Oh, I see.

 

From a very modest distance I would venture to suggest that most people could not tell the difference between any version of C6 except coupe vs convertible. The base coupe looks mean as heck, the Z06 looks different and to some meaner and the ZR1? I don't know except that I KNOW the differences and can't tell immediately from a distance.

Some small percentage of the general public , those who may attend car shows or give performance automobiles some amount of attention, learn quickly what buzz words to mention or ask about. They may not have the faintest idea of the differences between a Z06 and ZR1 but they know there is a difference. So they ask.

This is the reason the "widebody" craze has been so successful. Who is to know whether the car is a Z06 or altered base car? Not many is the answer at least not at a glance in traffic. And, what a beautiful code word for "clone" or "tribute car".

So now the factory has traded on the "Z06 look" with the GS. But, they put more stripes and chrome on the GS so the average observer may make the mistake of thinking the GS is the hotter car when, in fact, it's a mildly altered base car.

Now, you GS boys may get hot over this opinion but until more hp comes along with that emblem and all that vinyl tape you can sing your song all you want.....it's an altered base car with different brakes and suspension but NO MORE POWER.

The shame of all of this is that it's all about marketing. In this case using marketing to divide and conquer by creating differences-however slight-that increase or decrease status. It's all about "da bottom line" and in the process this whole thing of "mine's a Z51" "mine's a Z06", "mine's a GS" , or "mine's a ZR1" is dividing what was a fairly monolithic vette brotherhood into factions who think theirs is better for this or that reason.

I prefer to look at it in two ways: 1/ How does a stripped no option base coupe compare to everything else on the road even near the price? and 2/ How does the relative "bang for the buck" in terms of performance stack up within the various models and options of the C6?

My answer to #1 is that the base no option coupe is way way way ahead of anything else out there at even near the price AND is faster than just about any pre-C6 vette ever made!

My answer to #2 is that the base no option coupe and the lowest option level Z06 are the two best buys going for what you get. This would be followed by the ZR1, which , even though much more expensive is also much higher performance. Due to price and lack of additional hp I'd put the new GS at the bottom of the list as far as what you get performance wise for your dollar. In other words the profit margin is considerably higher.

Now, I know that some of you want to put "My Z51" in between the base coupe and the Z06 saying that for very little money you get a much better performing car....more bang for the buck. OK, go ahead. It fits there but , IMO, is much closer to the base car than the Z06.

When the vette gets bogged down in terms of bang for the buck is when lots of appearance and lux options get added by the buyer or by the factory. These options carry much higher margins and generally add little if anything to performance. ( example: lining the interior of a C6 with cowhide ).

All C6s are great. It's the greatest generation of vette ever produced by any measure of performance from the base no option coupe all the way up to the ZR1 and including anything in between. Nobody who owns a base coupe needs to hang their head in the presence of a Z06 anymore than a Z06 owner needs to hide and cringe in the presence of the mighty ZR1.

So after having said all of this my answer to a question I've never been asked: " So it's only a base model?" would be, if I were asked: Yes, it's faster than almost any vette ever built prior to it's generation and will peel your face off when properly used."

NO ONE needs to hang their head no matter what C6 they own. Anyone who wants to play status games with "mine's better" has, IMO, just forfeited their "vette brotherhood" card for life.

 

That's an odd question. No one have ever asked me what it is, other than saying nice car, corvette.., though I had some people at the drag strip say "Nice Z06!!". No one in the general public would have a clue about suspension options on these cars, they are just "vettes". Probably the only time you'd encounter that type of question would be from another vette owner, hoping to one up you and show off what a dbag he is.

 

When I had a regular C6 I did get asked a few times if it was a Z06. Now that I do have a Z06 the very first time I gased it I was asked if it was a ZR1 !!!!

 

When I tell my friends it's Z51 they are impressed. They don't know the difference or care and I don't tell them. I don't hang around with Corvette guys.

 

Basically its mine
Basically paid for
Basically a Corvette is better than 98% of anything on the street
Basically I'm basically biased
Base 436HP
Mine is basically a base model with the basic 3LT NPP F55 A6 coupe with some basic upgrades of my choice basically
Based on the above I'm basically pleased
All my basic answers are based on basic facts basically

And yes I'm being basically silly based on the time I wasted basing my feelings on being questioned about owning just a BASE Corvette.

 

Wow, didn't realize what a can of worms I was opening, lol. I love my base 1LT coupe and wouldn't want to drive anything else. It's an awesome car. I don't need all the extra bells and whistles and 430hp is as much as I want. I'm still intimidated by it lol. Doesn't bother me one bit when people ask me what model it is. It can spank cars that cost twice as much, and as a bunch of other people said, if someone has to ask they won't really know the difference anyway. I just think it's funny when someone does ask

 

When I was asked why I didn't buy a Z06, I answered that all I had in checking account at the time I ordered it was xx,xxx dollars and I didn't want a car loan and that was the last time anyone I know asked.

 

I guess I am the unlucky owner of a Base, base corvette.

 

If they have to ask me what model vette it is looking at the car they are clueless about vettes anyway.... so I should care why?

 

"Yeah. Just a plain ole POS base Corvette. I was looking at the new Camry, but my wife made me get this thing instead. That Camry was real nice."

I just had a parking lot attendant ask me if my car was a Z06. I raised my right arm straight up vertically and smiled. I don't think he understood.

 

Answer to OP's original question = nope. They just like the color, because they don't see it that much. BTW, thanks everyone for keeping AO the lowest production color for 2009. 4.3% of total sales according to Rick Conti's web page. And cancelled for 2010...Woohoo!

 

answer: Just a base vette...wanna race?

so far no takers

I love ALL corvettes. Even the C4s. lol

In a way I like the question because it gives me a chance to talk about one of my 2 passions.

 

Yeah, its just a base model...the kind that some might think are dispensed by bubble-gum machines...but the C6 BASE model happens to also be a track capable Race Car.

 

I'm pretty active in car-based social circles (most of my buddies are car guys), so I hear the OP's question all the time.

I just tell 'em the truth: "Yep. I didn't have the extra 25,000 to drop...."




"But it's faster than a Z06 ".

 

I got the old "IT'S JUST A CHEVY" line tonight from an uppity type girlfriend of a friend of mine. I told her it's a CORVETTE.She said 'No matter what,it's still just a CHEVY".I said yeah,a 190 mile an hour Chevy!!Bye now.I felt like slapping her upside the head!

 

If its not a ZO6 or ZR1 it is a base model - So what. But it sounds like your friend is also a "base model" friend... You may want to consider upgrading.

 

I have been asked if my vette is a Z06 a few times. I say no its not but it has 436 hp and they say wow. Then they want to know more about it Most people just say nice car.

 

Ya, people are idiots. I get the "Is that a Z06?" question a lot.

I say no it's not and then I get the "ahh it's just a base."

Yea, just a base still whips the crap out of most cars on the road, and most definitely the car the people who ask me that question drive.

It's annoying for sure, but then I stop and realize if they don't know the visual difference between a base and a Z06, they don't know much about a Corvette to begin with. I think the people that are clueless about the Corvette probably still think of them as they used to be during the dark era of the Vette when they weren't what they are today.

Either way it's usually a mix of all that and jealousy I think.

 

The people who ask if your "base" Vette is a Z06 are attempting to show they are knowledgeable about Corvettes, but immediately reveal themselves as lacking in such knowledge because they can't tell the differences between the various Corvette models. Unfortunately such confusion will only increase with the new GS, a heavier, less aerodynamic model with more frontal area and greater rolling resistance than the "base" model and having no more horsepower, whose main attribute to the average Corvette buyer is is to simply mimic the styling of the "wide body" Z06 with its extra scopes, vents, and wider tires. Today I took a four hour spirited drive through the White Moutains of New Hampshire comforted in the knowledge my F55 equipped "base" model offered a smoother, more roadworthy and more secure ride and handling than any skittish Z06 model or Z51 optioned Vette on such twisty but rippled and undulating roads, and whose overall performance on such roads was second only to the ZR1, equipped with a similiar suspension, but which costs twice as much.