Thoughts on a base C6

Mergnthwirker

One great thing about the 'Vette. You can get it fixed in any town in the USA. As for the Z? Not. So. Much.

I drive every day on little winding back-country roads in Connecticut, with stone walls on either side. The '09 Vette I test-drove felt incredibly wide going around blind corners on these narrow roads... like driving a very-good-handling tank. I scared myself a few times, and decided I needed a more compact footprint. The Z has been fantastic on those same roads. Case closed, for me. YMMV

theDreamer

Holy buttons batman, they really need to re-design that cockpit. Materials I could live with, but it its an upgraded gauge display and interface.

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DropTopGal

Perhaps I can chime in on this one in that I currently drive a 2008 C6, Vert, 3LT, NPP, Nav and a bunch of other goodies. MSRP was about $65k.

Pros for the Vette: (so far) always starts, (IMHO) looks sharp, great power, very good (not great, 4 out of 5) handling when at speed, NPP is very nice when you step on it, passing power is outstanding, spacious for a 2 seater, fairly comfortable seats, cool heads up display, very good upgraded factory stereo.

Cons for the Vette: cheap interior, penny pinching noticable on small things (ie. glove box is very flimsy), about the worst nav display I have seen in a modern car, after 21,000 miles - it feels like it is already aging even with scheduled routine maintenance, wide turn radius - handles like a boat at low speeds, fit and finish NOT on par with cars that cost less. IMHO, the quality, particularly for the price, just isn't there for the Vette. Great power only gets me so far.

Keep in mind, that there are hidden costs for Vette ownership. Vette tires are not exactly cheap, oil changes do not qualify for GM discounts / coupons, overall, most items for the Vette are double / triple the cost (ie. brakes, even wiper blades!). LOL

Vette ownership has been fun for both my hubby and I, and we have no regrets. However, we are looking forward to moving on come March. Don't get me wrong, the temptation to get into a 2010 Convertible Grand Sport Vette is there, but frankly, it will be readily overcome.

Oh, I should add that the 1LT package is so zzzzzzzz (boring). There is no way I would get a Vette without the 3LT or 4LT. To me, a fully loaded 370Z is much more rewarding than a Vette, especially a base Vette.

racerxj17

i fought hard between the two. coming from a truck (sport truck, x runner, handled great!) with 350rwhp/rwtq, i found myself ready to move on. the 370 and c6 fit the bill of what i wanted. sporty, two seater that could move in a straight line, and dive into the canyons with confidence.

i ended up with the 370. while i acknowledge the vette is faster, and easier to make faster than the Z, i wanted not only an upgrade in horsepower, but looks, and interior. i felt the vette interior/exterior was not as pleasant as the Z, or my old truck. not to mention i see about a dozen vette;s every time i drive my car.

coupled with being 24, and not wanting to be the "young" guy in a vette, and the nasty depriciation the vette's have over a few years, i was settled. every time i think i could have had XXX hp, i get in my Z, and it makes me smile before i even start it.

edit- FWIW, i paid 37.5 for my Z, which would buy me a base c6, so cost wasnt too much of a deciding factor for me.

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RatedZ

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

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.

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FricFrac

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......

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JonBoy

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.

GingaBreadMan

Get the Vette

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Mike

And, they actually do have a limp mode also, its just very uncommon for the engine to get to that point. I got into it once or twice but I was running aftermarket forced induction on the racetrack, and the two just don't mix, at least without some serious engineering work. However, at oil temps of about 280ish, it will go into 'reduced engine power' mode.

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RatedZ

"Sorry" right back at ya, slick. If you're gonna accuse somebody of being a troll, get your facts straight before you do it. Most any idiot could see the sarcasm behind the statement, so back off.

I've seen the posts on this forum from people who have taken their cars out on "spirited drives" and have seen the oil temperatures tickle 250-260 degrees. Don't feed me bs and tell me it's chocolate ice-cream.

BTW, Chevy didn't need to build in a "fail-safe factor." Their car doesn't have overheating issues.

Have a nice day.

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MightyBobo

Wait what? The overheating thing is for protection?

No, limp mode is for protection, and as far as I know the Vette has an oil temp sensor...not that it needs one though, its track-able right away...

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RatedZ

The little hedgehog made me smile, but I couldn't help but notice that you're the second person to reply to FricFrac's "informative" post and correct him.

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stan618

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

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Forrest

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.

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Mike

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.

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