, enough rambling...here's the car:
A local Mustang collector approached me while I was getting gas one day and asked if he could check out the car. I let him, and then he asks if I would ever sell it. I kinda chuckled because loads of people ask but they are never serious. I said, "Sure....$35k and it's yours!" and just kinda laughed it off. He told me if I was serious, he would take it. :uh oh:
I told him I would have to think about it. I went home....lost loads of sleep over the next 48 hours....and determined that financially it was just too good of a deal to pass up. I had bought the car for $25k over a year ago so that would mean a lot of cash in my hand. Times are really tight for me right now, especially after some things that have come up in the past couple of months, so I could really use the savings. Plus...I knew it was going to a good home, which meant a lot to me as well.
So...then it became an issue of "What's next?". I really wanted to go GT500, but it would have taken all of my extra cash to get one in the payment range I was looking for. Bummed, I started looking at C5Z06 Vettes. However, I really enjoyed the 2002 Targa I had for a month (it was bought back by the dealer after flood damage was found). Plus...there's around a $6k difference, and I just like the hatch styling more. It's personal preference I guess, and I KNEW that whatever I went with I would be modding immediately. :-D
After test driving a '13 GT, I will say I was impressed with the car. But I just didn't want to go from having leather and everything in the Cobra to a cloth seat base GT which was all I could really afford. So....decided to go with this 2004 Corvette. I really like the color and I was able to find it in a six speed which is awesome. It had 39k on it when I bought it and I picked it up for $17k, so it didn't seem like a bad deal TO ME. I'm not as suave apparently as some other members here. :shrug:
Anyway, when I first got the car it was SO underpowered...or at least that's what it felt like. So since then I've done a few simple modifications to it over the past few days to bring it up to par. The pictures I have right now are what the car was like the day I bought it. Once the weather clears up and I can get her washed and pretty, I'll take some updated shots. As far as the appearance goes, the car looks exactly the same anyway. We all know what a C5 looks like, so don't expect to be blown away. But I do like the lines on it.
So far, here's my take:
PROS:
-It gets it's power down very well, though the Nitto Invo's were on the car when I bought it already thankfully and they help a lot.
-It has the HUD option which is pretty cool if your a tech geek like myself
-The targa is nice....sun in your face and wind in your hair without the hassle of treating a cloth top with hundreds of sensors to go bad
-Insurance. I'm sure you guys know, but insurance is CHEAP! Seriously! I pay less for the Corvette than my 59 year old Dad pays for his Suzuki cruiser bike. It's that cheap
-The gas mileage is greatly improved
-It's a Corvette....so the chicks dig it. :coolman::-D
-Because the car was cheap, I was able to get a full extended warranty on it. My Cobra was flying blind...kinda scary.
-Super easy color to keep clean
-Interior is immaculate
CONS:
-It's LOW and my bad knee does NOT like this
-It's LOW...4" off the ground actually to the air dam. You have to adjust your driving style accordingly. 45 degree angles are your friend
-I worry about what's going to break. My experience with Corvettes is one month of ownership during which the car was three weeks in the shop. So I'm nervous about that.
-It's not a Ford
-It's not a Mustang
-I miss the hell out of my Cobra
-It makes me feel like a traitor
-I forget not to wave at Mustangs on the road
-It doesn't turn many heads going down the road
-It causes everyone to ask "Why not a Z06?" or "Why not a C7?"
-If I wasn't able to get parts cheap, I would have had to pay my left nut for parts. Everything is expensive.
-Driver's side rear TPMS sensor is on the fritz and reads low even when the tire is inflated correctly
All in all, it's not too bad. If I had both cars side by side and could own either for free, I'd take the Cobra every time. BUT...as things are, the Corvette it is. Hopefully with time I'll get attached to it, but I didn't have that excited feeling when I bought it. When I bought the Cobra, I was a kid on Christmas. But that's life for you.
Anyway, enough rambling...here's the car:
