jasesquire

Good afternoon on this rainy Sunday here in the Northeast. I joined this Forum because I finally came to the decision that it is time for me to indulge in a new Corvette. I have been researching and searching for the past three months and have had an opportunity to test drive a few C5s, C6s, and a base C7.....each without Magnetic Ride Control. These test drives led me to the decision to buy the C7. But, I have not been able to test drive a Z51 with MRC. Now, in searching CarGurus for a vehicle I am noticing far more Z51s available with Magnetic Ride Control than base models with and without it. So my question for the Collective today is what can you folks tell me about the differences between a base and a Z51 with MRC. I never considered buying a Z51 since I am not into racing, but want the "Grand Touring" experience. I love the ride, comfort, and overall handling of the base car. But, the selections of color for body and interior are severly limited. Available choices seem to be much greater by going with a Z51 with MRC. Is the Tour setting of a Z51 with MRC as soft and comfortable as a base model? It also seems that a Z51 with MRC will hold its value and be more saleable in the future, so my question on ride comfort is an important one for me before deciding on buying a Z51 with MRC.

Any insight is greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

Zymurgy

Color availability has absolutely nothing to do with Z51 or non-Z51, with or without MSRC.

Rooster OG

You can get the car with magnetic ride but without the other z51 stuff except wheels. For $3495 you get MRC and 19 & 20" wheels.

95bat

I went with mag ride and non-z51 and I love it!

mpuzach

I believe most people who went with Z51 (myself included) will never take advantage of its incremental capabilities vs. the non-Z51 version of the Stingray. If you're not going to track the car, non-Z51 with mag ride is an excellent choice.

Strake

Welcome to the forum!

I also had the same decision a few weeks ago....... Z51 or Base. Either way, I wanted the Mag ride with the 19" and 20" wheel option.

As this was our 10th Vette, we aren't new to them, but haven't had a C7 yet. We last had the 60th Anniv 427 with every imaginable option, and several other C6 Grand Sports with Mag ride and equivalent Z51 suspension / brake features. I'm typically one to buy a loaded up Vette, but NOT this time. Ordered exactly what I wanted, and was realistic for my real wants.

Bottom line is if you aren't going to track the car, as I have no intention of doing, you can buy the BASE C7 and still get the Mag Ride feature, NPP dual exhaust, larger wheel and tires, etc for LESS money ( just about $2k ) than getting the Z51 in a comparable 2LT, or 3LT package.
With the Z51 package, it has a dry sump oil system which is more involved for oil changes, not to mention about 10 quarts of Mobil 1 where the Base car has a traditional oil system. It does have some great additional features, important if you plan on tracking the car such as the eDiff; larger, vented brakes, trans cooler...... but if no track, then no need.

I special ordered mine as a Base 2LT with MAG ride, NPP, larger wheels/tires, glass top and several other goodies.

Like me, if you are in the Northeast, you are within a day's ride of the 3 largest volume Corvette dealers .... Kerbeck, MacMulkin, and Criswell. All are outstanding to work with.

SCB

Good advice. There's no reason to get the Z51 package if you aren't tracking the car. Mine is a 1LT Z51 without Magnetic Ride. Will never take it to the track, but it was in stock and had everything else I wanted (color, Automatic, Nav, etc.). No regrets, and have to say that the ride is very good even without the Magnetic Ride. The suspension is beefed up (better shocks and a rear anti-sway bar, which are part of the Z51 package).

Larry/car

I had a C6 with magnetic ride. When I purchased my C7 test drives were not available and most cars were selling a MSRP so I decided to purchase a base convertible, could always trade if not satisfied. Well the base suspension system is so advanced I do not miss not having magnetic ride. I recommend the base suspension for spirited driving and open road cruising.

SCB

Forgot to mention that my Cadillac XLR (based on C5 chasis) had Mag Ride, although it was the first generation. Nothing remarkable about it, but the entire car was designed to be be softer than a Corvette (feel more like a Caddy).

Strake

forgot to add...... IF you found that a Base C7 suspension was for some reason too soft, or too much roll, you can add the Z51 Sway Bar Kit that one of our forum vendors offers for $303 and install it yourself, or have someone do it in about 2 hours of labor.

Here's the link to the thread I started a few weeks ago which is very similar to yours.......as I was making the same decision you are. I got a lot of great feedback. Take a look.

https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...ray-coupe.html

SCB

I was about to do that to my XLR before I decided t sell it and buy the C7. There was no rear sway bar installed on the base XLR, although they later included it on to XLR-V.

jcp911s

It all depends on your plans and budget.

Personally, if I were buying a street-only car, and had a tight budget, a base 1LT coupe with no options is quite a hell of a car for the money... I doubt you will ever miss the MRC.

That said, you can option these cars to the moon if you have the cash, but that's all personal taste IMHO

Zymurgy

Evaluating MSRC based on 1st or 2nd generation MSRC makes about as much sense as evaluating the C7 interior based on the C5/C6 interiors. There's really no comparison.

Here's some reviews/comments on MSRC:

I strongly encourage you test drive a Stingray with and without MSRC so you can make a fully informed decision based on what is important to you.

GS1960

I was were you are about 6 months ago. I decided to go with the base and added the MSRC suspension. I had to add the suspension as I wanted the museum delivery and the Z51 spoiler. After putting 6000 miles on the car, the MSRC is a good choice. I don't need the larger brakes and all of the brake cooling that comes with the Z51 and I saved a few bucks.

The thing about MSRC, If you buy it, you will glad you did. If you choose not to buy it, you won't miss it.

KWC6

Well worth the money.

jcp911s

My car is a Z51 with MRC... I use it on the track, and IMHO, if you opt for the Z51, adding the MRC is a no-brainer... it's a noticeably great technology.

But if you are just buying a street cruiser, the Z51/MRC package is still a $5K hit... and really not necessary.

Rakkasan

I have a 3LT Z-51 with MRC, and I will never take it to the track. I added the MRC because it adds considerably to your resale value if/when you trade it in.

For some reason there are those in this forum that like to dump on those who get a Z-51 with all the bells and whistles, but turn around and buy all the trim to put on their car so it looks like one.

It looks to me like you've done your homework, and know what you want, so my advice is to trust yourself. I would hate for you to buy your first corvette and be disappointed in it because you didn't get everything on it you wanted.

$$$frumnuttin'

[QUOTE=Rakkasan;1591198730]I have a 3LT Z-51 with MRC, and I will never take it to the track. I added the MRC because it adds considerably to your resale value if/when you trade it in.

It's quite possible at trade in or resale you will get back a fair amount of $$$$, plus a quick sale due to the demand.

direct007

I took 2 base verts without mag ride for test drives and then a Z51 vert with mag ride for a test drive before deciding on the Z51 with mag ride. The $2110 cost savings (before dealer discount is deducted) for the base with mag ride and npp exhaust compared to the Z51 with mag ride was so close that it didn't make sense to me to get the car without it being loaded so I would have no regrets or 2nd guessing after the fact. I knew I wanted mag ride so the decision wasn't difficult.

Dealers call a car configured with the popular options "optioned correctly" You are seeing more choices available in more color combinations in dealer inventory because this is THE popular configuration and what is in demand vs Z51 without Magnetic Ride or Base with Magnetic Ride. A car that is optioned correctly will usually have a higher resale value than a car that isn't unless you are selling to an uneducated buyer that just wants a corvette and doesn't know any better.

Now take 12% off (which is the best discount now being offered on 2LT vettes) and the difference is only $1856.80.

VY427

Also know that the Z51 package includes shorter ratios in gears 1-3. These provide snappier response in these three gears which are used quite often. The shorter ratios played a significant part in my decision, as I dislike long gearing for street use.