Lee Cromwell

You could also get a really really nice ... Forgive me here...C5 for so much less money . My best friend loves my c6 but couldn't find a nice one in his budget but he scored a really super nice Convertable C5 with only like 30k miles in mint shape... Hell i told him he shouldn't buy it, then i would have! He was smart and bought it, great car at half price a comparable C6 was

LowRyter

depends what you are after. Do you want a little more performance or will you be happy with a nice driving C6.

I was looking for Z51/GS w/stick and found a great deal on a base model w/stick. I am glad I got the base model since it's a daily driver. Handles great, power is great. Looks great. Just what I wanted but didn't know it.

pdac

I would just reset your expectations and look into a lower mileage Grand Sport. You will see that a 2012-13 GS is in the same price range as a higher mileage 2006 Z06 so you would be getting a 6-7 year newer car for about the same money. I agree with the others that the targa top is what makes the car so much fun for me. (I can't stand convertibles).
It's still plenty fast for practical use. It actually feels slower off the line than my last stock mustang GT due to the gearing but the style is what makes it so fun to drive.
It also really depends on how many miles you plan to put on it. I bought mine with 25k miles on it (a '12) and it had just had a brand new set of tires put on it. I don't really anticipate too many routine maintenance bills in the near future but you never know. I travel for work each week so I don't end up putting a lot of miles on it. Good luck with your decision. These cars are a great bang for the buck but they are definitely depreciating rapidly and you don't want to dig yourself into a hole.

K2l2eve

my job Matches 6% so essentially I'm putting away 12%

K2l2eve

I have one in sight that is an 09 with 57k miles for $28950. Victory Red. I really want red.

03BlkZ

Ha ha! Some of us have gotten extremely lucky. I just bought my 2008 Z06 with 15k miles for 30k. Now it was my father in laws so he gave me a nice deal on the garage queen but deals are definitely out there. They may not be a cream puff like mine but they are out there. Also my valve guides are out of spec and in work changing them now. Just shy of 2k in parts but I am doing g the work myself.

K2l2eve

if I got the Z06 I would be doing the head work myself. 2k isn't the end of the world but kind of wanted to enjoy it for a bit before diving in and investing more money.... man that is a steal with 15k miles not even broke in a little bit!

03BlkZ

I only put about 6 miles on my car before going under the knife for heads. I'm not a gambling man.

K2l2eve

I will be doing the same if I go that route. I'
Gonna test a base soon and a Z I have one of each within 2 hrs of me. But it'll probably be the Z just dreading the FIX.

449er

You asked for our opinions, so here goes some tough love...You can't afford a C6 Corvette given the information that you posted, especially a ZO6, Don't get yourself in over your head for a car. What if you get sick, have a accident, lose your job? It happens every day to folks. Wait till such time when you have more disposable income

K2l2eve

I really do appreciate the tough love. I have been looking at the 05-07 vette as well I could walk away paying cash. What are the thoughts on the ls2 cars.

03BlkZ

I am having fun and enjoying every minute of the work.

FAUEE

Nothing wrong with an ls2 car at all. I'd much rather a paid for ls1 car than an ls7 car I might not be able to afford.

K2l2eve

yeah I'm kinda leaning that way. I was gonna put down some on the Z so my payments would be low around $500. I was thinking get the ls2 car have fun with it for a while and save for the LS7 car in 3-4yrs.... I was reading it's not to hard to get the LS2 cars to 450-500rwhp. I know it won't be as steerable as an LS7 car and who knows maybe I'll enjoy it enough to not want a Z06. This car is gonna be a toy for me for the most part. My daily is a 04 Silverado SS and I love how comfortable it is for commuting.

C6KWJ

S.C. vette

Find a nice unabused base with LS3 (best motor of the C6 generation) auto, and strong/clean car fax. Go to a GM dealer and have them download all maintenance records. Bottom line, find out if you really like the vette life before jumping into a Z06 or going into deep debt. Good luck!

Frankie15

The LS3 is a fantastic engine and I owned an LS3 equipped C6. Definitely not better than the LS7 though even with the heads issue.

jonnyc

if i lived somewhere with no smog testing i would have bought a grandsport and done heads/cam and not worry about the ls7 head problem.but since i'm in california and it's getting almost impossible to mod,i ended up getting the z06 and dealing with the head issue.

have you thought about getting the base ls2 model for now,drive that for a couple years,then get into a c7 down the road?

K2l2eve

Maybe I'll just put a good chunk Down and get a 2008 base or z51 instead of a Z06. I think I'll like ls3 vette. My buddy is just pumping me up on the Z06. I have seen them around $20k and the payments aren't to bad around $350 a month and if i put down 10k theyll be even lower leave room to save money for mods .

K2l2eve

I've also thought about that with the c8 on the way and in 2 years it'll be even cheaper.

I have no smog here in sunny FLORIDA my SS is headers with no cats and straight thru mufflers dumped at the axles.