Long story short, I owned a C5Z back in 11 and had major engine failure at about 25k... Sold the car and decided to stay away from the car scene for a while (I was pretty ticked at the entire situation). Anyway, I'm contemplating jumping back in and right now I'm considering a C6Z, C6 w/Z51, or Gen3 Viper... Let me stress that ANY of these cars are plenty fast for me and we are talking about a weekend/sunny day car and not a daily. Obviously the price range is a little wide but I don't plan on buying based only on price... availability is also something I have to consider since obviously a base vette is easier to come accross than a viper... blah blah. What I am 100% focused on is durability/reliability. I know all cars have issues (Learned that the hard way) but i REALLY don't want to go back down that road. I know the LS7 has pretty substantial issues with dropped valves... the viper engine seems to be a very well built motor but there are plenty of other gremlins running around in that car... That brings me to the LS3. Don't know much about it at all. I really want some honest feedback on common issues with this engine/car. It would honestly be well worth it for me to give up some speed and get a car that I know is going to last. I'm a basic bolt on guy... I/E/T... Nothing crazy so I don't really see future mod plans factoring into anything here. Thanks in advance for the knowledge and I'm glad to be back on the forums.

 

I drive a LS-7, appears some engines inhale a valve (or two) now and then. Lots of conjecture. Still, ownership is somewhat a crap shoot.
Precisey why I've left the car stock while maintaining a warranty at my expense. Should it frag, it'll be replaced.
Up to now, 28K later, its been the best most reliable car I've ever owned by a factor of 3.

I've come from an '03 LS-1, '06 LS-2 to the '08 LS-7. While a GS shares the chassis (in metal form), LS-3 cannot approach the torque of either LS-7/9. Not stock, anyway. Torque's why most of Z owners are Z owners. Intoxicating.

Z06 (& ZR-1, FTM) is an experience all its own. IF you've the wherewithall I highly suggest you at least test drive one before any decision's made. Good luck.

 

I would skip the Z51 and go with a base suspension with the PFADT set up. Its only 1k and you can do the work yourself Im sure. You get tuned shocks and beefier sway bars than the Z51. Not saying the Z51 but even Z51 guys are upgrading.

 

I agree that driving the car is in order. I know the difference on the C5Z and Base C5 was night and day from experience and I'm sure the same is true on the 6. Like I said on the OP, I def understand that a lot of it is just luck (or bad luck) and I really don't want to base a major purchase dicision on fear of (maybe)future failure but I also don't want to overlook something that may end up biting me in the *** eventually. I'm doing the same thing in regard to the Viper... Already discovered some very weak points dealing with window regulators ($1000+ to replace) and some other issues but nothing really glaring involving the drive train. Just want to do the same with the LS3.

 

Such a personal decision must include many factors that only you can plug into the equation. This would be the part that I would enjoy. Research the hell out of it and test drive everything you can.

 

Remember that there are far more cars out on the road without dropped valves then there are with. You hear more about the bad on forums such as this. So take reports with a grain of salt.

With that said my 08 Z was rock solid. It never gave me any trouble. My 07 CR had a non engine related steering issue that was promptly corrected with a new rack and pinion unit. Otherwise all of my Corvettes have been solid cars.

Buying used it the unknown however. You don't know what the previous owner might have done to, or with the vehicle. The LS series of engines have proven to be reliable and long lasting. But, just like any other machine, if they are abused and not taken care of, they won't last. This is one of the reasons I tend to buy new even though it's more expensive.

That brings me to my final point. You're in the price range where getting in to a brand new Coupe or low trim level GS is an option. Especially considering the huge discounts being offered right now. I'll echo what TLS Addict said. I think for you a coupe with a johnny o package would be extremely reliable and perform better than the C5Z you had previously. It's also your cheapest option for used and still likely within your price range for new.

 

It is unusual for to have a C5Z engine failure. Even heavily tracked cars go many thousands of hard miles without even touching the engine except to do oil changes. If you bought another C5Z you have a high probability of being able to drive it for well over 100K miles without engine issues.

The C6Z story is uncertain. I had the engine in my C6Z replaced due to a dropped exhaust valve after 40 track days. My C5Z saw a bunch more track days and a lot more autocrossing than the C6Z without any issues. Haven't talked to the present owner since last year but it was still going strong three years after he bought it from me with 43K miles on the clock.

I love my C6Z but I can't say you will not have a failure. But they sure a blast until the big bang hits. Pulling off a turn in 3rd gear from 70 to 80 mph up to 120+ the car feels like a rocket ship and you still have 4th gear all the way to 160. If you are good at feathering the clutch you can start in 4th and never have to shift until you hit 160.

C6 LS3 doesn't seem to have the valve drop issues and I would expect you could get a couple hundred K miles on a street driven LS3.

Bill

 

I agree with Denny. And I don't agree w. tls, but that's because I think my z51 works well, for me. As to what you are asking re an LS3 and its reliability, I suggest since you've been a member for almost two years, just stay on here and read up on all the various threads---General and Tech sections. You'll form a far better opinion with lots more input than a single thread with 20 answers. You can even research by going back using the search button above and limiting your views to C6 Gen and Tech.

If you want my one line answer it is the LS3 is super-reliable, but I'm sure someone can bend or break it---and it might be you, or not.

 

OP, was your C5Z one that lost a valve spring?

 

It did. Cylindar walls were trashed. heads toast. Car had 25k non-track miles on it and it happened at about 60mph highway cruise. I've honestly jst chalked it up to extremely bad luck because it is hard to think of anything else. My price range is <50k and I have thought about going with a new (or almost new) base coupe or GS... Lots to think about. I would find it hard to drop the cash on a car that I could have with 15k on it (08/09) for less than 35 grand... and at the same time, not spend 50k on a low miles Z or Viper. I have been diving into some older threads and am finding them very helpful. The biggest issue I have found on the LS3 is the balancer failures. Very interesting that such a simple part has caused so many problems with the LS motors. I guess at the end of the day, if you are going to purchase a domestic car, some of these issues will probably never go away... Wouldn't consider owning anything else though

 

That balancer issue may be one of the vexing, but some have solved it with a new GM "model" and others consider it to be the same design as the old one. For considerably more money (but small in the scheme of a $50K car), the ATI or SLP Powerbond may be a cure. Overall, not cheap to do, but as you say, every car's going to have its perennial gremlins, and at least this one has a solution.