LOL We're in the same boat. Our Vette was on the "bucket list" as well. 50+ cars later, we finally gave the Vette experience a go. Looking forward to moving on in March. BTW... the Vette was our first American car in 20 years as we've been buying Japanese and German as well. Oh, and now that GM is "Goverment Motors", that even adds more reason to look forward to "out with the old, in with the new".

You are right, the cost factor of the Z will also be a nice change. To us, spending about $43k for a 2010 370Z Roadster / touring / sport will be a bargain compared to what we generally spend on cars. The Z sure offers much for the money.

if you're like me and don't care too much about leather and all the bells and whistles, i got my base/manual/sport pkg for not too much over 30k. so if u stick with a relatively "basic" z you save abo0ut 10k which is nice.

as for the two cars, if raw performance numbers are whats important to you then the corvette is it. if finesse and refinement is what you want then the z is better. they are both great cars its pretty much up to what mood youre in, if you are in the mood for tire melting american muscle or sophisticated import sports car

my 05 350z had cheap *** plastic interior and i loved it to death.
I also love the corvette but price kept me warry of it.
I woudlnt factor in the interior at all.

You should ask the question do i want to be faster than everybody else? if the answer is yes then corvette you want.

If price is a option i would call the z a "Japanese corvette" its not as fast but its defintely a sports car.

Really great, insightful responses. I think I may keep the Vette on my bucket list for now. Maybe in 10 more years, when I'm 50. I want to see a 370 Roadster before I make any decision. I wish they'd hurry up and get here.

Go for the Corvette. They don't overheat after 10 minutes of track use or "spirited" driving. (Hey, Nissan! :owned: )

For some reason, I find the base C6 to look "plain," but the Z06 is just...WOW!

The C6 is faster by a long stretch, and I'm sure it handles well, but as mentioned, the (interior) quality just isn't there. I've never owned one, so I can't comment on reliability.

The Vette certainly has the proper makings of a good sports car, but the body just lacks that "wow" factor for me, personally. The 370Z looks like it was designed by designers, while the Vette looks like it was done on a computer. The 370Z's curves are just gorgeous. IMO, the same can't be said for the Vette.

In the end, if I had to make up my mind between a 370Z for $39,000 or a C6 Vette for $39,000, I think I would go for the Vette just because it's such an awesome discount I'd be getting.

Exactly. The C6 was a step up from the 350, and the 370 is a newer design than the C6 and is also a step up, but I actually really like the interior of my 05 C6. Its modded to the hilt, but its one car I will probably never get rid of, the first car out of about 32 that I have ever kept til it was paid off actually.

Mine started out as a base vette with only the Z51 package, (for 10 grand more than your quote also!!)

While they are both roughly the same weight, the vette feels much heavier and stable than the Z. My wife actually prefers driving the Vette over the Z, me the opposite. If you do any road courses, the Z is definitely a more challenging car, with a lot more twitchiness to it. The C6 is basically point and shoot.

I don't think you can go wrong with either choice.

http://img366.imageshack.us/img366/5629/both2.jpg

I've gotten the same way over the past 10 years. Granted, I'm speaking of non-sport vehicles first, but the 370z is a great tipping point for me as well.

Great power, great handling, great price and great looks...and great quality.


My next vehicle, if not a Nissan Frontier, may be a Toyota Tacoma...

I don't know if you care about this or not, but the LT1 package (I think) does not come with side air bags.

Have both and love both. Interior doesn't matter to me as the C6 interior isn't exactly horrible. The Z is better in tight slower corners, both are good in long sweeping corners. Can't beat the V8 of the Vette though and the torque brings a nice smile to my face. It's a hard choice but you can't go wrong either way. Also, don't let reliability be a factor. After 3 years our Vette is still running fine with no issues. I'd be leary of lower end GM cars but the Vette is a different story. Good luck in your choice but you can't go wrong with either choice

LOL - reminds me of the late 80's early 90's Nissan interirors with the buttons around the instrument cluster - maybe they are going for the retro Japanese look :P

Sorry but if you are going troll at least make correct statements..... hard track driving - yes it will overheat. Spiritied driving - no. Oh and don't forget to mention that this is a protection factor that Chevy, etc doesn't build into their vehicles to prevent them from causing damage from overheating or the fact that for $400 or less you can install an oil cooler and drive it hard all day on the race track......

As much as I love the 370Z, the vette for that price is too sweet to pass up.

Given the pricing though, I'd lean towards the C6 as well.

+1

Way more performance over a Z and they usually had at least a step up or two for interior options.

Chevy did build it in, through proper design. I've tracked with a bunch of guys with Vettes. One thing they DON'T do is overheat at the track and I track in Texas where it is not uncommon to run in 100*F or more in the summer.

The Vette is arguably one of the most overengineered sports cars on the planet, certainly the most overengineered for the price. The engine and drivetrain are virtually bulletproof (at stock power levels) and will handle anything you can throw at them on a track. The brakes are extremely powerful, the cooling system is robust, and the motor is far from stressed. It is a solid platform for track days.

Honestly, for a Z to go into limp mode at a track day is a slap in the face of Nissan. The Z is a focused sports car and should not have such poor stock cooling as to be unable to sustain lapping a track for 25 or 30 minutes at a time. Same things goes for the Mitsu Evo X MR (another car I've considered), which has transmission cooling issues at track days or hard canyon running.