Chevrolet Corvette C6 2005–2013: Essential Buyers Guide
by David J. Smitheram
“STOP! Don’t buy a Corvette C6 without buying this book FIRST!”
The last time I saw the author’s Corvette C6 it had just overtaken a (real) GT40 at Silverstone, in the high speed trial (aka race) that forms part of the Vintage Sports Car Club Pomeroy Trophy. Smitheram is a smooth and fast driver but, if the GT40 driver had known how many miles the red Corvette had on the odometer, his humiliation would have been complete. Since first leaving Bowling Green, Kentucky, Smitheram’s Corvette (called Clive) has travelled 230,00 miles, not only in the US where he bought it used, but in recent years Clive has travelled to Norway and Morocco, as well as competed in the UK Time Attack series. You can find out much more about Clive on his Facebook page, as well as the series of children’s books the author has written on the ‘Vette, one of which was reviewed here.
Veloce’s Essential Buyer’s Guides now cover over 150 different models, from Citroën 2CV to Honda Fireblade. The format is a compact, 96-page softback, with illustrations covering every facet of the subject, from the macro (model specifications) to the micro (harmonic balancers and engine mounts). Every aspect of a buyer’s journey to Corvette ownership is covered, with a lot of practical tips to evaluate a potential purchase. Nobody buys a sports car for mere transport, and I know to my cost how all that glitters is not gold. This book is the literary equivalent of the expert friend who counsels caution and diligence, and (annoyingly) tends always to be right. Our friend’s advice might not be what you want when you’re salivating over a V8-powered temptress, but it is what you need. To borrow a phrase from a Sixties UK campaign to encourage seat belt use: “You know it makes sense!”
The book’s seventeen chapters start with “Is it the right car for you—marriage guidance” and proceed through “Fifteen minute evaluation—walk away or stay?” and end with “Vital Statistics—essential data at your fingertips”. It’s very clear that the author has amassed a mountain of personal experience in every aspect of C6 ownership but, unlike many buyer guides, this one is written in language so clear that even a ‘Vette agnostic and technical dunce (such as your reviewer) can understand what differentiates a good companion from a treacherous money pit. So if I “smell gasoline from the driver’s side area” I can comment loftily that there was no recall for that, and that the ten-year goodwill period ended at least two years ago.
The 23 pages comprising the chapter entitled “Serious Evaluation” are likely to acquire the highest count of oily fingerprints. There is everything even the greenest ‘Vette tyro will need to subject a potential purchase to due diligence—even a score sheet and likely parts costs. Even your reviewer (who has never even sat in a Corvette) would be equipped to make a vendor sweat.
This is a short book but carefully illustrated, not only to demonstrate the subtle differences between variations on the C6 theme but also to highlight the location of those pesky faults that can spoil a new owner’s enjoyment. I’m confident that many buyers will find that $25 spent on this book will be repaid many times over, and that buyer’s regret should be avoided. The best testament of all is that if my local highways were wider and my garage longer, I might be thinking about switching from the buzzy little straight four in my Miata to the big block backbeat of an LS7. Tempted . . .
Copyright John Aston, 2025 (speedreaders.info)
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