Considering a C5 ZO6...

[ted]

I feel like I'm cheating on my 911 posting this...
Any other Porsche guys that have messed with newer Vettes?
I found this for $20k with all the track upgrades, 460rwhp.
Why not?

[kaisen]

I think Byron (RacerBVD) has one (for sale??)
I've driven many of them
Stout track-day cars
It will cost a lot less to repair than a 911
Different driving experience, a lot more motor!

[BeyGon]

I like that body better than any of the other Corvettes,

[ZOO]

Exceptional track car -- lots of support; great enthusiast community that uses the car as intended. What's not to like?

FWIW, I regualrly got 32 MPG highway in my LT1 C4 -- it was cheaper to drive it to track days than it is to drive my Miata to track days

[porsche4life]

Cheap HP thats for sure....


I can almost wrap my mind around a 'vette at that price. I would consider a C5 for a DD once they get down around 10k....

[Racerbvd]

JUMP ON IT!!!!! The AC blows cold too...

[Z-man]

I had considered a C5 Z06 as well -- very tempting.

As part of the upgrades -- are the brakes upgraded as well? I've heard they are the weakest point of the car.

-Z-man.

[vash]

my stepdad has one. he never drives it. i think it has less than 10k miles. he got the oldman color..that goldish, tan color. eggh!

he asked me if i wanted it. i really dont. no garage space, no mod money..the thing is a rocket. i think it is a 2000 year model..so i dont know where that sits in the C numerical scale...C4?

[legion]

Went and test drove a 2000 Z06 (that would make it a C5, Vash) a few months ago.

Car had been driven hard and put away wet. It was out of alignment and one of the calipers was seized. Synchros on 2nd were toast and it wouldn't reliably go into 1st gear. Being sold by third owner who had no maintenance records and bought it from a dealership that bought it at auction. He was asking $16,500. I thought the price was high for the condition of the vehicle.

Still, the power delivery was smooth and precise. I drove my best friend's '99 hard top, (with only 8,000 miles on it), so I knew that a better example would be a better drive. It's on my list of cars to consider when I get back into sports cars. (Which looks like it may be awhile.) Even with the problems listed above, I could probably spend less than $2k and fix all of them (including the tranny problems!).

The 2000 Z06 had a relatively anemic 350 hp. I believe the Z06 has gotten a power bump every year since its introduction. Heck, even the current "base" Corvette has 450 hp now.

Besides being cheap to fix and keep running, the other advantage I saw was that there are tons of upgrades available for everything, and you don't even need to do it piecemeal. You can literally buy whole engineered performance kits that include everything--even new engine mappings. And there are a lot of them: superchargers, turbochargers, dual turbochargers, even just new cylinder heads and exhaust.

[ZOO]

Originally Posted by Z-man

I had considered a C5 Z06 as well -- very tempting.

As part of the upgrades -- are the brakes upgraded as well? I've heard they are the weakest point of the car.

-Z-man.

C5 Z06 and C5 brakes are identicial, except that the C5 caliper is red. I've never heard of C5 brakes being problematic -- other than cracking of cheap replacement rotors after extended hot laps. Pads and rotors are inexpensive. Most track guys simply bring extra rotors (the cheapies from NAPA are less than $30, IIRC). Moving the car forward a few feet while in the paddock once or twice alleviates the hot spots and tendency for the rotor to crack (there's a lot of pad surface to trap heat).

C4 brakes aren't as robust -- I updgraded to C5 brakes on the front of my C4 because of fade at the track.

[pwd72s]

will it keep up with a well set up 944 in the twisties? That is the acid test...

You said it...why not?

[ZOO]

Non-Z06 C6s aren't all that more, however -- and they have more power, better (marginally) interiors, and are prettier.

[ted]

Originally Posted by Z-man

I had considered a C5 Z06 as well -- very tempting.

As part of the upgrades -- are the brakes upgraded as well? I've heard they are the weakest point of the car.

-Z-man.

front ducts, carbo tech? pads.

if it passes a ppi I'll get it.
Awesome ac? can't wait to test it.
needs sat radio and a gas cc for the comute to the track.
adjustable sways, coil over/leaf spring delete.
seems last of the cheap sports cars?
it is a good time for $18k 30k mile pampered C5 ZO6s.
My wife puts the Cadillac old guy stigma on these Vettes.
I can change that.
YouTube - Patrese & Wife - subtitled

[pwd72s]

Honestly didn't know Z-06's could be had so cheaply...I predict that you're gonna have fun!

[herr_oberst]

I'd always heard that pound for pound, insurance on Corvettes is really high - does this still ring true?

[JeremyD]

I instructed in a modified Vette two weeks ago - Blue group = on hoosiers. First Vette I've done at Sebring. Dang the power delivery was smooth and predictable. Once you get over that big honking snout (or at least that's how it feels coming from a 911) point it and press the loud pedal. Very capable car - although our brakes did start getting mushy - and that was with motul and hawk blues.

[aigel]

A buddy had one that he hopped up pretty good with a new engine making north of 500 rwhp. It was insane to drive. I didn't do many turns in it but the acceleration was astounding ...

If you like the looks and can see yourself driving one around, then you should go for it! For me both those points are weak - the styling is boring (possibly because you see them so much) and the general clientele driving them is a group I'd rather not be associated with ...

George

[ZOO]

That's a well set-up C5 with good upgrades. I'd be all over it if I was in the market.

[Jim Bremner]

Originally Posted by herr_oberst

I'd always heard that pound for pound, insurance on Corvettes is really high - does this still ring true?

I'm 44 with 1 speeding ticket MORE than full coverage on it and it's $360 every 6 mo in California. We live in a neighborhood where it's 30% higher than Long beach due to a high percentage of Koreans.

My car is a 2006 C6 with the Z51 Track Kit. It has 20% stiffer springs, the z06 front bar ( I added the z06 rear bar) 13.4" front brakes, 12" rears better pads, oil cooler, diff cooler, PS cooler and a tighter gear box ratio, plus a lower rear gear ( not by much)

The car has 80k miles on it, two track days and to be honest it was at Streets of willow springs which favors lighter cars that I couldn't touch had race tires and I was on GEASY run flats.

In 80 k I've had the alternator fail at 54k miles and a belt tensioner fail at 60k

There was a squeek that took 3 visits to the dealer, I fixed it with LIP BAULM at a traffic light.

Tons of torque 26 mpg but it's just a corvette, you deal with tons of corvette jokes and you're on the low rung of the car world Porsche, BMW and Ferrari drivers scoff at you.

I bought it due to the fact that my wife Joanna, lives with MS and needs a wheelchair sometimes. We can fit luggage for two for two days plus a wheelchair in the back! I can fit a 60cm roadbike with the wheels off in the back as well.

[Z-man]

Originally Posted by ted

front ducts, carbo tech? pads.

Like I said - you may want to upgrade those puppies. I've got beefier brakes on my track driven 944S2 (944 Turbo S fronts), and I'm pushing 208hp on a good day.

A beefier set of Brembos or even Willwoods would do the trick.

But then again, the way my 944 slices through the twisties, I need bigger brakes!

-Z-man.