What can I say but "more than twice the car for less than half the price"...

 

Couldn't order a 2006 C6 in the specs I wanted. Now is the frustrating wait for my Saab dealer to find a home for my 9-5 Aero and off to the dealer to order my Black-on-Black beauty.

 

I bought a 2006 convertible with the automatic and the paddle shift in early July. I really didn't care for the paddle shift, which sometimes seemed a bit slow to shift and sometimes I'd shift the wrong way when I was hurrying things. If you didn't keep shifting as you gained speed, of course, it would just stay in the lower gear. From about 60 mph, if you slammed the gas pedal down it would shift into 3rd, tuck its tail down and fly. But then it would stay in 3rd until you remembered to start shifting again. Too much fussing. As a result, I generally just left it in Drive.

So for me it was no fun, and seemed to destroy the whole concept of having a Corvette (my first). The car had some other issues that strongly suggested it was a lemon. As a result, three weeks later I traded it in on a 2007 - same color convertible, with the manual. Cost me almost $10,000, but I figure I'll get some of it back at trade in (newer model) and the rest is just paying for my mistake and for the fun of having a REAL Corvette, not a chick's 'Vette.

The manual takes a lot of attention to do its shifting (especially with the damn 1 - 4 thing that sometimes, erratically, tries to force you to shift from 1 into 4, where there is usually zero torque at that speed). It's difficult to shift up smoothly, and it feels really crude compared to European shifters I'm used to. But...I'd never go back to the auto. Now that I'm used to it, there is absolutely no substitute. It may be heavy and a bit clunky, but it is absolutely bulletproof. And there's nothing like dropping from 6th to 4th at 80, mashing the pedal and listening to that beautiful aluminum V8 howl in delight. You feel totally involved in the driving experience, unlike the auto and, for the most part, don't even notice yourself shifting up and down.

Pass on the paddles, go with the manual. You won't regret it.

 

My C6 has paddleshifts.

First impressions: What a piece of crap. Unpredictable shifts, sluggish shifts at times, sometimes confusing when to shift up or down.

But I've heard so many damn good things about the paddleshifts from other serious drivers ... I was determined to learn how to use paddleshifts properly. So I went out driving every night for 2 weeks to practice ...

Current impressions: The paddleshifts have really really grown on me. Through forcing myself to use them, I've learned how the car shifts so I can usually predict now what it's going to do. I also know how to make it shift quickly when I need it. It's still awkward sometimes to not use my left foot, or to have an idle right hand. So, I'm really starting to like it.

My recommendation to you, however, is to only get the paddleshift if you're willing to take some serious time to use it and learn how the car works. Ultimately it will be faster than a manual, but it takes a lot of pain and frustration before it becomes fun.

Good luck!

 

Wow! Finally a positive post. And here I was thinking that no one liked it. Thank you. You have shed some interesting information - not the least of which i patience to learn how to use it. It seems that most people (at least on the forum) have not had enough time to really get to know this transmission well enough as you have. My wife keeps insisting (hard to believe) that I need to get a manual 6 spd, so I will listen to her.

 

I DID IT!!!!

I ordered my C6 tonight. What a rush! Went completely "cross-grain" thanks to everyone's inputs.

[ul][*] Millennium Yellow[*] 6 Speed Manual[*] Translucent Roof[*] Navigation[*] Ebony Interior[*] Regular rims (will upgrade later)
[/ul]

Got an amazing deal at Wilson Niblett. Should pick it up by Wednesday.