wkndwarrior

haven't been on the CF for a while,,,,,wife had a mid-life car crisis and decided it was time to get back into the jeep life, 97 tj, so i have spent the last 2 years fixing and customizing it for her. it is finally done!,,,well for now.

now that it is finished i am back to my toy. currently have a 98 coupe 6spd 110k miles, nothing special, no mods other than convenience type stuff or appearance stuff.

now to the big debate,,,,,,everything i own is currently paid for,,,,cars (5 total) and houses (2 total)......i have wanted a c6z ever since i first saw one. i rarely drive my c5, like 0 miles in the past year!, but it was my 1st corvette i purchased (had it about 7 yrs now). at work i have a carport for me and the wife that has gravel parking so i don't really want to drive it to work and park on the gravel and sling rocks on the fresh paint, this will be the same if i get a c6z. we have 4 kids so its not a "family friendly" ride regardless of c5 or c6z.

i was looking to trade the c5 for a 08 c6z but that will leave me with payments for maybe 3 years unless we have a good year at the business and i may be able to pay for it 1.5 to 2 years.

on 1 hand i say do it, newer c6z with lower miles 20k is what i am looking at currently, will have more value on down the road vs a plain jane c5.......on other hand i say heck with it its paid for keep c5 and be done with it......

any one else go from std c5 to c6z and have any feedback?? yeah i'm sure someone will suggest but keeping c5 AND getting c6z is NOT an option.

MUKAK

yes yes and yes

Tech

I went from a paid-off C5Z to a loan on a C6Z. I never drove my C5Z. In order to make the C5Z fun to drive, I modded the hell out of it. Then it became less fun to drive because I was always tinkering with one thing or another and I'm **** about things working how I want them. The C6Z has about the same performance stock. I did the required head fix, threw a set of headers on it and a supercharger and haven't touched it since. It has been problem-free except for a vibration in the exhaust which was fixed quickly.

I drive my C6Z every chance I get now. I work from home, so I don't put many miles on my vehicles but I think I may have put more miles on a Corvette than I did with my DD just because I enjoy driving it so much.

olddragger

you will not regret getting a c 6 z. Plus don't be hesitate about well cared for ones that have 50K miles on them. They are a bargain.

wkndwarrior

one i am currently eyeing is 08, has 20k miles on it, lower interior pkg...no nav just radio and cd player which is fine with me. decisions decisions......guess it depends on what they are gonna offer on my c5 trade.....ins is only $20 more a month so no big deal there....they are wanting $45k.......looked at some in classifieds here, seemed average for year and miles

fueledpassion

I've owned a C5 Vert and currently own a C6Z.

To be honest, the C6Z is simply a faster, more ergonomically correct and sexier version of the C5. If I had a C5Z, I wouldn't go from one to the next unless I were considering one of the newer, decked out versions of the C6Z, like a Z07 package or something of that caliber.

Both cars give the same overall feel, as does the C7. In fact, when I sat in a C7 (before I owned the C6Z), I had an immediate nostalgic experience reminiscing the C5 Vert. They feel the same when sitting in them.

As for the speed and agility, BIG difference between the two, but don't expect the overall feel of the car to be hugely different. It's still a Corvette and the C5 to C6 generation was considered an evolutionary generation, not a transformative one like the C6 to C7. C6 is truly just a more capable version of the C5. This doesn't mean, however, that you can slap on $15K of bolt-on parts to a C5 and match the C6Z in overall performance - I doubt that. But as far as speed and firmness of ride? A blower and upgraded suspension will make it feel similar to a C6Z in most street applications.

That said, just like the other person above, I drive mine every chance I can get. Mine isn't blown but I do have the H/C/E on it. Stock intake from filter to manifold though and I'm guessing it's pushing around 550rwhp based on the last dyno I made before I added headers.

Anyways, it's been so long so I'd have to drive each side by side to truly remember the differences between the two.

wkndwarrior

i like the way the c6z looks with the fenders and body lines, like i told the wife earlier if it was upgrading from c5 to just c6, i would pass and just keep the c5. the extra performance is just a bonus for me, no intention to put it on the track.

Mr. Jean

We kept our C5 and I got the C6Z for myself. Anne loves driving her C5 now. Like you, I probably wouldn't have gotten a regular C6, it had to be a Z06.

We don't have the expense of 4 children to raise, so I can understand your hard choices ahead. You don't mention other family type rides that you own, but i'm guessing you must have one/some for family stuff.

The C6Z is a great ride, but only you know if it's best for you and your family at this time. Best of luck with your choice.

wkndwarrior

yes we have a fleet of kids and cars

we have:
2008 expedition el has about 28k miles (sunday car and 2 times a year trips....one to beach....one to mountains) (everyone fits!)
2007 ford f150 4dr has 100k miles (my work truck) (everyone fits but i only drive it to company functions with family.....like charity events, etc.)
2007 vw new beetle convertible (can't remember miles right off, prob average, maybe 100k) (my mom handed it down for kids to drive/learn with) (fits 4 but not for long trips!)
1998 corvette coupe 110k miles (obviously fits 2)
1997 jeep wrangler 250k miles (fits 5, 2 in front 3 in back(until they get a little bigger, then 2 in back)
1991 chevrolet k1500 extra cab (miles ??? odometer broke at 175k several years ago) (everyone fits)

oh and we have 4 kids:
17
15
13
11

c6z would replace the 98.....don't have shop room to keep both and outside of it being my 1st vette nothing really special that would make it worth storing to get value back out of it.

fueledpassion

Well, the only other thing to consider is that the C6Z would definitely be a hands-off car for the 17 & 15 year old. The C5 on the other hand would be just fine to let them take someone out on a date with.

505hp in a 3100lb car is too much for a young buck (or gal) to respect properly.

wkndwarrior

funny, that was one of the factors in getting the jeep......had to be 5spd and 4.0 that way it would be a good vehicle to teach the kids how to drive a manual.....wife and i still think that is a necessary skill for kids to have.

course my 15 year old thinks he's taking the c5 to his senior prom.......they would have to be in their 20's with own bills and things for me to agree for them to drive it.....unless i'm with them, of course

dkz

Get a c7 stingray.

DanD45

My 2 cents

I owned a base 2001 c5 since 2014. Bought it with just over 16,000 miles. Cared for it as any other corvette owner respectfully does.I loved the car it was my baby. But After almost 3 years and 3k miles I decided to make the move to a c6z.

Selling the c5 wasn't an easy task and didn't quite get what I thought the car was truly worth but hey what are you going to do.

But once I got into a c6z, I can not say I have a single disappointment. Have had the car for about a month and I can not stop driving it. It's truly an amazing car and can not compare it to a c5. The drive is much more comfortable and the power is incredible. I was having nightmares of selling my baby the c5 but the new c6z put those terrors away and definitely brought more joy.

If you can stretch it.Do it. you will not regret it. Worth every penny and then some when you compare them to the cars they can compete with. But I will say one thing if you do buy one, drive it and enjoy it, as I'm sure you will

wkndwarrior

haven't warmed to that look yet.........still haven't warmed to the base c6.....but 1st time i saw c6z

dkz

but with a c7 you'll have a warranty and you won't have to worry about the cylinder heads.

wkndwarrior

yeah but its the c6z looks i like......not the name corvette ........plus add up a couple of c7 payments and i could rebuild the heads.......maybe twice

olddragger

the c6z has classic lines---yes it will look a little dated after some time but like the old rx7's it will never be out of style.
The c6z is a platform like none other I have ran across--lightweight, strong, very capable engine and drivetrain, good stock brakes--yada, yada. It is the last of a n/a true drivers car. Yet at the same time it is a very comfortable trip car, can go to home depot in it, gets great gas mileage for its class, and in my 8 yr old car the materials are holding up very well.
I still turn and look at it when I walk away after parking.
The C7 is not my cup of tea. Too many electronics, that rear end(?) yada yada---yet it seems to appeal to many and that's cool. I don't think that design will stand the test of time like the c6z though. I may be wrong---who knows.
OP there are many good 2008 Z's for sale under 45K! Many!

fueledpassion

I agree. There is such a thing as conservative and progressive designs. The current sports cars/muscle cars are leaning towards progressive, with the C7 leading the pack.

Problem with those is that they aren't deemed classics in the end. They are deemed an era of strange taste, much like the mid 70's to early 90's...

To me, a conservative design (and ultimately the best future classic cars) are the ones that stay true to their roots.

C7 has two really big offenses in that department - the exterior design - sharp edges & squared lights and the engine being a supercharged setup (albeit only applies to the flagship C7Z)

I like the car alright I guess. I mean, I would take one if someone just wanted to give me one...

But the car literally looks like a Viper/Ferrari from the front and a Camaro from the back. It really has an identity crisis right now if you ask me. It's trying to "fit in" with everything else. And if I remember correctly, the chief engineer said the car was designed to target millennials, which I am confused by because 80% of millennials have no business buying a $65K car right now, given our age and the economic conditions.

But then again, the Ferrari looked a lot like the C6Z as well.

wkndwarrior

test drove a 2007 c6z today.....wow

low end was amazing! cruising speeds and stomping it was similar to my c5 but the low end wow!

problem with this one tho when i was getting out of the parking lot and going slow to turn and find a way out of lot to test drive i kept hearing clunking.....not sure what it was but i could repeat it every time i turned when driving slow....wife even heard it also.

is this normal for c6z? or common problem to fix??

got back into my c5 and turned all kinds of ways and tight as a tick with no clunking sounds.

outhouse

No not at all.


My 06 is solid and quiet at 44k miles