keithhogan

I have narrowed down a search for a C6 to a 2006 Z with only 4500 miles. Since I have never driven one of these I was looking for any tips on how to pick up on any issues.

THe interior and exterior are near showroom quality.

Tips? Advise?

FYI -- trading my 1995 base for a completely different experience. Yes I am excited.

Thanks for any input!

SivaSuryaKshatriya

Personally I'd pass on all C6 Z06's before 2008, as the 2008 and above models got an improved steering rack and an upgraded transmission. I think the steering rack alone is worth spending a few extra grand for, as it's what connects you to the car and the chassis and is a huge part of the experience of driving the car.

Things I would look for:

- Check the clutch fluid. I doubt there's any issue here at 4500 miles, but these cars tend to dirty up their clutch fluid very quickly, and it's a pain in the *** to replace it. You'll want to keep track of this as you drive the car.

- Make sure when you drive it that the traction control system can be cycled through all modes. I had an issue with my traction control system which turned into a nightmare...

- You'll want to get the valve upgrades done, plenty of topics already on that so I'll leave it at this

- Check the lip spoiler under the front bumper to make sure it's not cracked or broken off. It's a relatively expensive piece that is easy to break.

Finally, low miles aren't necessarily a good thing. Motors are meant to be driven once in a while, but if they just sit there without the oil circulating through the system, things can deteriorate.

AzDave47

There are two things here. On the lower front fascia is the front splitter. It frequently will scrap on parking lot berms and get scraped. I think this is what is being discussed. A replacement is in the $200 range, not really expensive and very easy to replace.

The other part(s) are the air dam underneath about 18" behind the splitter. This is a three piece system and is usually the first thing to get scraped as it is the lowest part on the car. All three pieces only cost about $120 so also not expensive.

With the low mileage the splitter and air dam may be in good shape.

I've not heard about the change in steering rack between early and late cars, and have never heard others complain about it.

The early transmissions were T56 and the later TR 6060. Many people that have had both prefer the T56. My 09 has the TR6060 and now with 50K+ miles on it I love the way it shifts, even above 7K rpm at full throttle. When cold out (bleow 40*), I do get some gear nibble on the 1-2 shift for two or three miles, but once the fluid gets circulated it is fine.

z06clif

Make sure the roof recall was done. With that low mileage on a 13 year old car I would have it looked at and change all the fluids. It dont have enough miles on it for the regular troubles to surface. Sometimes the rear end clunks with the old diff fluid. The tires are probaly dried out...thats a hunk of $ right there. Oh and by the way if you dont respect it....it will kill you. Its not like amything youve ever driven and theres a learning curve

Clif

Unreal

Nothing wrong with t56.

Same with steering.

Check all the recalls, and common issues. Vavles, axle nuts, roof, end links. Also check to make sure tires are not 12+ years old. If they are, replace them asap.

SivaSuryaKshatriya

Yeah, it's the air dam I was referring to. I remember someone mentioning it was $600 installed but I could of course be wrong.

I'll agree on the transmission - many don't necessarily see the TR6060 as an improvement over the T56, though I've never seen any hard numbers one way or another.

Regarding the steering, Chevy made a different steering rack for the 08+ Z06 that has tighter tolerances and less variance/play. They did this after customer complaints and several negative magazine reviews pointing out the "numb steering."

cseaman

Do you have a source for this? I've read many threads about people pondering C6 Z06 purchases and resulting posts similar to yours, and I have never seen a steering rack change mentioned.

LV Vette

I agree 100%

Dirk Miller

Hey, I recently purchased an '06 ZO6 with 50K+ miles. For the past 4 months, I have been comparing this car to my base '08 C6 with magnetic dampners that I still have. Yes Chevy did upgrade the steering rack when I ordered my C6. Yet I can barely tell the difference and I track these cars. So for me this has not been an issue. My Z is a big favorite over my base car with regards to how much lighter it feels. The T56 transmission has so far been shifting great! I will say that almost 3 years ago, I installed new upper control arms up front on my '08. I couldn't believe how much tighter and more responsive the car handled after that. My Z does have poly bushings all around and I love the crisp response I get off of this. Oh I must mention that this Z also came with G2 coil overs and it is just what I wanted. If the Z you are looking at has been well taken care of, I'd say it is an option to seriously consider.

LMB-Z

Check normal things as has been previously stated. Clutch fluid is a 5 minute thing...very simple and cheap. T56 or T6060...makes no difference. Tires would be a big deal, as would the valve problem. Together, you are talking close to $4k. Be careful with the go pedal, it will get you in trouble very quickly. Have fun and good luck.

Mordeth

GM revised the rack in 2008, and again in 2009. Tighter tolerances, better bearings etc in 2008 and then a variable ratio steering gear in 2009 from Delphi. In 2011 they added dual mode steering to competition mode. These were in fact improvements.

Mike44665

Mine had 7,200 when I bought it September 2015. I called the previous owner and thanked him for saving the car for me. He traded it in for a 2015 Z06.

keithhogan

I appreciate the input. Test drive tomorrow. If all works out as planned I will be posting a picture very soon. Wish I could to also hold onto my '95 but it is getting a little crowded around here.

mkitt27

Good luck! I bought my Z just 2 weeks ago. Other than the drive from the dealer in Chicago to my home in MN have barely driven it due to snow and cold temperatures. What little driving I've done has been impressive!!

Dirty Howie

I agree with this

I had an '08 before a wall came out and hit me on the track. I then bought an '06.
1. At first the steering felt a little firmer (requiring more than a pinky finger to turn the wheel) 0n the '06. I quickly got used to it and I have no problems steering and handling on frequent AutoX events.
2. I could not detect any difference in the transmissions. It shifts very smoothly and actually does not exhibit the cold nibble that '08 had that Dave is describing above. The T56 is also supposed to be lighter.

Its common knowledge the '06's are lighter and faster


DH

JerriVette

With 4500 miles I'd just check carfax and see if the car was hit ..other than that you seem to be buying a new 2006 z06...

The miscasting of a few of the heads didn't occur until a few 2007 models..

If I were shopping I'd definitely hunt down a 2006 z06.

32000? Would be my guess...

Enjoy as it's a. Awesome sports car.

I like the roof of driving experience so I have a purchased new 2008 z51 m6 that I've put on 119k trouble free miles...

When you take ownership make sure you drive it as often as possible...

These cars don't melt in the rain. I use mine as a daily driver and have snows for the winter months...my car still looks brand new and it's a lot of fun.

TXGS507

Trust me, you won't even remember the C4 once you begin driving the C6Z......

AzDave47

I've not seen any evidence of that and the problem is far far more than "a few heads". More importantly none of the heads were mis-cast. Linimar mis-machined the guides/valve seats. Well in excess of 80% of the posters on this forum that have had their heads checked have had many guides out of GM spec at anywhere from 4000 miles to 50, 000 miles and one set of brand new replacement heads were out of spec in 2013 with valve guides not concentric with the valve seats. My 09Z was out of spec on 14 of 16 valves at 46K miles.

keithhogan

Done deal -- blue beauty -- 06 --- 4600 miles.

LOVING IT!

AzDave47

Enjoy, and take care exploring it's performance.