Corvettes are for old men :wtf2:

I agree the Z's clutch is an on/off switch with no travel, but stock/stock, I think the LS1 and the 370Z motor are about equal given that the Z is lighter.

When you start modding, throw that out the window, but for a stock car vs. stock car, the Z does fine.

I remember racing a 350Z that had dynoed 265whp and I SLOWLY put 2 cars on him 60-125 or so. The 370 is pushing a bit more than 265, and would probably have been DEAD even with my WS6.

The Z is not scary quick like a Z06, but it is fast enough to get away from you, and to be entertaining.

This discussion of horsepower reminds me of deer hunters discussing caliber. Back in the day, a .30-06 was all you needed for darn near anything in the US. Now, some would have you belive that you need a .338 Lapua just to take down a little mule deer. horsepower is the same. You will get used to whatever you buy, and it will feel "slow". The difference is, when you buy something junky, it will nag and nag and nag at you. If you have a nice car that is well-built, it will just feel slow but you will still smile when you see it in your garage/driveway because you take pride in that it doesn't rattle, etc. and hasn't broken every time you drive it.

It probably does. Performance doesn't just mean all-out. It can also mean how well a car does what it was designed to do. For instance, maybe the 370Z doesn't grind gears when cold like cars that have the TR6060 transmission do? Ergo, performing better.

I don't think it means they think it is faster.

Man I have to tell you that the Porsche has better quality. Here is something I have found in the Z that kinda made me say HMMMMM. If you look at the guages in the front where all the check eng lights come on when starting up and the sun is hitting the gauge from behind the car, you can see that Nissan used a cardboard pice with the guage icons cut out and just put over the whole thing. Kinda like a carboard cutout. Now in my other cars Ive owned it was atleast plastic cutouts put over. And Im not talking about the clear plastic piece. What is funny is that the cardboard cutout has intentations that can be seen when the sun hits its showing its unevenness. Its not a biggy but thats the little things that tell me the Z is not at the Porsche BMW Audi or Merc levels of materials. I love my Z but I make no pretense its quiality was as good as my Audi material wise and even parts wise. Like I said I went down in quality going to the Z but I wanted the more power so its something you have to live with. Now I will have to drive the vette soon and get a feel for the ride and comfort of the seats but Im only 5'8 so Im sure they will be fine for me. Even in the Z when I went from GA to TX my legs started hurting from the long days rides.

I am waffling too. The LS3 is sick, the suspension is awesome.

The rest of the car is crap.

But the 370Z is about the same "speed" as my last car and I kinda wanted an upgrade in performace. Either way, I lean toward the Z because it won't piss me off like owning a car that breaks often would.

And have you seen how many problems forum members have talked about in here? I mean all cars have probs and the Z has had its share. Moving seats, oil consumption, rattles, squeaky suspension, trunk lid, clutch, air noise from the back, etc.. You find a car that doesnt have a prob let us know.

IT does make one go "hmmm", but who is to say it really IS cardboard? Have you touched the material to know? It may have a similar corrugated construction and not be cardboard, which would have all sorts of issues in high-humidity, which is why I think it is NOT cardboard as we think of it.

The 'vette has all those issues and then some. Except a trunk lid. Corvette does not have a trunk except the C5 Z06. There are no perfect cars, but the 'vette is not as nice when it comes to build quality.

Moving seats: Please skip to 2:45
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKM2-BK4H98

Wow...

Oil consumption: We all know about LSX engines and oil.

Rattles: in a poll on the 'vette forum, about 50% of owners said their "removable top" rattled, even with GM's new re-designed latch.

Clutch/Trans: TR6060 transmissions grind on the 1-2 shift in many cars ('vette, GT500 ESPECIALLY, Camaro, Challenger, etc.).

Sqeaky suspension: Anything with bushings can do that.

Air noise: Ummm...this is covered under "sports car" imho.

just saying all cars have probs but get the Z its a good car. :ugh2:

only speaking for myself i have owned 2 Z'S an 05 and now a 09.
and 2 vettes a c4 and a c5. the 09 z is light years ahead of the 05 z
same about the vette the c5 vastly improved over the c4.

both cars have little issues but its not fair to compare the two
its not apples to apples. one cost 20 to 25 grand more.

imo bang for the buck the z is the best value but that doesn't make it the best car. both cars will make strangers turn heads. i love the new z but if someone asked me to pick one at no charge i'd go for the vette, sorry. it's just a beast.

It's older, not old! Corvettes should be for the more mature man!

:iagree: I think at our age we want a car that is styleish and fast and reliable without having to mod it. But Im only 21 yrs old....





plus tax

I didn't say just faster, I said "outperforms". The vette will dominate the Z on any track or any straight line race of any distance you can name (with the possible exception of an autoX course in your local shopping mall parking lot). I love the Z but am not going to redefine the meaning of what a sports car is so my favorite car can "win". What's next? The Z has better performance because our calipers are a prettier color? The vette handles the same as the Z, out-mucles it by over 100 hp, AND is lighter. It's simply physics. Now, you can make a case about interiors, or "feel" or driving experience, or value, but you can't reasonably say a stock Z outperforms a stock vette.

The Vette will blow the doors off the 370!

not if they were miata doors. but they aint so it will blow them doors off.

Id love a 370Z with the vette engine and its power and tq. Would need a good LSd tho maybe AWD.

The vette engine would be nice (although I'd rather drop the new mustang engine in there) but seriously, the miata doors is what makes this car a CAR!

Not if it can't get out of first gear, lol. Read up on the TR6060 transmission. Lots of them don't like to shift so much.

My point wasnt that the SOTP or measured acceleration was better, but that the car worked better. It did what it was designed to do better.

a 0 60 in 4 secs seems to get off the line pretty good.

I think you are missing the point I was trying to make. The 'vette is prone to grinding gears due to the increased size of gears in the TR6060 vs. the T56, thus necessitating smaller (less effective) syncro's, while the Z, from what I understand, does not have this issue.

The 'vette body was thrown togather from crap materials with a stellar engine and suspension and a so-so transmission with the sole purpose of being fast--and it is. Handles well, too!

I relate it to having a 3500 square-foot house that has no furniture vs. a 2500 square-foot house that is nicely furnished. Yeah...you got a big house and you spent the same money as the guy with the 2500sq foot, but it's kinda stupid living with it after you get over your advantage on paper, isn't it?

I went from a 350 horsepower car ('01 WS6) that broke literally weekly to my 145bhp INfiniti G20. They handle about the same and the G20 hasn't broken in several months (since I had it).

I like the G. It doesn't rattle, either. Speakers don't crackle. Etc.

I dont think the grinding of the gears is as bad as you say. Ive been in the forums too and they are not as bad as you are making them out to be. Its just here and there like how things are here and there on all cars. Did a corvette turn you down or something?

"Turn me down"?? What do you mean? You got me there, I am confused.

I am in the market and just comparing the cars and saying what I have seen. The TR6060 is used in lots of cars, and most of them (Challengers, GT500's, 'vette's) are having issues since the re-design of the T56 (and morph into the TR6060).

Tremec has changed syncro material for 2011 'vettes (dunno about the other cars, as the GT500 '11's still have horrible trans issues). I am curious to what difference it makes. Not enough '11 'vettes in the field to see, yet.

I would love the performance of a Z06, but the interior would bother me I think. It looks ok on the showroom, but the rattles in time would get to me, as would the seats if they degrade as fast as people say, etc. It really does seem 2nd or 3rd tier materials used to allow for that engine/suspension and still come in at the $$ it does. Nothing is free. I just drew my limit at $60K, and it seems at $60K or less, I must choose: speed or quality.

most issues Ive seen in the vette threads a few and with 08 and below models. Havent really seen any for the 10 or 11 so maybe they got better. Im seriously considering the vette so I will have to research this more too.

In '08 they went to the TR6060. IT shifts smoother when it doesn't grind 1-2. A lot of owners have had issues with it, but many say "only grinds until it warms up".

This poll/thread shows some of the common issues with 'vettes and how prevalent they seem to be, just on that forum at least.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...ette-been.html

Still, not cool with me.

I love the power of the 'vette, but the interior grates. I know my WS6 was super fast to me (had a 240whp GT and then went to the 300whp WS6), but the speed quickly wore off and I realized what a bucket of bolts it was. I don't want to plunk down 65K on a Z06 only to have the speed get boring (and it does, or people wouldn't mod them for more...) and hate the car for being 2nd rate in every other area. I am thinking of how I will feel AFTER the first year or 2 of ownership.

I am curious to see about the 2011 transmissions in the 'vettes.

Further, the sqeaks I did hear came from the tops in the 'vettes I rode in (C5 removable top/ C6 'vert). I am curious if the Z06 is quieter. I know it isn't much stiffer (25Hz vs. 24Hz for a coupe w/roof in place), but the roof being solid, it CAN'T sqeak.

If the Z06 is quieter and the 2011 Tremec solves the issue. Well, the note on a 1LZ Z06 vs. a 370Z loaded out is 1 shift a month overtime for me. I'd do it! Those are my gripes, transmission and rattles. Curious to see how they are addressed for '11.

My '76 has squeaky tops. When driving without them, the car is solid. Not bad for a +30 year old car. Well engineered? I think so for its day. Most squeaks and rattles can be isolated and fixed. I wouldn't make a decision on buying a car by what forums say unless there actually was a documented REAL problem. Heck, who would buy a 370Z by some of the "issues" posted in here?

I agree with all you said except the demographic issue.z owners could say
the same thing about the corvette guys about the demographics

two things the cars do have in common...... for the money in each price range
they have no equals.

The only thing wrong with checking out other forums sometimes is its hard
to weed out the bull.s....

heck if i read all the bad things about the 370 on here i might never have bought one to start with......just saying......

demographic -----I think you used the wrong word!

:iagree: thats what makes it so hard to decide and a quick ride wont show all the bad things that might happen later on. So you have weed weed weed.

cali puff puff pass

demographics
 

Sales chart
Corvette Action Center | Tech Center | Corvette Demographics - 2009

totally agree on all points.but you left out the corvette list for at least 20 to 25 grand more. love's a strong word, i love my wife and kids,"well on most days"

i've owned both cars and loved them both each two different times.
but if i only get to choose one more before its all over sorry its the vette.

Nice find dad. Dad can i have some money? lol Couldnt resist.

Looks like Im in all the right categories, age, location, $$$$, etc, so I guess that means Im getting a vette.

I keep coming back to the idea of the Z06 myself. I am not of the "appropriate" age, demographic, or income, but then, I'm a different sort I guess.

If you buy, either go base, or go Z06. Just my .02, unless you want a 'vert.

I am looking long and hard at the 2011 Z06. I think a 1LZ in mid 2011 would be a solid move for me if nothing else comes out to compete with it. The trans issues should be fixed, and 5/100 is a VERY nice powertrain warranty on a 450rwhp car.

Decisions :(

No, I base it off of my roommate's 'vette, a friend's 'vette, and the 'vette I rode in a while back.

Before it is said and done, I will drive a Z06 and consider. That 450whp is very persuasive. The 370Z is probably a bit slower than my last car on the big end, and that grates a bit on me. Why go into debt over a car slower than a car I had paid for (when considering performance cars)? I know speed isn't everything, and am considering that, as well...

Im looking at a 2010 GS LT3, cant really afford the Z06, I still have 2 kids in my pocket. The 2010 is almost 10K off MSRP.

Yeah, they are giving 2010's away right now. I just can't justify a Grand Sport for $50K when I could get a 2009 Z06 for $59K or a 2010 for $62-4K.

For 9-14K you get:

HUD on every trim level
LS7 engine
NPP exhaust
Fixed Roof Coupe
100-150# weight reduction depending on trim levels

So basically: stiffer body, 80rwhp, better sounding exhaust, and a HUD. Sounds like a great way to spend 9K!

Then, I plan on holding off until mid 2011 or so and getting a 2011 when they are giving those away (well, you can already order a 1LZ for 65K, I am just not ready yet.)