miwitte

I am in the market for a 2006-2007 Z06 i just sold my 71 442 so I could get one. I have about 42k so I am looking at probably a 2006. Looking for a black or blue one. Been looking for over a month and everything is 500 plus miles away there was a nice one in WIlmington last week just couldnt get down there. Anyway what issues should I look for? Any issues with the first year LS7 in the 2006? I saw some posts on fixing the roof whats up with that? Anyway anything that is common and should be looked for would be appreciated. Most of the cars have less than 20k so there shouldnt be too many issues.Thanks!!

sublime1996525

You just need to look for awesomeness. And the search button is good.

Prime Target

Use the search option. Plenty of info here. You'll be reading for hours. I am still thrilled every time I drive my 06Z. Great car!

azZ06Mike

i have an 07 for $42,000

ZAKsPop

You definitely should take some time and read. There is an over abundance of information on this forum. $42k should get you into an 07. You might have to come up with a little more $$$. I got my 07 in Feb. for $43k. It was just what I wanted. Be patient but persistent in your search. look EVERYWHERE. This forum, cars dot com, usedcorvettesforsale dot com, autotempest dot com. Be prepared to go some distance to get it too. I got lucky and only had to drive 200 miles to get mine.

hiznhrz

I bought an 06 that was previously enjoyed. Haven't found anything wrong with it. It's an amazing car.

If you find a low mileage car, I'd suggest looking carefully at how meticulously it has been cared for. If you consider one with 20K or more miles, I'd look for service records. I'd also suggest getting the VIN and having a dealer look at what's been done to the car, in and out of warranty. If you have any doubts about any car for any reason, walk. There are plenty of well cared for and like new Z06's.

Good luck!

HeyDanNiceShot

Being a 2007 owner, if I had it to do over I'd spend a little bit more and buy a 2008.

MarkRx

Also being an 07Z owner, why?

C5 Frank

As an original '06 owner I can tell you all years are great. '06s and very early '07s had the roof issue(a recall), which should be taken car of by now by all but the laziest owners. Early '06s had weaker axles, but will only be an issue if you drag race it regularly. The was a bad batch of valvesprings in late '06 through early '07, but those should have failed in all but maybe a garage queen. There was a rocker issue with certain build date '07s.....some '08s had a cold grind in the trans.
I say find one with around 20k miles and a clean history. Be sure to pull the GM service history as well. The reason I say 20k, if the car was going to have any of these issues they would have surfaced by then.
Goodluck!

bigwoolyg

one thing I would look for is a stock, unmodified (outside of maybe some cosmetic things like center arm rests, etc..) car. Once people start monkeying with tunes, cracking the engine open, etc, you take a lot of risk, and you have to spend a lot of time researching what was done, who did it, etc..

2000FRCZ19

this is very true and i agree with you, but the down side is a lot of "stock" used cars have been modded and then put back to stock. i recently found this to be the case when i pulled the stock manifolds off mine and found the wrong gaskets with header imprints on them. i was adding a set of headers to the car at the time and found it kind of funny. wish the previous owner had just left them on and used the right gaskets. so just remember if it says stock it still could have been demodded. lots of "putting my car back to stock because i am selling" threads in the for sale section. just keep this in mind when looking and try to find a solid stock car. there are many clean unmolested cars out there. my 06 was slightly modded with 50,000 miles and has had no problems at all and looks as new. i have no regrets with it. shop around and try to find a local well informed forum member to go look with you. post in the regional sections of this forum to find members to guide you in the right direction.

CTYANK2

Shopping for any used $40k+ car long distance is risky. Information and advice provided on this site should address all your concerns. Where you located?

RUGBY

an extended warranty is a plus as the LS7 is expensive to replace

miwitte

I am out of Charlotte NC. I certainly wouldnt buy anything without looking. I just started a new job so i would need to take time off to fly somewhere and if its good do the wire transfer thing, sign over the title etc. I was hoping for something within a few hundred miles so I could look at it on a weekend and put a deposit down then take care of the purchase without taking too much time off. I am in no big rush, looking for the right car and right distance. There were a couple in the area a few months back, but I was in the middle of selling my 442 so i had no funds.

99HRDTP

Be careful of the roof on the LMB's. Check that they matched the paint well to the rest of the car. When I did mine after it came off, the body shop manager told me that there were different LMB paint mixes dependent upon when during the year the car was produced. Best of luck.

Vito.A

Patience is the key. Prices will drop this winter and more cars will be available.
I agree, don't be afraid to travel for the right car. You can have a forum member preview it and if that checks out, then hire a professional inspection. There are even a few 2008 models for $45K out there. Learn to do searches on AutoTrader, Cars.Com, this forum, and even eBay motors. Learn how to sort through price and options. Make your searches nation wide. You can use a lower priced add to get the seller down on a local car.

HeyDanNiceShot

The peace of mind of not having to worry about the valvetrain issues, the newer tranny, the slightly upgraded interior, the bluetooth. It's all minor stuff that doesn't affect most people, but for not much more, I think it's worth it. That being said, I haven't had any issues with my car at all.

Mopar Jimmy

And getting one that has a an extended GMPP bumper to bumper warrantly like my 06 had when I bought it in March 2010, is a big plus and peace of mind!

Also, be patient, this is the ultimate buyer's market, and look in all different areas like many have suggested including Craigslist, where there are often times good deals in a town closer to you than you might imagine!

Make sure you also do the basics, a carfax and complete GM service history on the car.

HeyDanNiceShot

I picked up my '07 with 22k on it for $40k and still under full bumper-to-bumper warranty of course. Look hard.

MarkRx

I hear ya, I was looking for an 08 initially but stumbled across my 07. i've put about 12k miles on it and haven't had a single issue with the car. it doesnt need a roof recall, and doesn't fall within the build date for faulty rockers. I upgraded the center console along with a GMPP warranty and couldn't be happier. No tranny issues here and not a bluetooth fan (2009 IIRC) either way, if you can find a low mile 07 with extended warranty you'll save 5-10k over an 08/09. I paid $46k for my 07 2LZ with 1521 miles back in april 09. (yeah, it was a smoking deal/friend hookup) I still get solid $45k~ offers over two years later and almost 14k miles.