[Z06] Why C5Z06?
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 2,722
Likes: 64
From: DFW Texas
CI 7-8 Veteran
CI 8 Car Show Winner
St. Jude Donor '07
I started out with a c5 black coupe which i loved, it was slight modded nothing to extreme. Well one day i was rearended in it and it in my mind was never the same. I decided the the Z06 was the perfect fit for me, i love the fact that is was built off the FRC body style and upgraded to become a perfect road racing machine. This was my initial intentions. I found a brand new 04 Silver Z06 ( i could have picked any color) that looked amazing and new it was going to be easier to detail then my black beauty (more driving time). I went off the deep end with this one and modded the hell out of it to become what i though GM should have done....
Pro
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 564
Likes: 0
From: The Great Nation of North Carolina
I was attracted to the FIXED ROOF car back in 99, then when the Z06 hit the streets in 2001 it became a no brainer.
When I finally decided to get another Vette last year , the choice had already been made years ago !
Z06, BLACK, Hot Rod, LS6, 6 Speed, fast, fun, different than the other Vettes I have owned.
For me , the Z06 reminds me of the early days when there were Vettes and 427 Vettes. I still have a rubber neck when I see those big block mid year cars , and for sure have a rubber neck when I see another Z06 cruising , especially when I am driving around in my company provided UPLANDER !
When I decide I want another rag top I will get a C4 Green/Tan AUTO car.( keep the Z06 )
When I finally decided to get another Vette last year , the choice had already been made years ago !
Z06, BLACK, Hot Rod, LS6, 6 Speed, fast, fun, different than the other Vettes I have owned.
For me , the Z06 reminds me of the early days when there were Vettes and 427 Vettes. I still have a rubber neck when I see those big block mid year cars , and for sure have a rubber neck when I see another Z06 cruising , especially when I am driving around in my company provided UPLANDER !
When I decide I want another rag top I will get a C4 Green/Tan AUTO car.( keep the Z06 )
Last edited by only59; Apr 3, 2008 at 07:38 AM.
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 1999
Posts: 2,460
Likes: 352
From: Madison Alabama
1. Somewhere around 5500 RPM in 3rd gear...that sound...try it, you'll buy it.
2. Arguably the best "point and shoot" street car ever produced.
3. Floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee ~ the most docile, in town, easy to drive car that gets 26+ MPG but can turn into a beast at the next stop light hitting 0 - 60 in 3.9 (on paper, GM numbers - I believe my car can do it, it's the driver slowing it down
)
4. That Z06 Grin -
, you have to drive one to see it, ref point #1
5. The FRC styling; this is the mid-year styling of the modern Corvette era and will be comperable in long term desire by future Corvette buyers...in reality the C5 platform was a short production platform. That, coupled with the low production of the C5 FRC body style, will only make the FRC/Z06 more desirable in the long term. FYI - GM produced more C6's in 2005 than all FRCs produced in the C5 eara (1999 - 2004).
2. Arguably the best "point and shoot" street car ever produced.
3. Floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee ~ the most docile, in town, easy to drive car that gets 26+ MPG but can turn into a beast at the next stop light hitting 0 - 60 in 3.9 (on paper, GM numbers - I believe my car can do it, it's the driver slowing it down
)4. That Z06 Grin -
, you have to drive one to see it, ref point #1 5. The FRC styling; this is the mid-year styling of the modern Corvette era and will be comperable in long term desire by future Corvette buyers...in reality the C5 platform was a short production platform. That, coupled with the low production of the C5 FRC body style, will only make the FRC/Z06 more desirable in the long term. FYI - GM produced more C6's in 2005 than all FRCs produced in the C5 eara (1999 - 2004).
Last edited by 2TONE82; Apr 3, 2008 at 11:14 AM.
Safety Car
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 3,816
Likes: 16
From: Anchorage Alaska
St. Jude Donor '08-'09-'10
I bought my first Corvette two months ago.
I was steered towards them because, after years of having cars that were merely "sporty", I wanted a *****-out, ferocious, beast of a car that sounded like the gates of hell ripping open.
I settled on a Z06 because it was/is the fastest of the stock Vettes; something about having HP in the 400 range is awesome; and the Z06/FRC body style is my absolute favorite! To find that all of that came in the same car was what sold me.
I was steered towards them because, after years of having cars that were merely "sporty", I wanted a *****-out, ferocious, beast of a car that sounded like the gates of hell ripping open.
I settled on a Z06 because it was/is the fastest of the stock Vettes; something about having HP in the 400 range is awesome; and the Z06/FRC body style is my absolute favorite! To find that all of that came in the same car was what sold me.
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 1,390
Likes: 35
From: INDIANA
For me it was because the Z06 maintained more of the "Corvette Hot Rod feel" than the other C5's. Having a 92 Convert, my wife and I test drove a new 98 C5 convert, and it was too refined, too soft feeling for a Corvette, in our opinion. When I first drove a Z06 in '01, it knocked my socks off with its performance, gearing spacing perfectly matched to the engine, handling, and that little-bit-on-the-edge Corvette feel. That did it for me, the Z06 was the got-to-have it car of all time, after driving it.
Last edited by LT1GMC; Apr 3, 2008 at 08:27 AM. Reason: sp
Race Director
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 15,678
Likes: 1,097
From: birmingham Alabama
St. Jude Donor '09 and '13
I prefer the C5 Z06 because it is one of the all around best performing cars for the money. It handles great, has great acceleration, and has very good brakes. It is agile on a road course and fast in a drag race. This car is the TOTAL package. It really does everything very well. And it is very reliable to boot!
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
5 MOST and 5 LEAST Popular Corvette Model Years in History!
Joe Kucinski
2027 Corvette Buyer's Guide: Everything You Need to Know!
Joe Kucinski
Pro
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 700
Likes: 20
From: Derby Kansas
Always LOVED the look of the car with the fixed roof, rear brake ducts, 10 spoke wheels.
Performance wise: I like the fact that the M12 trans has steeper gearing, the titanium exhaust sounds absolutely PERFECT to me, I like the "feel" of a stiffer car, and I also didn't want to be limited to "only" 345 or 350hp of a "regular" C5
.
Performance wise: I like the fact that the M12 trans has steeper gearing, the titanium exhaust sounds absolutely PERFECT to me, I like the "feel" of a stiffer car, and I also didn't want to be limited to "only" 345 or 350hp of a "regular" C5
.
Last edited by Ron78Z&66Vette; Apr 3, 2008 at 12:55 PM.
Team Owner
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 34,124
Likes: 105
From: Pensacola FL
I've said this to death, but... I almost bought a black M6 C6. It was third on "the list" of Corvettes I was serious about. I had the price haggled to where I wanted it, had my trade-in appraised, I was getting the "red carpet" treatment by the dealership, yadda-yadda. Anyways, just because I am meticulous and was not so happy with my prior Vette purchase, I had one more Vette on my list to check out...a C5Z. First drive, I forgot all about the C6. So raw, so light-on-its-feet, so visceral. I ended up buying a Z16 and love it.
Race Director
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 16,106
Likes: 473
got mine late summer of '04 as one of the last of ~6 new torch red/mod red z06's available in dealer lots in the country. it was either going to be that type of z, or the then-new new c6 ('05 model year). didn't like the c6 coupe or vert enough at the time, and i got a helluva deal on my z, so....that's why i drive the z! prefer the looks of the c5 body style more in general. 
either way, they're all good--they're vettes!
either way, they're all good--they're vettes!
Pro
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 578
Likes: 1
From: Dallas TX
I bought one because the general made such a joke of the AE (lipstick) corvette. I handed my number one spot at a dealer to someone else, called the dealer and told them to find me a QS or EB Z06 and I would be there to pick it up. Best decision I have made about a car. The wife says that now that we have a Z06, we couldn't go back to a coupe/vert
Intermediate
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
From: Atlanta Georgia
I have had mine for 2 months....
Coming from BMW's and Audi's i wasn't sure what to expect, so I found one in the area in excellent condition that I took for a little test drive. The moment I turned out of the parking lot I was hooked. The entire drive I barely broke 45mph, mainly because I wanted to save the full experience until after I bought it (which happened a week later). I knew it was fast, I knew it could handle, but what I didn't expect is the way it drives around town every day. You would never know you had 400hp on tap unless you wanted to find out. That's what sold me.
Coming from BMW's and Audi's i wasn't sure what to expect, so I found one in the area in excellent condition that I took for a little test drive. The moment I turned out of the parking lot I was hooked. The entire drive I barely broke 45mph, mainly because I wanted to save the full experience until after I bought it (which happened a week later). I knew it was fast, I knew it could handle, but what I didn't expect is the way it drives around town every day. You would never know you had 400hp on tap unless you wanted to find out. That's what sold me.