C5 Z06, E46 M3, or C6
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 6,772
Likes: 1
From: Tampa FL
I think it really comes down to what type of car you're after
.. i've driving around in my brothers E46 M3 and would I trade it for the vette or drive it everyday, nope!
.. just not my style of car.
.. i've driving around in my brothers E46 M3 and would I trade it for the vette or drive it everyday, nope!
.. just not my style of car.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 3,218
Likes: 3
Coincidental thread!!! When shopping for a car, it came down to the following for me:
C6, C5 Z06, E46 M3. Drove all three extensively, love all three...
Overall Performance, best to worst:
1. C5 Z06
2. C6
3. E46 M3
Interior:
1. E46 M3
2. C6
3. C5 Z06 (a DISTANT 3rd, the C5 Z06 interior is brutal, a bad tupperware experiment)
Looks (subjective):
1. C6
2. C5 Z06
3. E46 M3
Fun to drive:
Three way tie for first: C6, C5 Z06, and E46 M3!
Livability:
1. E46 M3
2. C6
3. C5 Z06
As you can see, each car has its strength and they are all amazing in their own right. You have to decide which category is most important to you. My problem was I loved all three, but what eventually sold me on the C6 was the subjective factor of looks. I just fell in love with the lines and loved how it was about 98% of the C5 Z06 performance in a livable and more modern package.
BTW, prices have yet to fall below 30k for C6s. Mine has 51k miles and I'd still put my starting point at 33k if I were to sell, with my no lower than price being 30k. It won't be long though before it's in the 20s!
C6, C5 Z06, E46 M3. Drove all three extensively, love all three...
Overall Performance, best to worst:
1. C5 Z06
2. C6
3. E46 M3
Interior:
1. E46 M3
2. C6
3. C5 Z06 (a DISTANT 3rd, the C5 Z06 interior is brutal, a bad tupperware experiment)
Looks (subjective):
1. C6
2. C5 Z06
3. E46 M3
Fun to drive:
Three way tie for first: C6, C5 Z06, and E46 M3!
Livability:
1. E46 M3
2. C6
3. C5 Z06
As you can see, each car has its strength and they are all amazing in their own right. You have to decide which category is most important to you. My problem was I loved all three, but what eventually sold me on the C6 was the subjective factor of looks. I just fell in love with the lines and loved how it was about 98% of the C5 Z06 performance in a livable and more modern package.
BTW, prices have yet to fall below 30k for C6s. Mine has 51k miles and I'd still put my starting point at 33k if I were to sell, with my no lower than price being 30k. It won't be long though before it's in the 20s!
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 924
Likes: 0
From: Calgary
We're looking at possibly adding a new car to the stable, and I know I'm asking in the C5 forum, but oh well.
Were looking at either a 01 Z06, 01-02 M3, or a 05-06 C6.
M3 and Z06 are going to be close in price mid 20s and the C6 would be upper 20s. I'm inclined to say a M3 cause I already have the vette, and an M3 would be a neat addition, but the C5 Z06s are really a nice car. The only reason we are thinking about a C6 is because the one that we would want is about 3-4 years newer, and it would be nice to have a newer car with warranty for my GF to drive.
So what do y'all think, biased opinions aside, I'm looking for a un-biased range of opinions.
Thanks
Patrick
Were looking at either a 01 Z06, 01-02 M3, or a 05-06 C6.
M3 and Z06 are going to be close in price mid 20s and the C6 would be upper 20s. I'm inclined to say a M3 cause I already have the vette, and an M3 would be a neat addition, but the C5 Z06s are really a nice car. The only reason we are thinking about a C6 is because the one that we would want is about 3-4 years newer, and it would be nice to have a newer car with warranty for my GF to drive.
So what do y'all think, biased opinions aside, I'm looking for a un-biased range of opinions.
Thanks
Patrick
C5Z: a true street legal race car, lightweight and powerful, with little sound insulation. No open-air driving experience possible with this one!
M3: a fantastic car overall, and the best of the E46 3-series. Although it will handle and brake very well, it will accelerate much slower than a C5Z or a C6.
C6: a much more refined Corvette, perhaps more suited for every day driving, and much more likely to still have a warranty. Almost as fast as a C5Z.
But it always boils down to the same thing: you and your GF should go drive all of the 3 choices in order to really make a sound decision based on personal preferences.
Here's my personal opinion if I was faced with this situation: the C5Z would be too similar to the C5 I'd already be owning, so I'd rule that out. Then I would also rule out the C6 because both cars would be summer-only cars, and it would be nice to have a fancy DD car during the winter months. So I'd choose the M3. After all, I absolutely love the E46 Bimmers, even in "lesser" trims such as the 330ci.
In your case, if a Vette can be a DD due to good weather in your area, I'd say it's a toss-up between the C6 and the M3. Being such different cars, I think a test drive will quickly allow both you and your GF to determine which one you like best!
Either way, good luck with the shopping!
Thread Starter
Pro
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 669
Likes: 0
From: DFW TX
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
Well what kind of driving does your GF like to do? The three cars you listed are quite different from one another!
C5Z: a true street legal race car, lightweight and powerful, with little sound insulation. No open-air driving experience possible with this one!
M3: a fantastic car overall, and the best of the E46 3-series. Although it will handle and brake very well, it will accelerate much slower than a C5Z or a C6.
C6: a much more refined Corvette, perhaps more suited for every day driving, and much more likely to still have a warranty. Almost as fast as a C5Z.
But it always boils down to the same thing: you and your GF should go drive all of the 3 choices in order to really make a sound decision based on personal preferences.
Here's my personal opinion if I was faced with this situation: the C5Z would be too similar to the C5 I'd already be owning, so I'd rule that out. Then I would also rule out the C6 because both cars would be summer-only cars, and it would be nice to have a fancy DD car during the winter months. So I'd choose the M3. After all, I absolutely love the E46 Bimmers, even in "lesser" trims such as the 330ci.
In your case, if a Vette can be a DD due to good weather in your area, I'd say it's a toss-up between the C6 and the M3. Being such different cars, I think a test drive will quickly allow both you and your GF to determine which one you like best!
Either way, good luck with the shopping!
C5Z: a true street legal race car, lightweight and powerful, with little sound insulation. No open-air driving experience possible with this one!
M3: a fantastic car overall, and the best of the E46 3-series. Although it will handle and brake very well, it will accelerate much slower than a C5Z or a C6.
C6: a much more refined Corvette, perhaps more suited for every day driving, and much more likely to still have a warranty. Almost as fast as a C5Z.
But it always boils down to the same thing: you and your GF should go drive all of the 3 choices in order to really make a sound decision based on personal preferences.
Here's my personal opinion if I was faced with this situation: the C5Z would be too similar to the C5 I'd already be owning, so I'd rule that out. Then I would also rule out the C6 because both cars would be summer-only cars, and it would be nice to have a fancy DD car during the winter months. So I'd choose the M3. After all, I absolutely love the E46 Bimmers, even in "lesser" trims such as the 330ci.
In your case, if a Vette can be a DD due to good weather in your area, I'd say it's a toss-up between the C6 and the M3. Being such different cars, I think a test drive will quickly allow both you and your GF to determine which one you like best!
Either way, good luck with the shopping!
Well right now she drives a 1999 Mustang GT, with coil overs, big brakes, and some other road/autox stuff. It's just getting up there in miles and she kinda wants to put a cage in and use it for racing only, and she/I want something that we arent going to be working on all the time. I think that she could easily live with any of them, it's just tough to decide between 3 great cars, I wish they made the C6 in a FRC body style
P
