[Carnage]

Key stats:
0 - 60: 4.0
1/4 mile: 12.4 @ 116

Commentary:

- steering feels measurably better...produces a huge improvement in handling/feel

- remarkably upscale stitched leather dash; highly recommended

- optional exhaust provides a raucous roar

- redesigned shifter glides relatively easily into gear

- pretty hard to feel the increased HP and torque

- in comparison to the last C6 Vette's tested, the fastest times for the LS2 where 0 to 60 mph in 4.1 and the 1/4 in 12.6 @114


Bottom line: much better feel to the car and improved interior finish.


Damn, that is one fast car that can be had for under 50K (this one with the optional exhaust and 4LT package was 56K). That's about a 2-3 car length (in the 1/4) improvement over the LS2.
The car only had about 1,600 miles on it so it wasn't even broken in yet. Don't be surprised if good drivers get that thing into the 11.9-12.00 area.

Add a couple of bolt-ons mods and you got a demon.

[sdiver68]

For the 1st time since I started buying cars 20 years ago, the 'Vette (with the upgrade interior) is seriously calling my name... I also hear you can get $7K off MSRP if you shop around...

that new corvette ss or whatever its gonna be called should be badass performance wise

[SteveMD]

And the aftermarket for the LS1,2,3 engines is huge.

[Carnage]

Originally Posted by SteveMD

And the aftermarket for the LS1,2,3 engines is huge.

that was one of the main reasons I trade my E46 M3 for my C6 Vette.

The gains I got out of 2K worth of work would have cost me at least 3-4K times as much with the M3.

[!Xoible]

damn. that's quite impressive. I still wouldnt drive a non-reliable car without a maint. program like BMW's.

[Carnage]

Originally Posted by mantisG35

damn. that's quite impressive. I still wouldnt drive a non-reliable car without a maint. program like BMW's.

Describe what you mean by "non-reliable". That drivetrain is about as bulletproof as you'll find in a car.

[omg516]

Autoblog had a post about the new LS3 not too long ago. Some shop put on an intake, longtube headers, exhaust, cam, ported intake and a tune and gained over 100whp. Car dyno'd at 506whp or something insane like that.

[!Xoible]

Originally Posted by Carnage

Describe what you mean by "non-reliable". That drivetrain is about as bulletproof as you'll find in a car.

maybe it was an ignorant comment, but my idea of american cars is windows stop working, or car starts squeaking, or little things here and there. They may seem little but having to repair a brand new car every once in a while can get annoying

[Carnage]

Originally Posted by omg516

Autoblog had a post about the new LS3 not too long ago. Some shop put on an intake, longtube headers, exhaust, cam, ported intake and a tune and gained over 100whp. Car dyno'd at 506whp or something insane like that.

I posted it here 10 days ago....

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73543

[Carnage]

Originally Posted by mantisG35

maybe it was an ignorant comment, but my idea of american cars is windows stop working, or car starts squeaking, or little things here and there. They may seem little but having to repair a brand new car every once in a while can get annoying

You just described something that's effected every new model of car built in the last 20 years.
I've heard the "it's in the shop alot" as an excuse to not buy a Vette for years. I've talked with very few owners who have had ongoing issues and I've never seen any data to back up that it's more or less reliable then anything else in it's class, price range, etc.

[!Xoible]

Originally Posted by Carnage

You just described something that's effected every new model of car built in the last 20 years.
I've heard the "it's in the shop alot" as an excuse to not buy a Vette for years. I've talked with very few owners who have had ongoing issues and I've never seen any data to back up that it's more or less reliable then anything else in it's class, price range, etc.

dont get me wrong. Im sure not buying a bmw for its reliability. I already expect it to go in for some long weeks to get the fuel pump fixed.
But at least with BMW im guaranteed free maintenance. If im looking for reliability where a car almost never sees the shop i'd be driving an accord or some piece of crap like that (sorry for the lack of a better term describing hondas)

[Carnage]

Originally Posted by mantisG35

dont get me wrong. Im sure not buying a bmw for its reliability. I already expect it to go in for some long weeks to get the fuel pump fixed.
But at least with BMW im guaranteed free maintenance. If im looking for reliability where a car almost never sees the shop i'd be driving an accord or some piece of crap like that (sorry for the lack of a better term describing hondas)

I agree, it's nice having the free maintenance on my E90 and but at the same time it's not as valuable as BMW would like you to believe. Most of the items covered under the program (oil changes, brakes, etc.) happen only 1-2 times, 3 maybe for oil during the 50K. Most anything else is a warranty issue and I have a nice warranty on the Vette.

I did think about the cost of maintenance when deciding on the Vette but the cost of items like brakes, rotors, etc. is pretty reasonable compared to a new BMW. After the free maintenance is gone, similar repairs will most likely cost me more for my E90 then my Vette.